How to Increase Performance on your 4Runner. Everything you can do to hike up those HP Gains!
If you are looking to increase your horsepower gains, there are only a few options.
This should serve as the go-to list of performance mods. A few things come to mind when you think of a powerful 4Runner and the biggest one is the Magnuson Supercharger (SC).
If your budget isn’t quite at Magnuson level yet, don’t worry because there are a few affordable options. Some of these mods will give you better horsepower, improve gas mileage, and give your truck a meaner, deeper, more throaty growl.
With a supercharged, you are looking at a 30% increase in HP. While some of the other mods may only yield 1-10% and 10% is pushing it.
Recent Question:
I came from Range Rovers with V8s. I feel like the 4R is super under-powered and slow, but maybe that is because of the big tires and whatnot. I live in Denver so going up to the mountains a lot, the truck seems to work really hard up the hills. I am hitting 3500rpm to a few minutes at a time getting up hills. Also, the truck is recording just about 15mpg.
Do you think this sounds right from a power standpoint? Other than supercharging, which is out of my budget, is there anything to do to get more power? I’m guessing TRD Intake and Exhaust would be your first choice? Thanks!
Quick Response: In short, yeah the intake and exhaust for sure. Also, depending on Colorado laws, adding headers or Y-pipe would make a difference. The headers are not street-legal in California but we are installing a set eventually. If you install them, you may have to remove them for smog which would be quite a hassle.
Also, the throttle controller is pretty cool. I just installed one and was pretty impressed at how it changed the driving response. You do not see any real-world HP gains, but the features allow you to adjust your throttle response which provides a new experience, its faux performance. You feel like you are driving a different well-tuned vehicle.
Table Of Contents
Top Options
Here is a quick list of what to consider:
Increasing Power
- Magnuson Supercharger
- Install Shop Northern California: Stellar Built
- Install Shop Southern California: SD Truck Shop
- CSF All-Aluminum Heavy-Duty Radiator
- Cold Air Intake (CAI)
- Catback Exhaust
- Doug Thorley Headers
- Pedal Commander Throttle Controller
- Mid Pipes/ Y-Pipes
- Throttle Body Spacer
- MAF (Mass Airflow Sensor) Spacer
- Running 91 Octane Fuel
Bigger Tires
Does bigger Tires mean Less Horsepower?
Some think you have less horsepower when you throw on bigger tires. Try not to confuse larger tires with less horsepower.
When you run larger tires on your 4Runner, you are not losing horsepower, you are adding additional unsprung rotational mass. This causes your 4Runner to work harder for the same tire rotation.
The problem you are seeing is gearing (Increase in added weight and a larger rotation), not an actual loss of power. To get back to “normal” with bigger tires, you need to change your gear ratio (regear). Regearing can be costly and time-consuming, this will likely be something you would take to a shop. Once you regear your 4Runner, things should feel like they are back to normal with power.
Overloaded with weight?
Being overloaded with weight will affect your performance. Don’t overload your 4Runner with useless stuff unless you need to. Rooftop tents are a prime example. Pictured above we have a CVT rooftop tent (239 lbs) mounted on a 2016 TEP. We ran that tent for 2-weeks and then removed it. It was too much weight for the 4Runner and destroyed drivability performance. Understanding weight on your 4Runner is really important. Please check out that post for more information on weight relative to the 4Runner chassis.
If you are overloaded with equipment, your rig moves slower. It’s simple physics.
For guys with serious weight; bumpers, winch, racks, storage, accessories, camping gear, and more, it is often a good idea to regear or supercharge.
We also built a new GVWR + Payload calculator for guys looking to add up all the weight on their rigs. Check that out to understand your exact payload.
Magnuson Supercharger
The Magnuson Supercharger is hands-down, the best performance mod you can buy.
Boasting 30% horsepower gains and a 27% torque increase, this is better than any gains you will see from a catback exhaust, a cold air intake, headers, or a chip combined. Headers might come close at about 20hp but you will never experience the true potential without the Magnuson Supercharger.
There are many other benefits to a supercharger as well, not just HP gains alone.
For a full review, and overview of the blower, check out this review.
CSF All-Aluminum Heavy-Duty Radiator
Improving your cooling system will also play a key factor when looking to increase performance. As you increase your horsepower to compensate for issues such as bigger tires and overloaded weight, you will need to increase the performance of your cooling system. Heat soak is another common issue that is usually overlooked.
