 | | | |  | | ROADTESTS | | Toyota Hilux 2,7i & 3,0 KZ-TE |  | Magazine - June 2004 | | | - Tuning into the future - | | Over the past few issues, you the reader have been exposed to the work and ways of tuning specialists, Steves Auto Clinic. | | They are the country's foremost diesel and petrol enhancement specialists, employing the latest technology, methods and staff with branches conveniently situated around the country. | |  | | | Not only are they always evolving to meet the ever demanding needs of the market and their customers, they do all this within their own development division, using self purchased vehicles, which are then tested by the independent media and all their work is backed by the SAC “Why Worry Warranty” for total customer peace of mind. | | We all know that Dyna figures and what is felt on the road is sometimes two very different things, well Steve Fischer is still part of the old horsepower school, and he says, “a Dynamometer is just a tool for measuring power gain or loss and not a device for making horsepower, so if you can't feel it in the seat of your pants, it probably isn't any better”, wise words from a man that has been in this business for over 20 years. | | …now can you imagine what happens when they apply their magic to the class leading Toyota 2,7i Hilux Petrol and Toyota 3,0 KZ-TE Turbo Diesel, the results are nothing short of phenomenal and we got to test drive both. | | SAC's Toyota Hilux 2700i Petrol Performer | | Today's bakkie or better still, leisure vehicle is still all about horsepower and the 2,7i already boasts a very impressive record when it comes to reliability and sales, but lacks that big 3,0litre urge so many Hilux owners would love and manufacturers strive to accommodate. | | Enhancing Toyota Hiluxs' is nothing new within the SAC Group; they have been doing so for ages, so much so, that the 2,7i is probably their most popular petrol bakkie conversion today, but now under the initiative of Steve Fischer, SAC Holdings and SAC Development's MD, and the team at the SAC's Nelspruit (Dart mechanics) they have come up with a package that truly satisfies any Hilux owner's 3,0litre urge problems. | | We will first get into the technical side of the conversion and then we will cover what this all felt like on the road, the real test in our books. | | As is the case with SAC, they always offer you conversions in well-priced, sensible stages. Stage 1, increases power from about 75 kW on the rear wheels to around 90 kW (an improvement of 20%) for only R5 000. This involves the fitment of a Wildcat Performance Exhaust Branch, custom-made stainless steel free flow exhaust and performance airfilter, but this is not what Xtreme Machines Magazine is about, we want to see the real deal and this is where the guys at SAC separate themselves from the pack. | | The 2nd Stage of the conversion revolves around a “Big Valve” Cylinder Head Conversion, (all engineering work is done in house at the SAC Engineering facility in Vanderbjilpark) where the cylinder head is gas flowed, the inlet valves are increased in size, the intake manifold and throttle body are also flowed and matched to SAC Performance camshafts, all precisely controlled with a Unichip Piggyback Computer that revises the vehicles fuel and timing parameters to perfection. This will see the power increase to about 105 Kw (now an improvement of almost 40%) on the wheels, and you have now just entered a whole new class for only a further R 8000. | | Now this must sound like something out of Rough Boy Racer Heaven and Smooth Reliable Cruiser Hell, but it is not, on start up you will barely notice a difference in the idling and the exhaust is just a touch deeper than normal. First impression when pulling away in the bakkie is akin to being in a Sports Sedan, it responds instantly to a prod of the accelerator pedal and never seems to run out of steam. A fact the test figures backup, the 0-100 km/h is now taken care of in 11,83 Seconds against the 13,33 Seconds of the standard vehicle and the difference just keeps getting bigger the longer the road, topping out at 184 km/h, up from 172 km/h. | | As most of our off road or adventure readers that will see this, are people that will be lugging around some or other jetski or boat, the all important overtaking will be crucial to them and SAC has not disappointed here either, a full second is chopped off in the 80 to 120 km/h in fourth gear acid test, the SAC Hilux takes 13,1 seconds over the standard vehicles 14,1, which may not seem like a lot, but on the road and measured in metres travelled, it is huge. | | Leave your bakkie with one of the conveniently located SAC branches for only 5 working days and I can assure you that if you are still not convinced after a drive in the SAC Hilux 2,7i, getting back into your standard Hilux will certainly convince you. | | SAC's Toyota Hilux 3,0 KZ-TE Dynamite Diesel | | Now if you thought the competition was tough in the petrol segment, then you haven't seen anything yet, until you see what is going on in the diesel world. Everybody is caught up in the power war and this leaves you in the middle, what is safe and what is right? | | Turbo diesel is the power route many manufacturers are going these days and gone are the days that owning a diesel was something everybody looked down upon, but yet still the market is full with stories of breakages caused by excessively high exhaust gas temperatures (EGT). So in step SAC once again to put these fears to rest and at the same time gain you a healthy increase in power, torque and most importantly reliability for your turbo diesel. | | First a basic break down of what the turbo does: the action of compression forces more air into the combustion chamber to be burnt and this results in more power and torque,but the downfall of this method is that this compression heats up the intake air, which in-turn results in a loss of air density and consequently the loss of some engine power. | | Fitting an intercooler is one solution that SAC offer to help overcome this problem because when fitted, its ability to cool the intake air back down again, which helps the engine to digest a bigger mass of air when this is mixed the right amount of fuel, results in an increase in power and torque. | | Now this is the best part, besides the reliability again, is the saving in fuel consumption, because of the increase in power and torque, you will use less throttle to travel at the same speed as was the case before you did the conversion. | | Now lets get to the Toyota Hilux 3,0 KZ-TE we drove, it was fitted with a Dastek Powercooler, the cooler was fitted neatly underneath the engine, away from the hot under bonnet air, and is protected by a very sturdy aluminium casing. | | The engine control unit (ECU) was optimised by means of a Dastek Powerplug, which allows one of the SAC highly trained technicians to alter the timing and fuel settings to provide the ideal compromise between power and reliability without cutting and soldering into the vehicles original factory wiring harness. | | Like we said in the beginning, the most common cause of turbo diesel vehicle failure is excessive EGT and with Powercooler and Powerplug fitted, the SAC team keeps the EGT's well under control, and just in case you are not sure what EGT your turbo diesel runs, get along to a SAC branch near you and have a neat EGT Gauge fitted to your vehicle and you will get the fright of your life at the figures you see. | | | | Click Here to get an SAC consultant to advise you! | | Click here for more about our conversions | | Performance / power conversions, modifications, engine upgrades available for Alfa, Audi, BMW, Chev, Chrysler, Colt, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu, Jeep, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes, Mini, Nissan, Opel, Toyota, VW and more... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | Performance / Power enhancement conversions | | Petrol & Diesel conversions, modifications, engine upgrades available for: | | Alfa, Audi, BMW, Chev, Chrysler, Colt, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu, Jeep, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes, Mini, Nissan, Opel, Toyota, VW and more... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
