Turbo Charging A Tundra!

Tow Results #2: 2014 Tundra, Stage 1 Kit, Water Meth & Tune Only, 4 PSI, 136K Miles on the Odometer

The quick details of the tow test today:
U-Haul Car Hauler 2200lbs & 2017 Infiniti Q50 4000lbs: ~6200lbs
Total Miles: 198.6 (One way trailer only, then back with car. All highway)
Average MPG: 14.4
Meth Usage: Less than 1/4 Tank!!
Duration: ~6 Hours
Road Conditions: Rain/Wet
Traffic: Heavy, multiple full stop 15-30min traffic jams

The trip down was towing ONLY the trailer at 2200lbs. You can't even really feel it, I had to remind myself it was back there in traffic, so I didn't make any super aggressive moves. It was raining and heavy traffic the whole trip. Waze said 1:50 travel time, it took me almost 3 hours due to 2 major accidents cutting 3 lanes down to a tight one lane. I averaged 16mpg with the trailer only and I saw quite a few tenths tick away in traffic, so probably would have been more with a smoother drive. The benefit of the rain, in terms of MPGs, was that it was slower going overall, lower speed, less revs.

The trip back was uneventful with the car in tow. The motor, turbo, etc did great. The extra 700lbs above the Audi A3 in the first tow REALLY made a difference with the trucks handling. Same great results power-wise with the turbo, but I really felt the car behind it. Granted NYC roads are horrible. I bet the car and trailer jumped a good inch or 2 on one or two of the huge bumps. Once I got out of the city and onto 684, it was smooth sailing. I had it in tow/haul mode and sport mode for shifting. Most of the NYC highways were done in 4th-5th, due to traffic and needing to have the power immediate. On the other highways, I dropped to 6th and only got into 5th a handful of times on some long grades. Again with the rain, wet roads and heavy traffic, there were only a few times I was able to do 65+, most of the time is was in the 55MPH range, which I am sure has helped the MPGs as well. So keep in mind, if you are a hot rod tow guy, cranking along at 80MPH, your results may very, or they may be better, since the motor will be in a happier rev range, time will tell.

Otherwise, I would chalk it up as another successful tow.

Here is a link to the log if anyone is interested. I only logged the 2nd half: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/u6w5...1-24.hpl?rlkey=0e35ls8xs5dndrc2k9pt7xclp&dl=0
*If any Tundra Tuners/Specialists want to take a look at the logs and give feedback, we are always open to learn new things

Route:


Truck/Trailer/Full Meth Tank:


1st Half MPGs, Trailer Only:


Car Loaded:


2nd Half MPGs, Trailer & Car, plus odometer for overall miles on the truck:




Meth Usage:

 

@TurboKits.com
Did you have your tune altered to have the tow/haul shift schedule operate in S-Mode? The reason I ask is that if memory serves, and someone correct me if I'm misremembering, shifting to S-Mode cancels out T/H mode and defaults to the Normal shift schedule.

 

I seriously don’t remember how the stock tune worked

 

I believe tow/haul remains active, AI shift which is adaptive shifting based on your driving habits is disabled however. I tow in S4/S5 usually and the more sensitive throttle and longer gear holding both appear to remain active.

 

I believe the 2007-2010 tech manual in the ab60 section has the breakdown in shift logic.
I have another manual on the trans but I'm out of the house.

 

I did not know this... That seems odd as the Tow / Haul mode does more than just adjust the trans and shifts, it adds a bump to the ethrottle, but nothing specifically was done that I know of to override this, so if that is the function, then, well, it was NOT in tow / haul mode, LOL. I guess technically, I could copy over the ethrottle tables to normal mode and then be able to do both... Maybe I'll do that and try regular driving to see how it is...

 

So I wanted to do the real math in case the dash "confuser" was well, confused. All was solid, I filled it in the AM before getting the trailer and then dropped the trailer and went right to the same gas station, same pump. It took 15.125 gal (I may have topped it off an extra few clicks, but the math is still solid), mileage by the time I dropped the trailer and got to the station, 213 on the nose. 213/15.125 = 14.08 MPG doing the old school method.

 

I know, right!

You're likely right.

I have some PDFs but I'm out too.