Some of the trails we hit are done at very low speeds and combined with high power output – can eventually cause your engine and transmission to overheat. This is not a problem you’d want to encounter in the desert or in the middle of nowhere with no help nearby.
Increased Cooling Performance
CSF’s All-Aluminum Heavy-Duty Radiator is the proper solution for overheating and heat soak issues with the increased capacity and efficiency of the radiator core and all-aluminum end tanks. The CSF ultra-efficient radiator core features CSF’s exclusive B-Tube Technology and the thickness is nearly twice the size of the OEM unit (OEM: 1 row 22mm vs. CSF: 2 row 42mm). To top it off, CSF increased the capacity of the transmission oil cooler at the bottom of the tank to assist in maintaining transmission oil temperatures in an optimal range. This can be very crucial for those who tow or travel with heavy loads.
Cold Air Intake (CAI)
The cold air intake is a key element for increasing airflow in your engine. We have covered this topic a few times throughout the blog. TRD cold air intake systems or any cold air intake for that matter, give your engine free-flowing, cold, oxygen-rich air for optimal performance.
Although we already have a cold air intake, the TRD, aFe, or K&N may give you a leg up in performance. This is also a heavily debated mod in many automotive circles.
Independent testing (from TRD) has shown that TRD air intake systems combined with exhaust and performance filters give your vehicle more horsepower, torque, acceleration, and pulling power.
Regardless of actual HP gains, you will feel and hear a difference. It might be a slight difference but worth it in my opinion.
Do yourself a favor and start with a cold intake for your first mod.
Catback Exhaust
This was the first mod that we installed. This might have been the first step-by-step install on the website, the MagnaFlow exhaust.
You can also grab a Borla Exhaust, which is also a great option for a Catback exhaust. We did an article recently that compared the MagnaFlow, Borla, and Gibson Exhaust. That would be a good place to start if you are looking for differences in these exhaust systems.
These systems work by increasing the airflow capacity to produce more power across the RPM range. They deliver a boost to our 4Runner in both torque and horsepower.
Doug Thorley Headers
We still have not installed our headers, but we do have them sitting in the office. These are well-known for the best Headers out there. If you are unsure about what headers are, go check out that post. in short, headers make it easier to push out exhaust gases from the cylinders in our engine. Headers work by eliminating the manifolds back-pressure. Instead of sharing a common manifold, each cylinder gets its own exhaust pipe.
Running 91 Octane Fuel
This one is a toss-up and all personal preference. If you go from running 87 to running 91 octane, you probably won’t see a difference. I started running 91 octane in the 4Runner for about a month and didn’t notice any improvement.
Directly from Toyota:
The “Research Octane Number 91” quote refers to the research done by the government. When testing the vehicle, 91 grade octane was used in order to determine the miles per gallon (MPG) ratings for the vehicle. The higher grade the octane level, the better mpg the vehicle will get.
Fuel is always a heavily debated topic. Do your research.
MAF (Mass Airflow Sensor)
Some people even say cleaning off the factory sensor will increase HP (I don’t know about that one, but who knows).
The next option with the MAF is Spacer. A spacer sets a different MAF sensor placement which tricks your engine into running different fuel ratios. In certain areas of your throttle curve, the engine will create a different fuel-to-air ratio, thus creating more horsepower.
There are people out there who swear by this and people out there who would laugh at you if you installed one. The choice is up to you. We will eventually throw a spacer on just to see what everyone is talking about.
With the spacer, you are expected to see better gas mileage and increased horsepower. For what it’s worth, why not just install one? It’s cheap, easy, and can’t hurt anything. The Toyota ECU is smart and will reset itself back to its original settings if you install or uninstall it.
Throttle Controller
Find It Online
- Pedal Commander Throttle Response Controller: Check Price
This is a new one for the blog. We wrote a post on this recently. This thing blew my mind. We saw this gadget about 6 months ago and breezed past it. I was thinking “How cool can this throttle response controller be”?
Then, we had a guy email us on the website in all CAPS up in joy, bragging about how epic this product was. After reading the first two sentences of his email, I bought one. I bought the PC38.
