Exhaust sound can be a very on-or-off thing. I personally am not a big fan of the Magnaflow's either. As a matter of fact, I don't really like the sound of the TRD exhaust I have on my '98 4Runner either (what is it, Borla?)...

What I am a big fan of, is the 2.5" Flowmaster 50-Series SUV I have on my '92 4Runner, that exhaust sounds very good. In the future I think I will go for the same exhaust on the '98, just to see if i can get a little more 'deep grumble' out of it's pipe

 

Same here cept i dont have the suv series. Sounds great doesnt it, and its not too loud.

 

Even my woman has commented on how much better the '92 4Runner sounds than the '98... at least the '98 has double the horsepower

The way I see it, a few years from now I'll dump the TRD exhaust and go with headers, hi-flow cat, and flowmaster 50-series muffler. Great combination

 

That's probably what I should have done. You might have seen my post a couple of posts back about the Flowmaster 40 I had on my 1999 TRD Taco 3.4L. It sounded awesome. Here's a link to the video if of the truck's exhaust incase you missed it:

http://www.hooliganbiketech.net/host...V6 Low Res.mpg

The other issue is that my 4Runner is an auto. All the other trucks I've had have been 5 speed. That makes a difference in exhaust as well as with a 5 speed you can control the RPMs where in an auto well.....

 

I posted this over on CT as well, and the guys over there have started modifying their VBs with this information. So far the reports are successful. Much firmer shifts between 1-2 and 2-3 without being overly harsh. The first guy used 1/2" of washers in the 1-2 and 2-3 accumulators. QSVeilside is gonna do his SC'd 2000 4Runner at the end of the week.

Total cost $25 in fluid, pan gasket, and washers.

 

Speedy - Great job doing the research for this mod. Might end up saving us hundreds. I'll do this at the the end of the week, or at the very latest, (depending on schedule) - the beginning of next week.

Just some info for those interested:

21mm outer diameter shims seem to fit perfectly in the 1-2 and 2-3 accumulators.

Folks have done 1/4" to 1/2" thickness on the shims successfully.

If my trans has a pressure adjustment feature, I'll stick with no more than a 5/8" shim in the 1-2 accumulator, and 1/2" shims in the 2-3 and 3-O accumulators. If there is no pressure adjustment, a rod will be placed in the 1-2 shift accumulator to eliminate all spring travel, and 5/8" shims will be placed in the 2-3 and 3-O accumulators. Should be interesting to see the results of modifying the accumulators to this degree. Some have said this will produce ridiculously fast shifts under WOT. I'll believe it when I see it. Speedy knows how long my first to second shift takes currently...

 

Haha, yeah that 6 second 0-60 video was something. I wonder what it'll be after you complete this upgrade.

 

That is pretty cool..I look forward to hearing the results..Even though I have a manual tranny it is still interesting..I sure enjoy reading this thread..

Go superchargers...

 

Heh, cool. That URD 7th injector kit is the stuff isn't it!?

 

Oh yea..Huge difference in performance..I have been averaging 19.5 miles per gallon with the S/C and URD 7th and that was what I use to get when naturally aspirated too..

Ill take 100 HP and the same MPG any day

 

What A/F are you running?

 

During tuning with tons of WOT and short around town trips I got an amazing 17.X MPG. I've been doing more "normal" driving to check my mileage after the SC. Prior I was around 20 MPG.

 

This "shimming the accumulators" discovery has been a significant breakthrough... I think this is what I will plan on doing

 

That's what I'd suggest.

 

I have to say, after reading the entire SupraForums thread on this it sounds like you may be going too much on the accumulators. According to a guy in that thread, a 5/8" shim is essentially the same as a rod, since it ends up increasing the rate of the spring so much it can't compress during a shift...

You have been beating your transmission pretty heavily, but I would say you don't want to go any higher than a 1/2" shim unless you're desperately trying to avert transmission failure, or are drag racing.

Most of the SupraForums guys seem to aim for shims that are between .236" and .315" (6mm - 8mm). These are guys with 400+ hp too... 1/2" is a big jump; do we have first-hand evidence that 1/2" is really necessary for a 4Runner/Truck, or is that just "hear-say"? From what guys say on the board, 6mm is firm, 8mm is starting to be pretty harsh, and beyond that...

 

The guy on CT that did this over the weekend reported needing more shim height. Here's the post:

http://www.customtacos.com/forum/sho...6&postcount=57

"1. i didn't take pics (kinda hard with tranny fluid and all over your hands).

take the time to make a cardboard cutout and place the vb bolts in it. it will save a TON of headaches later.

2. follow the directions here (this is exactly what mine looked liked minus the turning of the pressure change thingy and one extra bolt in the filter) http://jkwebdesign.net/lsocbb/viewtopic.php?t=1915

3. the only thing you can't do to the a340e(f) is the vb fluid pressure change (i looked at the vb for an hour...it wasn't there)

4. the 1-2 accumulator will need more shims over the 2-3 and 3-4 accumulators.

