Toyota Tundra TRD Dual Exhaust Product Review
A lot of new Tundra owners upgrade their exhaust systems. In fact, it’s probably the most popular accessory that people add to their new trucks. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it) there are literally HUNDREDS of options. Big names like Borla, Flowmaster, Gibson, and TRD all offer kits for the new Tundra. Of course, if you don’t want to spend that kind of money, or if you like the idea of a custom kit, you can visit your local muffler shop and talk to the experts, and you can even order parts on the internet and install them yourself. Like we said, LOTS of choices.
However a lot of people like to go as “factory” as possible when choosing accessories, and we can certainly understand why. First of all, it’s very easy. If you’ve bought a Tundra, chances are you trust Toyota to make a good product. You can rest assured the TRD exhaust system is a good choice. Secondly a lot of people like factory-backed accessories because they know their won’t be any warranty concerns. Unlike adding an after-market kit, where the directions clearly state “this may violate your factory new vehicle warranty“, you know that a new kit from TRD isn’t going to cause any warranty problems. Finally, there’s just something to be said for having a very “stock” look and feel, even if you have added a bunch of extras.
Whatever your motivation, TRD’s kit is definitely a good choice. To start with, the kit is solid mandrel-bent 409 stainless. 409 stainless is about as good a material as you could ask for, and the mandrel-bent manufacturing process means that any bends in the tubing were done without compromising strength or shape. Since preserving the round shape of the pipe enhances flow, it’s always important to make sure a kit is mandrel bent. Finally, the TRD dual exhaust kit includes double-walled stainless steel tips with an engraved TRD logo. Nice. Looking at a brand new kit, it’s clear that TRD didn’t go cheap.
Installation is also about as easy as they come. This is literally a bolt-on kit. The hardest part of the installation is removing the factory system and dealing with those pesky hangers. If you wanted to, you could definitely put this kit on yourself with basic tools. If you wanted to have someone install it for you, it shouldn’t cost more than $100-$150. Most technicians can have this kit on in under two hours.
Like all after market accessories, there is a lot of argument about just how much power this exhaust kit adds. Generally speaking, after market exhausts by themselves offer little in the way of additional power. Typically, the most you’ll see is a 3-5 hp gain with just about any cat-back system. The TRD kit is no exception — our tests show that the TRD Dual Exhaust for the new Tundra added anywhere from 1 to 5 hp. Unfortunately, the increase in horsepower varied quite a bit depending upon RPM. That’s why we like that “3-5hp” number. Check out the dyno performance graph below.
Click for a larger view.
NOTE: Our dyno tests were conducted in 5th gear, and we truncated the RPM range to ensure that the comparison was as accurate as possible. Unfortunately, tests had to be conducted on different days due to time constraints at the dyno shop. We expect a margin of error of +/- 1 hp.
If the horsepower number doesn’t excite you, when you factor in the feeling you get when you step on the gas, you will feel like adding an exhaust is the best money you ever spent. The TRD kit is excellent in terms of sound — little or no additional noise at idle (almost imperceptible at true idle — very impressive), minimal highway “rumble”, and absolutely fantastic sounds at W.O.T. This kit was designed by Toyota to provide the sound that a lot of V8 owners crave while still being quiet enough to preserve the truck’s finer qualities. This perfect balance of sound is easily the TRD kit’s best attribute.
Here’s some video of the truck’s exhaust — make sure your speakers are on for this one:
Check out this Tundra Solutions thread for more TRD exhaust sound clips (props to mxsjw for posting those sound files).
Like we said in our Toyota Tundra exhaust guide, adding an exhaust system alone isn’t going to get you much power. But if you combine the exhaust system with any other upgrades (like a cold air intake), you’ll likely see a multiplying effect for both. As for adding this kit to your truck, we’ll tell you that the list price of the TRD exhaust kit is $1,154. Some other big names offer kits that are very comparable for less money. We’ll also say that your local muffler shop can probably build you a custom system from scratch for even less than any of the kits you’d buy online, and that your local shop will build a system with equal or better performance than any pre-fabricated kit. In other words, the TRD kit is a little too expensive for our tastes, especially when compared to the local muffler shop. However, if you’re only interested in pre-fabricated cat-back systems, the TRD is an excellent choice.
