How to add some speed?

I recently got a 2022 TRD Sport. It's great in almost every regard, but it's a dog...probably a geriatric dog because it's soooo slow. I'm not up for a huge expense like adding a supercharger, but I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. I'm new to the 4Runner and group, so I'm looking forward to hearing from some experienced people.

 

Nothing will add actual power besides adding a supercharger. You could try a regear but that doesn’t increase HP.

 

Welcome, the one thing you mentioned, the supercharger is probably the only way to get what you want.

Exhaust, intakes, etc. don't do a whole lot but make more noise. That's coming from a guy with and intake and exhaust.

These things are slowish.

 

IMO the things you make it to go faster you are moving away from the reliability factor. Just my personal opinion.. Why I'm not even interested in throttle control devices..

 

Supercharger is the only real power adder.

A throttle controller will make it feel more responsive, but it'll still be slow.

And in reality, if you drive foot to the floor they actually have decent pickup, the problem is that normal people don't drive like that. Also, you'd get about 12 mpg haha.

 

You buy a 4x4 to do 4x4 stuff.
You buy a sports car to do sports car stuff.
Combining both? Kinda like peanut butter and anchovies.

 

Blower

 

I put diesel in mine for boost

 

LoL, for a price of an used 4Runner

 

Thank you for all the responses. Does anyone have a recommendation on a throttle controller or have experience with a supercharger? Mostly, just interested in getting an idea of cost/benefit.

 

Forced induction is always awesome. It's up to you to decide if horsepower per dollar is worth it.

 

This is the only "Alternative".

https://www.vrtuned.com/blog/toyota-4runner-4-0l-v6-ecu-tuning-now-available/

Just know this option will void your warranty and comes with a questionable reputation.

 

Here's a decent video of a supercharger upgrade. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHVoWaNoQr8


And here is a good review of the mod, the details, power gains (Appr 70 HP / 60 lb/ft in the useable RPM range) and cost. (appr. $7.5-$8K).

https://trail4runner.com/2018/12/17/magnuson-supercharger-review/

 

Supercharger is not available for 2020+ because of the changes to the ECU. Sell the 4Runner if you want speed and go get yourself a different vehicle.

 

or buy a Hemi Wrangler

 

It's funny, I always see this comment when people talk about the power of the 4runner. Yet whenever anybody talks about suspension, they always talk about improving handling and eliminating nosedive. Poor handling and nose dive are characteristics of a four-wheel drive off-road vehicle. If one wants good handling and flat braking, perhaps they should have bought a sports car.

Not calling you out in particular for saying that, however just making an observation that I find humorous.

As far as the power, I find the 4R actually little unpleasant to drive at times because it feels like it's straining, and merging on to the highway or driving in the mountains takes some careful thought and attention.

I don't think wanting it to be able to get out of its own way without having to mash the throttle constantly is asking for sports car stuff.

 

I would argue that I have no problem with my 34” tires and .488 gears getting up to speed on the freeway. Granted I am not going 80 miles per hour.

Have you ever been behind the wheel of an 18 wheeler? Surely sounds like you have no clue about strategy and getting up to speed on the freeway. Carrying 70-100k pound loads and incompetent drivers slamming on their brakes in front of you and people not letting you merge on the highway.

When you understand this and experienced it you will truly know what planning is like to get on the freeway. The 4Runner is nothing in comparison. I feel like I am driving a baby car in comparison. So I think it is just a matter of perspective. You want to be limited to the streets and go fast go get a sports car. Clearly a lack of planning and experience behind the wheel of a 4Runner before making the expensive purchase. I am surely happy with the speed of the 4Runner and you know what. There is nothing wrong with slowing down in life. Not everything needs to move at 100mph.

I think I said my peace. Buenos noches.