5. i used regular round flat washers (stainless).


6. i used approx 1/2in of shims on ALL accumulators.

end result of the accumulator shimming:

7. 1-2 shift is better over stock but can use some more shims (i want to use 7/8in shims when i pull it apart again).

8. 2-3 shift - this was the most surprising. it shifts VERY firm compared to stock. very pleasing when you got it floored and it hits the 2-3 shift. if i wasn't running 285/50/18 in the rear it would have broken them loose (yea...on a 2.7l too).

9. 3-4 shift - also, VERY firm and pleasing. Not quite as hard as the 2-3 but still you can tell it definitely shifts firmer.

10. you will need an extra person when you reinstall the vb. probably need 2 people anyway. the vb is heavier then it looks (probably 10-13lbs).

11. in the a340f (which is in prerunners and dcabs) expect to use about 6.5qts of tranny fluid on the refill.

me and my next door neighbor went for a drive....ran 4/10ths of a mile (which should be a 1/4 mile and it made it somewhere between 87-90 and the end of the 4/10ths. which i think is impressive for a 2.7l prerunner.

i want to take it track-n-tune night at the g'ville raceway soon to get a slip at least.

overall, nice improvement. i keep watch on the temp gauge and it was normal for city/highway driving.

enjoy."

Some of the shim height will be determined by whether or not you have the VB pressure adjustment available. The Supra guys DO and they were turning that up at the same time as the shims meaning they'd need less shim height to achieve the same effect.

 

Masta -

Speedy quoted the first review on CT. 03Taco, (has a 2.7L), said that there was no pressure adjustment feature on his VB... and went on to mention he thinks more shimming needs to be done. Hence, my comment on what I would do in each case - with or without pressure adjustment.

Speedy -

Considering the length of the shift, this mod probably cuts down the 0-60 time significantly. The vid I sent earlier clocked around a low 6 second 0-60. I wouldn't be surprised to see this mod with the lighter wheels take it down to a mid to high 5.

We have a first to second shift vid to make a before and after comparison when I'm done.

 

That'll tell the tale.

 

I'm posting a little update I got from QSVeilside over on CT. He's done the DIY valve body mod with success. I'll let him give his own details, but bottom line it works and only costs your time and a few washers.

 

I had my tuner work on the VB on Tuesday.

Several notes... but first things first....

A big thanks goes to Speedy - his due diligence just saved us some $$$, and/or prolonged the life of our granny tranny

1. There is a pressure valve on the 2000 4runner VB. However, it was adjusted to the max setting already. There is no "A" indicator as shown on the installation guide.

2. Went with a 5/8" aluminum shim in the 1-2 accmulator. 1/2" shims in the other two.

3. 1-2 shift is still sluggish, but takes signifianctly less time than before. 2-3 and 3-O upshifts are great.

4. Downshifting under WOT snaps you back into the seat. No hesitation. 2-1 shift chirps the tires. The time between shifts is reduced. This applies to upshifting as well as downshifting.

5. There are some drawbacks to shimming the 3-O accumulator- This is difficult to explain... Going down from O-3 on light throttle but with load, (example is going from flat ground to uphill) is SNAPPY. There is also a delay in going from park to reverse, and reverse to drive... This however improves and returns to normal if repeated. We were warned about these adverse effects in the supraforums post - indicating that if we touch the 3-O accumulator, we risk changing the quality of the shift to reverse, etc.

All in all, the second guinea pig thinks this is a terrific mod. I recommend that you DO NOT TOUCH the 3-O accumulator. Follow Raven's recommendation.

In retrospect, I would follow 03Taco's advice and go with a 7/8" shim in the 1-2 accumulator. The reason it was avoided in this particular case was because the VB HAS a pressure adjustment feature - I assume it is at max - line is horizontal.

Ideal modification: 7/8" shim in the 1-2 accumulator. 5/8" shim in the 2-3 accumulator. No 3-O shim.

Speedy - I know you were concerned about how the shifts feel when driving around normally. I can tell you that shimming the VB to this degree does NOT affect normal driving whatsoever. The shifts are completely docile and in no way can I feel a difference. In regard to your question, the pressure valve was not adjusted. As pictured, there is a "keeper" that holds the position. If it is adjusted beyond that, it may or may not stay in place. I see what you are saying about pushing the valve inward, (not rotating it). Unfortunately, that was not experimented with.

The tuner mentioned that there are many things to hold in place when reinstalling the VB - which can be difficult due to the shims. Make sure you have another set of hands ready.



Pics

Valve Body Removed: Showing Accumulators



BOTH Sides of Valve Body:





Pressure Valve: