150 series petrol performance upgrades

[Panto Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Panto]

Hi Everyone,

New member to the group, look forward to learning a heap and getting my hands dirty from all the information posted on here.

I currently have a 2010 GXL Prado with the 4.0L V6 in it, I'm finding it needs a little bit more power and better fuel economy then standard. I haven't touched anything on the engine or transmission since buying the car some 4 years ago now and I think it's time it got a well deserved birthday, and I have noticed towing my 2 ton boat around that it needs a bit of extra grunt for towing especially long distance trips when tackling hills etc.

I have a few ideas in mind on what I would like to do going off general research from Google and I have listed the bits bellow.

- New exhaust system (extractors as well).
- either performance chip or throttle controller (haven't seen many performance chips).
- Snorkel with high flow air filter.
- larger transmission cooler.

Now for the age old question that you have all heard before, I'm after some advice/guidance/opinions on the above and what relevance/difference these will make to the car, I'm sure it's all been discussed before and if someone could point me in the right direction or list parts / costings / experience that they have had in past or currently that would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Panto

[krypto Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close krypto]

Having played with many petrol cars over the years more power and better fuel economy rarely go together. Having said that improving airflow at the intake and exhaust are usually your biggest wins. Also some chips genuinely improve efficiency. By the way not sure that a snorkel improves airflow as it is more of a constriction

[AussieAndy Find all posts View Profile Close AussieAndy]

First would be making sure you're engine is running the best it can as it is. Ensure the air filter is clean, ensure the correct spark plugs are fitted and are also in good condition, check the oil grade used is suitable, etc. Sometimes the simple things are overlooked.

Then make sure it has good airflow, both in and out of the engine. Possibly also look at replacing the O2 sensors depending on the age/mileage of the vehicle as these can play a factor in fuel consumption and power.

At the end of the day you are driving a large 4wd with a 4.0L V6 engine, it is going to use more fuel than a Hyundai, and it'll never be a SS commodore....

[Panto Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Panto]

No worries guys I have done the basics and it didn't really do anything it has done 69,000 kms so I wouldn't have thought the o2 sensor would be stuffed yet but worth I try I guess. Mainly after the HP increase the fuel economy really as your right it is a big chunk of metal that's needs some grunt to get moving.

Cheers

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

It depends how conservative the factory tune is. My LS3 and LSA were woefully rich and benefitted from a cold air intake and tune. Picked up some kW along the way and overall fuel consumption improved. Use all the kW and then the fuel flows. Rather rapidly with the LSA. Nothing is free.

I have never had a petrol Prado but what I see is it is a good solid engine and pretty well set up. Extractors are good and a free flow exhaust but as Andy says it will never be a sports sedan.

[Drift Member Find all posts View Profile Close Drift]

Force feed it and throw a supercharger on it. That'll wake it right up.

[Geoffury Find all posts View Profile Close Geoffury]

Have a flick through this build thread.
Darren isn't on here anymore, but he chipped his V6 and played with the exhaust.

http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread...highlight=Dazz

Ended up with a TT diesel 200 series

[geoffmc1 Member Find all posts View Profile Close geoffmc1]

Its a good idea to clean the MAF sensor everytime a new airfilter goes in

cheers
Geoff

[topic97 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close topic97]

It depends how conservative the factory tune is. My LS3 and LSA were woefully rich and benefitted from a cold air intake and tune. Picked up some kW along the way and overall fuel consumption improved. Use all the kW and then the fuel flows. Rather rapidly with the LSA. Nothing is free.

I have never had a petrol Prado but what I see is it is a good solid engine and pretty well set up. Extractors are good and a free flow exhaust but as Andy says it will never be a sports sedan.

Yeah same on my old LS1 - got heaps of economy & power out of a maffless tune!
I could quite consistently get under 9l/100k highway driving, which was bloody good for a 330kw V8!

But apparently holden used to detune them and run them rich for the factory so that it made it easier for them to "upgrade" the engines in later models.

[4alh Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close 4alh]

Now that my V6 Prado is out of warranty, I've started tinkering with a few bits and pieces.
My wife has the V6 RAV4, which is an absolute pocket rocket with almost the same engine power output as the Prado.
Even factoring the difference in power-to-weight ration, the Prado engine always felt like a real slug and it was as if it was constantly towing around a one ton trailer.
So, I pulled out the stock airbox and investigated it for possibilities.
The first thing you'll notice is that there is a fixed propeller set up near the intake opening that fits inside the fender. This propeller is designed to form a vortex so that centrifugal force within the spinning airflow that will throw water and heavier particles to the outer surface of the intake tube, with clean air passing through the smaller diameter inner tube that feeds the airbox lower cavity. You'll note there is a crude one-way rubber valve set up in the outer tube to drain any accumulated water and debris.
After removing the propeller, I ran the car in for a couple of weeks at freeway speeds in some torrential downpour conditions. There was no ingress of water at any time or under any conditions. So far so good.
Next, working on the inside of the lower airbox, I got out my dremel and removed all of the smaller diameter inlet pipe and cut away as much of the outer feeder profile as I could. Ran more tests in all sorts of environmental conditions with no increase in FOD in the airbox, filter or air intake tube.
What I am left with is just the airbox pulling air from the fender via a short, unrestricted tube.
The difference in performance is nothing short of breathtaking, and fuel economy has increased by more than half a lt/100k, if you can resist the urge to put the foot down. Where the slightest touch on the accelerate would previously send the fuel monitor full scale, now it only reaches two thirds for the same amount of throttle response.
Add to this some magnatech oil and my engine has become a silky smooth turbine that actually causes the front end to nod when it kicks down a gear.
It now lives and breathes as it should and returns 12.4lt/100km around town.
Some people will say that the propeller is there to evenly disperse the airflow in the airbox. But the answer to that is neit because the FOD trap negates that. Also, there are a series of chambers after the airfilter and MAF sensor that are designed to counter any pressure differentials and pulsing in the airflow.
So far I can't find any negatives in this mod, and best of all it's for free.

If the results of this simple mod doesn't blow your socks off, I'll buy a Hummer.

PS: Stock paper filters are fine. Don't waste your money on K&N
PPS: Also, consider taking off the engine vanity cover to dissipate heat and let cool air circulate around the intake system.

[Guest Close Guest]

I would have thought that the air filter would be the "bottleneck"...

[4alh Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close 4alh]

The filter is an avoidable bottleneck, but it's impact is negligible compared to the solid plastic baffles restricting airflow. There's plenty of filter surface area to satisfy the beast. The proof can readily be experienced firsthand.

[fridayman Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close fridayman]

Reminds me of work I've done on bike airboxes. Do you have any pictures of this airbox modification?

[Arien Member Find all posts View Profile Close Arien]

Reminds me of work I've done on bike airboxes. Do you have any pictures of this airbox modification?

Yes, pictures please, very interested with your findings...thanks in advance

[fridayman Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close fridayman]

Reminds me of work I've done on bike airboxes. Do you have any pictures of this airbox modification?

Actually after removing the airbox (3 bolts, 2 hose/wire clips and 1 hose clamp) and taking a look, it is obvious. The propeller bit just clips out, and then the modifying the hole takes 10 minutes with a dremel. The entire job takes 30 minutes.