2JZ Build Guide

February 10, 2025

Why 2JZ?

To put it simply, the 2JZ is built like a brick house. They all have cast iron blocks, a forged crankshaft with great primary balance and forged rods and pistons. There are however differences in the rods/pistons between the variants which we will cover in this guide!

All 2JZ motors are Inline 6 3.0L which is a solid starting point for easy power, however stroker kits up to 3.2L and 3.4L are readily available if you decide you want more displacement. All variants come with dual overhead cams with shimmed buckets and 4 valves per cylinder. These buckets help quite a bit when it comes to high revving as it reduces the chances of valve float.

Back to the primary balance again, these motors fire on 120 degree intervals resulting in that beautiful 2JZ tone that we all love as well as a super balanced motor. Now let’s break down all of the differences…

2JZ GTE Non VVTI

The 2JZ GTE Non VVTI originally came in the 1991 Toyota Aristo (JZS147) but was soon put in the Mk4 Supra (JZA80) that we got here in the United States. This variant is arguably the most famous version of them all considering the amount of power you could add to it without having to build the stock block and having twin turbos. They came with around 320HP hitting the wheels bone stock but could easily be pushed to 600HP and nowadays even up to 750HP reliably with a good tuner and engine management system.

This motor came with a compression rating of 8.5:1 meaning that it is a non-interference engine. Your timing belt could snap and you should be able to re-time, throw a new belt on and be good to roll. It has forged pistons and rods that are much thicker than the 2JZ GE VVTI so throwing extra boost at it is no problem. One of the cooler things the engineers did while making it was deciding to add oil squirters on the underside of the pistons which reduces the temp of the piston crown and in turn reduces wear.

2JZ GTE VVTI

Later on (around 1997) Toyota decided to update the Supra with Variable Valve Timing with Intelligence (VVTI) and single turbo versions creating the 2JZ GTE VVTI! What does VVTI do and what makes it better or worse? To explain it simply the engine oil pressure is used to adjust the timing on the intake cam to optimize air intake for both low-end torque and high-end horsepower, resulting in a broader and smoother power delivery across the rev range. (Less Turbo Lag)

Other than that there aren't many differences aside from the VVTI they added in the head as well as smart throttle control so you can still expect it to hold plenty of power. One of the big differences between accessibility however is that the 2JZ GTE VVTI variant never made it to the U.S. in any production cars so it is much harder to find and therefore much more expensive.

2JZ GE Non VVTI

Yet again, in 1991, Toyota released the GE Non VVTI variant of the family as the little brother to the GTE’s. Primarily coming in the Lexus GS300 and SC300 as well as Toyota Supra and Aristo it still became known for its smooth power delivery and potential for easy power when paired with a turbo.

Coming in around 215-230hp depending on which car you got this one in, this was still a solid starting point for a fun JZ build. The main difference from the GTE to the GE Non VVTI is the compression being bumped up (probably because of a lack of a turbo) to 10.5:1 making this an interference engine. If the timing belt were to snap then the piston stroke would be long enough for it to contact the valves which usually means bent valves and sometimes worse.

A couple more differences come in the form of not having any oil squirters on the bottom end however it IS possible to add some. As well as not having an oil feed for any future turbo on the passenger side but yet again you can add one. Tapping and drilling isn’t super intimidating either because they outline where the GTE’s are tapped from the factory.

The big note with this one is if you want to push over 400-500HP reliably then you’ll need to upgrade from the high compression pistons and get forged pistons that will handle boost better and tap for an oil feed. Other than that you still have the same rods/crankshaft/block from the GTE so it’s a solid start!

2JZ GE VVTI

The 2JZ GE VVTI is where (I’m sure you guessed it) Toyota added their VVTI technology to the GE motors and made the 4th and final variant of the 2JZ. Now that we know what VVTI is we know that this GE is going to be more responsive on the low to mid range, but what else is different?

Unfortunately Toyota didn’t decide to beef this variant up any more than that. In fact, they even decided to change the rods out to be thinner and much weaker. Keeping the same 10.5:1 compression you still have the interference motor and pistons that don’t take boost super well.

All that aside they still have forged internals and a cast iron block that will easily carry you to 350-400hp and if you ever want to go for more, get some non VVTI rods and some Performance pistons and you’re good for even more.

How should I Build My 2JZ?

Considering the similarities between both of the GTE’s to each other, this will be broken down into 2

Categories:

GTE Guide / GE Guide

GTE GUIDE:

First off congratulations for getting your hands on a GTE if you're looking into this! Now there aren't many things that you need to do in order to build your GTE for BIG POWER!!

Safe power goal is: 500-750WHP

The main 3 things you should focus on first are:

Fueling, Ecu and Tuning.

Fueling

Get bigger fuel injectors.

The factory injectors are going to be too limited for big power so grab some that are larger. Even with 700cc injectors you are limited to about 500HP at a 90% duty cycle so grab the correct size for your application!

ECU

Time for a new engine management system that is going to support all of the tuning that will be required to hit those high power goals.

Our Coast Auto Performance tuner can tune a variety of different standalone ecu’s so we recommend picking from that list!

Tuning

Now that you have those things done you can focus on the really fun part: Getting your new build tuned and ready to rip!

Head over to our tuner and select whether you want your tune to run on pump gas or add ethanol as well. After your order is placed the tuner will reach out within 24 hours and verify exactly what you want done and if you don't know, he’ll help you get set up!

GE Guide:

Because GE’s don’t come stock with a turbo (and because you’ll need to add one) there’s some more you’ll have to do to hit high power numbers.

Until you decide to build the block, the process is extremely similar.

If you're starting with the Non VVTI and not building the block then the safe power goal would be: 400-500WHP

If you're starting with the VVTI and not building the block then the safe power goal would be: 300-400WHP

Turbo

If you can, get a kit that comes with everything you need like the Turbo, Intercooler/Pipes, Manifold and Downpipe, etc. At the end of the day you’re going to need it all anyways. Most of the time for a 2JZ a GT35 T4 Turbo will get you right in a fun power zone!

Fueling

Now that you’ve got the forced induction situation all covered it’s time to increase the amount of fuel the car can consume. Remember that even 700cc injectors are about maxed at 500HP. We recommend speaking with our tuner about exactly which size injectors you need until we can make another guide!

Next you’ll need a larger fuel pump to supply those injectors as well as a 1:1 Fuel Pressure Regulator to ensure an even and precise flow. We recommend speaking with our tuner about exactly which size fuel pump you need until we can make another guide!