A Quick Intro to the Toyota Tundra Supercharger
Here’s a quick look at the numbers for the new Toyota Tundra supercharger from TRD: it adds 504 HP and 550 lb-ft of torque; sells as a complete kit for $5 875; and costs about $6 800 total when installation is figured in, based on a labor rate of $105/hr.
The 5.7-liter TRD supercharger is rooted in truly intelligent design. TRD’s horsepower/torque pushers have been used for the 2000-03 Tundra, V-6 Tacoma, the Camry Solara, the Scion tC, and more. It was only a matter of time, Tundra fans knew, before the brains at TRD approached the redesigned ‘07 Tundra. Their dream came true at the November 2007 Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, where a concept Tundra Double Cab was showing off a supercharger and air-to-liquid intercooler generating 500 horsepower. The Toyota display vehicle was attached to a 10 200 pound gooseneck car hauler to show off its powerful muscle.
TRD’s new Tundra supercharger is an Eaton-Roots, or positive displacement, type of supercharger. Interesting fact: the technology was first patented in 1860, when Philander and Francis Roots developed it to ventilate mine shafts. Auto manufacturers looking to improve engine performance had two options: increase engine size or engine efficiency. Efficiency was the obvious choice. Gottleib Daimler introduced blowers to auto engines in the early 1900s, and they had begun to appear in racecars and premium automotives by the 1920s. Eaton-Roots superchargers are popular because they are reliable, require little maintenance, and eliminate drag on the engine when its boost is not needed.
The Tundra’s supercharger features Eaton’s Twin Vortices System (TVS), which has twin four-lobe rotors that feature a 160 degree twist. This design improves air-handling while reducing noise and vibration. The kit includes 8 new high-flow fuel injectors and lower heat range iridium-tip spark plugs. It also comes with an intercooler, which reduces the air inlet temperature to the engine and allows more aggressive ignition timing.
The supercharger’s air supply comes from TRD’s new high-performance air intake, which is similar to the cold air intake kit which TRD offers as a standalone art. When installing the supercharger, the engine control unit (ECU) is programmed with a new high performance engine management profile, which assists the Tundra in harnessing the supercharger’s extra power while maintaining 50 state emissions certifications. It works by changing the engine’s timing and the transmission’s shift points to maximize power.
Toyota estimates that it will take around 9 hours to install the TRD supercharger on a Tundra truck, and promises to honor the remainder of their 5yr/60k mile powertrain warranty, so long as installation is done by your local Toyota dealer. Given the quality and strong reputation of TRD’s engineering, and Toyota’s promise to honor the full warranty, adding the TRD supercharger to your Tundra should definitely be a safe improvement to make.
There’s just one catch - the TRD supercharger is only sold as a dealer-installed or over-the-counter option AFTER the sale of a new Tundra. The supercharger cannot be bought or added at the same time as you purchase a new Tundra, and it cannot be financed along with the truck. If you really want to buy your new Tundra with a supercharger, your local dealer can likely work something out, but it’ll probably cost you some cash.
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