The throttle response controller gives you the ability to adjust your throttle response on the fly. If you want to increase your MPGs, drop it down to Eco mode by holding the yellow star. If you want to drive at somewhat of a stock level (with a little kick in umph’), kick it up to City-Mode.
If you are feeling sluggish, then leap to Sport Mode (this is seriously fun).
If you are in the mood to seriously romp down the road, up a hill, or smash on the freeway, bump it up to Sport+ Mode. At this point, you will FEEL like you are driving a Supercharged Range Rover Sport, V8. Driving on the freeway with the PC in Sport+ is awesome. You can mob through traffic and switch lanes like a true boss. Sometimes, I feel like it’s Supercharged. And yes, we did test-drive the Magnuson Supercharger when we were in Ventura. It’s obviously nothing like a Supercharger but damn, is this thing cool!
Whats the average cost of adding a supercharger? How about regearing?
About 10k with install… 7k if you can do it yourself…
I have a 2022 Off Road Premium – what is the CAI TRD part number? Multiple sources have said the TRD CAI will fit on the 2022. All the engine bays look identical across all 5th Gen 4Runners. Am I correct?
Magnuson supercharger is well worth it! Installed 2 years ago and it was money well spent. If cost is an issue, refinance your 4Runner loan and roll in the Magnuson s/c cost.
Can you share the MAF Spacer link?
Can you add the pedal commander controller to a supercharger 4runner?
yes. I run both
Hi there! New to the page and thread. I am about to buy a 2021 TRD Off-Road Premium and I’ve been glued to this forum for the last two weeks – seriously such great content.
If I were to install the S/C, is it worth buying/keeping the PT?
last I looked, magnuson hasnt hacked the new ecu on the 2020 and up 4R. Im waiting for this to happen….
Congrats! I just bought my ORP a month ago and I love it. Not sure I understand your question, but there’s lots of good information here.
Has anyone looked into ECU tuning? Viivid Racing does a tune and I’m wondering if anyone has any experience with it?
I speak to the idea of 91octane fuel. In a 1990 SR5 4runner 4×4, 5spd manual trans, I made it up Rte 154 NB out of Santa Barbara – providing no slow vehicles in front of me – in 4th gear almost all the way. With 87 octane I had no chance; I was shifting down to third on a regular basis about a third of the way up. It just wouldn’t pull the load. This is with all factors being equal as much as possible with about 4 years of commuting comparison used. Auto trans aren’t fair to compare with because there are too many factors varying when the sensors will shift from 4th to 3rd for you. I now have a 2015 SR5, 4wd, but auto trans, with 5yrs and about 65K miles I’ve put on it. These two models have the same engine, yet the new one has about 30 more hp while curb weight of about 1000 lbs MORE…. what did they do to get 30 more hp out of the same unit? Don’t commute from SB Northward any longer so can’t offer a direct comparison. I still use 91 octane, basically always. I would love to mod the crap out of it – something like a cross between overlander and not quite hardcore rock crawler, but that’s too much money for me. Hey I still buy lottery tickets so…
I have the upgraded my Trail Premium ‘16 to the TRD CAI and MagnaFlow Exhaust. Thrilled with the results, but if I find a pot of gold I’ll go grab that supercharger. 🙂
Hello, first of all, I want to thank you for such in depth guide to mods for the 4Runner. It is very helpful!
I don’t have the Pedal commander, I have the Sprint Booster. I was deciding which one to get in my 2019 and I settle for the Sprint booster as I was able to remove the pig tail and leave it at Sport 8. This gadget truly made me fall in love with my 4Runner. I was so disappointed when I first got it, it felt without power without realizing that is the fault of the pedal lag only and not the engine!. I think you might want to mention the Sprint Booster on your article as some people might want to go with the stock look as you are able to set it and forget it without knowing is there! If I was to just keep one mod, it would be the Sprint booster or pedal Commander.
My next mod will be the Autoease trunk opener.
I currently have many of the Mods you described.
Window tint 30%
Viper cell phone remote start
Sprint Booster
Back up sensors
Center gun vault
Auto folding mirrors and transition turning mirror signals
Buckle extenders on the back seat for my kids
Seat covers for all my seats
Thank you
John
I’m a big fan of the Sprint Booster (SB). It is very effective at eliminating the sluggish feeling of my 2022 TRD Sport. I was told (from a sales guy) that the Pedal Commander (PC) was a cheaper, copy of the SB, but that the PC had better marketing. I have no way of confirming that, but I do prefer the smaller size and appearance of the Sprint Booster.
