I just thought I'd mention that the Lextreme Torque Converter mod is quite fun! Easily roast tires, faster 0-60, basically the same gas mileage if you're not stuck in constant stop and go traffic and no check engine light. Highly recommended for the performance enthusiast that still wants a normal behaving daily driver.

 

Very nice, any estimations on improved acceleration? I assume you need to remove the transmission to install?

 

It will definitely shave the 0-60 time (I'd guess at least 0.5 sec), but that's assuming you can keep the power to the ground. Installation does require dropping the transmission. It cost me $900 at a transmission specialist around here. The modded torque converter itself is about half that.

 

Time for some slicks or close to it. Sounds like a great modification.

 

I think its the most cost effective performance mod you can do for significant 0-60 improvement on our cars. You can definitely launch with street tires, but if you preload the RPM with the brakes then it'll be tough not to break traction.

 

I really want to do this but I heard it triggers a check engine light. Is there anyway to get around that ? I will not be able to pass smog with a check engine light here in California unfortunately.. I had the plan to do this along with reprogramming the computer and I have an extra computer from my parts car somewhere I have to find it.

 

@SC430fun I have great news for you! The Lextreme version did not trigger a check engine light on mine. I specifically asked them about this before buying and they said they've never had that problem. That purple dragon torque converter sold by the other guys definitely will. There's speculation that either the stall speed is a little lower on Lextreme, or because it's a modified OEM and thus heavier. I think being heavier causes the transmission sensor to remain within tolerance for the expected load.

 

So great to hear this testimonial. Much, much appreciated.

 

I just got my Lextreme torque converter a few weeks or so ago. I still need to get them my core, which I pulled from my extra transmission. Then when I have it installed in another month or so I’ll give them the torque converter core that’s in my car right now so they can use that to build another one for the other guys that want to pick up one!

How did you handle the core return? I don’t live too far so I may just drop it off.

I have to do something about my exhaust - it’s too big and like the issue you had it’s killing my torque down low. I may have the pipes crimped in the same spots as it was stock. I don’t want to install the 3rd cat converter just yet. I’m going to get the tuned ECU and likely the headers and run my current SC for now with these mods, and the weapon R cold air intake but with the ram air tube so it’s getting cold air and a cheap eBay shield to deflect most of the hot air surrounding the filter away. I think that these mods for now alone will transform the car quite a bit and I’ll be doing a big brake kit later this summer.

I have the extra 3UZ engine from my 2009 totaled car and ripped it apart and starting to figure out what I would like to do to it. I was wanting to enlarge it but I don’t want to push it. It looks like it would need to be re-sleeved. Possibly using the 2UZ engine block may be better in this case but I’m not sure the weight difference. I plan to be completely building up my suspension next year and I don’t want the extra weight through things off if the iron block is that much heavier. On the other hand maybe I can compensate for that in the suspension build. Lextreme has a video on YouTube I just found with a 5.2 build using a 2UZ or 1UZ block I believe and I would really like to go that route. It’s using an M112 blower and I’m familiar with that one especially since I have the 4.6 32v cobra engine in my Lincoln Mark VIII and that engine is excellent you can slap a blower on and the internals will handle easily 600 to 700hp I was told but I see others easily doing more, and I plan to do this but keeping the mods minor on that car until the Lexus project gets further along. That gets to the next part, the stock internals in the 3UZ are REALLY skimpy - mainly the rods and pistons. The block has 4 bolt mains at least.

I found a completely forged internals reciprocating assembly for the tundra 4.7 engine for 2000, but like I said I want something bigger than that. If I’m going to spend all this money I may as well go for a 5.0 or 5.2. These engines are pretty expensive to **** with so if I’m gonna do it I’m going to be all in, and I’ll likely use a turbo of some type instead of a blower. I found a completely forged internals reciprocating assembly for the tundra 4.7 engine for 2000, but like I said I want something bigger than that. If I’m going to spend all this money I may as well go for a 5.0 or 5.2. These engines are pretty expensive to **** with so if I’m gonna do it I’m going to be all in, and I’ll likely use a turbo of some type instead of a blower. But I plan to get the engine built up completely first blue printed, completely honed intake manifold upper and lower, heads that are really with severely reworked with larger titanium valves, and a set of cams that aren’t too crazy but somewhere in the middle.
Once that engine is ready I’m going to swap it in, and I’m going to see how much power I can get out of one of these engines running NA and then get the turbo figured out. I’m sure it has to be somewhere in the 400hp range. Even if I left everything alone on the engine and kept it a 4.3 and did work in the other areas with the heads intake and cams, it would probably be possibly in the 360-370 range. When I looked over the entire engine I found a few areas where there are restrictions including the intake manifold but for the most part was impressed with that because it appears that it’s a pretty well flowing unit actually.

I still have to figure out how the hell I’m going to smog this car. It runs clean just like it would stock but just the lack of a third cat converter feels the visual. I don’t know what kind of hell I’m gonna go through when they see the headers, and this reworked engine that’s going to go in, which will look mostly the same at least while NA, but I won’t be able to get around the tune, Which will be absolutely necessary with all the reworked parts in the engine and air flow and also increased fuel flow. At least for now, I can swap computers before getting it smogged. What a pain in the ****ing ***.. I believe in clean air and all I mean I grew up in the 1980s when we had smog alerts in the air looked like **** and I have to admit things are better now even though the population is much higher and we have many more cars. But they are too extreme and don’t care if the car runs clean out the tailpipes which in my eyes is all they should pay attention to. Any modifications will get it to fail and then I will end up with a beautiful and expensive toy I can’t drive and enjoy since I cannot register it with the communist overlords here.





This is going to a shop in Chicago I forgot the name but another person here used them to hone their intake and had nice results, for $600 if I am not mistaken.

Nice 4 bolt mains block. The block is pretty light. Once it was stripped down I fit it into the trunk of our BMW three series. I think it was a little over 100 pounds probably about 120 or so.

This picture pretty much says it all as well. These rods are skimpy. For a stock engine I guess it’s OK but for a good build it’s a ****ing joke especially compared to the 4.0 Rounds the early 90s Lexus’s used.

Pretty self explanatory. You can see exactly why we don’t have very much room on these blocks to run larger pistons.

Direct look inside the intake manifold where the throttlebody was



Between the cams that I want and all the head work and the larger titanium valves, it’s realistically going to be an easy 3500 or more unless I find a better source for these reworked heads. Supra store has good stuff but they are quite pricey.

Somehow I ****ed up the oil pick up tube. I don’t know if I’m going to try fixing it, but the supra store has a higher flow oil pump I’m definitely going to get - maybe I’ll get the new tube then if I cannot get this one looking normal again.

 

When I first got my 2006, I was running my fastest 0-60 times in the 5.6 to 5.8 second range. Same thing with my 2009.

i’m pretty sure that this is going to knock it off quite a bit and bring it closer to 5 seconds hopefully.