Don’t get us wrong — the TRD kit is quality, backed by Toyota, and as good as anything you’ll find. In fact, we’re willing to bet this kit’s sound aspects are probably the best on the market (but we can’t back that up until we do some more testing). “If you have the means, we highly recommend it.” [Incidentally, we were able to find some discounted pricing for the TRD exhaust. We’re working on getting it for our readers, so stay tuned.]
Bottom Line: The Toyota Tundra TRD Dual Exhaust is excellent, but it’s a little overpriced. If you want to add a quality, factory-backed exhaust system that won’t make your truck sound like a dragster, the TRD product is an excellent choice.
New Tires From The Tire Rack
If you’ve never visited TireRack.com, you owe it to yourself to check it out. They’ve got just about every brand of tire, quite a few different types of after-market wheels, and a unique tool that allows you to see how a new set of rims will look on your vehicle. They also stock suspension kits, air intakes, brake pads, and a handful of other stuff.
What I like best about the Tire Rack, in addition to the good pricing, is that they have a great collection of reviews on tires. I was just buying a set and I really appreciated the fact that I could read dozens of reviews on the particular brand of tire. The reviews weren’t all good either — as a matter of fact, I upgraded myself from a cheaper tire based on some user reviews. Overall, it’s a good system.
The choices for custom wheels are another matter. While I really like being able to see how wheels will look on my car, I think Tire Rack’s wheels are overpriced for the most part. They do offer some wheel and tire packages that seem pretty reasonable, but I would definitely call the local custom wheel shop before buying wheels from Tire Rack. The same goes for some of the premium tire brands (like Goodyear and Michelin) — sometimes, you’ll find your local premium brand retailer (i.e. your local Goodyear tire shop) will be able to offer a better price on a Goodyear tire than you can find on Tire Rack. However, for brands without a brand-name national retail network (like Pirelli, Nitto, Yokohama, etc.) Tire Rack is often the least expensive.
Installation was easy — I had them shipped to a friends dealership (he works in the service department). I got them installed easy, and no one tried to sell me “siping” or “tire insurance” either, both of which aren’t good deals (in my opinion). Finally, Denver sales tax is almost 8%, so my shipping costs were lower than the sales tax I would have paid if I’d bought them locally. If you’re not lucky enough to have a friend with a shop, there’s a list of preferred installers.
Since winter is coming, the tire retailers are going to be advertising all kinds of specials in the next couple of months. To see a list of Tire Rack’s current specials, click here .
2007 Tundra Sales Projected To Exceed 200k
Based on our sales projections, Toyota will sell approximately 205k Tundra trucks this year. That’s more than a 60% increase in sales over 2006. Clearly, the Tundra has been an unmitigated success for Toyota.
Toyota’s success doesn’t show any signs of slowing down either. The upcoming 2008 model Tundra should sell better than the current model for a few reasons. First of all, Toyota has stated they intend to reduce the amount of standard equipment on the Tundra, especially on the base model. We expect the base model Tundra will be approximately $2000 less expensive, while the top-end models will maintain the same pricing. Reduced cost on the base model should translate into greater fleet sales of the new Tundra, a market that Toyota currently is not competitive in with the 2007 model.
Additionally, Toyota’s 2007 production management was less than perfect. Dealers were often given trucks that weren’t in demand and then required to sell those vehicles before they would be allocated better-selling models. Indeed, many a dealer we know received a glut of “fleet” type vehicles early in the model year even as demand for the popular Double Cab exceeded supply, to say nothing of CrewMax production holdups. Now that Toyota has some hard sales data, they will be able to improve their production mix.
Based on improved production mix and lower production costs, we expect Tundra sales in 2008 to exceed 250k units. Depending upon Toyota’s ability to reduce costs on their base model “fleet” configuration, it’s entirely possible that Tundra sales could hit 300k units, however new models from Ford and Dodge will certainly impact Toyota Tundra sales somewhat.
As we’ve said before, at these higher sales levels, it will be profitable for Toyota to produce both a Diesel Tundra and a Hybrid Tundra in the coming years. Let’s hope Tundras continue to sell well.