Who is the retard that suggested to use premium gas, especially in mountains where 85 can be used.
Words used indicate level of ignorance as much as level of knowledge
And your comment is clearly a sign of your intelligence on the topic. Thank you for those pearls of wisdom Don, please continue showing your support to the community.
Many retards for years have recommended running higher octane fuel for a number of reasons. Mostly for MPG improvements. I’d love to see some science behind these claims.
Many people don’t understand octane. Higher octane doesn’t mean higher performance. Higher octane gives you a slower, more even burn which is what you need in a high compression engine. In an engine with lower compression, higher octane gas can actually rob you of power. Try it out for a while and see what works best in your engine.
It’s all the same engines dude. Less oxygen = lower octaine. It’s not forced induction or high compression either.
Yes I read an article awhile back a guy was dyno testing a 5th gen 4 runner. He said it had massive amount of retard in the timing with 87 octane, he then did 91 and the engine still had some retard in it.
This should be obvious on a fuel injected motor with 10.4:1 compression, unless you are a retard.
2010 Limited 4runner – I added the TRD Cold Air Intake, and a Borla Muffler. MPG went from 16.8 to 17.7. Nice low growl. a lot of money for a 1MPG difference.
Over 50k miles, +1 MPG saves about $650 at $3.50/gallon. Almost pays for itself 🙂
Hi this is Felix, thank you for your Blog, very informative. I just got a TRD off road 4runner 2019 , just put a TRD cold air intake and was wondering of the CAT back TRD exhaust
Vs the other ones you discuss on your blog.
Thank you for your input
Hi Felix,
Did the CAI help with acceleration and gas mileage? I have a 2017 4R Limited and the performance is sluggish.
Thanks
Phil
Hi Phil, im not sure about the gas mileage, maybe improvement of 1mpg.
Power wise ,feels more responsive and the motor does have much nicer sound.
Thanks. That’s what I was hoping to hear. Mine is sluggish on take off. From what I’m reading that’s the norm.
I have the TRD CAI, Pedal Commander, and Borla catback exhaust. Just ordered Doug Thorley shorty headers. Do you think this is worth the purchase ($400).
Also – Will a DT U Pipe help in addition to this? Not sure if too much exhaust will just bog my car down.
anybody used a performance chip (ODBI) on their 4Runner?
I added one and it seems to increase HP.
What chip are you using and are you still seeing the performance improvements? Also any improvement in gas mileage?
I have a 2019 Sr5 Premium Sport. I recently put on a Flowmaster Super 10 catback and it is AWESOME! I’ve never experienced so much from a simple catback system before, not to mention I absolutely love that beefy throaty sound it gives. I installed the pedal commander too, which I have to say I was very skeptical about, but have been AMAZED at the significant increase it has offered! Went from a sluggish tugboat to actually giving some real zip in the lower gears and works well on the freeway as well. I’m in CA so as far as legal mods go I’m at a loss. You mentioned having to only have your vehicle smogged every 4 years for new cars? Is that true for CA too? Will I have to take it off and reinstall the original one to smog it or you think it’ll be smog-legal by then? Same question with cold air intakes. So far there is NOTHING I see available. Can’t afford a Magnuson so that is out. Can you recommend any particular throttle body spacer that would work well? I can only seem to find throttle body sensors. Any other possible performance upgrades (in CA) that you or anyone knows about or has suggestions about getting around please let me know!!!
Brenan,
285/70/17 with full toytec 3″ lift, is it necessary to regear… I have been researching. 4.56:1 is looking promising. Or is it possible to stick with stock and if so is the wear on the stock gear greater?
I have installed the AFE Momentum GT (Pro Dry S) intake, MBRP Pro Series T304 stainless exhaust, and kept the Pedal Commander on. I performed all the installations myself and all went perfectly.
The AFE and MBRP combination is very good. The MBRP exhaust has a very deep and mellow sound, not much louder than stock at cruising speeds, but has a very nice rumble when you open it up. My gas mileage has decreased a bit because I’m in the throttle much more than before…😁
Overall, both the exhaust and intake are quality pieces of engineering. I have some road trips planned, so more to follow after I’ve had the combo together for a while.
