Ask Tundra Headquarters: Dual vs Single Exhaust Question
Chris writes:
Thanks for the great info regarding the Tundra 5.7L exhaust. I have a question though. The local muffler shops offer dual in dual out exhaust for the Tundra, but they use smaller crush bent 2.25″ pipes for the exhaust. Will the smaller pipes hurt the performance of my truck or break even with the OEM 3″ exhaust? I want the dual exhaust sound, but not at the expense of performance, so should I just replace the stock muffler and keep the stock single 3″ exhaust pipe or dual it out with a couple of smaller 2.25″ pipes?
Good question.
Most muffler shops will tell you that pipe size isn’t nearly as important as pipe configuration and layout, but I don’t see any reason why you can’t have both. Read more…
The Next New Toyota: A Personal Robot
Check it out — Toyota’s latest model. It’s got a sleek paint job, the latest electronics, stability control, and a near-silent electric drive system. Oh yeah – it also has two arms and hands.
It’s a robot. From Toyota.
I guess Toyota really is “moving forward.”
Some interesting facts:
Toyota’s long term business plan includes heavy investment in the development of personal robots for use as nurses, housekeepers, receptionists, and possibly killing machines. Ok, not killing machines (at least they’re not admitting to that).
Toyota is one of the largest employers of “robot workers” in the world, with Toyota’s Japanese plants suspected to have 4,000 to 5,000 robots, about a 1,000 of which have two arms that were designed to replace human workers in some of the more repetitive tasks.
Toyota’s Tahara plant in Mikawa Bay, Japan, was one of the first highly automated car plants in the world. Tahara builds some of the higher end Lexus models, and they come off the line with some of the industry’s lowest defect rates — only 63 problems per 1,000 vehicles. According to the Detroit Free Press, that’s about a third less defects per 1000 vehicles than BMW or Mercedes.
Toyota’s commitment to building robots has been challenged buy some people that think the developments are disturbing. While it’s hard for me to imagine a Terminator-like future where Toyota’s robots run amock, evidently some people got Toyota’s attention. They put out a press release back in 2005 “stressing their commitment to human workers.”
Do you think that someday historians will look at that press release and wonder how no one saw the rise of the machines coming??
Free TundraHeadquarters TShirts! TundraHeadquarters Social Network
To celebrate the launch of TundraNetwork, our new social network, we’re offering a free TundraHeadquarters.com “camo” design t-shirt to the first 25 people that join TundraNetwork!
Unlike some of the forums out their, TundraNetwork allows you to upload pictures, videos, and music, and you can add your own widgets, link to your Myspace or Facebook pages, etc. Basically, it’s the “web 2.0” version of a forum. Just like TundraHeadquarters.com, TundraNetwork is FREE.
As incentive to join, we’re going to send out a free “camo” design TundraHeadquarters t-shirt to the first 25 people that join. The t-shirts are available in M, L, or XL, and they’re not available for purchase. The only way you can get one of these special t-shirts is if your vehicle is featured on the site, if you send us a good question or comment, or if you contribute to the site somehow. We’ve only got 100 of these things to give away and they’re going fast, so make sure you join TundraNetwork if you want to make sure you get one.
You can join by clicking the “Sign Up” link in the upper right hand corner of the TundraHeadquarters Social Network page. Our social network is powered by Ning, so if you already have a Ning profile, all you have to do is link your profile to our network. It doesn’t cost anything to join and you get a free t-shirt – what have you got to lose?
If you have any questions about joining the TundraHeadquarters Social Network, TundraNetwork, please contact us. We will be sending emails to the first 25 that join asking for your mailing address. Thanks for supporting us!
Toyota 50th Anniversary: A Brief History of Toyota Trucks
Today, October 31st 2007, Toyota Motor Sales celebrates exactly 50 years in the U.S. Since 1957, Toyota has grown from a small importer of vehicles to what will most likely be the largest auto manufacturer in the world. In short, Toyota is a success story. Being that we’re all fans of trucks here, we thought it might be fun to briefly review the history of Toyota trucks in the U.S.
First up, the 1963 Toyota LandCruiser truck. Available in small numbers for only four years in the U.S. market (1963-67), these are highly sought-after collector’s items.
Next, we have the Toyota Stout. Available in 1964, this was the obvious predecessor to 1969’s Toyota HiLux. The HiLux was the first Toyota truck to reach measurable sales and commercial success.
The Stout
The Hi-Lux.
The “HiLux” name, as groovy as it is, was dropped from Toyota trucks in 1975. From that point forward, the small Toyota truck was simply known as the “Toyota Pickup”. The HiLux/Toyota Pickup developed rather quickly. In 1975, the SR5 package was first made available. In 1979, Toyota first began offering a four-wheel-drive model. In 1983, Toyota offered an “Xtra Cab” Toyota Pickup that was extremely popular. Toyota trucks began to come in their own in the 80’s, reaching top cultural status as evidenced by their various pop-culture references (who could forget the Toyota truck from Back To The Future?).
1983 Toyota Pickup
Michael J. Fox drives the Toyota truck owned by his character.
In 1993, Toyota introduced their first full-size truck, the T100. While many critics found the T100 supremely lacking, there are a lot of loyal Toyota fans who will argue this was one of the best Toyota trucks ever built.
In 1995, the “Toyota Pickup” finally got a name of its own, the Tacoma. Known as the “Taco” by off-road enthusiasts everywhere, the Tacoma is easily Toyota’s largest commercial success in the US truck market.
In 1999, Toyota released their next attempt at a full-size, the 2000 Tundra. This new full-size truck featured a powerful V8, as well as a larger frame, interior, and greater hauling and towing capabilities. When this model debuted, it was Motor Trend’s “Truck of The Year”.
In 2004, Toyota released a completely redesigned Tacoma that rivaled the Tundra in terms of size and power, while still honoring Toyota’s compact pickup roots in terms of economy and off-road performance.
Finally, in 2007, Toyota released the 2nd generation Tundra. This truck silenced all the critics that said Toyota’s full-size trucks were really only 7/8th size, as well as offering the most powerful engine in the marketplace.
We all know how the rest of this story goes…
San Antonio Truck Plant Facts
We recently found a nice description of the San Antonio Tundra plant, known as TMMTX in Toyota-speak, on Toyota’s Open Road blog. Here’s a summary:
The plant was built to create up to 150,000 new Tundras each year with its crew of 2,000 team members. It augments an existing plant in Indiana, in operation since 1999, which also assembles Tundras.
Texas was chosen because it