Decode Your Toyota Tundra’s VIN Number
Here’s what the letters and numbers in your Tundra’s VIN number represent:
FIRST THREE CHARACTERS:
The first three characters of your Tundra’s VIN number indicate where your truck was built.
5TF – Truck was manufactured at TMMTX
5TB – Truck was manufactured at TMMI
FOURTH CHARACTER:
The fourth character of your Tundra’s VIN indicates the body type.
J – Reg. Cab 2WD
K – Reg. Cab 4WD
L – Reg. Cab 2WD Long Bed
M – Reg. Cab 4WD Long Bed
R – Double Cab 2WD
S – Double Cab 2WD Long Bed
B – Double Cab 4WD
C – Double Cab 4WD Long Bed
E – CrewMax 2WD
D – CrewMax 4WD
FIFTH CHARACTER:
The fifth character of your Tundra’s VIN indicates the engine.
U = 4.0L V6
T = 4.7L V8
V = 5.7L V8
SIXTH, SEVENTH, & EIGHTH CHARACTERS:
The 6th, 7th, and 8th characters in the VIN indicate the trim level of the truck.
521 = Base
541 = SR5
581 = LTD
NINTH CHARACTER:
The 9th character in the VIN is used as a check digit.
TENTH CHARACTER:
The 10th character in your truck’s VIN is the model year. It’s either a number or letter, depending upon the decade. For 2007, it’s the number “7”. However, in 1997, it was a “V”.
ELEVENTH CHARACTER:
The 11th character indicates the final assembly point.
S – Indiana
X – Texas
LAST SIX CHARACTERS:
The last six numbers of the VIN are used by Toyota to uniquely identify your vehicle, sort of like a serial number. However, these numbers do not appear to be sequential or numerically significant. Toyota seems to have a unique system for numbering cars – they don’t seem to be marking them 000001, 000002, 000003, etc.
Tundra Design Flaw: NEVER Drive Your Tundra Tailgate Down!
Glenn sent us this note, and we think every Tundra owner should know about this. Thanks Glenn for taking the time to share.
Here’s Glenn’s story:
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OUCH!!!
I put my tailgate down on my 07 Tundra Crewmax, and forgot about it being down, as I was involved in something that diverted my attention away from the open tailgate. I drove away not realizing it was still down. As I went down the street and over a bump in the road, I heard some banging, so I pulled over only to find my tailgate hanging from the support strap wires, and slapping against the back of the truck! Thankfully, I found a place to pull over immediately, and that I had all the windows, including the window facing the bed down, so I could hear it. Both tail light lenses are now damaged, but luckily, the tailgate itself and the bumper do not seem to be damaged much, except for minor paint damage on the inside of the tailgate. At least not that I can tell at this point.
Page 35 of the operators manual says, “Notice: Avoid driving with the tailgate open”. That is all it says. I had never seen this Notice before, but even if I had, I would not have expected that the entire tailgate could come off the hinges and bang against the back of the truck. I would have taken that Notice to mean that a rock could chip the paint of the tailgate if it were driven in the down position, or some damage could come to the tailgate if towing and turning with the gate down.
Doesn’t this sound like a serious design flaw? Well, not according to Toyota Customer service over the phone. First, there is this “Notice” (No actual warning of possible danger or damage), which tells you to avoid the operation, but does not tell you not to do it at all, or what could happen if you do. Second, there is no safety device that keeps the gate attached to the hinge point. Even a simple twist lock, a safetying pin, or a single securing screw would be beneficial, but none exists. If the safety straps were not connected, or failed and the tailgate were to fall off, it could bounce up into a car behind you and kill someone. If left to bang long enough, it is a real possibility that a failure of the straps could occur resulting in a slab of metal as a projectile at highway speeds.
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We don’t want to hear anyone saying “you shouldn’t drive with the tailgate down” either. This is something people do all the time (like when they’ve got an ATV or dirt bike in the bed) — besides, who hasn’t forgotten to close their tailgate at least once? How mad would you be if both your tail lenses were broken because you forgot to put the tailgate up?
