sr20det powered tacoma?

[JFoxx]

ok so im going to try to avoid making this become another one of "those" threads.....yes i am considering doing this, yes i have the fabrication skills, and no im not talking out my ass....

here is the issue, i have a 97 tacoma that i would like to be able to tow my s13 track car with. but the truck has a 2.4l 4cyl auto = no power. i have a spare stock sr20 short block and a built sr20 long block including a hks gtrs turbo just sitting in my garage with no purpose. what the idea would be, is to use the built long block with the hks gtrs turbo, possibly mate that with a z33 trans for some extra strength over a stock sr trans. i made 389hp with 365 lbs of torque off an sr with this turbo and no bottom end work. so i should be able to easily put up similar #'s in the truck...

my question is, do you guys see any issues with using an sr in a tacoma? (apart from your preferences) will a z33 trans hold up to the load of pulling a (pretty light)trailer? if not, do you have a better possible trans idea?

[jr_ss]

Why not just turbo the 2.4? It doesn't need to be intercooled, although probably should seeing as it would be working hard. A smaller turbo churning 7psi would make plenty of power for that little truck to pull a 240 on a trailer. This way you get to keep AC and all the other creature comforts.

[JFoxx]

Why not just turbo the 2.4? It doesn't need to be intercooled, although probably should seeing as it would be working hard. A smaller turbo churning 7psi would make plenty of power for that little truck to pull a 240 on a trailer. This way you get to keep AC and all the other creature comforts.

well the problem with the 2.4 is it has 187k miles, and i would still have that pos 4spd auto....i figured i would probable spend more money putting a turbo on the 2.4 (beacuse i already have the sr20 parts) and make less power than the sr..... being that the truck is a 2wd(non prerunner) it would be just as, if not harder to swap in a bigger tacoma motor....

[coupesallday!]

2jz FTMFW. .

[wangan_cruiser]

1ufze whatever you call it gaha

[Twinkies!]

Sell me the longblock and save up for bigger truck :)

[speeddream]

no!! Do the sr20 swap please. I wanna do the same with my 82 toyo as soon as i get funds.

[JFoxx]

ok bringing this back from the dead..... just picked up a built motor, gonna throw my hks turbo on it, so ill be doing about a 350hp sr20 swap into the truck..... i will be making a build thread, but i am looking for any last minute insight from the car guys with more experience than me about isssues i may face.... thanks in advance


* also no one awnsered..... which trans would be stronger for pulling z32 or z33? (or is there another trans i can mount to the sr thats better?)

[OutToWinPAHC]

Towing isn't about power or how much peak torque but what you can make down low, could it work yeah, but it's not going to have the get up and go you want pulling itself and 3500lbs

[iamtheyi]

Towing isn't about power or how much peak torque but what you can make down low, could it work yeah, but it's not going to have the get up and go you want pulling itself and 3500lbs

I completely agree. SR's are no good for towing. They have high end power not suited for towing. This is where a KA would shine.

[M-A-T-T]

I know you said you have an sr just laying around but why don't you just do ka-t? It would be better for towing then sr and would still be pretty legit

[greenwood]

buy a bigger truck? :ddog:

[KidSaru]

Sell the truck and get a bigger one.

Edit: No 4 cylinder is going to "shine" towing another vehicle. Unless it's a 4bt.

[ghoti]

Sell the truck and get a bigger one.

Edit: No 4 cylinder is going to "shine" towing another vehicle. Unless it's a 4bt.

22re's seem to do just fine
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d126/dirtoyboy/IMG_0510.jpg

[KidSaru]

Sure, it tows it...But I wouldn't use the word "shine".

Try towing that up/down the Appalachians or any mountain range and I'm willing to bet the motor will weeze and the brakes will be shot to hell. Been there, done that.

[nighthawk48]

Sure, it tows it...But I wouldn't use the word "shine".

Try towing that up/down the Appalachians or any mountain range and I'm willing to bet the motor will weeze and the brakes will be shot to hell. Been there, done that.


Sounds like a top gear UK episode...

[Kingtal0n]

I feel the sr20det is best served in vehicles < 3000lbs due to its displacement.

Anything heavier and the turbine will get very hot due the enormous demand for torque.

[[email protected]]

2RZ motor is a beast.
throw a turbo with a FMIC with stock pink top injectors @ 8PSi and it has plenty of fuel going in there,
add a tranny cooler and your set.
22r towed one of our corolla to the track for years stock 22r 5 speed.
i wouldnt throw the 2rz away for the SR in the taco

[Corbic]

well the problem with the 2.4 is it has 187k miles, and i would still have that pos 4spd auto....i figured i would probable spend more money putting a turbo on the 2.4 (beacuse i already have the sr20 parts) and make less power than the sr..... being that the truck is a 2wd(non prerunner) it would be just as, if not harder to swap in a bigger tacoma motor....

