V8 Toyota with GRUNT!!

seat of the pants dynos' are always impressive............. LOL

Sometime time ago I was enquiring at a car yard in Perth regarding a 2008 model V8 Troopy they were selling - had a new Toyota V8 diesel fitted at 140,000ks. The original motor had been chipped and self-destructed. I have the same model - it’s not something I would do.

suprised no-one has informed you yet WW that a 1.9L Amarok has more power

So they say...

I drive them at work there not to bad but there behind there way eight ball if you compare it to the 3 ltr Navara V6 diesel which has 170kw - 550nm as standard. Toyota need to pick their act up a bit. I would keep the 80 ser which has more room and is a lot more comfortable and capable off road than the re- badged European 4 door Prado which is sold here as 76 ser and hasn't improved since they started making it in the mid 90's.

LOL. Member Sludgy recently sold his Troopy and bought a 79Series Ute. He had it chipped and 3"exhaust, etc. Said to me, after I rocked up in my 75 series unturbo'd Troopy, jump in and take it for a spin. Bastard now I want one!

Hell that thing has got some serious get up and go and the scary thing was that the chip wasn't wound up for maximum power. The ride and comfort was also impressive.

Yep now I'm going to have a bugger of a job convincing my wife that I really should have one.

I put an exahsut and chip on the 79n series 3 years ago and haven't been disappointed. Below is the write up from my blog regarding the ute build;

Building the dream off-roader

May 2011; I have just had the performance modifications made to the ute. A 3.5 inch Taipan exhaust was fitted together with a chip and an EGT gauge. The fitment of the exhaust was not without its difficulties due to the stretch and the confining nature of the big rear tank but it was all made to fit in the end. The overall change has been absolutely incredible. It’s gone from Moose to Gazelle. It freakin FLIES! I have had it tuned specifically to assist with the heavy weight of the vehicle and towing. The work was undertaken at Turbo engineering in Thomastown. They have used their own chip which is a complete tuning system as opposed to a fuel rail or fuel pulse module. Ray spends some 4 hours on the dyno with each fitment adjusting both fuel and boost to ensure all the planets align with the additions and to ensure that things can’t be over-fueled (meaning more heat etc). Like most surgeons he has a somewhat paternalistic bedside manner but don’t let that put you off. He knows his stuff.

After the modifications, the immediately noticeable differences are;

-Wholly more responsive – It’s like driving a fully tuned petrol V8 (I kid you not, there is that much difference!)
-No flat spot when accelerating from standing start. Torque band is a lot wider and flatter . The vehicle just accelerates cleanly and powerfully.
-Much more acceleration on the highway. At 80 kph in 5th gear you can put the foot down and she climbs effortlessly upwards. Towing is going to be a dream as will dragging heavy loads up bloody high sand hills.
-It sounds a whole lot meaner at the back end with the 3 inch system and sports muffler (and this is important according to the crown prince!)


If this thing is tuned down, I’d be frightened to know what can be achieved with it bedded down and tuned right up. Quite simply these are the best mods I have ever made to a vehicle. If you were thinking of spending the dollars on this type of mod, do it but do your research and go to a recognised diesel expert. IMHO a simple plug and play fuel module is not what you want in your $70K, state of the art V8 diesel ute.


Throughout the first weeks of July, the new engine set-up has had a good 7000 km work out around some of our iconic outback tracks. The vehicle was fully loaded during this trip but not towing. The observations above stand. The vehicle accelerates like a whole different animal. On a long sharp gradient on the freeway just north of Melbourne, I used to be pulling down to 3rd to try and get up the thing. Speed was dropping below 80 kph. With the re-tuning, I was easily able to maintain 100-110 kph in 5th and only changed to 4th to drop a few degrees off the EGT gauge.

Fuel Economy has not been adversely affected and has remained more or less the same in both city and country driving. In the slower going on outback roads (average 60-80 kph with a fair bit of 4x4 for damp and slippery sections) the economy has actually improved by nearly one kilometre per Litre. This is a real bonus considering the abysmal economy figures in the first place. Where the mods come into their own is the solid increase in power when in a 4x4 situation. There’s no more having to put the boot into her to keep the momentum up in soft sand or mud. Easy manipulation of the accelerator ensures smooth, constant power in even a sudden, unexpected situation and that’s bloody great.


Dyno results; At 100 kph there is a torque increase of 150Nm (586 to 734 Nm) and a power increase of 21 Kw (80 to 101 kw). Average across the range of between 20-25% increase in power and torque. Original dyno showed that the vehicle was under fuelled and had very low boost settings. These increases are achieved with 33" tyres fitted.

I like this one better
http://www.vintageoffroad.com/vehicles/IMG_3632.JPG