Want to upgrade power of my 2000 RAV4

I bought my 2000 rav4l 4 door about 4 months ago and I’ve been loving it, but I really am feeling underpowered when it comes to acceleration and hp. So I’m looking to upgrade in any way I can, I’m not incredibly mechanically minded and my bank account is somewhat lacking so I’m looking for cheap and easy (I understand that may not exist but I’m looking for at least the cheapest and easiest). I was looking at what an engine swap would entail, but I have no idea where to even start looking to find what would be compatible, what would fit or what would even be worth it so I’m askin: what should I do?

well what trans do you have right now?

so how zippy do you need the rav?

in 2000 auto trans version they are a basic point a to point b run about.
i have one.

not able to do your own hot rod home work is an issue when on a budget for sure.
grin.

hire out the work is expensive on a hot rod job.
you can get a bill of 10k or more on a turbo transplant engine.
then you have the issue of not able to handle the extra power unless you are doing the whole drive train swap.

you might be lower cost to buy the newer model year versions with a V6.
but you will loose the full time 4X4 on the newer rav4.

some others can chime in on the other models of toyota suvs that do have full time 4X4.

and yes a 2000 rav would be lots of fun at 250hp or more.

IMO, someone "not incredibly mechanically minded" wouldn't get to first base. There is no magic answer.
I am quite mechanically experienced as are many of our members and we realize that any significant power increases require VERY extensive and expensive modifications.

We get this same question fairly often and the practical answer is always the same. Sell your four cylinder and buy a 2006-2012 V6 RAV4. Since that's likely not in the cards I won't dispute iowagold's 4X4 comment except to say with "part time" 4WD my '06 V6 takes off like a shot on any surface.

Dr. Dyno said:

IMO, someone "not incredibly mechanically minded" wouldn't get to first base. There is no magic answer.
I am quite mechanically experienced as are many of our members and we realize that any significant power increases require VERY extensive and expensive modifications.

We get this same question fairly often and the practical answer is always the same. Sell your four cylinder and buy a 2006-2012 V6 RAV4. Since that's likely not in the cards I won't dispute iowagold's 4X4 comment except to say with "part time" 4WD my '06 V6 takes off like a shot on any surface.

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iowagold said:

well what trans do you have right now?

so how zippy do you need the rav?

in 2000 auto trans version they are a basic point a to point b run about.
i have one.

not able to do your own hot rod home work is an issue when on a budget for sure.
grin.

hire out the work is expensive on a hot rod job.
you can get a bill of 10k or more on a turbo transplant engine.
then you have the issue of not able to handle the extra power unless you are doing the whole drive train swap.

you might be lower cost to buy the newer model year versions with a V6.
but you will loose the full time 4X4 on the newer rav4.

some others can chime in on the other models of toyota suvs that do have full time 4X4.

and yes a 2000 rav would be lots of fun at 250hp or more.

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I guess I meant by: not mechanically inclined, I meant as of now, I’m totally willing to learn I guess I was just asking for relatively simple projects I could do to get my car doin a little better than it is now. For me buying a new car isn’t an option for three reasons: one I have at this point become emotionally attached to frostbite (it’s an all white one and when I first got it everyone’s first comment for a week was: “that’ll be good in the snow!”) 2: I don’t really love the look of any of the other generations of rav. And three: I wanna get into this as an opportunity to learn how to work on my car and how upgrading really works. So far I have found very little in the realm of upgrading tutorials of any kind so I guess I’m looking for a push in the right direction…

Radnueb said:

I guess I meant by: not mechanically inclined, I meant as of now, I’m totally willing to learn I guess I was just asking for relatively simple projects I could do to get my car doin a little better than it is now. For me buying a new car isn’t an option for three reasons: one I have at this point become emotionally attached to frostbite (it’s an all white one and when I first got it everyone’s first comment for a week was: “that’ll be good in the snow!”) 2: I don’t really love the look of any of the other generations of rav. And three: I wanna get into this as an opportunity to learn how to work on my car and how upgrading really works. So far I have found very little in the realm of upgrading tutorials of any kind so I guess I’m looking for a push in the right direction…

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And it’s an automatic

OP: I have a 2000 Automatic AWD. Learn/tool-up/... the basics of "power mechanics" for cars before trying (and, from experience of many, failing at first) anything more advanced.

Read the OBD-II codes to look for errors. Then do a major tuneup including spark plugs, wires, air filter, and upstream O2 sensor. Replace, with the correct metric sizes, the vacuum hoses. Check the catalytic converter. Changing the fuel filter, under the hood, is a dangerious job, so have a pro do it. Run a bottle of Chevron Techron in the gas tank at least once.

But it will still be a grocery getter. On the center dash there is a transmission (ECT) button that you can press for short-term improved acceleration, but it will hurt MPG, as will your heavy foot. On the shifter there is a little button on the left that turns off overdrive (4th gear), but I have not found a need to do that.

