Sponsored

SXTH Element

Active member
Site Sponsor
Joined
Aug 7, 2025
Threads
4
Messages
31
Reaction score
86
Location
United States
Vehicle(s)
2024 Tundra TRD Off Road, 2024 Tacoma TRD Off Road
Hey everyone! We're excited to give you an early look at what we've been working on behind the scenes here at SXTH.


As we continue developing our comprehensive upgrade system for the 4Runner, Tacoma, and Land Cruiser, we're focused on optimizing every component in the boost path. While our intake and intercooler are the headline items, we know that the connecting pieces are just as critical to overall system performance.


That's why we're giving the same engineering attention to the turbo inlet, throttle inlet, and charge pipes; components that are often overlooked but can have a massive impact on spool response, efficiency, and peak power delivery.

Turbo Inlet: The Journey to CFD 3

Today we're sharing an early peek at our replacement turbo inlet, and the progress speaks for itself. Our engineering team has been iterating aggressively using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis to eliminate flow restrictions and turbulence that you find in OEM designs.


The Challenge: Stock turbo inlets are designed as compromises, they balance manufacturing simplicity with decent performance. This typically means suboptimal flow paths, rough internal transitions, and velocity losses right at the turbo's inlet where every bit of efficiency matters.

2025 4runner 6th gen SXTH Turbo Inlet Development: Engineered for Superior Flow Render 14


Our Solution: Through multiple CFD iterations, we've developed a replacement inlet with dramatically smoother flow characteristics. Compare the progression you see here:
  • CFD 1: Our first iteration showed improvement, but we identified areas where the flow was still separating and losing energy
  • CFD 2: Refined geometry with better transitions, moving closer to the ideal
  • CFD 3: Our final design—the winner. This version features optimized internals that maintain consistently high velocity throughout the inlet tract while eliminating dead zones and turbulence
2025 4runner 6th gen SXTH Turbo Inlet Development: Engineered for Superior Flow CFD 1
.
2025 4runner 6th gen SXTH Turbo Inlet Development: Engineered for Superior Flow CFD 2
.
2025 4runner 6th gen SXTH Turbo Inlet Development: Engineered for Superior Flow CFD 3


The results are clear in the CFD analysis: higher, more uniform velocities across the entire flow path and significantly smoother air delivery to the turbocharger.

What This Means for You

A better turbo inlet translates to:

Faster Spool: Smoother flow path = less pressure drop = turbo spools quicker and builds boost faster
Better Response: Eliminate the dead zones and you eliminate the hesitation. You get more responsive throttle input and better transient response
Improved Efficiency: Higher velocity with less turbulence means the turbo works smarter, not harder. Better efficiency = more power at lower turbo speeds
Cooler Charge: Reduced friction losses mean less heat generation before the intercooler. Denser, cooler air = more power


This is just the beginning. We're applying this same CFD-driven iterative approach to the throttle inlet and charge pipes. Every component in the boost path matters, and we're treating it that way.


More updates coming soon. Stay tuned!
Sponsored

 

Scrappopatamus

TRD Pro
Well-known member
First Name
Barry
Joined
Aug 25, 2025
Threads
3
Messages
84
Reaction score
67
Location
Midway KY
Vehicle(s)
'18 TRD Pro '25 TRD Pro '25 TRD ORPMAX
When do you think that you will have these products to the market place?
 
OP
OP
SXTH Element

SXTH Element

Active member
Site Sponsor
Joined
Aug 7, 2025
Threads
4
Messages
31
Reaction score
86
Location
United States
Vehicle(s)
2024 Tundra TRD Off Road, 2024 Tacoma TRD Off Road
How about some CFD on the stock one so we can compare?
It wouldn't be 100% accurate because we would need to model the OE one, so instead we do flow bench testing! We will show those results once we have our prototype 3D printed.
 
OP
OP
SXTH Element

SXTH Element

Active member
Site Sponsor
Joined
Aug 7, 2025
Threads
4
Messages
31
Reaction score
86
Location
United States
Vehicle(s)
2024 Tundra TRD Off Road, 2024 Tacoma TRD Off Road
Our 3D printed prototype is going into our test truck shortly! We will be flow bench testing and dyno testing with our intake system to make sure everything is playing well. We are also working on additional flow mods like the throttle body inlet and charge pipes.

Stay tuned.

2025 4runner 6th gen SXTH Turbo Inlet Development: Engineered for Superior Flow TurboInletPrint
 

neomist

TRD Pro
Member
First Name
justin
Joined
Jul 6, 2025
Threads
1
Messages
6
Reaction score
4
Location
m
Vehicle(s)
2025 TRD PRa
Curious what is being utilized for bench testing. Once you’re ready to publish, would it be possible to provide the environmental conditions the testing was performed at (air temp, elevation, relative humidity, etc).

Super interested!
 
OP
OP
SXTH Element

SXTH Element

Active member
Site Sponsor
Joined
Aug 7, 2025
Threads
4
Messages
31
Reaction score
86
Location
United States
Vehicle(s)
2024 Tundra TRD Off Road, 2024 Tacoma TRD Off Road
Curious what is being utilized for bench testing. Once you’re ready to publish, would it be possible to provide the environmental conditions the testing was performed at (air temp, elevation, relative humidity, etc).

Super interested!
We use a SuperFlow bench that another engineering company has nearby. We record AAT, and inHG. Elevation will be about 810'.
 

elecfuyu

Platinum
Well-known member
Joined
May 1, 2025
Threads
1
Messages
48
Reaction score
44
Location
Canada
Vehicle(s)
6G Platinum
Good to see company working on 4cyc turbo engines.
People don't realize the potential on 4cyc turbos.

hopefully one day this US/Canada tarrif BS can end so we can start purchasing from the States again without getting taxes like we are some fraud criminals.
 
 







Top