Tuning the Toyota 3ZR

"All you need to know about performance tuning the Toyota 3ZR engine!"

Carref prides itself on providing the latest tips and guides to your modification project.

The Toyota 3ZR make awesome project engines and with a few sensible tuning modifications like a remap, turbo kits and camshafts you will dramatically increase your driving opportunities.

TorqueCars will review 3ZR tuning and point out the premier modifications.

We rely on our visitors to pass on tips and tell us about their projects and what worked on their car, and this article is the culmination of the feedback we have received. First let us look at the history and specs of this engine and then consider which tuning modifications work best on it.

History of the Engine

3ZR-FE

2.0 L DOHC, 16-valve Dual VVT-i. 141-151 hp; 105 kW) at 5600 rpm 143-149 lbft @ 4000rpm

• 2007 Toyota Voxy (ZRR70/75)
• 2007 Toyota Noah (ZRR70/75)
• Toyota Avensis (ZRT272) (ex. Europe)
• 2009 Toyota Corolla Altis (ZRE143) (Asia-Pacific ex. Japan)
• 2010 Toyota Corolla XEi (E150) (Brazil)
• 2013 Toyota RAV4 (ZSA42L/44L)

3ZR-FAE

2.0 L DOHC, 16-valve Valvematic variable lift intake system  144 bhp (107 kW) & 138 lb⋅ft (187 N⋅m) of torque

• Toyota Allion (ZRT261)
• Toyota Premio (ZRT261)
• Toyota RAV4 (ZSA30/35) (Europe and Central America)
• Toyota Avensis (ZRT272)
• Toyota Wish (ZGE21/22)
• Toyota Voxy (ZRR70/75)
• Toyota C-HR (2404/06) (US and Canada only)
• Toyota Harrier (Japan)

3ZR-FBE

Flex fuel engine DOHC used in the Corolla in Brazil

• Toyota Corolla (Brazil, 2010-2019)

Tuning the Toyota 3ZR and best 3ZR performance parts.

What are the most effective 3ZR upgrades

Just because particular tuning mods are are common on 3ZR it doesn't mean it is good, we will focus tuning mods that will give your 3ZR the best power gain for you money.

The camshaft profile plays a big part in the engines power output so camshaft upgrades make quite a large difference. The intake and exhaust durations will alter depending on the chosen camshaft profile, so large bhp gains are on offer for camshaft upgrades.

Fast road camshafts usually increase the bhp and torque over the rpm band, you could drop a little low end torque but higher rpm power will be better.

Motorsport and race camshafts, increase the higher rpm power band but as a result the car will not idle smoothly and low end power nearly always suffers.

A Motorsport and race camshaft is not great in heavy traffic.

You should ideally optimize your bhp range to your usage of the car so for a road car stick with a mild fast road 3ZR camshaft

Some 3ZR engines respond better to different cam durations so set your engine up on a rolling road.

The map and fuelling also have an effect on the power gains you'll achieve.

A longer valve duration can alter the power band and on most engines the exhaust and intake durations do not need to match, although most cams and tuners use matched pairs there are some advantages to extending the intake or exhaust durations.

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Modifying to Stage 1:

 Intake headers, Drilled & smoothed airbox, Sports exhaust manifold, Remaps/piggy back ECU, Fast road camshaft, Panel air filters.

Modifying to Stage 2:

 Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, Ported and polished head, induction kit, high flow fuel injectors, fuel pump upgrades, Fast road cam.

Modifying to Stage 3:

 Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression, Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Twin charging conversions, Competition cam, Engine balancing & blueprinting.

Remaps helps unlock the full potential of all the parts you've done to your 3ZR.

It will usually give around 30% more power on turbocharged vehicles and you can expect to see around 15% on NASP engines, but the outcome may vary depending on the parts you've fitted and the condition of your engine.

It is the main goal to any engine modification project to pull fuel and air into each cylinder

Intake manifold flow the air from the air filter and allow it to be pulled into the engine and mixed with fuel.

Shape and flow rate of the Intake manifold can make a big effect on to fuel atomisation and engine efficiency on the 3ZR.

Most air intake manifolds are ripe for performance upgrades, although some makers provide reasonably well designed air intake manifolds.

