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Tuning the SR’s detuned engine
- Thread starter Ti421
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Why go to all that trouble? Just get an SR5.
One of the Videos an engineer explained it. It’s not just detuned. The cooling and lubrication system was also engineered for less power (heat)! A less expensive system to get the price down.
burgertuning.com/collections/new-products/products/jb4-for-toyota-tacoma-turbo
AFAIK the engines are identical in every way. Sure the SR5+ has an external oil cooler and I think some water mods. The OEM is concerned with towing a boat over a mountain and heat, for some pep and stop light challenges I can see no difference in over all reliability between an SR and the up models. If you are concerned (I'm not), you can go for an external oil to air cooler when they become available. I have a SR, I assume the SR5+ has an oil to water cooler (cooled by radiator), these IMO are not as good as a dedicated oil to air cooled. My 2016 Camaro (near 1000 HP on E85) and my built supercharged Miata ND both had oil to water coolers stock, which I upgraded to oil to air coolers. Oil to air coolers have there own air cooler and ambient air is a LOT cooler than coolant system water.
I'll probably get a Berger system for grins, but I'm old and would never really use it, my truck is already much faster than my employes 4 runner with a TRD supercharger 3.4 liter...
AFAIK the engines are identical in every way. Sure the SR5+ has an external oil cooler and I think some water mods. The OEM is concerned with towing a boat over a mountain and heat, for some pep and stop light challenges I can see no difference in over all reliability between an SR and the up models. If you are concerned (I'm not), you can go for an external oil to air cooler when they become available. I have a SR, I assume the SR5+ has an oil to water cooler (cooled by radiator), these IMO are not as good as a dedicated oil to air cooled. My 2016 Camaro (near 1000 HP on E85) and my built supercharged Miata ND both had oil to water coolers stock, which I upgraded to oil to air coolers. Oil to air coolers have there own air cooler and ambient air is a LOT cooler than coolant system water.
I'll probably get a Berger system for grins, but I'm old and would never really use it, my truck is already much faster than my employes 4 runner with a TRD supercharger 3.4 liter...
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The tuner will give a SR 60 more HP and 70 more ft lbs of torque over an SR5 for about 1/5 the price.... of the SR5 package...( I can find base SR xtra cab; but every SR5+ has silly options that I don't want like 4 doors etc etc) The opposite question is more appropriate, if you going to lift, tune, etc your Taco the SR makes the most economic since you are toss out all of the stock stuff anyway and probably the warranty too.
Lastly I like the leaf springs (I'm old), I going for Timbred stoppers and call it a day. On my Titan with Timbred I can do 2200 lbs of rock in the bed and barely notice, I figure my Taco should be able to do 1/2 that with me not able to see much. I'll probably be dead before I am convinced leaf springs are inferior. I guess that is more on 4 dr vs 2dr (not really a trim thing), just saying I like steel rims and leaf springs and that is what my SR 4WD has so I was sold right then and there.
I just got a whole lot better price on a SR 4WD than I could on the SR5+, I did like the red which look orange to me 4 dr TWD pro offroad something or other, but the oldlady put the big NO on it because of color and it was a manual. So this is the first car / truck that I got in my life with an auto, kind of embarrassing and all. But I'm old maybe it is for the better.
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Every car I've owned over 50 years, had paper plates on when I started modifying them. Every new car I have ever owned had the nay sayers with the bad juju scare tactics of "warranty", new cars are too hard to modify... etc.
I ain't scared. There is nothing I can't fix, I keep a car for 10 years, the sooner I modify it, the more driving pleasure I have and I don't have that many days left, I'll probably room temperature before my Taco spits out a rod.
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Just checked the oil filter, it is below and directly in front of the engine, looks to be mounted on an oil to water cooler, cooler looks to be directly plumbed to engine block coolant (no external hoses). Have no idea what the SR5+ oil cooler looks like. As already stated, I don't like the factory oil to hot water "coolers" and will probably go to a nice aftermarket oil to air cooler in front of the of the radiator.
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Difference between SR and SR5 models
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I'm not (that) old and I went auto too. I'm a car guy and I've driven enough manual trucks to know I wouldn't want to daily drive one if I don't have to.
I very briefly had a manual 06 Tacoma TRD Sport and the 6MT was nice, but honestly kind of a chore more than anything else.
I'm pretty spoiled by the short shift kit and fresh shift bushings in my WRX hatch. My partner has a EG Civic with a B16A with an aftermarket short shifter and it's one of the best shifting experiences.
Trucks though are just not so fun. They like to shift slow, the transmission has lots of heavy spinning stuff, and the drivetrain whiplash when you shift incorrectly is pretty jarring. To each their own though! I like a nice auto which the 8AT seems to be.
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