BTW, the throttle response was so good, I needed to dial back my Pedal Commander a bit…
Will do… The MBRP exhaust and AFE Momentum GT CAI will both arrive on Feb 19th.
Just ordered a MBRP stainless exhaust for my ’19 TRD OR. Intake will be ordered in the next few days. I had the Pedal Commander in hand before my purchase, so that was the first mod.
I’ll let you know what I think of the MBRP after I get a few miles on it…
Lee, would love to see an overview on that for sure. If you want to submit a review after you drive it for a bit, that would be awesome.
I’m installing a set of the Doug Thorley headers tomorrow. Have you guys installed them yet? If so, have they thrown codes? If yes, did you have to tune it? I’ve been looking for tunes but can’t find any.
Concerning cat-back exhaust, I installed a Magnaflow system on my Nissan Exterra with poor results. The exhaust drone at 1500 to 2500 rpm was irritating and sounded awful. It’s like it needed a resonator downstream. Sound at 3000 rpm and higher was great. but not practical for typical daily driving.
Just wondering if a Magnaflow or Borla system works better on the 4Runner.
Works better would be relative. The MagnaFlow does drone out but nothing that I have been unhappy with. Everyone’s taste for exhaust is a little different. I also have a Borla in my other 4Runner and it does not drone at all. But, it’s not aggressive enough for me. Daily driving, I love the MagnaFlow. Did you read our post on Borla, MagnaFlow or Gibson? Also, aFe makes an exhaust system for the 5th gen now. You may want to check that out.
Which is the correct Pedal Commander? PC38 or PC27?
PC27 = 5th Gen
PC38 = 4th Gen
Where did you find the MAF Spacer?
Josh,
Crawford Performance has them. They say you can see 8% on average of both HP and Fuel Mileage. I have heard of larger gains with the trucks.
They do not recommend you use or install it with an aftermarket intake. It is meant to be a substitute with the idea of flying under the radar and saving folks money. All of their verbiage states that it is meant for a stock intake, stock tune. You can find the Eco-Blocks here.
Hello,
I recently emailed Magnuson about their supercharger prior to purchasing one and asked them if I should do any additional mods such as an aftermarket CAI and Cat-back exhaust. I even asked them about installing a Pedal Commander. In short, they recommended that I leave everything stock, minus the supercharger of course, due to any other mods potentially effecting the “tune” of the SC. Do you have any thoughts or experiences on this? I was prepared to add both a CAI and Cat-back but now I am not so sure.
I ran the TRD supercharger on my Tacoma. Also, headers, rear cat deleted y-pipe, and a catback exhaust. All of these together made some serious gains.
Adam, we wrote a post on the SC a while back. Did you check that out?
Hi, I’ve always been intrigued by the addition of a super charger to a stock vehicle. I have a 2016 Trail Premium. What I’ve always wondered about is whether or not this addition can cause damage to a stock transmission.
Your thoughts ??
I have a 2018 4Runner limited, 3” lift, 275/55/20 tires. I’ve always felt sluggish and underpowered so I’m always looking to improve. So far, I’ve installed a K&N cold air intake. I don’t notice a lot of difference in slower speeds but at highway speeds, I fell like it has a better get-up-and-go when I hit the gas. Also, it has a very loud muscle car rumble inside the cab when I do hit this gas. Anyway, I was reading your list of upgrades and the supercharger and pedal tuner intrigued me. Are there any reasons not to install either one of these on a limited edition with AWD?
Go for it! I am saving for the super charger now. I’m running 285/65/20, with an AFE GT momentum CAI, throttle body spacer, and cat back exhaust. Can’t wait to see what the super charger will do.
The only reason to run higher octane fuel is if you increase your compression ratio, high compression needs high octane, since these engines come low compression stock you should just run 87.if however you up your compression then by all means run a higher octane. Octane does not equal power, think of it more like a viscosity rating in oil, which depends on operating temperatures and tolerances between parts. If you run an incompatible viscosity or octane you can damage your engine.
Bart,
I don’t see why not. A supercharger would turn your 4R into something special. If you can afford one, buy a supercharger. The Pedal Commander will work on your limited and makes driving a little more interesting. Having the ability to adjust your throttle response is pretty cool.