 

I’d say no worries and don’t bother. Tow/haul mode makes the throttle too jumpy for my liking under normal driving. I kind of like the dopey regular throttle mode, and then the surprise savage acceleration when actually giving it more throttle. It does make for a fun “sport mode” of sorts though with boost, especially paired with S mode (further bolstering it remains active). I have a lot of seat time towing the same camper as @bflooks ironically and can say with near certainty that tow/haul does not cancel out in S mode. If you check the manual it makes no mention of such things in there either, referenced in these pics. It does say that tow/haul cancels out “AI shift” though like I mentioned prior.

 

Perfect, thanks or the info and confirmation!

I agree, the extra throttle is nice when towing, but I also found tow/haul mode when just the truck to be a tad jumpy, apparently the tow haul mode is even more aggressive in the TRD files. I think there may be something that can be learned from the Tow Haul mode, maybe a little more aggressive slope for normal mode as well, but only above a certain threshold so the twitchiness doesn't get you in the lower gears... That'll be a test for another day, right now laser focus on Stage 1 testers, like BFlooks and Jego, swapping back to the 650cc Inj and start tuning the Stage 2 intercooled set up on our 2014. Once we are on the other side of this stuff. I'll start playing around with these types of changes, right now, no extra variables tho

 

I can attest to the fact that my 19 does NOT come out of tow/haul mode just because I shift out of drive and instead choose "S".

This is 100% based on rpm, shift points, and calculated load % when towing the exact same weight over and over again as a somewhat controlled variable. It acts just like in drive, just more caged/contained.

 

Another part that came out of this turbo system development was the idea to have a simple, fast and easy to install FPR, since the stock fuel system already references a rail-based fuel pressure regulator, how nice would it be to be able to drop an adjustable FPR in place and bump the static pressure for some additional flow! This drops right in with our Stage 1 and soon to come Stage 2 turbo kits. We are not sure on clearances, etc for the SC guys, but it could be a great option for you all as well with maybe a 90* or 45* adapter. We'd love to test that theory out with an SC owner if anyone is interested. Thanks

Check it out here: https://www.turbokits.com/2007-2021-tundra-5-7l-drop-in-adjustable-fuel-pressure-regulator-fpr.html

 

I could test on the whipple setup I have. @snivilous for visibility on this cool new item

 

We'd love too. Shoot some pics of your set up, from the whole engine bay as well as the stock FPR on the rail, let us get a good look at it. Thanks!

 

Pics sent

 

It could solve extended cranking that we experience on aftermarket fpr's. As they don't hold pressure in the system be it DW, AEM, Aermotive...
Would be nice if this DW style holds psi.

 

Ordered

 

What’s the pressure range on this regulator?

 

Pressure Range:30-120psi

Updated the site listing!

 

More Info

External Materials: Anodized T6061
Hardware/Brackets: 300 Stainless Steel
Tension Spring: Stainless Spring Steel
Diaphragm: 35mm Fiber-Viton
Pressure Range: 30-120psi
Flow Rating: 500LPH
HP Rating: 1000 HP
Gauge Port Fitting: 1/8" NPT
Ball-Bearing Adjustment: 2psi Per Turn

 

That gauge looks interesting, Jesse.

I've been quiet here only because I'm on vacation. Updates will continue when I get back. Plan for more activity next week.

 

Hope you are enjoying yourself. I leave myself for a long weekend with the kiddos tomorrow

 

Another successful Turbo Tundra, NOW onto the heaviest tow testing our stage 1 kit will do!!!

We had gotten a few questions for updates. First off, with all of the tow testing the last week or so, we did have to buckle down and get some other work done. Also, we kind of wanted to not only surprise you guys, but also BFlooks. He has been on vacation this last week and I leave for vacation tomorrow and we didn't want to burn 2 weeks with no real progress. Especially with time ticking for already planned camping trips. Soooo we agreed, I would grab the truck, work with the tuner to go over the logs and fine-tune for his set up. Which he and I were doing anyway, we just took out one step. Anyway, other than 2 days of rain with no major progress, we got it nailed with only a few revisions (the "base map" from our 2014 is super solid!) The surprise is that BFLooks didn't know for sure if we would have it all done in time to hit the DYNO. It was last minute and was sort of a run what you brought deal as time was limited, but it banged off about 4 runs all within the sameish HP, we had one that did break the 400WHP mark by a few HP, but sigh, we didn't get a video of that one.

