What do your buddies drive? I have never been impressed with the trd supercharger's results on the 3.0L simply because of the price.

Why the 3.0L TRD Supercharger blows (In more ways than one!)
LoL at the funny forum topic!
Just to start off with, like the forum rules say. Don't read too far into something... This isn't meant to insite a riot - so if you feel one coming on, hit your hands in the hood of your car so you can come back to the post an hour after you read it! (See I'm funny!)
Look... If your feelings are going to get hurt because I'm spelling out why the 3.0L blower constitutes a running joke in many circles or you have one & happy with it, read the last paragraph. Then come back & re-read everything later on if you get curious as to why I hope noone ever uses the 3.0L TRD supercharger without very good justification.
The TRD unit was made in Africa by Magnuson, tasked with only one priority. To get the unit to mount on the engine as cheaply as possible. This basic design philosophy not only sucks, but it created UNSOLVABLE (by Toyota) problems! (Old saying. "poop in, poop out".)
The unit produces little power, safely, without modifications, for a large cost.
The stock unit produces no boost in first gear...
The TRD unit is plug & play. What's not to love?
Yes, but that is incorrect on two major points
1) it is plug & play on SOME 1mz-fe's, not all.
2) for all but the original application years & model 1mz-fe, you will have to ahve the thing machined to fit onto the intake manifold. (Yes it can be made to fit any transverse 3.0L v6 with machining '92 3vz-fe-'01 1mz-fe including vvt-i)
The TRD unit is a safe way to gain power!
Most decidedly NOT. The TRD unit has a tendency to run lean on the LOW BOOST OEM pulley. God forbid you get tired of it's low power output & upgrade! The problem is just as bad, if not slightly worse than the 3.4L charger because there are no ready made buyable fixes for the commoners.
The truth of the matter is the stock 1mz-fe fuel system on paper can support the unit, but in practice it simply can not. This is where we get into some of the fundamental problems with the unit. The lean out problems for the 3.0L have not been widely reported on the internet so far due to low 3.0L usage - but this doesn't erase the large problem they tend to have. It were so bad, it went out of production TWICE while Toyota scrambled to pay for a "cheap fix" dealers could install/offer on the cheaply designed unit. The cheap fix never came...
But it's OK, fuel modifications are easy enough!
Ya, right. If you had a different ECU, sure no problem. But you don't - you're stuck with a fairly **** retentive ECU. Both piggybacks & standalones are known to have a hard time picking up useable signals from several sensors. When you do get them to work, you're going to have close-loop lean outs regardless.
No virgin units!
They've been out of production awhile so all that's left is used units. Life is funny, we have people buying used units from people that have blown up. Makes me wonder how many more 1mz-fe's will suffer! (You've got to see the irony in that!)
OSKSS - Over Sensitive Knock Sensor Syndrome
Many 1mz-fe's have over sensitive knock sensors that pull large amounts of timing on bone stock engines for no reason.
Charge cooling - The thing could be used as a jet dryer at a NASCAR event.
There is no good way to cool the TRD unit. TRD + 1mz = Detonation. The best way, would be to drill out the top of every runner. Then port mount them.
Tho I am not opposed to pre-"compressing hicky" water injection, I'm not sure if I could bring myself to do it with a supercharger.
Despite the widespread & popular belief, pre-turbocharger compressor water injection IS NOT detrimental to the compressor wheel in any way. (This is not my opinion, It's Garrett's. Call on of their rebuilding facilities. They have never recorded damage from the injestion of a liquid by the compressor. The head honcho turbo extraordinary of their facility in Australia also supports that & he's a hell of a lot smarter than any of us will ever be!) So... pre- Supercharger water injection probably would not hurt the unit. (Less it has like ferrite parts in it)
God forbid somebody combines hot air + a mild/medium detonation producing lean out + OSKSS YIKES!
The TRD unit is cheap!
Only first glance. In reality, unless you just get a super deal on a used unit, you still need to account for the fact you're going to need some mild/moderate fuel upgrades to safely operate it, and the more than likely many upgrades to come later on. (Let's face it... We transverse owners don't spend $2500 bucks just to get a laffable 240bhp. (Hell in all honesty, there are plenty of N/A Maxima's with modifications that would till kill us with 240bhp/260lb-ft). We buy the unit for what it can do later on. You guys are in the same boat. You don't swap in a v6 with a supercharger just to stop short leaving it at 4psi...)
The engine the unit is built for is weak. To get real goodness out of it, you're gonna be budgeting for the engine as much as you are the charger!

Nine words, fuel consumption sucks! (See nine words HAH!)

300bhp at 7psi with easy detonation problems. That is not a recipe for greatness. I don't keep up with i4's, but I'd take a stock 3s-gte + light mods over a stock 1mz-fe with a TRD charger.
And lastly... Turbo > 3.0L TRD charger.
More power, more reliability, unlimited amount of potential, and can be done safely several times cheaper if the will to do so exists.
The same arguments could & have been applied to the 3.4L TRD unit. The difference is the 3.4L unit & the 5vz-fe it blows are much easier to work with, and the problems that do exist are much easier to solve.



Don't misunderstand this post, it's nothing more than a list of some of the problems that face the 3.0L blower unit. Not that it's impossible to use for a relatively large amount of power. Anything is possible.
Yes, you can make good power with a 3.0L unit
(which doesn't change the fact that)
Yes, the other options are far better than the 3.0L unit 90% of the time.