New Ranger and newbee Qs

[baddriver]

OK, I did a few weeks lurking here, so I hope I'm not too redundant.
No electric fan questions!

I recently stepped up from a 95 2WD 2.3 to an 07 FX4. Yay!
Till my buddy got his new Tacoma TuRD. Booo.
I'm not trying to start a brand discussion. The Toyota is a sweet truck. But how do I up my game a little bit? I'm shy 30 hp and way heavier (he's 2WD).
I've put on a Flowmaster 50 and was looking at Rancho shocks, both are just for cool factor, but I really like the new sound, and I'd like to see some color behind the tires.
Anywhere I can shave weight/rotating mass? I pulled the side step things and was eyeing the tow package and spare! How much weight would fiberglass body panels save?
Another friend told me to pull the A/C for a few more horses and some weight savings. Any opinions? Same guy said drilled and slotted brake rotors.
I've pretty much written off the K&N based on what I've read here. I'm kinda getting the impession if I want a hp gain I'd hafta get a supercharger? How would a s/c effect engine life?
How do I run with the import without ruining my truck with a bunch of stupid s**t?
Thanks,

 

[BobR]

if your talking about racing, I don't recomend it.

if you just want to win a testerone competition, chain the 2 trucks back to bach and see who drags who around the block.

you could sell tickets to that.



Bob

 

[almostclueless]

WHY ON EARTH did you buy a FX4 if you want to drag race bad enough to pull the A/C?!?!?!?!


Short of a supercharger, you can't have it both ways.....it's a freking four wheel drive, it has extra plumbing.

 

[almostclueless]

BTW welcome.....but you're still a few bricks shy of a full load.

 

[krugford]

Taking off the AC isn't going to help you one bit. When your AC is off, the only thing being driven is the pulley on the front of the compressor. Since its clutch is disengaged when the AC is off, it's not drawing any power. And don't bother drilling your rotors, the weight you save isn't worth the safety factor you lose. Drilled rotors can help you break by helping to vent the dust and gases caused by hard braking on a regular basis. You're not going to need this on a Ranger. And drilling the rotors effectively reduces your braking surface area and it's just going to wear the pads faster.


If you really want to race him and beat him, then tell him you'll race anytime he wants as long as you get to choose the place. I suggest anyplace with water, mud, and freshly plowed fields. Maybe even a rock or two....

 

[Sevensecondsuv]

If you wanted a fast ranger you should have gotten a 2wd, 4.0L 5-spd. Adding 4x4 and an auto slows you down.

However, there are a couple supercharger kits for the 4.0 SOHC. They are pricey (3000+) but would definately allow you to beat your buddy's truck, at least until you blew your auto tranny up.

Otherwise, just live the fact he can accelerate faster while he lives with the fact that his will get stuck easier and your truck could drag his around.

 

[baddriver]

Come to think of it, ya don't see alot of 4WD funny cars..

I'm not tryin to drag race, just wanted a little extra sumthin'.
Ya, it's more or less a pissin match, I guess; I don't need anything more than this truck already has. I did think I might find a few ways to make mine just that little bit more trick than it came from the dealer.
For some reason (geographical and just habit) I don't use a/c except when a passenger has asked. Rarely. And I have nothing to tow.
I don't hafta be biggest or fastest. But there's gotta be something I can do to make the strong points of my rig a bit stronger.
Or is everyone of the opinion I should leave it as is?

 

[Shoeboy]

Ok, first off, don't ditch your spare, that will come back and bite you in the ass. Fiberglass pannles would save you a pound or two, maybe, it may even add weight depending on the brand you go with. Not many people realize that Fiberglass is just as heavy as steel (maybe not exactly the same, but close). Switching pannles would give you no advantage. If you want crossdrilled brakes, go and buy the kits, and don't drill them yourself. Drilling youself can actually cause harm to the rotor and cause hairline cracks if not done right, and if in the wrong circomstances, the rotor can actually "explode" if the air in the cracks heat up enough (I don't know the exact/technicial reason, but I have seen it when they go bad). You're compairing 2 different things, apples to oranges, 2WD "sports" trucks to 4x4. If he wants to race, accept, but tell him you pick the "field" to race in,

 

[c_note]

u could get a supercharger, like stated previously, but run everything stock adding 60 hp at the wheels. you would smoke the taco with that. theres this guy that build the setup for a reasonable price. hes had it on his truck for around 28,000 mile and it still runs like a champ. most warranties are for like only 10,000 miles. check it out.

 

[94STXRanger]

Dude, 4" lift, 33's, and tube bumbers!
Then it would be a nice FX4

 

[c_note]

u dont need a 4" lift to fit 33s! plus the superlift and trailmaster lifts are cheesy kits.

btw, funny how were on this topic about racing 4x4 with 2wds. i went to run at the park about an hour ago and as i was pulling up i saw a pre runner ranger. it had triple bypass kings in the rear, king coilovers front, super expensive wheels and looked like daddy just bought the truck for the kid. well as i finished up and strarted to drive away, the these "bros" started to boo my truck since im more set up for mud ranther than the typical so-cal truck. well i turned back and was like "lets hook em up" the looked at me like i was speaking french. so they were like ya lets go on the street. so we did and as we took off, i could hear his intake and what not. well whe hit about 5 lights and 4 out of 5 i pulled away from him. it was not by much but i beat them and then they started to ask about my truck and what i had done to it.

well n e way, sounds like u should be alright even with a 4wd. all i have done is exhaust, chip, 4.56 gears on 33s and i just put back the factory intake. good luck in what u decide but u should do decent either way. and ya, sorry for the long post, gents!

 

[86ford]

if you want to win a pissing match hook up a nitrous express system. 50 shot should do just fine. a few hundred dollars later your ego will feel better and your pocket a little lighter.

86

 

[JohnnyO]

Really, an exhaust (that you have already), cold air intake, and a programmer are all you can do for reasonable money.
www.zabteck.com has some 4.0 SOHC parts like the intake and larger throttle bodies for a decent price.
Underdrive pulleys.
A good mod is an XCal2 tuner which you can get customized from Bama Chips, but do any other mods first because the tune is adjusted to what you have.
www.jbaracing.com has the only headers available but the stock manifolds aren't really that bad. The headers will help if you have other stuff, like....
www.explorerexpress.com has a supercharger kit but it costs about $4000.
Taking off the A/C, step bars, spare, etc. won't make a bit of difference.
Old-school cars yeah, but modern A/C doesn't weigh much anyway.

The only thing that's going to get you 30+ hp is the supercharger. There are pics on the Zabteck site of him doing burnouts in a non-blown Sport Trac though.

If you really want to go fast, get a Mustang.

 

[kunar]

If he wants to race, accept, but tell him you pick the "field" to race in,

i like this idea best. you have heard of mud drags, right?

 

[JohnnyO]

Come to think of it, ya don't see alot of 4WD funny cars..

The automotive trivia master strikes again.

http://www.supercarsunlimited.com/info/photos/funstuff/66HHO/66HHO.htm

I can't help it. Things stick in my head.