What is a 2JZ engine?
Review of the Toyota Supra
The Toyota Supra is, of course, an iconic car from Japan. The model first appeared in 1979. The current GR Supra is the fifth generation of this famous sports coupe. Since the 2JZ engine is the focus of this article, we focus specifically on the Toyota Supra generation A80. After all, that one had one of those special 2JZ powertrains.
2JZ is six-in-line
The 2JZ engine involves a six-in-line gasoline engine with four valves per cylinder and an engine capacity of 2,997 cc. The output of the 3.0-liter six-cylinder depended on the version. There was a 223-horsepower version and a 280-horsepower version.
Until recently, Toyota placed these (relatively) large engines only in sedans and pickups, but now so in a sporty rear-wheel-drive car. The engine was first installed by Toyota in a four-door Toyota Aristo.
Competition
At the time when Toyota’s engine hit the market, Nissan was also making sporty cars. Nissan also used a legendary engine block for this: the TwinTurbo RB26DETT. This engine block was first used in the R32 GT-R. The engine block is 2.6-liter in size and produced 280 hp in the R34 GT-R. This engine (like the 2JZ) is known for being able to bring about a lot of power. For example, there are versions with up to 900 horsepower! So Nissan has managed to get a lot of power from a small engine block.
Tuning
Like Nissan’s engine block, Toyota’s 2JZ was tunable. From the factory, the 2JZ is already a special engine, with double overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder and liquid-cooled TwinTurbos. The reason this block is so tunable is that it is very powerful. Very strong materials have been used, capable of handling enormous power and speeds. Doubling the power output of a car with a 2JZ engine is therefore more the rule than the exception. If you really try hard, you can even take the block to over 1,000 horsepower. You will then have to make some modifications so that the block can handle the turbo pressure. For example, Toyota built a Toyota Express Service 86-X with Toyota 2JZ-GTE in-line 6-cylinder, boosted to 3.4-liter. That one had 1,172 hp and 1,594 Nm of pulling power, then you have an idea of what is possible.
