1. Welcome to 4Runners.com!

    You are currently viewing as a guest! To get full-access, you need to register for a FREE account.

    As a registered member, you’ll be able to:
    • Participate in all 4Runner discussion topics
    • Transfer over your build thread from a different forum to this one
    • Communicate privately with other 4Runner owners from around the world
    • Post your own photos in our Members Gallery
    • Access all special features of the site

What the best performance upgrade for my 2021 4runner?

Discussion in '5th Gen 4Runners (2010-2024)' started by RockinB, Dec 25, 2020.

  1. Jan 16, 2021 at 11:59 PM
    #91
    catus

    catus New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2019
    Member:
    #10686
    Messages:
    927
    Gender:
    Male
    Centennial, CO
    Vehicle:
    2019 Tundra Double Cab TRD Limited
    No major mods yet
    Hmmm, maybe from a redlight that's the entrance ramp to a highway? That's at least once every day for me. My Runner does just fine, even starting out at almost 6000 feet. It's a body on frame, 4x4 truck, it's not a 911. Feels great to me. I mash the pedal and tell my beautiful wife with a coy smile that it's in Sports Mode (tm). I drive it like a 4Runner, not like a 4Runner that I'm expecting to perform like something else. I can almost see my Runner smile when the tach gets above 3K. Kinda like, "Wind it up - let's go!" 0-60 in a little over 7 seconds is a pretty good time for a truck that can also be submerged almost 2 feet and survive. Try that in your Firebird.

    What hills are you trying to climb? Everest? I've had mine on passes well over 10000 feet here in Colorado, and even stock geared on 285's I have no problems accelerating at 70+ up the hills. Yeah, the engine is revving. The engine/tranny is working in accordance to how it was designed. And it works very well for it's purpose. Oh the horror, it downshifts. Learn how to drive the Runner according to it's design. Or just sell the damn thing and let it go to a home that appreciates it's capabilities, and not focus on it's (supposed) faults.

    This isn't all directed specifically at you Trail Runnah. I've grown tired of reading these bitch threads. Too slow, brakes suck, headlights are weak, the paint is thin, gas mileage SUCKS. Boring and whiny. If a Runner doesn't meet expectations vs. design, then someone didn't do their due diligence properly or thoroughly before buying. Or set unrealistic expectations. The 5th gen has been in the market for 10 years now, and is a fairly well known quantity. There's plenty of info, from real owners, on how the truck performs in the real world. Just look at this or the "other" forum for real owners thoughts and experiences. Even better, drive it in real world situations and not just a quick lap around the block before buying it. It's not the truck's fault. Cheers.
     
  2. Jan 17, 2021 at 10:06 AM
    #92
    akmerle

    akmerle New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2020
    Member:
    #13161
    Messages:
    88
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    2020 4Runner Pro + 2018 Platinum Tundra
    Best performance upgrade I’ve found is the Pedal Commander.

    No, it doesn’t increase HP. No, it won’t decrease your 0-60 time.

    But for every day normal driving it increases the throttle input lower in the pedal travel, and absolutely gives it a MUCH better throttle feel as the lag is taken out.

    Less than $300 too. Exhaust / CAI / etc will only net negligible HP extremely high in the RPM range. I rarely drive up there, so having a much more responsive driving experience where I spend 99% of driving is preferable to me.

    Signed,
    Guy who traded in his 14 Jeep SRT w/ suspension and exhaust upgrades on a 4R.
     
    Thatbassguy likes this.
  3. Jan 17, 2021 at 11:36 AM
    #93
    ForRun

    ForRun 4Runner

    Joined:
    May 25, 2019
    Member:
    #10019
    Messages:
    3,045
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    2020 orp
    Same for me with Sprint booster. Everyday driving does have more zip to it
     
    akmerle[QUOTED] and Thatbassguy like this.
  4. Jan 18, 2021 at 3:29 AM
    #94
    MI-FL off roader

    MI-FL off roader T4R Hobby/Addict

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2015
    Member:
    #878
    Messages:
    1,190
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Brett
    Merritt Island, FL
    Vehicle:
    03' SR5 Sport - 12' Limited
    Too many mods and too much money
    New members with no posts are allowed to start a thread? SMH.
    4 more pages of a 10 year debate that has raged on since the demise of the 2UZ option. And even that wasn't a race car.
     
    Thatbassguy and ThePnsh3r like this.
  5. Jan 18, 2021 at 5:11 AM
    #95
    Thatbassguy

    Thatbassguy New member? Really??

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2019
    Member:
    #9314
    Messages:
    12,420
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    James
    S/E Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2019 TRDORP, KDSS, MGM
    RSG sliders, Yakima offgrid basket, Pro-Comp wheels, SOS Streamline bumper and skids, Warn VR EVO10S winch + Ultimate Sidewinder, Bilstein 6112 + 5100 + rear lift coils, Rigid Dually SS ditch lights w/Caliraised brackets and OEM style dash switch
    The 2uz 4runners were slower than the 1GR dual VVT-I ones. o_O they did have more torque, though. I loved mine!
     
  6. Jan 29, 2021 at 4:01 PM
    #96
    AgentKooper

    AgentKooper New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2020
    Member:
    #18097
    Messages:
    112
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    2021 4Runner TRD Pro
    Amen from another Colorado driver. I could not have said it better.
     
  7. Jan 29, 2021 at 4:05 PM
    #97
    Dillusion

    Dillusion New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2018
    Member:
    #7998
    Messages:
    2,687
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    KYle
    Vehicle:
    2018 TRD OR
    LOL at all the people saying the 4R is slow.

    My first car was a 91 Civic Hatch. I don't think that 90hp POS could go faster than 55.
     
  8. Jan 29, 2021 at 9:52 PM
    #98
    catus

    catus New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2019
    Member:
    #10686
    Messages:
    927
    Gender:
    Male
    Centennial, CO
    Vehicle:
    2019 Tundra Double Cab TRD Limited
    No major mods yet
    Pffft. That's a Formula 1 compared to what I had to drive. I had to go around the block three times just to get it to 30 mph. Sounded like
    a chainsaw and smelled like one too. 1967 Saab 95, with a three on the tree, and a three cylinder, two stroke engine. Mine had the optional
    oil injector. I think the engine made 38 hp. At sea level. Brand new. Mine looked just like this except it had black wheels instead of red.

    [​IMG]

    Info:
    https://www.hagerty.com/apps/valuationtools/1967-saab-95-3~cyl._
     
    Last edited: Jan 29, 2021
    Thatbassguy likes this.
  9. Jan 30, 2021 at 8:28 AM
    #99
    Singleminded

    Singleminded New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2020
    Member:
    #15483
    Messages:
    1,724
    Vehicle:
    2020 4Runner Limited
    OEM LED foglights
    That Saab is stylin

    I had a 91 Civic hatch. First new car I ever bought. Really impressively well built thing for the price. The 16-valve four felt and sounded so precise. As if as much engineering went into that engine as in the engines in most luxury cars of the day. I don't actually recall how fast I ever took it on the highway, but I definitely don't recall it having trouble at highway speeds (of course, back then almost all roads had a 55 MPH limit, so you weren't often doing more than 65 anyway).

    Here's a link to a nice story about that car:

    https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/videos/a31018/1991-honda-civic-hatch-regular-review/
    "The EF Civic embodied the values that made Honda great: basic, affordable transportation, built to the highest quality possible."

    Speaking of speed, I was out running errands in my Limited last night and said to myself, "You know, self, a lot o folks on that Runner forum thing complain that the vehicle is sloooow. Let's give it some gas and see how it goes..." So I did. And it done went good.

    Call me crazy, but I even liked the sound of the motor as it revved up toward redline. Sounded darn good to me.

    And remember folks, I've had BMWs, a GTI, a WRX...

    I like this Toyota 4.0.
     
    catus[QUOTED] likes this.
  10. Sep 14, 2021 at 11:21 PM
    #100
    Mtbpsych

    Mtbpsych New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2018
    Member:
    #7922
    Messages:
    1,887
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    2018 SR5
    chadp82 likes this.
  11. Sep 15, 2021 at 4:23 AM
    #101
    chadp82

    chadp82 New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2021
    Member:
    #23193
    Messages:
    45
    Vehicle:
    2021 TRD Pro Premium
    Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, now if I could only find the dang B and A buttons…..
     
    Mtbpsych[QUOTED] likes this.

Products Discussed in

To Top