CATALYTIC CONVERTER SHIELD FITS 2016 - 2023 TACOMA

Hey guys, I just showed this to our engineer and he would like to share some details for everyone. Please shoot us any questions you have and we will take care of your needs. This is a brand new product and it took off way faster than we have experienced before. We would love feedback to make any changes and to make these perfect for you.

From Chris:

Hey everyone, thank you for the excitement around this new product! I was passed a few questions from you guys and wanted to give you some answers and updates!

1. Slotted Holes - Thank you @JAL for the notes! We had actually identified this shortly after the first batch shipped. We made a material thickness change to a thicker material right before our first round of production. We thought we had enough room in the slotted holes to cover any slight changes but it is still a little tight. We have made a smaller batch of the initial layout, but have changed the hole location for all new parts. Most of you will receive these updated parts! The slots were moved 0.15" forward and enlarged in diameter to give you all more room for variation in vehicles. If you do receive one of the first run parts, there is an installation method that varies from the installation video that will allow you to make this installation without grinding.

When installing the CAT Shield the video instructs you to hook it onto the bolts for the transmission crossmember. Instead push those bolts in so they are flush with the cross member, and allow the rear mount to float. Then put the two security bolts in place along with the support tube. Then move back to the rear mount, push down on the material and push the bolts back through. It is a little tight, but it works and I tested this on a truck we have here in the shop.

2. Coolant lines - This is new to us, so thank you @JAL for the note. On our test trucks, they have a different clearance than you have experienced, please see the attached picture. This is a CAT Shield we installed here, the same batch of those that you received. I have taken a note from your input and will be making this cutout even larger for all future parts we make. We value this feedback and want to make these perfect for the community!!

For @JAL I would consider seeing if you can loosen the hardware and push the shield outward and see if it pulls it away from the lines. If you would like us to get with you personally to work through anything please shoot us a DM and I will work with you to make sure your needs are taken care of.

3. Vibration - I was passed some notes about potential concerns of vibration. This is a reasonable concern, but one we have tested against on multiple trucks for the last month, and one was 4 months and counting. I am happy to report that under all conditions we tested, these are silent and don't make any vibration noises that any of us heard or are aware of. We hit dirt roads, potholes, bouncy freeways and anything we could find. These are tight fitting and we were aggressive about that in the design phase. We want these to fit above any aftermarket skids on the market and to allow those who have had their skids for years to still be able to work a solution to this new theft problem. We also choose our material (304 stainless steel) and coating (none) very strategically because we know these will get hot and be beaten up by rocks, salt, dirt and more. They will also take a lot of heat as we know the CAT is designed to be a heat chamber and burn off excess fuel in the exhaust system. These things are tough and can take it!

4. 2wd 6-lug Models - I am working with a local customer next week to do a fit test. I believe the transmission crossmember is in a slightly different location from when I designed our slider 5 years ago, but we will be confirming that one right away for you guys.

5. 2wd 5-lug Models - This will be a different product. They have a completely different chassis. We are going to design and produce this as well, so please stay tuned and we will let you guys know.

6. 5th Gen 4Runner - In testing next week, if you like these, please tell your friends it is coming!

Final notes - We are keeping an eye on this thread and will work to give you guys answers to your questions. For any new product, it is typically myself that does the testing on various vehicles. I have a certain way I install things and I have a lot of experience with working on these types of mechanical parts. We also have a local shop that does professional testing on these products for us as well. But we are all very experienced mechanics and automatically use tricks to get parts on without realizing it. So despite our rigorous testing, sometimes we learn things need to be adjusted as more and more people use our parts and provide feedback to us. We can only test so much, and eventually need to take the leap and let the community join us on the journey. It is my goal to hear you all, work through any solutions we can, and update products when we learn there are changes required. This is the case with any new product from any company, however, we are committed to making sure these are right for everyone! We are best suited to troubleshoot any issues through our customer service portal on our website, or please shoot us a DM so we can work with you directly to help with your individual needs. I am confident these are a great solution for you all and you will be happy with the protection they provide! Thanks for taking the time to read my wordy response! hahahaha.

Chris

 

Thank you for taking the time to give us an update.

 

Where did you get the edge guard material? I have extra door edge guard stuff, but it is not as beefy as what you have used.

 

Hope it works . I ordered based on the description: "Fits: Access Cab, Double Cab Short Bed & Long Bed, PreRunner, and 4WD Models Only."

 

Hope the sale keeps going I'm waiting on the 2WD 6 lug test!!

 

It was extra I had from my SSO bumper install.

 

Chris,

“For@JAL I would consider seeing if you can loosen the hardware and push the shield outward and see if it pulls it away from the lines. If you would like us to get with you personally to work through anything please shoot us a DM and I will work with you to make sure your needs are taken care of.”

I did try several times and sequences of screw installation to see if there was any flex that would allow installation. The slots on the forward mount were anywhere from 1/16-3/16” off. As the last resort I reamed the slots out to work. I didn’t want to wait for return and reshippment.

The coolant hose setup looks quite different than mine. Both hoses and that “round” connection point are located in the inside of the shield. The forward edge of cutout was riding in guard on the “round” connection point and hoses rubbing. There was no way to shift to gain cleared holes for security screws or provide clearance for hoses.

 

My order is in! I have an OR MT and looking forward to see how it'll fit and report back!

Merry Xmas to me!

 

Here’s a little more of the coolant hose setup on my 2022 truck.

Chris, On the truck you pictured the hose connections are further outside the shield area. Whereas on mine the shield was making hard contact on the outboard hose clamp and rubbing the inboard hose prior to me making modifications. It still needed to be deeper (cutout area) but I think I’m going to be fine with the edge guard installed.

 

The edge guard is a good diy solution but you shouldn't have to do that. In a cold climate with snow or someone who goes off-road I can't imagine the edge staying in place long term.

 

The edge guard was placed there after I ground off 1/8-3/16” of material that was hard contact/rubbing hose clamp and hoses. There’s about 3/16” clearance on the hose now. The edge guard is extra protection.

 

Hey everyone, we just wanted to share the latest note on a change we made on Friday based on the notes from @JAL. Please see the attached pic that shows the area we trimmed in red. We removed the top of the flange to create more space and also enlarged the curved opening to ensure the hoses are out of harm's way. This area is important to keeping the CAT safe and not creating too big of a space for thieves, but we also need to protect those coolant lines. It is a fine line to walk and unfortunately, Toyota does not like to send us aftermarket companies comprehensive notes of model changes or provide CAD of any kind. So sometimes we learn about different configurations through our customers. We will keep an eye out for any other notes. With what we have received, we are confident that these are going to be perfect moving forward. We can't wait to keep getting these produced as fast as we can. Thank you again to the community for your amazing support!

 

I have a 2022 like JAL mine arrived with the area in red still there Can I get a replacement Passenger side so I can not have to modify the one you sent?? Really don't want to modify a new product

 

I have a 2020 and the shields are supposed to be here on Thursday. Do you know when the changes were made that required these changes to these shields? Alternatively, what year did you test fit on?

 

Look forward to people posting once they receive and install the new version reporting if this creates a grab point to pull the shield down without any front secure points.

 

Just received mine yesterday. like mentioned, I also have a 2022, would it be possible to swap out the side with the coolant hose to the updated version?

 

Can these be powder coated?

 

It might not be an issue with the 2022 during install. We encourage you to give the install and if you have an issue reach out to our customer service. We are unable to assist on tacoma world.

 

We do not offer powder coating for this product.

 

It might not be an issue with the 2022 during install. We encourage you to give the install and if you have an issue reach out to our customer service. We are unable to assist on tacoma world.