[ikasimali]

Hi guys,

My name is Irfaan, and am writing from the Dubai(middle east) I have a toyota Hilux 2003 4wd(american equivilant toyota tacoma). It has a 3rz-fe engine.

We go to play a lot in the desert here..but my car cant match the power of the land cruisers and jeeps.

I need more low end power, in the desert you dont go really fast maximum is 80 km/h. and u tend to go 1st and second gear mostly


But going up and sideways in the dunes is amazing..as the dunes are at times at least 100 meters high..

I needed some options..I was thinking of getting a supercharger, or a K&N fuel injector and air filter kit. Any ideas where I can get that. The mechanics are hopeless here..so how hard is to install mods in the car

Any other options I have

Also I use my car on a daily basis..how safe is my engine with mods..am Isking for trouble..if its used a lot

Regards

Irfaan Kasimali

 

[bb609]

Hello to you in Dubai. Nothing short of a supercharger or modifying your internals will give you much performance gain. Have a look at LC Engineering's site. They have most everything you will need. How safe? - It's not so much the mods but the nut behind the wheel that will cause you problems! Good luck.

http://209.250.27.45/m1webgear/default.aspx

 

[ikasimali]

Thanks for the advise.. That supercharger is a bit way out of my budget.

I was thinking of starting upgrading with a smaller budget around $200. What is the best upgrade I can do a budget like that.

I got some great pics..of me jumping of some dunes..I must have been in the air for atleast a second. Any ideas where I can post it

Regards

Irfaan Kasimali

 

[link817]

LC Engineering is one of your best bets, you can also look into http://www.downeyoff-road.com/, and http://www.northwestoffroad.com/.

 

[bb609]

Playing in the sand, I would say do not buy a K&N as they don't filter well enough but there are drop in type aftermarket filters that will give you better throttle response. Suspect Amsoil might your best bet. Shipping from the states, that should eat up about half your budget. For another $5-10, you can cut a hole in your intake box and add a marine type deck plate. Do a search on here or the net for the "deck plate mod". It is cheap and easy to do and will give you a few cheap hp's. Having said that, I've done the same to my V6 and now slowly working back to stock - too much aggravation with oil from the filter getting into the MAF and intake and the gains are minimal. It sounds fast though, go for it!

 

[ikasimali]

Well..although we play in the sand a bit..most of the jeeps and Land cruisers use K&N filters..and they have no complaints

I was thinking of installing this K&N Fuel Injection Performance Kit..I have seen it for the V6, but am still looking if I can get it for the 2.7..where can I get it

for the V6 it costs $226..and they claim an increase of 26 hp...

How durable is it

Regards

Irfaan Kasimali

 

[Bryanccfshr]

I used to have the same motor in a previous Tacoma and it did bog down in deep sand with stock tires and 4.30 gears.


I never had a chance to solve the problem opting to go to a larger model with a larger motor with an automatic took care of the issue.

If you don't want to spend for a supercharger the way I would have solved the problem is by regearing so I could use 3rd gear in the manual more often..

If your truck behaves like that Tacoma of mine did you must find 3rd gear useless in the sand and so you are stuck going slower than you want to in some situations(2nds and 1st gears)
I suggest and aftermarket header and or a new gear set up(which of course would blow your budget).

To be honest there is no effective modification that will help you on your stated budget, Most of these mods will no yield the results you need so the money is better in your pocket and save towards something that will actually do the job. (alpine supercharger and fuel modifications).

 

[bb609]

Well..although we play in the sand a bit..most of the jeeps and Land cruisers use K&N filters..and they have no complaints

I was thinking of installing this K&N Fuel Injection Performance Kit..I have seen it for the V6, but am still looking if I can get it for the 2.7..where can I get it

for the V6 it costs $226..and they claim an increase of 26 hp...

How durable is it

Regards

Irfaan Kasimali

Here are a few who disagree....

http://www.customtacos.com/ubbthrea...&page=1&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=31&fpart=1&vc=1

 

[ikasimali]

The deck plate mod, installation..seems really easy to do..but when we get stuck..we throw a lot of sand..if the deck plate is open, in the desert..will I get to much sand in. Is it bad for the engine.

As for getting a bigger motor..Its probably cheaper to get a used engine...the 3.4 V6 will cost me the same as getting a supercharger. We get used engines from Japan

But our great goverment here..doesnt allow the engines to be changed..

What about an investment in headers and cut back. How much horsepower can I expect. What does it cost.

Regards

Irfaan Kasimali

 

[Hilux_3Rz]

Irfaan, your in the same boat as I am. I have a standard 2.7 hilux 04 model. If you want hp at higher revs its easy, not cheap though. a good free flow exhaust and a unichip with give you around 15-20kw but at higher rpm.

www.dastek.co.za

 

[equin]

Welcome to the site, Irfaan. My sister and brother-in-law lived in Dubai for a short while. They brought back lots of beautiful pics and interesting stories of your country.

Anyway, as for a header, you may want to try the one from L.C. Engineering or Northwest Off Road. I had the LC Engineering header on my 99 2.7L Tacoma and noticed a definitive improvement at higher RPM (on the highway), than I did at lower RPM. Unfortunately, I didn't have the money for a dyno run, so I have no idea how much extra hp it gave me. It's mostly stainless, so it shouldn't rust, but that may not be a problem out in the desert unless maybe you drive along the Persian Gulf Coast alot. I've also heard good things about the NWOR header, but have no personal experience with it.

One thing about the K&N air filters that I've read about on here is that the thin film of oil on the K&N may contaminate the Mass Air Flow sensor. So that's something you may need to watch out for if you decide to go that route. The deckplate mod or even the elbow mod might add as much or more of a hp benefit, albeit a teeny bit, to the 2.7L.

As for the K&N filtercharger kit, I have no experience with it, but Gadget did an interesting dyno experiment with it on his 3.4L V6 4Runner. His site is at www.gadgetonline.com, and alot of the concepts and hp experiments he performed on his 3.4L can also be applicable to the 2.7L (including the elbow mod, which was the precursor to the deckplate mod - whose purpose, incidentally, was more for preventing water intake, something you may not need to worry about in the dry desert of UAB).

Anyway, like someone else said, short of supercharging/turbocharging it, there's not much more you can bolt on that will add that little extra bit of horsepower to the 2.7L.

Either way, post pics of your sand dune hill climbs and desert jaunts if you can.

 

[ShowStop]

The Tri-Y header that www.northwestoffroad.com offers would be the best way to get lower end power without doing any internal engine mods. I'm not sure of the exhaust design on the non-US models, so there may be some custom exhaust needed to fit the header to the existing exhaust piping. There may be international manufacturers that make similar headers, but I'm only familiar with US makers. The important thing is to keep with that "Tri-Y" design for better low end.

 

[amishclark]

engines from japan? slap a diesle engine in there! probably over your $200 budget, but they are AWESOME!!!

 

[DakotaTacoma]

The original post is a year old! Ha!....
and origial poster, ikasimali, has not been here since 5/6/05.

But back on topic I like the low end power the NWOR header gave my engine.

 

[ricertrk]

DakotaTacoma,
How was the fit of the NWOR header? I was amazed to see they have a 1/2" flange on them. Didi you really not need a gasket. Thanks