Front end & Cold air intake/Exhaust/Snorkel ???

Looking for suggestions!!!

Hey y’all. I’ve got a massive itch to throw some mods on the taco. Currently, I’ve not done any mods outside of seat covers and sticker removal, etc. I’m looking to maybe put on a fiberglass trd sport hood purely for aesthetics and maybe increased air intake. With that being said, I want to put in either an aftermarket cold air intake or a snorkel. Would like to additionally beef up the exhaust to get a more throaty sound as the OEM seems really restrictive and cuts a lot of the exhaust sound I think.
If there’s anything else that I can do on the cheaper end, please let me know! I think I’ve seen a few mentions of people installing some sort of AC(?) drain or something like that. I’m happy with how the truck run, just want to get a facelift and better intake/sound for her. Thanks all

 

Won't increase air intake at all. THe factory ones aren't functional (no air passes through them). Second, the factory air box isn't routed to the hood scoop area so you wouldn't be increasing air intake. Only air intake you'd be increasing with a hood scoop if you removed the block would to ruin the air flow characteristics over through and under the engine that extremely intelligent engineers spent hundreds of thousands of dollhairs perfecting. And adding a snorkel would really make the "air intake" abilities of a hood scoop, blocked or open completely moot. The Tacoma also already comes with a CAI from the factory.

The A/C drain however, isn't a bad deal as from the factory it drips right on a bushing nor 2 and I have seen a few others with prematurely failed bushings from it. I think it's a lower control arm bushing, but don't quote me on it. You can search on here about how to extend that hose through the control arm. I think it was 5/8" heater hose, some hose clamps and a couple zipties. Took me maybe 15mins.

As for exhaust, meh to each their own on that. The tacoma isnt' really set up to make nice exhaust sounds. Every one I've heard with aftermarket exhaust sounds like shit to me.

 

Okay cool! Thanks for info, man. Would you have any recommendations to fix this bug I have via “functional” and aesthetic mods?

 

Are you wanting to do the snorkel for aesthetics or do you plan on doing some river fording? Also, snorkels are a point of no return. Once you cut that hole, that's it. hahaha

The a/c drain is a good idea.

If you want to do the hood scoop for looks, go for it. I just wouldn't bother making it functional.

I did an aftermarket CAI instead of a snorkel since I have done some river crossings, don't want to cut a big hole in my fender and what not and wanted to run a replaceble/washable filter with a hydrophobic sock on it. I think mine is from aFe for the CAI. And then just searched for a hydrophobic sock that fit the filter dimensions. I bought a 2nd filter from aFe so I can just take the dirty one out, spray some simple green on it, rinse it off and throw it on my work bench to dry and can toss the 2nd one in so I can drive without waiting for the other to dry.

Best thing you can do for a Tacoma aesthetically speaking is delete or black out all the chrome. Chrome sucks, period.

 

Snorkels are not just for crossing water. The most common use for a snorkel is to get your air intake higher off of the ground above dustier conditions thereby lengthening the life of your air filter. If you travel on dirt roads in arid conditions your air filter can be nearly clogged in a hour. Think about it - your intake is in the wheel well where your tires constantly kick up dust. It is common to notice a “ bog” in throttle response and have to stop, pull your air filter and shake it out. A snorkel relocates your intake point above the majority of the dust and you can also use a pre filter head on a snorkel which is very easy to access and clean on the go.

 

Doesn't the factory air box already have a pre-filter of sorts on teh small port that goes into the fender? I pulled mine a couple years ago so I have no clue anymore.

But i went with an aFe CAI that is incased in an airbox that still points at that small fender opening, but run a hydrophobic sock over the filter as a pre-filter. Works for water crossings and dust build up and then you don't have to irreversibly cut your fender.

 

I thought, and remember from doing work, that the intake pulls from the fender, not the wheel well. The fender is open to the cowl for fresh air and closed to the wheel well/engine bay with sheet metal. Seems like dirt/dust would have to make two 180° turns just to get to the airbox. Snorkels have the prefilter because the regularly get filled with bugs and debris.

 

You might be right. Been a while since I stuck my head in there.

