How to Get More Horsepower Out of My Toyota Tundra
by William Zane
The Toyota Tundra has proven to be a rugged, practical truck that is able to compete with the best from the American truck makers. The Tundra is available with a V6 or a V8 engine. Though both engines produce adequate horsepower and torque in stock condition, the Tundra has the potential for more horsepower.
Step 1
Install a cold air intake. Stock air boxes (the air boxes that come with Tundras as they leave the factory) are relatively restrictive. By replacing the V8 or V6 Tundra’s stock air intake with a cold air intake, which features a much larger filter and larger-diameter intake tubing, the engine is able to get more fresh, cold air and thereby produce more power. Both K&N and Automotive Concepts offer a performance air intake for Tundras (see Resources for K&N site).
Step 2
Install a header from JBA or a similar company. A well-designed tubular header is much more efficient and free-flowing than the stock exhaust manifolds, which have relatively small exhaust passages. The quicker spent exhaust gasses can get out of a motor, the more power it can make. Another area that is restrictive on a stock Tundra is the exhaust system; replace it with a larger-diameter performance exhaust to free up more power and torque.
Step 3
Replace the stock ECU (electronic control unit), which controls the engine’s electronics, with a performance ECU. This will change the fuel and spark delivery to more aggressive settings and deliver more power. Unichip offers a performance ECU for the Tundra that works with the stock electronics (see Resources).
Step 4
Install a TRD supercharger kit. A supercharger helps the motor produce more power by forcing more air into the motor from the intake side (see Resources). The TRD supercharger kit was developed by Toyota specifically for the Tundra.
References
Things You'll Need
- Socket set and rachet
- Wrenches
- Screwdrivers
- Full range of automotive tools
- Jack and jack stands
- Toyota Tundra performance parts catalogues
Writer Bio
William Zane has been a freelance writer and photographer for over six years and specializes primarily in automotive-related subject matter among many other topics. He has attended the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, where he studied automotive design, and the University of New Mexico, where he studied journalism.
