4.0 V6 .... Love the power, hate the sound

So I have had my 2011 DCSB TRD for about a week. 72k miles, one owner all maintenance done. Truck is mint.

Love the power curve. Perfect truck motor, torque comes on soon and hits with every up-shift. It actually feels better than the hp/tq rating in my opinion. I am coming from a 2010 MDX which has 300hp but is soft on the bottom. I prefer the Toyota power delivery for a truck.

But.... This motor sounds kind of gritty. The ticking was apparent when I bought it. I did the research and mine sounds like a sewing machine in the wheel wells. My understanding is this is typical. But overall under acceleration the motor just sound a bit rough. Cruising at 2k or less is fine or even under low rpm load.

First, I do not think there is anyway to make the engine sound quieter or smoother. I did the evap valve mod already and that helped a little. Now the ticking sounds valve or injector related and is the same on both banks. My guess is the engine will always make these noises.

So my options are:

1) Do nothing, chalk it up to first world problems and move on.
2) Try to make the sound of accelerating more appealing. Thinking of an exhaust or CAI. I like some of the ones I have heard watching vids.
3) Insulate the engine compartment for noise. