TRD' Supercharged Tundra Pickup Truck

Smoking tires with supercharged power

The 2008 Toyota Tundra 4x2 Regular Cab with Toyota Racing Development (TRD) options (with a supercharger as the centerpiece) is not your father's work truck. In fact, this is not anyone's work truck, unless your work includes going really fast. Let TRD add a $21,276 options tally to the 2008 Toyota Tundra's $24,380 base price, and you get a $45,656 factory warranted truck (5 years/60,000 miles) that is rated by to get 14 mpg city/18 mpg highway (before supercharger installation).

TRD is Toyota's in-house tuner. They put together this particular Tundra to showcase their new supercharger kit, which carries a $5,875 price tag.

A little bit of simple supercharger background info: A supercharger is basically an air compressor that increases airflow to the engine's cylinders, making the engine more efficient and able to produce more horsepower and torque. Superchargers and turbochargers are similar, differing mainly in how they are powered. A turbocharger gets driven by exhaust gases from the engine. The supercharger is driven directly by the engine via a belt or chain. That's why turbochargers suffer from lag -- gases have to build up from the engine before the turbo kicks in. Superchargers deliver more linear power, right off the line. Both approaches have their engineering challenges, but superchargers have been gaining in popularity recently because of improvements in metallurgy and computer controls. The big knock on superchargers has always been that they increase power, but at the cost of fuel efficiency -- driving the supercharger with the engine is a parasitic loss. Toyota claims that they've actually seen an increase in fuel efficiency with their 5.7 V8 kit. Maybe in laboratory conditions, that would be true, but in the real world, I have my doubts.

TRD Tundra is capable of eyeball-flattening acceleration, monster donuts, smoking burnouts and ridiculous demonstrations of speed. Not that I'd indulge in any of those shenanigans. But I did make my wife scream out loud more than once while driving -- and she's no easy mark.

I don't mean to get all wrapped up in performance, but that's what this TRD-equipped Tundra is all about. Let me take a breath and look around the interior for a minute. Okay, it's a Tundra. Well-sorted, nice fit and finish, ergonomically sound. I could use an upgrade on the seats and some of the surfaces, but this will do.

Now back to performance.

One of the challenges with big power is getting it to the ground in a useful way. The stock engine produces 381 hp and 401 lb-ft of torque, not a pittance. With 504 hp and 550 lb-ft of torque on hand, the supercharged Tundra can overwhelm the powertrain. Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and Traction Control (TRAC) intervene from the outset. In normal day-to-day driving with VSC and TRAC on (the default setting every time you start the vehicle), TRD Tundra can feel a little herky-jerky, as the electronics struggle with the power to keep the tires from lighting up every time the gas pedal moves to the floor. Exercising a little bit of discretion with the throttle, I discovered that the TRD Tundra could be driven smoothly.

Luckily, the electronic nannies can easily be disengaged for some real fun driving. Now, Toyota doesn't advise this, nor do I. Disengaging VSC and TRAC is risky, and addictive. But once you get rid of the computer restrictions between engine and wheels, TRD Tundra delivers immediate power and torque to the rear wheels. I would have to guess that TRD Tundra is capable of 0-60 times under 5 seconds, which is amazing for a big truck, with all that mass and weight (5500 lb curb weight) rushing forward.

My TRD Tundra wasn't just a power performer. It also wore the TRD Big Brake kit ($2,795), lowering kit ($1,699), rear anti-sway bar ($299) and 22" tires and wheels ($4,699), all of which conspire to make the already sure-footed Tundra even more planted and self-assured. The Big Brake upgrade is really essential. Going fast is great, but it means that slowing down quickly is even more important. Lowering the chassis and putting on big tires and wheels can help with stability and hooking up, but actually detracts a bit from Tundra's utility. TRD also added a SnugTop hard tonneau cover ($1,495), which turns the Tundra's bed into a big locking trunk -- and limits the height of anything you might want to carry. The tonneau cover always seems to me like the accessory that makes the least sense on a pickup truck. Sure, the bed is protected, but half of the utility is also compromised.

The other major accessory on my TRD Tundra was the TRD dual exhaust ($1,065). The stock exhaust on a 5.7 liter V8 Tundra has a pretty meaty sound, but this dual exhaust sounds and looks mean, and is good for a claimed increase of 5 - 8 hp.

The TRD supercharger and exhaust combination is 50 state legal. When installed by a Toyota dealer, according to Toyota, TRD parts "carry a 12-month warranty regardless of mileage, or the balance of the new car 5-year/60,000 mile powertrain warranty, whichever comes first." If you choose to install the parts yourself, or have a non-Toyota mechanic install, your supercharger is covered by a 12-month/12,000 mile parts warranty only.

There are those who would argue that the TRD Tundra is more than a toy. Even with its hopped up performance and go-fast goodies, it's still a Tundra underneath. That's true, but just spend a few minutes behind the wheel of a supercharged 500 horsepower truck, and you'll forget all about work. The TRD Tundra is a toy, and an awesome toy at that.

The Ford F-150 is the measuring stick for full-size pickups. Since Ford killed their SVT version a few years ago, there's no real hot-rod F-150 anymore. F-150 outdoes Tundra in terms of style options, with the Harley-Davidson and King Ranch editions, but not in terms of performance options. The most powerful engine available in an F-150 is a 5.4 liter V8 that cranks out 300 hp and 365 lb-ft of torque. Dodge's Ram 1500 can be ordered with a 5.7 liter HEMI, a powerful choice at 390 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque. TRD Tundra still trumps that, by a long shot. Chevrolet's Silverado 1500 clocks in with an optional 6.2 liter V8 with 403 hp and 417 lb-ft of torque, and a host of other performance suspension options. Nissan's Titan is no slouch either, with a 5.6 liter V8 producing 317 hp and 385 lb-ft of torque.

The truck wars are not specifically horsepower wars -- but if they were, Toyota would be the winner, hands down. If you need a work truck, Tundra should be a contender, definitely, but you might find more utility elsewhere.

If you're looking for pure on-road fun from your truck, look no further. TRD Tundra is the one.

Note from Dale: See the 2010 Ford SVT Raptor, another performance truck.