Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I currently own a solid 2003 Toyota Tacoma V6 TRD kit with 118k miles that is just an amazing vehicle. I inherited it from my grandfather and even though I can easily afford a new car $25k+ with my current salary I currently don't see the need to do so as Tacos are amazing vehicles and this truck has sentimental value.
Anyways, I'm looking for a little bit more power going up hills and assisting with hauling small trailers or my dads boat. My truck is not a towing truck i understand that which is why i never over estimate my vehicles towing power. So I keep the weight light. Could anyone suggest any truck upgrades that I can add? I will give myself a budget of about $3k under the hood and about $1.5-2k on new shoes for the truck. The only suggestions I have received are to install a cold air intake and a cat back exhaust for a little more power. Anymore suggestions? I would love to hear my options. Any information is much appreciated. Thanks everyone!
Last edited by Gonzalez11; 11-17-2015 at 12:27 AM..
Yes I have pulled the boat before but up hills and such there is a little drag in the pull which with a little boost should help. I'm mostly just in the market to give my truck a little extra boost in power instead of just purchasing a whole new vehicle.
Your Taco already comes with a cold air intake. If you follow the independent testing of the after market cold air units, there's usually a DROP in power over the factory cold air. But then the morons that make this crap won't tell you that. A cat back system will only help at the upper end of the rpm range where you generally are not going to drive it long so there's no real power boost there. You might end up with lower power in the lower rpm range as the cat back systems will slow the exhaust gases down in the system due to the larger size. The engine has to push this colder/heavier air out of the system before it can be effective. So the net gain is nothing. If you need a tow vehicle, buy a full size truck with enough engine to do the job correctly. There's also the issue of brakes. The Taco is not known for large brakes where a full size truck it's not generally an issue. I'd even say to avoid the Dodge trucks due to the poor brakes. Ford, GM, or Toyota make better tow vehicles in full size. Might want to consider a used full size and keep the Taco since yer happy with it.
A wreaked Tundra with a 4.7L V-8 or DOHC 32-valve 5.7L I-force V-8 swap would make it pretty quick esp. the 5.7 I-force V-8 with a TRD aftermarket supercharger and intercooler
Even a TRD Supercharger for the 3.3L V6 (if you can find one) would be the most cost effective Bang for the buck way to get more power IMO
You can get a lot more power from a Tacoma..... but it's going to come at a premium. Your best bet is to find the TRD supercharger kit for the Tacoma and install it. But.... you'll also need the exhaust as well, so it might tip the scale in regards to budget.
Ok so it seems a supercharger could mean a lot in this case. I'm willing to invest a good amount under the hood to keep this vehicle. I was thinking about new exhaust and headers as well. Either MagnaFlow, Borla, or Flowmaster exhaust. Since if I add a super charger I think new exhaust is important but I could be wrong.
An exhaust is going to help expel the additional air that is being introduced to the engine from the supercharger.
You'll need a few things (ideally) to make it work correctly.
My recommendations:
Supercharger kit
Exhaust
Headers will help, but aren't necessary
A good quality tune
Some way to monitor boost, oil pressure, etc.... (something along the lines of a Livewire might work)
I'd then look into brakes as well. As one poster mentioned, it wouldn't be a bad idea. You'll accelerate more quickly so you need to make sure you can stop too.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