 

The wheel well vents to the space above just behind the passenger side headlight so it can pull dust in along with the fresh cowl air. The TRD intake uses a different rubber piece through the engine bay fender that allows a little better airflow. You can buy it separately for a lot less than the entire intake kit(1/10 $). Even cosmetic snorkels require drilling the fender to fasten it in place. Some go stealthy and run a duct directly to the cowl from the airbox to access the cleaner air.

 

I don't think that area shares a passage with the inner fender.

 

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The vast majority of folks have removed the inner wheel well liner for tire clearance issues or bumper installs at which point the intake is directly trapped in the same space as the tire. Even with the oe liner in place if you drive on dirt roads or silt in the desert your airbox and filter are f’d. A snorkel gets your intake point up above into cleaner air which makes a huge difference.

 

The wheel well liner doesn't separate the wheel well from the inner fender. The inner fender is inside of a sheet metal cavity that is enclosed everywhere but at the cowl opening as far as I can tell. This is all going from memory. I can't go look at it right now, a couple thousand miles are between my truck and myself.

 

My Pro came with the TRD intake and the Cat Back. I think the Cat Back sounds fantastic, and while I love the look of the TRD intake, I pulled out the "free-flow" air filter and replaced it with the OEM paper filter.

The TRD Intake does indeed flow more air, largely because of the bigger volume tubes and the intake velocity stack in the fender is a much better design that the OEM.

And Yes, this does result in more power, but you are also sucking in more grit and dust. This is fine with a race engine that gets a lot of attention and doesn't need to last 200,000 miles. But for me, I really want the motor to last a good long while, so I want nice clean air running through my motor, even if that means there is less of it, moving a bit slower.

 

Is any of this true? The TRD intake uses a different MAF sensor and TB?

 

It uses the same MAF Sensor. I don't know what TB stands for.

But it uses the same bottom half of the air box, but the lid is different - probably mostly for the red letters.

But the intake velocity stack in the fender is different. OEM is shaped like an ice cream scoop, TRD looks like a velocity stack. The routing of the TRD is much larger and arrow straight without any inline baffling, so you get more air moving faster.

But high velocity CAI's (OEM is not high velocity) have been dyno'd and tested to death. They do make more power. How much depends on a lot of things, but typically between 5-10% more power. If paired with a Cat Back, it's even more. They also tend to make a bigger difference at higher-elevation, where there is simply less air to work with than at sea level.

 

If the MAF sensor and TB are the same, then the tube is the same size or the MAF would need rescaling and the TB would be different size.

The velocity of the air in the intake is a function of pressure delta, the oem design does not restrict enough to change that AND velocity is increased when the tube size is smaller so a larger tube would have slower air velocity in it.

Post a dyno or any power measuring data NOT provided by the manufacturer of said "high velocity" intake on a Tacoma (or any modern fuel injected vehicle I guess).

What you're saying is that Toyota left 5-10% power and efficiency (mpg) on the table because they didn't use a big enough or straight enough intake pipe? Lol, ok.

 

Easier said, than done.

 

Do a simple google search. You will find reams of evidence and dyono's and videos that all have evidence that they make more power. But it's not just about power. It's also about noise and about engine life. Toyota left 5-10% on the table to keep the engine quiet and to ensure it lasts longer.

And again, I'm not advocating that a less restrictive intake is better. For me personally, I'd sacrifice 5% power to have an engine that lasts longer.

EDIT: I also figured out that TB means Throttle Body. So by your logic, if you went up and down in elevation, the MAF and TB would need to be replaced because of differences is air. Computers have this ability to make calculations based on variables to keep the air/fuel mixture around 14:1 when there is less air at 10,000 feet and when there is more air at sea level.

 

Wrong, the intake stubs through the side of the engine compartment and the only thing between the inlet and your tire after that is the plastic wheel well liner. This is all very common knowledge and exactly why folks scramble to figure out how to cover that intake inlet when they remove their wheel well liners.

 

Here let’s put this debate to rest, here is a photo of my tuck that clearly shows where the OE inlet is. Look at the hole top right - so again you remove that wheel well liner and drive through silty desert and your intake is clogged rapidly.