BFlooks, will be testing a towing application and weight that is more than we ever considered for the stage one. So we decided to run a 1.5 PSI spring and the SCG1 EBC to allow us to keep the boost down a bit, plus, if he runs into any trouble towing almost 9K, he can dump to spring rate and knock the boost down even more. Plus as an added safety margin, we dropped the AFRs into the high/mid 10s in the upper revs. The truck feels great, sounds great and we can't wait to hear "it towed great". Here is a quick shot of the DYNO. I have a video I'll post as well, once I get back early next week.

Anyway, a long, but great day! Till then all!

 

Unfair!!! I'm still 1k miles away from it!!

That's awesome you were able to get it on the Dyno! I'm excited to have a baseline for the forced induction part of the truck's life (probably just turned 50k while I was gone). Thank you for the surprise!

I also want to thank you for getting creative on how to keep our schedule. I think everyone was tracking that my DIY install took a bit longer than likely intended. A few factors were at play, most of which was that it was my 2 hands, and only my 2, that accomplished the entire project. This out us about 2-2.5 weeks behind overall, and the remote tuning was progressing, but about as fast as remote tuning does on an early adoption with the newer computers. Anyways, my first trip is only about 4 weeks away, and with my vacation, and Jesse's immediately following, we were effectively losing 2 full weeks. So, Jesse ended up driving 4 hours roundtrip to come get my truck so he could keep working the tune while I was gone, and then another 4 hour round trip to deliver it before he left for vacation. I was happy with the hope to maybe have a finalized tune I could tow with when I returned. The Dyno was more of a "gee, wouldn't it be cool to know if my DIY yielded the same results?" with zero expectations it would happen. And then I got a chart last night, which was pretty cool. Based on an email summary, I'm content with the amount of safety factor @TurboKits.com built into the tune for my use case, and the Dyno numbers I can live with for a starting point with a 1.5lb spring, electronically controlled to 3psi, and AFRs in the 10s even with water meth. So much space to add more power once I can start testing.

Looking forward to continuing the towing tests, not only with more weight, but (and IMO, more importantly) a much larger profile with less aerodynamics. First tow will be next week, around 7k lbs bringing it out of storage. I'll stop at the scales to get actual numbers for that trip.

Now I'm giddy and want this vacation to end so I can go drive it. It sitting in view of my doorbell and Im sitting here trying not to wake the family up to talk about it. Hell of a way to start a day!

Thanks again, Jesse. You absolutely rock! Safe travels and enjoy your time away.

 

You’re absolutely welcome Brian! If your first test tow goes well and the logs are solid. We’re not against an extra PSI or so and maybe dropping it back to 11:0 AFRs

I think I dropped it in your driveway with 49,984 iirc, so you’ll get to do the honors!

Anyway, we’ll talk on the flip side…

 

Great first day back with the truck today! Jesse wasn't lying when he said he returned it close to the 50k mile mark. 49,998 to be exact, so I did end up having the honors of watching it role over. Just so happened that it was also due for it's 500 mile break in oil change, so I knocked that out this morning. Still awaiting the Blackstone results from the original sample sent in from pre-FI, and I'll be sending this new oil in for analysis in 3k miles from now.

I can confirm the weeping/seeping/choose your word oil feed connection is 100% dry now. Jesse reworked the adapters while he had it since I didn't have time to get to it again before vacation. I think he said he replaced the both adapters and used teflon on the threads. Regardless, no drips, everything is good to go.

Jesse also mentioned that he had a pleasant surprise for me, which he wasn't lying about in terms of just how pleasant it is. He took the wastegate recirculation tube off the 2014 to see if it would fit mine without modification, which it DID, and he left it on for me! No more screamer pipe and it sounds absolutely gorgeous with the DD 21" exhaust. Just slightly deeper tone, but eerily quiet in comparison, allowing for all the right noises to be heard at an extremely pleasant volume. Screamer could be fun for shows or if you're looking for the attention, but I'm not looking for that in my use case of towing. Beyond thrilled with it.

I was also able to finish install the SCG-1 today. I'll get pictures of it tomorrow when the sun is out, but it is working beautifully in the left driver's vent. I routed the pig tails for the ProLink cable through the bottom of the hood release opening. Thanks again for the lead on the vent insert @AZTundra !