 

I ended up doing an S&B cold air intake, TRD exhaust and a configurable throttle response unit (Speed Booster) and while these things have slightly helped nothing compress to a supercharger…

 

I agree that the power issues are overblown, but "it's fine because it speeds up faster than an 18-wheeler" is just absurd, lol

 

If you go the supercharger route I recommend you watch this video by a fellow who has one on his 4R. He states that he needs to run premium gas. So consider that additional expense.

https://youtu.be/iF9M0MyJlBA

 

These folks would hang themselves if they had to drive a 2nd gen 4Runner or a 1993 Pathfinder. Make it a little quicker and move into Land Rover 11mpg territory. No thanks.

 

Well, to be fair to those vehicles, they made similar power numbers to their contemporaries. Back then Ford and Chevy V6s were making around 160 horsepower, Chevy 305 and Ford 302 about 175, and the 350 Chevy and 351 Ford about 200.

The 4.0 Toyota has good power numbers, they're just at the entirely wrong end of the RPM range.

Also, having more power (especially the low end torque the 4R is lacking) may not really effect mpg as it has to work less. I once had a rental 5.3L Suburban that got better mpg than my 4R.

 

how fast do you need? my little ol SR5 4Runner will do 90 mph easy. Takes 10 minutes to get there but....
on a related note...a guy I follow on Youtube got a pretty kick ass Durango Hellcat. pretty kick-ass, but the radiator fell apart on him after a few months. Embarrassing.

 

We have a Tundra and 4Runner. I miss the V8 power when driving the Runner but its not terrible. Like most have stated drive it for what it is. If speed is what you really want then look elsewhere.

 

I don't think I've ever even had mine up to 90, lol. Don't care about top speed, it's the 10 minutes that it would take to get there, lol.

Couple weeks ago as I was trying to merge onto the highway, my girlfriend who drives a Hyundai Elantra, said (admittedly dramatically), if I had to drive this thing everyday I'd kill myself.

 

Here's the bottom line: This is more about perception than reality. The actual 0-60 time on a stock 4Runner is in the mid 7s. This is not out of line with a vehicle of this kind. It is a bit slow compared to the better crossovers out there at a similar price point, and a lot slow compared to expensive performance oriented models from the luxury brands. But those are apples-to-oranges comparisons because the 4Runner isn't a crossover. It's a truck. It's made more for truck things, less for commuting or comfy family road trips.

The main issue here is that the 4Runner feels slower than it is because of the way the throttle is programmed. You have to push the pedal farther for the same results. Most other cars these days are designed to give a lot of power from a little pedal, to increase the sensation of acceleration from a start. The 0-30 that people tend to notice most on test drives.

I think the above is exacerbated by the lack of noise suppression and general refinement. The 4Runner sounds like it is working hard. In family and commuter oriented vehicles, suppressing these sensations is a big part of the manufacturer's goal.

In short, different vehicles for different purposes. Nothing has it all.

 

Premium fuel is dictated by the SCU mapping primarily, but using premium will def help with longevity.

 

Sorry for the ugly cut and paste below, but if you look at it you can see what I was talking about above. There are a million SUV / crossover type vehicles that have 0-60 times similar to the 4Runner. Shit, some are a lot worse -- including ones that are smaller! Look at all these Toyota and VW SUVs in the 7s and 8s.

If Toyota reduced the gas pedal resistance and programmed throttle response like most other car makers, no one would be even talking about this. Imagine if they also stuffed in more sound insulation. Then people would think these ancient trucks were more like luxury cruisers lol.


