Pro Charger Vs. Magnuson 2nd Gen

Hey all! Long-time lurker here.

I had an 08 dcsb 6spd manual for about 6 years and put 100k miles on it. I sold that for a duramax (that didn't last long) and decided it was time to get back into a tacoma. I recently purchased a 2015 with 59k miles (dcsb trd offroad, 5spd auto) with the intention of boosting it. I specifically chose the last year of the 2nd gen just because I felt like I learned all the ins and outs of the 2nd gen with my last one.

I've only been able to find a couple of posts regarding this topic and my hope is that some of you with the pro charger and with the magnuson, and especially those of you who have experienced both, could chime in.

That being said, I keep going back and forth between the pro charger and the magnuson. I'm a little hesitant on the procharger because; A: It's a new product for the tacoma and doesn't have a lot of tried-and-true miles behind it like the magnuson and; B: as I've read on tacomaworld from certain users, there is a reason that no truck manufacturer has released a factory pro charger before - which leads me to believe there is probably a reason for that.

However, the power gains out of the pro charger seem pretty phenomenal, which is why I'm struggling with this decision so much. Regardless of which route I go, I plan to make the following mods.

Injectors
fuel pump
Headers
Y Pipe
cat back
HPtuner
Tune
Intake (AFE stage 2)
IPT Valve Body

Power wise, that would complete my build. I would have no intention of ever going beyond that. I'm looking for a very reliable 330 - 380 HP.

Can any of you with experience on one, the other, or both chime in on your thoughts of the reliability of either or both?

Should I risk it for the additional horse power or stick with the tried-and-true magnuson?

What does maintance - long term - look like for both? I see a lot of people rebuilding their magnuson at certain mileage?

Any and all input would be greatly appreciated. I have not been able to find too many threads on this topic. My hope is that this could turn into a decent thread of comparisons between the two for anyone else struggling to make the same decision.

It looks like the pro charger has less moving parts and seems as though it would run a lot cooler.

We all want power, but we especially want reliable power.

TIA

 

From the top..

The choice is going to largely depend on where/how you want your power delivered. If you want immediate response and a strong low end/midrange you'll want the Magnusson. If you want a good midrange and a Strong top end, you'll want the ProCharger.

While the ProCharger doesn't have 100's of 1000's of miles on our platform, people have been using ProChargers FOREVER. They'll go the miles if properly maintained just as the Magnusson has proven to do. I don't think one has an advantage over the other in this regard IMHO. Procharger's design does make for less moving parts and can arguably be "easier" to keep in tip/top working order as a result.

If going with the Procharger you can save the ~$300 on the aFe intake as it wont be needed.

Are your power goals at the crank or wheels? Cause getting up to 380whp on the Magnusson is going to take quite a bit of work.

 

Hey Justin! Thanks for the reply. We'll be talking down the road once I make up my damn mind

I'm less concerned with total HP as long as it is in that range. I threw 380 in as a "max" just because too much over that, and then you're talking about upgrading drivetrain just to handle power - I don't want to take it that far, so there is no magic number I'm trying to achieve. However, I don't want to see much less than around 330-ish. I feel like that is a reasonable goal with my listed mods, even if I go the Magnusson route. (looks like I've been mis-spelling Magnusson - whoops. Now I know.)

I don't know if I'm partial to low end or high end power, as long as it is there. What I really want is less maintenance and good reliability. I've been nervous about the pro charger just because it is a little newer (for the tacoma).

I do plan to tow (a snowmobile trailer in the winter and light camper in the summer) so I like the thought of the magnusson having the low end, but I also like the apparent power gains people are getting with the pro charger.

I really just don't know which route to go here. It's driving me crazy! (pun intended)

 

Anyone reading, please cast a vote! Thanks!

 

I went with the maggy for some reasons. 1-get rid of the stock intake manifold with the acis valve to avoid a potential failure point i.e. a bolt being ingested. 2-wanted decent power for towing. 3- the whine. I like the procharger as they have a ton of support and would've gone that route however I don't like how they sound and wanted to avoid dealing with belt slip depending on the pulley size. I think it's cool that procharger is in the 1gr market and whatever gets more attention to it isn't a bad thing. you really cant go wrong with either.

 

I’d go pro charger only because it makes a good amount more power. I do like sound of the mag but proC seems like a much better value

 

Thanks for your input, lucario! It is much appreciated. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of weight are your towing and how often? Some of my other mods will include a stage 2 deaver pack, break controller and probably air bags with an onboard compressor.

Do you feel like the magnusson provides enough power to tow the max capacity comfortably?

 

The heaviest I've towed was around 5000lbs. truck handled it fine. I'll probably end up towing near max cap with a car trailer and my race truck with tools and stuff and I'm sure it'll do fine.

 

I’d go pro charger only cause I have a Maggy so not really helpful. I’d just want it so i could see how different it is

 

Hi. 320-330 here without headers on a Maggie.

If you want more info on the mods it took to get to this point. See my build thread.

 

I have actually taken a look at it already! Lots of amazing info and if I go that route, I'll be following a lot of those things to a T!!! Thanks for writing such a great thread!

 

It largely depends on how you use your truck and where the biggest benefit for that use would be. A roots style like the Magnuson will give you more power/torque right off of idle and in the low end - very useful for offroad crawling, hills, and helps a lot for take off, merging, and highway passing power. A centrifugal, like the procharger, will give you more upper end power, and more overall HP (top speed potential), and could be more beneficial for offroad scenarios like sand dunes where higher speed/wheel spin is ideal.

 

What I really wish is that you could get the HP gains from the pro charger out of the Magnusson - at least without having to heavily modify everything else.

 

Certainly understand that, I also want all the HP's, lol... but performance isn't always about max HP; it's about power where you need it most. Though that being said, magnuson's base tuning is conservative; a pulley change and a custom dyno tune can sneak a fair amount more from it (of course same could be said for the procharger too).

Both are awesome upgrades any way you look at it though.

 

ALL OF THE HP's!!!

 

Also, is anyone running headers, y pipe and cat back that is emission's compliant? I want maximum flow and am willing to spend the coin for it, but I want to stay compliant. Any suggestions?

I know AFE makes some headers with cats. I cant seem to find a compatible y pipe that comes with a cat?

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

How long have you been on the maggy train? Do you feel like you've got to a point where you want more power?

 

All of the items I run are emissions complaint and pass smog every time FYI. Granted I am CARB compliant, but by running a build similar to mine and running some headers which are ARB or CARB compliant you will pass emissions every time as well.

No problem buddy! Just here to help how I can.

 

Where did you order your parts from? Is your exhaust system something you've pieced together and welded? I'm trying to stick with a bolt on application as I do not have any welder friends... :/

AFE makes headers with cats, but they don't make a Y pipe with a cat? Why would they do that? I took a snapshot of the "disclaimer" for this kit (posted below) and it just doesn't make sense to me why they would make headers with cats and sell it with a y pipe that has no cat?

I'm just trying to get as much exhaust flow as possible without being illegal - I want to maximize the gains of forced induction.

Will this system still pass a smog test? Is the second set of cats required to pass?

EDIT*** I'm in Utah, by the way. We do smog every year.

 

I’ve got 60k on mine. And it’s just my daily so If i have the need for more power I just drive my other cars but for my use I feel like it’s enough power