Turbo upgrade helps Toyota Hilux GR-S overtake V6 Ford Ranger

The Ford Ranger has raised the bar in bakkie performance, but there is hope for Toyota Hilux owners.

TurboDirectSA together with WR Off Road Industries are offering Toyota Hilux 2.8 GD-6 GR-Sport (GR-S) owners a high-performance ball bearing turbocharger upgrade kit. This will see the double cab jump from 165kW of power and 550Nm of torque to 261kW/848Nm.

There are many Stage-2 type upgrade claims made out there that offer owners 190kW of power. But this is done with some software tuning while still using the stock ball bearing rotating assembly. The concern opting for this route is excessively high and unreliable boost levels. That is bound to dramatically shorten the lifespan of the stock turbocharger.

Doing it right

With the WR Performance Stage-3 upgrade they have been able to safely produce these much-improved power and torque output numbers at a much lower boost level than traditional Stage-2 tuning offers on stock turbo setups. This results in ultimate reliability, lower thermal loads, and the highest efficiency turbocharger combination for the Toyota Hilux 2.8 GD-6 engine on the market today.

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“The heart of this upgrade is a new dual ball bearing turbocharger. It incorporates a modified and upgraded ball bearing cartridge and rotating assembly. It was developed in-house by Turbo Direct SA in their state-of-the-art manufacturing plant at Denel,’’ claims Chris Kambouris, CEO and founder of TurboDirectSA.

Complete kit

“In fact, this turbo was designed and built to achieve 300kW. But this can only safely be done by installing upgraded fuel pumps and injectors that will allow for the maximum output to be achieved from this tried and tested engine.”

This Stage-3 upgrade consists of a new dual ball bearing turbo, a high flow front-mount intercooler and upgraded transmission cooler with custom oil catch can. Plus a 76mm Smoking Bandit stainless steel free flow exhaust, TJM slimline snorkel, K&N air filter, ECU remap, and EGR blank-off & delete.

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Upgraded Toyota Hilux packs punch

The 0 to 100km/h sprint time has been said to come down from 11.5 seconds to 7.4. This is enough to see off any standard turbodiesel double cab The Citizen Motoring‘s road test was 9.29 seconds. The new VW Amarok uses the same 3.0-litre turbodiesel mill as the Ranger.

The gains in roll-on real-world acceleration gains are equally impressive. This Toyota Hilux 2.8 GD-6 GR-Sport ran a 80 to 120km/h time of 4.9 seconds. That is more than two seconds better than before.

For more information call turbo specialists TurboDirectSA on 011 392 5195 or e-mail them on info@turbodirect.co.za.