Buy another 2.4 then... they are like $400.

The 5spd from a SR20DET will be an even bigger POS then your automatic 4spd. I have a '98 4runner with the legendary 3.4l. I suspect our autos are similar. It's a great trans and a great tow vehicle.

If you really have fabrication skills and a small budget - 4BT all the way (if this is not a daily). The engine will last forever, return 30mpg, run on veggie oil and can be mated to most GM transmissions (ie strong).

Since I bought me Brocoma, I'd love a 4BT in the 4runner... but its beyond my means.

You'd also need a suspension upgrade to handel the extra 400-500lbs

[Corbic]

3MDM8h5ESL4

You could be this cool. :eek2:

[JFoxx]

You'd also need a suspension upgrade to handel the extra 400-500hp.


suspension is already being taken care of, it has a triangulated 4 link with QA1 coilovers and helper bags in the rear...... and QA1's up front as well....


i would love to have a 22r in this truck...... had one in my 87 toyota and it was beast.... with no engine mods it pulled out a F150 that was stuck in the mud, with a gmc 1500 chained behind it(that broke down)...... it should have been in a toyota commercial....

thanks for everyones input, i think im still gonna do the engine swap....

best case senario = sr20 makes 350hp and tows my track car on a trailer beautifully....( and i proceed to rub it in people faces)

worst case senario = truck cant pull worth a damn, ( i concede in defeat) and i have some fun roasting tires in a one of a kind tacoma for a while, then i rip the motor out sell it, and buy a 2jz or (god forbid) an lsx and toss one of those in and call it a day.....

nothing great ever happends without taking some risks!

[finesses240]

James let's do this thing! Question is are you gonna drop the 240 off first and get it done or the tacoma?

[JFoxx]

James let's do this thing! Question is are you gonna drop the 240 off first and get it done or the tacoma?

240 first.... sorry ive taken soo long....ive been procrastinating like an mother fucker....

need to machine the bellhousing and make the trans mount for the z33 trans, pick up the stack gauge unit and mount my fuel cell/pump.....

you guys can balance my driveshaft after shortening it right?

[finesses240]

yeah we can do the drive shaft. No worries on taking so long we are doing Jaime's rb 240 for a full chassis harness, another sr 510, and a couple of cages. Just let me know when you are ready and we will get it setup.

[repda916]

why not just 1uz the taco and have a v8 truck

[NiSilS14]

You could be this cool. :eek2:

This, turbo diesels are hard to beat when it comes to towing.

[[email protected]]

Crap 22r to a RZ man that's some good stuff your smoking

[Corbic]

suspension is already being taken care of, it has a triangulated 4 link with QA1 coilovers and helper bags in the rear...... and QA1's up front as well....

best case senario = sr20 makes 350hp and tows my track car on a trailer beautifully....( and i proceed to rub it in people faces)

I met pounds, not HP. Diesel motors are heavier and require upgraded suspension.

I think your setup will make a terrible tow-truck. If you want a sports truck that can tow why not just get an X-Runner?

350Z performance from a Taco that can still tow and haul a load... Only downside is 5-lug

[Corbic]

Sure, it tows it...But I wouldn't use the word "shine".

Try towing that up/down the Appalachians or any mountain range and I'm willing to bet the motor will weeze and the brakes will be shot to hell. Been there, done that.

Exactly - there is a difference between "pull" and "tow".

Go to the third world and you'll see Yugos pulling 5,000lb trailers in the mud... Doesn't mean that it makes for an ideal towing vehicle.

OP it sounds like you are trying to build a show/sports truck and not an actual tow truck.

SR20 would totally suck because of the crappy weak trans, high-RPM range and small displacement.

Part of the 22RE success was the fact its a 2.4l that makes 137ft/tq at 2,800rpm. The engine only revs out to just north of 5-grand.

Compare that to the SR20DE's 132ft/lbs at 4,800rpm.

Even turbo to turbo (stock) the SR is 200ft/tq at 4k and the 22R-TE is 174ft/tq at 2,800rmp.

I'd rather take the 25 ft/tq hit and get my power 1,200rpms lower, never mind the archaic factory setup the R-TE has to work with.


As for your RZ motor you already have 160ft/tq at 4,000 rpms just add a turbo.


A JZ won't fit without body modifications and is a stupid ass swap. A 1FZ is the pinnacle of inline-6 development. 275 ft/tq at 3,000 RPMs and can be turbo'd up to 1000hp on stock internals.

The FJ80 is in all likely hood, the greatest SUV ever built.