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Toyota Tundra Supercharger Basics

Author: JasonLancaster
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Here's some quick stats on the new TRD supercharger for the Toyota Tundra: it adds 504 HP and 550 lb-ft of torque; sells as a kit for $5 875; and will cost a grand total of about $6 800 including installation, assuming a $105/hr labor rate.

There is truly intelligent design behind the evolution of the 5.7-liter TRD supercharger. Toyota Tundra fans eagerly anticipated TRD's concept for the big '07 Tundra, knowing it was only a matter of time before the company would set its sight on the redesigned truck. After all, TRD's horsepower/torque pushers were already in the 2000-03 Tundra, V-6 Tacoma, Camry Solara, Scion tC, and more. Finally, at the November 2007 Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, a concept Tundra Double Cab was displayed with a supercharger and air-to-liquid intercooler purported to generate "approximately" 500 horsepower. Since the vehicle was attached to a 10 200 pound gooseneck car hauler, that extra power couldn't be just a fanciful imagining.

The Tundra TRD supercharger is an Eaton-Roots, or positive displacement type. Fun fact - the patent comes from when Philander and Francis Roots first used the technology way back in 1860 to ventilate mine shafts. When automakers needed to improve engine performance, they had to choose between increasing engine size or efficiency, and went with efficiency. Gottleib Daimler began incorporating blowers into automotive engines in the early 1900s, and they began appearing in racecars and premium autos by the 1920s. Eaton-Roots type superchargers are reliable yet require almost no maintenance, and have the added bonus of eliminating drag on the engine when their boost is not required.

The Eaton's Twin Vortices System (TVS) is featured on the Tundra supercharger. It has twin four-lobe rotors with 160 degree twists, and improves air-handling while decreasing noise and vibration. The Tundra kit comes with 8 new high-flow fuel injectors, lower heat range iridium-tip spark plugs, and an intercooler, which reduces air inlet temperature to the engine and permits 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's estimated installation time is about 9 hours, and as long as the supercharger is installed by your local Toyota dealer, Toyota will honor the remainder of their 5yr/60k mile powertrain warranty. Considering the quality of TRD's engineering, and Toyota's willingness to honor the full warranty, it's safe to say that adding the supercharger definitely won't hurt your truck.

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.