Big valve conversions on the 3ZR, carrying out 3ZR port enlargement and head flowing will also increase bhp and torque, this will allow you to get an improved bhp and torque increase on other tuning mods.

Which turbo upgrades are best?

NASP engines need quite a lot of work when you add a turbo, so we have a separate guide to help you take into account the pros and cons of going this route on your 3ZR

The more air you can get into an engine, the more fuel it can burn and uprating the induction with a turbocharger upgrade makes significant power gains.

There are tuning limits for every engine, with some being extremely strong and some only able to handle stock power

We recommend you find these limits and upgrade to forged components to utilize the power.

There are many people spending a loads on turbo upgrades on the 3ZR only to suffer the indignity of watching the engine explode just after it's used in anger.

Bigger turbochargers often suffer no power at low rpm, and little turbochargers spool up more quickly but don't have the top end engines power gains.

Thanks to progress the world of turbo chargers is always increasing and we commonly find variable vane turbo chargers, where the vane angle is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end performance.

Twin scroll turbo chargers divert the exhaust gases into a couple of channels and flow these at differently angled vanes in the turbo charger. They also increase the scavenging effect of the engine.

It is not unusual that there is a limit in the air flow sensor MAF/MAP on the 3ZR when considerably more air is being sucked into the engine.

We note 4 bar air sensors coping with quite large power gains, whereas the OEM air sensor limited power at a much lower level.

Adding a supercharger like they did on the Lotus version of the ZR, or adding a turbo will make large bhp and torque gains, although more complex to configure. We have this guide to twinchargers if you want to read more.

Fuelling

When you boost the bhp you will need to uprate to the fuel system.

More bhp needs more fuel. It is important to be generous with your injector capacity.

As a rule of thumb add another 20% when fitting an injector, helps cope with injector deterioration and gives some spare capacity should the engine need more fuel.

We think this one is common sense, but you'll need to match your fuel injector to the type of fuel your car uses as well.

All the following flywheel power targets will assume an injector duty cycle of 80% and a base of 58psi of fuel pressure at idle.

4 Cylinder turbocharged engines

• 58 PSI 340cc/min 200hp
• 58 PSI 511cc/min 300hp

4 Cylinder NASP engines

• 58 PSI 285cc/min 200hp
• 58 PSI 426cc/min 300hp

4 Cylinder supercharged engines

• 58 PSI 312cc/min 200hp
• 58 PSI 468cc/min 300hp

Choosing the right performance exhaust

One of the most common mistakes and problems we see in tuning projects is usually down to the exhaust, or rather a poorly chosen exhaust for your engine.

You should look to boost your exhaust if your exhaust is actually creating a restriction.

On most factory exhausts you'll see the exhaust flow rate is fine even on modest power gains, but when you start pushing up the power levels you will need to get a better flowing exhaust.

Sports exhausts increase the flow of gases through the engine.

But if the exhaust pipe is too big, ie: it's over 2.5 inches bore, you will lose a great deal of the exhaust flow rate and end up losing power and torque.

Common exhaust restrictions are in the catalysts installed, so adding a higher flowing high performance alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Weak spots Issues & problem areas on the 3ZR

The 3ZR engines are generally reliable and solid as long as they are regularly serviced and maintained.

Water pump leaks although uncommon do happen and high engine temps are generally down to a faulty or worn water pump, these typically last around 4 years and should be replaced.

The throttle body will get dirty and throttle position sensors are known to fail, these typically manifest themselves as a rough idle.

Regular oil changes are vital on the 3ZR, especially when tuned and will help extend the life and reliability of the engine.

The timing chain tensioner can rattle and knock which is a sign it needs replacing.

High oil consumption is an issue on higher mileage engines, always use the correct grade of oil or you will be asking for trouble.

For more information on Tuning your 3ZR engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our 3ZR owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

Please help us improve these tips by sending us your feedback in the comments box below.

We love to hear what our visitors have got up to and which mods work best for them on each model of car. Comments are used to improve the accuracy of these 3ZR articles which are continually updated.

This article was written by Waynne Smith on TorqueCars, and I appreciate your feedback and suggestions. This entry was filed under Toyota. You can leave a response below or join TorqueCars forum to discuss this article and car modification in detail with our members.

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