Twin Turbocharging a Toyota Tacoma: What You Should Know
Adding twin turbos to your Tacoma is a great way to boost performance significantly, but it's expensive and may impact reliability.
What could make the Toyota Tacoma even better? Installing twin turbos!
Toyota first introduced a turbocharged engine on the 2024 Tacoma with their i-FORCE MAX 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, but previous generations had no such option.
Maybe you are here because your buddies have been talking about twin turbocharging their trucks, and you aren’t quite sure what it would take to upgrade your Tacoma.
And if you’re not sure what “twin-turbo” means, this is when you install two turbochargers into a vehicle. The twin turbochargers work in sync to force air straight into the engine to add additional horsepower. Adding a twin-turbo to your engine can add up to 500 horsepower in some cases.
In this article, I will tell you if it’s even possible to install them on a Tacoma and talk about the pros and cons of doing so. Then I’ll cover the cost and where you can go to have this feature installed.
Is This Actually Possible?
Yes, it is possible to add twin turbos to your Toyota Tacoma.
However, I will let you know that it is rare to do. Supercharging is much more common because it is more accessible, and kits are readily available.
Benefits
If you’ve got space under the hood, adding twin turbos on a Tacoma can be beneficial for a few reasons.
- More horsepower. The greatest benefit of installing twin turbos is the power it adds. It’s capable of adding up to 500 extra horsepower, making your truck a lot more fun to drive.
- Better driving capabilities. With twin turbos installed, you have more options when driving. You have a bigger towing capacity and more off-road advantages.
- Louder engine sound. Many people enjoy the sound when you take your foot off the accelerator and hear the whistle from the spooling turbo. If you’re looking for that roaring engine noise, installing twin turbos could be right for you.
- Stand out from the crowd. Twin turbocharging your Tacoma would set you apart from other owners since only a few people have them installed anymore.
Downsides
- It’s not as reliable. Adding so much extra power risks adding excess wear and tear to the engine and other parts.
- It’s expensive. I’ll go into this in the next point, but the expense of the installation could be considered a downside.
- There’s turbo lag. Not a very fun downside to adding twin turbos is the few-second lag in the twin turbos. But it’s worth mentioning that it’s less of a lag with the twin turbos than it is with a single turbo.
Estimated Cost
Installing twin turbos on a Toyota Tacoma is quite expensive. It’s hard to estimate the cost since it would have to be a custom job, but you can expect a quote anywhere from $3,500 to $9,000 to complete the job, including parts and labor.
They don’t sell twin turbo kits for the Tacoma at the moment, which is why you would need to get a custom job.
Another reason it might cost so much is the need for other engine upgrades to handle the sudden increase in power. Without necessary upgrades, the engine is liable to wear out rather quickly.
Twin Turbo Kits
Unfortunately, it is not so easy to install twin turbos these days. It used to be easier to find kits, but many places have discontinued them due to a lack of popularity.
If you want to install a twin-turbo kit on your Tacoma, I recommend finding a custom truck shop near you and talking with them about your options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Twin Turbo Kit the Right Choice for You?
Installing twin turbochargers on your Toyota Tacoma would be awesome. But the Tacoma is already such a fantastic truck, and more cost-effective enhancements can be done if that’s what you want. It might be worth waiting until next year since it seems like the turbo kits might become more popular.
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