2018 Toyota 4Runner SR5
0-60 mph 7.5 Compare
2018 Toyota C-HR XLE Premium
0-60 mph 10.6Quarter mile 18.1 Compare
2018 Toyota RAV4 Adventure AWD
0-60 mph 8.3Quarter mile 16.6 Compare
2018 Toyota Sequoia TRD Sport 4WD
0-60 mph 6.8Quarter mile 15.2 Compare
2018 Toyota Land Cruiser
0-60 mph 6.7Quarter mile 15.1 Compare
2019 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium
0-60 mph 7.7Quarter mile 16.0 Compare
2019 Toyota RAV4 Adventure AWD
0-60 mph 8.2Quarter mile 16.4 Compare
2019 Toyota RAV4 Limited
0-60 mph 8.2Quarter mile 16.4 Compare
2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited
0-60 mph 7.4Quarter mile 15.7 Compare
2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid XSE
0-60 mph 7.3Quarter mile 15.5 Compare
2019 Toyota C-HR XLE
0-60 mph 10.1Quarter mile 17.6 Compare
2019 Toyota Highlander Limited Platinum AWD
0-60 mph 7.2Quarter mile 15.5 Compare
2020 Toyota Highlander XLE AWD
0-60 mph 7.2Quarter mile 15.6 Compare
2020 Toyota Highlander Platinum AWD
0-60 mph 6.7Quarter mile 15.3 Compare
2020 Toyota Land Cruiser Heritage Edition
0-60 mph 7.0Quarter mile 15.4 Compare
2020 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro 4WD
0-60 mph 7.0Quarter mile 15.3 Compare
2020 Toyota C-HR Limited
0-60 mph 10.2Quarter mile 17.7 Compare
2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Plug-In Hybrid
0-60 mph 5.4Quarter mile 14.0 Compare
2021 Toyota Venza Hybrid Limited
0-60 mph 7.6Quarter mile 15.8 Compare
2021 Toyota Highlander XSE AWD
0-60 mph 6.8Quarter mile 15.4 Compare
2021 Toyota Highlander XLE AWD
0-60 mph 6.8Quarter mile 15.3 Compare
2022 Toyota Corolla Cross XLE AWD
0-60 mph 9.2Quarter mile 17.0 Compare
VOLKSWAGEN CROSSOVER / SUV 0 TO 60 MPH & QUARTER MILE TIMES
2018 Volkswagen Atlas V6 SEL Premium 4MOTION
0-60 mph 7.9Quarter mile 16.0 Compare
2018 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL 4MOTION
0-60 mph 8.9Quarter mile 16.7 Compare
2018 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL Premium 4MOTION
0-60 mph 8.8Quarter mile 16.7 Compare
2018 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL Premium
0-60 mph 8.2Quarter mile 16.3 Compare
2018 Volkswagen Tiguan SE
0-60 mph 8.8Quarter mile 16.8 Compare
2018 Volkswagen Atlas V6 SE
0-60 mph 7.3Quarter mile 15.6 Compare
2018 Volkswagen Atlas SE 2.0T
0-60 mph 7.2Quarter mile 15.6 Compare
2019 Volkswagen Atlas V6 SEL Basecamp 4MOTION
0-60 mph 7.8Quarter mile 16.0 Compare
2019 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL Premium R-Line 4MOTION
0-60 mph 9.7Quarter mile 17.3 Compare
2019 Volkswagen Atlas V6 SEL 4MOTION
0-60 mph 7.9Quarter mile 16.0 Compare
2020 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL 4MOTION
0-60 mph 8.3Quarter mile 16.4 Compare
2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport SEL V6 R-Line 4MOTION
0-60 mph 7.9Quarter mile 16.0 Compare
2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport SE V6 R-Line
0-60 mph 7.5Quarter mile 15.7 Compare
2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport S 4MOTION
0-60 mph 8.1Quarter mile 16.3 Compare
2020 Volkswagen T-Roc R
0-60 mph 4.8 Compare
2021 Volkswagen ID.4 1st Edition
0-60 mph 7.5Quarter mile 15.9 Compare
2022 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL R-Line 4MOTION
0-60 mph 9.1Quarter mile 16.9 Compare
2022 Volkswagen Taos SEL
0-60 mph 7.5Quarter mile 15.8 Compare


Link to the full list here:

https://www.zeroto60times.com/body-style/crossover-suv/?yearMin=2018&yearMax=2022&bodyStyle[]=110&region[]=Domestic