TRD-Supercharged Toyota Tacoma V6 - Pony Hunting

  |   0501mt Tacoma01 Z A few months ago, we worked with Split Second to install one of its FTC1 fuel-calibration boxes in the TRD-supercharged Toyota Tacoma V-6 we have here at MT headquarters. We saw improvements in horsepower and torque with the installation of Split Second's control box, but the truck was still lacking what we felt it should be capable of. We were looking for at least 20 more horsepower, even with the gains we finally had achieved. The lost horsepower had eluded us since we first installed the supercharger a few years ago. This time, we went through multiple areas of the truck to track down what was robbing the Tacoma of power. Starting with the thermostat, fuel injectors, fuel pump, and supercharger pulley, we were on a mission to find out just what was causing the truck to run below its full potential. At the end of our last article, we claimed that there was a good 220 hp we figured we should be able to get out of the truck if it was running right and well tuned. Well, guess what? We found it. Follow along as we show you all the tune-up tips and items involved with making more horsepower than Toyota or TRD ever imagined with its simple supercharger. Still, we wonder -- is this all there is? We plan at least one more article to push the envelope even further, involving water injection and the addition of an electric fan to decrease drag on the Toyota V-6 engine. Of course, we'll give you all the 411 along the way so you can duplicate the results for yourself. For more information, please contact the companies that assisted us with the installation and tuning listed in the source section of this article.

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Dyno Results
Tested on the same dyno after each upgrade, at the same time of day and under similar conditions, our Tacoma has picked up some impressive performance numbers since we first began upgrading the supercharger months ago. We've picked up nearly 80 hp from what we had when Toyota first installed its supercharger in the V-6 Taco'. Now, if Toyota had been able to give us this kind of performance at the beginning, it'd really have people jumping for joy. Before Split Second computer upgrade:
140.06 hp and 202.68 lb-ft of torque

After Split Second computer upgrade:
205.94 hp and 243.15 lb-ft of torque

After URDUSA supercharger performance kit/parts:
219.64 hp and 246.71 lb-ft of torque