Maltrix

My mom has an 03 Avalon and i have a 11 Camry se v6

I'm always surprised how much low end torque it puts out when I drive it even compared to my Camry. It falls off pretty good after 40-50mph tho. I had a ls400 and similarly the Avalon had more kick at the low end unless you purposefully mashed it in ls. Newly purchased a gs430 which feels very torquey but I'm taking it easy till i do the timing belt.

so don't feel too bad the Avalons are underrated and make sure you're all tuned up

GS400V8

iTrader: (4)

Well the 03 Avalon had the 220 HP V6 motor. The 06 Avalon has the 268HP V6, the same as your new Camry.

LS400 depending on the year had 250hp to 290HP

AmanO

Yea, but which one looks and sounds better?

Tank

iTrader: (19)

.............

MattyG

You also have to remember how much safety tech and innovations in materials are making cars lighter and lighter while still allowing smooth controlled ride and suspension compliance. The 2GS weighed 3715 pounds before you even put some gas in it and sat in the driver's seat. That makes a 4K car and a basic physics tells me that getting a mass like that off the line compared to lighter FWD vehicles with about 75 percent of the HP and a more direct driveline, well you see what the result will be.

Now once you get that 2GS up to speed and its mass converts into momentum, now you have something. That's why I always found my 2GS430 quite snappy and fast on the highway. That's what it was designed for.

Tank

iTrader: (19)

the Avalon was only 4 years younger thou..lol

Tank

iTrader: (19)

Maybe if they didn't take away the shift-tronic in the 430's you coulda' had em'..

Tank

iTrader: (19)

Time for some mods my friend..lol

plex

iTrader: (11)

Outside of FI would the mods be worth the returns to beat an "Avalon" or similar powered car that you should beat on paper. Even FI isn't worth the bang for buck imo on the UZ motors.

(FI is Forced Induction either supercharge or turbo for those wondering)

Maltrix

You got to have alot of experience and or money to mod a toyota for speed(outside of 2jz of course)

newgsman

iTrader: (4)

The shift-tronic is nice to have but it hardly does anything for performance. The response time between pushing the shift button and the actual shift event is just way to slow to be effective in a spirited driving event.

1QWKGS4

iTrader: (3)

OP, there maybe something wrong with your GS or how old is your GS in miles?. I have both GS400 and 430 both fairly low miles. I have a friend with a newer 2015 V6 Camry and I run him every time i see him.. Its a pretty close race to 60, but i beat him in both cars every time. My 400 puts him in his place (its modded) but the 430 is stock and a bit heavy off the line.. Running it from a dead stop its all up to who can do a better launch given the cars are somewhat equal. Those newer V6's with the short gearing are pretty quick. I recently read some mainstream SUV's are in the mid to low 6's second range to 60. But from a Roll at any speed, the Camry V6 doesn't have a chance especially the higher the speed against a V8 GS..

GS400V8

iTrader: (4)

These newer V6 cars will suprise you. Usually these V8s have the torque to downshift and win from a roll, but you won't win everytime especially against RWD V6 cars like 350zs, 370z, G35/37s
Sometimes I go out driving, only in Mexico of course, just looking for cars to race.
Like that you guys are enthusiastic about our GS cars but you have to know their limits. Most any affordable "quick" sedan/muscle car around this time range was 300hp which new lighter Camrys and Accords have standard now.

Well compared to a 2JZGTE, it is more expensive to boost a UZ motor. Although, Non-vvti 1992-94 1UZs with the thick connecting rods can hold 650HP+ on stock internals, you just have to get a new transmission. But compared to a turbo I6, my car is a daily driver, and I don't like lag, and personally enjoy the V8 sound 10x better than a 2JZ. VVTi 1uz/3uzs can probably take 550hp max on the thin rods, safely.

I do agree that naturally aspirated mods aren't very returning on a UZ motor. I've done everything to my car so I know.
Yeah it makes the car alot more responsive and fun to drive, but the numbers won't back you up there. The mods I did gave me a good platform for FI though, so I'm going procharger right now.
Im shooting for 360 to 380 rwhp or 450/480 crank on my build.

I will say though, one of my favorite mods was the valve body. I pulled it apart, made my own "toyomoto" style shift kit rods and used a different spring for the accumulators. Also turned up the factory 3-way pressure dial to full pressure. The shifts really snap into gear, and my E-shift is certainly NOT lazy or unresponsive. Because I modded both the upshift and downshift valves, the e-shift is much more immediate

plex

iTrader: (11)

I agree that the newer engines offer better power bands than the UZ motor and that's fine. Some people here might be stuck in the I have a V8 so it's faster than V6 FWD platforms mentality which isn't always the case.

I have both motors 2jzgte and 1uz. Although the Supra is 4 times the power of the GS400 give or take so not a fair comparison. My 2jzgte setup isn't laggy by any means it's a vvti gte with a 66mm turbo/.91 a/r. I have built in rolling anti lag (ecu controlled brake boost) so I can build boost to 10psi via cruise control button before taking off. With those features my power comes on a lot earlier than most expect. Even on pump gas where I'm around 550 at wheels a V8 with equal power will not get the initial jump on a roll run once I have rolling anti lag engaged. On E85 it's a different story.

Not saying some 2jzgte setups aren't "laggy" but technology has evolved and everything isn't the same like it used to be. Good luck on the procharger setup for the UZ keep us posted, should have a nice powerband and be a lot of fun.

GS400V8

iTrader: (4)

For me it is realistically a sound preference. It's awesome that you don't have lag, it's amazing that technology is there.
I have driven everything from turbo I6 motors, to 6.0+L hemis to a V12 in a new Aston martin.
Thanks for the good luck, always keeping posted.
The funny thing is I have never driven a blown V8, so I'm really looking forward to it.
I'd actually prefer a top-mount roots/twin screw blower on this V8 for low end torque rather than the procharger.
But unfortunately our hoods can't accommodate a water to air intercooler between the blower and manifold due to hood height restriction.
Don't wanna rely on water/meth injection.
I would love a 700-800HP car, and I'd like to build one eventually, but I don't think I'd choose a 2JZ even though they are some of the best power makers and reliable engines ever built.
Ideally I'd want a twin turbo 1UZ with 9.5:1 compression, etc. at 600-650rwhp in a MKIV supra (yes your car is my favorite) or GT86 but for now I would probably have to settle for a SCX00.