Revisited: Is Toyota’s 4A-GE Worthy of its Legendary Status?
About this episode
Exploring the legendary status of Toyota's 4A-GE engine, this episode features Matt Trivena from MT Performance Engines, who shares his extensive knowledge on the iconic 4AGE. The discussion delves into the engine's history, performance potential, and the nuances of building and tuning these motors. Listeners will gain insights into the differences between various 4A variants, the importance of proper engine machining, and tips for enthusiasts looking to maximize power while maintaining reliability. Whether you're a die-hard 4AGE fan or just curious about engine building, there's valuable information to be found.
**We're spending a couple of weeks away from the microphone over the Christmas and New Year period. This means that although we won’t be publishing any new guest appearances until mid-January, we’re going to be bringing back some of our favourite older episodes that deserve another listen.**
The 2JZ-GTE isn’t Toyota’s only iconic tuner engine — before the famous straight six was anywhere near production-ready, enthusiasts and racers were already years deep into the development of the venerable 1600cc four-cylinder 4A-GE. In this episode, we sit down with Matt Trevena of MT Performance Engines to discuss everything Toyota 4A-GE, engine building, and much more.
Use “MTPERFORMANCE50” for 50% off our HPA Engine Building Fundamentals course here: https://hpcdmy.co/enginebuild
As a teenager, Matt Trevena fell in love with a neighbour’s 4A-GE powered KE70, and that exposure, combined with a healthy dose of Initial D, started Matt on a path that would shape his entire career, culminating in where it is today, building some of the most hardcore 4A-GEs around — including a genuine holy-grail Formula Atlantic motor.
Matt spent the first few years of his career building everything from lawnmower engines to massive car-sized 16-cylinder train engines before jumping on board with Sydney’s Maatouk’s Racing to put together big-power RBs and everything else in between. Now running his own performance engine building company, Matt has become the go-to guy when it comes to hardcore Japanese motors — but especially the Toyota 4A-GE.
As you probably already guessed, this episode goes way deep into the weeds on all things 4A-GE, covering the differences between the available variants, the best combinations of parts and generations, how to extract the most power, revs, and longevity out of them, as well as a deep dive into the ultimate 4A-GE — the Formula Atlantic motor.
This conversation also covers plenty of general performance engine building information, so even if this classic Toyota motor isn’t of particular interest to you, the knowledge found in this episode makes it a must-listen for any self-respecting enthusiast.
Follow MT Performance Engines here:
IG: @mtperformanceengines
FB: MT Performance Engines
YT: 199niko199
Don’t forget, use “MTPERFORMANCE50” for 50% off our HPA Engine Building Fundamentals course here: https://hpcdmy.co/enginebuild
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