I'm def needing to relearn how to drive this thing. 2500RPM+ it is completely within the power band, regardless of gear. Gears 1-4 and it is 2000+ and absolutely rips compared to stock. This is around 3.5psi with some some small pings to the low 4's. Having had the opportunity to toss about 75 miles on it today, I'm beyond excited to tow with it. It's easy to stay out of boost, but it's also easy to gain speed without the traditional downshift or RPM. It's going to take some time to remember that.

Jesse had sent another minor update to the tune from the plane, so I'm sure we'll be working on that next week before I hook up the trailer and start getting into the crawl portion of the towing tests. I'm just excited to finally be cleared to enjoy the fruits of all the labor. It is absolutely infectious pulling up alongside another Tundra and letting the turbo spool up and the exhaust sing. Not sure if the truck or vacation was more fun.

Also, @TurboKits.com - I see you on the wastegate vacuum circuit. Thank you! For those who care, the install instructions for the wastegate say to use the turbo itself as the vacuum source, but it is now plumbed off the motor instead since the intercooler will be getting added soon. I don't really care what the turbo is doing before the throttle body since even at 8psi for stage 2, it's barely breathing, and Jesse would rather know we're delivering the right boost at the right spots without having to calculate for parasitic loss with the intercooler. He tried to talk to me about it and I simply needed to focus on having the truck running before vacation, so it was put on the back burner. It was a nice surprise seeing it done.

 

Nice, glad you got to see it flip!!

Yeah, teflon, just one wrap on the middle/back threads, it'll stop that "NPT seep" every time!

Ha Ha, like an easter egg in a video game or movie!! But yes, we are pumped it dropped right in, we will be making this an option in production at some point. We have always had a tough time making those in production, since it's way down several feet of piping, so even a 10th of a degree different rotation on one of the VBands, can throw it off enough down the other side of the pipe. I am thinking that was due to all of the connections being VBand, including the turbo hot side. The saving grace on the Tundra kit is the turbo being a hard mounted 4 bolt flange, so less chance of that slight degree off at the other end. Anyway, happy it fit right on!

Ha Ha, I love driving my 2014, my mom drives it sometimes and she calls it the growler! It makes all the right turbo noises, has boost on demand and is deceptively FAST and smooth. One thing you hit on, that we and really a lot of turbo people don't give enough credit too, because it's always about BOOST and Peak #s. Is the fact that even when NOT in positive pressure, the turbo is flowing more air. As you say above "It's easy to stay out of boost, but it's also easy to gain speed without the traditional downshift or RPM" that's the turbo doing the work that a downshift and higher revs would normally be needed for, even if you aren't technically seeing "boost".

Absolutely, once we see how it does with the tow you have planned. I am confident we can squeak out some more power!!

There are two ways to connect the wastegate, you can do it right from the turbo, as a closed loop system. The downside to this is the wastegate is reacting to the pressure at the turbo, not the pressure at the motor, furthermore, the SCG1s logic is to add duty cycle to control boost, ONCE it sees it causing the gauge / control #s to not exactly match the engine PSI.

The other way to do it, is to connect the wastegate directly to the same vacuum/boost source at the motor, the one you run the gauge, meth, BOV, etc from. I like this way, since then the wastegate is seeing the same signal as the rest of the components.

The struggle with your exact set up, as mentioned before, was the 1.5 PSI spring. It's not enough spring pressure to even keep the wastegate closed from exhaust pressure, so it tends to always be cracked some, hence the tad slower response and lower TQs than the 3 PSI spring. I think once you clear the tow testing, we should drop the 3 PSI spring in there and see what you think

Anyway, had a few moments while the Fam was asleep to respond.

Talk to you on the flip side!

 

A question came up on using this with the tvs2650 SC. The factory fuel regulator is already a tight fit. The measurment between inlet orbs on the dwr1000 is about 1 3/4 inches and the height to fpr adjustment set screw is roughly 2 5/16 in.
It should fit. But if it doesnt...
Is the fuel adapter to the rail an orb fitting or npt? I found a 90 deg double -6 orb that could help instead of the straight coupler. Do they come in 22.5 deg 45deg? Just thinking of a way to kick it away from the side of the SC if it doesn't work.

 

Not speaking on his behalf, just sharing information - Jesse is out of office until Monday, but may still respond. Just wanted to help cage expectations since he's typically really responsive.

 

Took a quick video on the way to Lowes today. There's not many places to let her rip around here without getting on a highway, and that I will need a passenger to video for me.

Anyways. Sounds.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/W4fPy5sQehgebXt86