I do find a little better performance using mid- or high-octane gas, rather than regular. That was not the case with the lighter FWD 2000 that I had, which also accelerated a bit better and had slightly better MPG.

Also reduce mass and drag, as much as feasible. E.g., remove as much stuff from inside (need to lose weight yourself? ). And, at highway speed, I find the OEM roof racks make noise (I have an OEM sunroof) and decrease performance/MPG some.

Also replace, if needed, the tires with highway/"low rolling resistance" versions, and keep their pressures correct. Unless truly going off-road with this snow-enabled grocery-getter (in OEM configuration; not modified).

Some good advice here about making sure your RAV4 is in good mechanical condition first. Make your RAV4 reliable and safe before making it fast. It isn't worth spending a lot to try to make these cars really powerful unless you have money to burn to make a play toy of a car rather than reliable transportation and you have a second car to drive when your modified car doesn't work. There are a few things you can do to improve acceleration performance a little for little to no cost.

The Rav4 engine has a knock sensor, so if the ECU detects any pinging, the ignition timing advance gets reduced, leading to slightly reduced power output. Using higher octane gas can prevent this from happening if it is happening in your situation. Try higher octane gasoline to see if it helps in your case. At sea level and/or if your engine has some carbon build up, higher octane may help. A bit higher fuel cost is lot cheaper than a new engine. Also if you can get "real" gasoline, without ethanol, there is about 4% more energy per unit volume than 10% ethanol gasoline, so possibly up to 4% more power, or better fuel economy.

Pumping your tires up to about 30 PSI will reduce the rolling resistance compared to the door sticker pressure without making the ride too harsh. Speaking of tires, if you have wider or taller tires than original (P215/70R16 for a 2000 model), then the heavier tire is not only more weight, but more rotational moment of inertial which affects acceleration significantly. If the tire is taller than original, then the final drive ratio is effectively taller which reduces acceleration too. The same is true for using light truck (LT) tires instead of passenger (P-metric) tires. The LT tires are much heavier and have more drag for the same tire pressure. Tire replacement isn't cheap but much cheaper than an engine swap and you could get high-quality fresh tires for better safety and reliability.

If your RAV4 has air conditioning, try turning it off before accelerating. A/C uses a lot of power. Remember that the A/C comes on with the defroster too. Some cars will automatically shut off the A/C compressor at wide open throttle or at high RPM. I don't know if the RAV4 does this. My RAV4 doesn't have air conditioning.

Double check that your throttle cable is properly adjusted that you are really getting wide open throttle when the pedal is all the way down.

Finally, are you using all of the power that Toyota provided? Mentioned above is to press the ECT button which raises the shift point RPM to improve acceleration which will make it feel peppier. Secondly your 127hp provided only occurs at 5400 RPM. The torque peak isn't until 4600rpm. The strongest acceleration is between these two numbers. If you aren't near 5400 with the throttle wide open, then are you aren't using all the power that is already there. Don't expect the car to pull you into your seat at 2000rpm. The RAV4 engine isn't like that. When you really need to accelerate hard, you need to use the right hand side of the tachometer, i.e. more than 4000 rpm. Downshift if needed to get there. If your transmission tries to upshift too soon, you can manually shift it instead.

You didn't really say what you wanted the increased acceleration for or what the purpose is, but if you are just trying to launch hard, you can brake-torque just before launching. This is where you put the automatic transmission in 'L'ow gear, hold the brake pedal down so that the car doesn't move. Then, a couple seconds before going, step on the gas just enough to raise the engine RPM up to the torque converter stall speed, then when it is time to go, you floor the throttle and release the brake at the same time. This is hard on things like engine, transmission and differential mounts, CV axles, and heats up the transmission fluid quickly, but will make a really harsh take-off if that is what you are after. Magazine reviewers do this for their 0-60mph testing.

More acceleration means more wear, more fuel burned, higher cost per mile of ownership but there is probably some performance that the car has that you aren't using. If you your are hard on the car, you will end up spending more on repairs than otherwise, but using the performance is still cheaper than modifying the car which would make things even worse.

cRAVe said:

It isn't worth spending a lot to try to make these cars really powerful unless you have money to burn to make a play toy of a car rather than reliable transportation and you have a second car to drive when your modified car doesn't work.

More acceleration means more wear, more fuel burned, higher cost per mile of ownership but there is probably some performance that the car has that you aren't using. If you your are hard on the car, you will end up spending more on repairs than otherwise, but using the performance is still cheaper than modifying the car which would make things even worse.

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All excellent advice cRAVe. I underlined a point many people don't think about. As I said there is no instant magic and you do need a second spare car while you experiment with the the first.
The one thing I'd do different is run the tires at 35 psi not 30 which seems low to me.