Re: I'm thinking about buying a Tacoma and putting on a TRD Supercharger... (Rob)
I had a 1998 Toyota Tacoma 2wd (not a PreRunner either) etra cab 3.0L V6, I had it lowered a month after I purchased it new, 1-1/4 Bell-Tech, paired the mild drop up w/ bilsteins fr&rr and added Bell-techs rear anti sway bar. Put a set of 18" konig Tantrum's with Khumo 712 ectas 255 45 18, added brembo slotted rotors to the front wanted discs in the rear but never could locate a source, ran 2-1/4 piping cat back, muffled via Borla and a Volvo C70 exhaust tip. I also wanted the scoop from the 4Runner but found out later the hoods don't swap and would be too $$$ to mold it in. This truck ran a 15.8 sec 1/4 in stock trim and would probably have been quicker if the rear end could hook up, i.e. roasting 1st-2nd--chirping third gear. Honda Civic Si's where no threat, let a loan a stock GS-R Integra I could almost hang with a Dakota 5.9 R/T till about 75 then I would get burned. later I added hotshots CAI and a K&N but really didn't drop the time. I decided that this mini truck had quite a-bit of potential and TRD had just launched it's first generation S/C at the time it was a whooping $3k installed pretty tough pill to choke, yet my best friend was a lot porter at a local Toyota dealer, he informed me that a kid worked at the dealer, purchased a stripped 2wd, 5/spd, V6 Tacoma added the TRD S/C and could not get it financed. At any rate he said I could come down and test drive it , knowing I was thinking about getting one for my rig. He literally tossed the keys and took my license and said see you in 30 min, I brought it back in 10 min I was so displeased with the S/C It made driving the truck a chore, since the Taco red lines at 5800, it takes a light foot to literally keep the rear planted, abrupt stabs of the throttle break the trucks composer instantaneously, only throttle lift-off re-gains control making a rather jerky transition to second gear and so forth keeping on the throttle or accelerating to pass on the freeway sends the truck off like a rocket yet watch out as before you know it you have hit the Tacoma's 105 mph governor all and all I found that I was able to drive the N/A V6 with much more precision and control, the S/C breaks the naturally near seamless power band, and turns it into a rodeo act, moreover I found the S/C to be increasingly noisy at any speed in any selected gear, the whine protrudes directly into the cabin and can be quite annoying after a few minutes of motoring. A Toyota service technician also stated that the nut and washer along with the belt on the S/C needs to be replaced every 20k mi! but the cost to do this is quite minimal.
-Personally I would not get it, yet It may have a counter effect supplied on a heavier 4WD crew cab unit, also with an automatic?
-Ryan
