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Old 04-14-2009, 05:50 PM   #1
Flyguy
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Toyota Tundra

This post is sort of a review of my current TV which is a 2008 Toyota Tundra Crew-Max with the 5.7L engine. The tow rating for this body-style is 10,400lbs, the max tow rating on the Tundra is 10,800lbs for the standard cab, and 10,600lbs for the double cab and since I have the crew-max mine is 10,400lbs. The Tundra has quite a lot of features for towing, to start with there is a TOW/HAUL switch which when activated changes the shift points electronically on the transmission to wring out the most torque for pulling, the engine develops 381hp max, I have the tow package on mine with extendable tow mirrors and these are heated, they fold, and have amber LED turn flashers on the end and there are islolation diodes to keep the battery from draining when your stopped and plugged in, and then there is the ASC/LSD switch which defaults to automatic stability control (ASC) which tends to stabilize the truck in a skid, but at the push of a button, you can switch to Limited slip differential (LSD) in case you drop a wheel off the side of a muddy road while climbing a mountain road with no guard rail and about a 1000ft drop off the side and pulling a trailer and are starting to slip backwards (I’m still cleaning my pants out on that one). The Crew-Max body has a lot of leg room in the rear seats and those rear seats both recline and move forward and back. The rear window is treated as a 5th power window controlled from the dash, the down side to the Crew-Max is a 5'-8" pickup bed so if you tow a 5’er you need to spend about $2500 on a Pullrite Superslide 12K hitch with bedrails and capture plate to safely turn sharply. I tow a TT so I use the bed as a large trunk with a TOURNEAU COVER on it. The transmission is a 6 speed double overdrive type and I get about 12mpg towing the trailer with bias ply tires on it (hope to do even better when I switch to radials) and not towing I get better than 20mpg on the highway. The ride is very smooth and comfortable and most of the time I forget that I’m even towing. I think I’ll have this truck for a while since it’s not paid for yet!

PS- I now tow a 5ver (see signature) as of 21 January 2011 and my Tundra pulls it as easily as it did the Passport TT.
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Old 05-13-2009, 04:02 AM   #2
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A couple of things that I forgot to mention: First, the max torque produced by the 5.7L engine is 401ft_lbs @ 3600rpm and max HP is 381hp @ 5600rpm, and the crew-max has a turning radius of just 22ft (44ft diameter), the max Payload is 1605lbs (7000lbs gross minus 5395lbs empty) so your limited as to the pin weight for pulling a 5ver, but you can augment this by installing Firestone Ride-Rite air bags, you still have to stay within the rear axle's max weight rating. Second, the intrument cluster has a Tach; xmission temp gauge; speedometer; fuel gauge, engine temp gauge, oil pressure gauge, fuel computer, Battery Voltage gauge, outside temp, total range left on the fuel tank and the gear indicator can be switched from automatic to manual control over all six gears. Most of the parts, if not all of the parts are made right here in the USA, the design concept was conceived in California and then sent to Michigan for the workup and clay models and the molds for the sheet metal parts, the 5.7L engine block is cast in Troy, MO and then sent to Huntsville, AL for build, then it's sent to the two assembly lines at Princeton, IN and San Antonio, TX, the transmission is made in North Carolina and sent to the assembly lines, the rear axle (3.9:1) is made by the Dana Corp and sent to the assembly lines and all the electronics with fuel and spark mapping is also made in the USA. The truck has a solid feel, almost as if its all welded togeather, there's no rattles or squeeks. If Toyota can do this in the USA using American workers and still make money, why cant Ford, GM, and Chrysler? Here's an explaination that I found on the internet.

A Modern Parable


A Japanese company (Toyota) and an American company (Ford) decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race.

On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.

The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action. Their conclusion: the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and 1 person rowing.

Feeling a deeper study was in order, American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion. They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing.

Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering superintendents and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager. They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the 'Rowing Team Quality First Program,' with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rower. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses.


The next year the Japanese won by two miles.

Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved
was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses and the next year's racing team was out-sourced to India.

Sadly, the End.

Sad, but true! Here's something else to think about:

Ford has spent the last thirty years moving its factories out of the US, claiming they can't make money paying American wages. Toyota has spent the last thirty years building more than a dozen plants inside the US .

The last quarter's results: Toyota makes 4 billion in profits while Ford racked up 9 billion in losses.
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Old 06-19-2009, 08:52 PM   #3
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Since the fall of 2007, Toyota has been working on a 1 ton Tundra dually diesel truck, as of yet they have not put anything into production but they do have a prototype which uses a Hino 8.0-liter inline six turbodiesel, making around 300 HP and 600 lb.-ft. of torque!! you can read about it here: http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/30/s...dually-diesel/ you can also go through the picture gallery in the website.
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Old 08-12-2010, 03:52 PM   #4
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In sum -- total agreement regarding the Toyota Tundra. I've had two Fords and a Chevy. No comparison IMO. There's a story on how I went to Toyota - I should thank
the salesmen at Chevy and GMC. I wanted to buy American (prices didn't play a role).
Regarding oars in the water....I often use this term and it just doesn't apply to the auto industry. Not enough people put their oars in the water but many want the ride.
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Old 08-13-2010, 08:24 AM   #5
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Thumbs up Me, too!

As the owner of a 2007 Tundra 5.7L double cab, I couldn't agree more. This is one solid, dependable truck. I have towed my 5,000 lb sailboat and my 6,100 Cougar 27 RLS trailer thousands of miles with no problems, whatsoever. Also, the truck's 8' bed is usually full of gear, which includes outboard motors, a dinghy and lots of other rather heavy stuff. The brakes on the truck are massive compared to American competition. I, too have been getting around 12 mpg towing, and around 20 on the highway. Not bad for a V-8 with 380 HP and 400 foot pounds of torque.
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Old 08-13-2010, 10:38 AM   #6
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By the way real trucks do not have spark plugs. DODGE makes them CUMMINS Shakes them.
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Old 08-13-2010, 07:29 PM   #7
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I knew it wouldn't be long before one of us little 6 cylinder owners would speak up. REAL TRUCKS RATTLE 16+ towing 24mpg highway ..... and the ride empty is like a bicycle on a railroad track.
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Old 08-13-2010, 09:29 PM   #8
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I sold off my 2009 Tacoma Pre Runner Double cab and bought a 2010 Tundra 4x4 Double Cab standard bed 5.7l tow package Offroad.
We love this truck, I pull our 2010 Keystone Cougar 5th wheel in the tow mode with no issues what so ever, I did add the Firestone Airbags in the rear just to level out the ride a bit, great truck pulling a very cool trailer.
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Old 09-12-2010, 06:45 AM   #9
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Come-on diesel guys, don't ruin this nice gasser thread we have going here, you have your own threads on this forum! BTW wash your hands and get that diesel smell off before you touch that keyboard!
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Old 10-17-2010, 02:29 PM   #10
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Following up on your info about your. truck. I also have a 2010 Tundra with the same specs. as yours. You talked about Firestone Airbags but it wasn't clear if you had installed them on your truck. I am looking for someone who has put them on their Tundra and some feedback, if available.
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Old 10-17-2010, 03:37 PM   #11
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I have not installed air bags on my Tundra but many others have on their TV's, I favor "Supersprings" to be added to my spring pack instead of air bags (It's just my choice) if I were to outfit the Tundra for towing a 5ver, for towing a TTer as I do this isn't necessary. If you do a search for "Airbags" on this forum you may find a few threads on the subject from members who have installed them.

PS- I now tow a 5ver and air bags or helper springs were not neccessary for the Springdale.
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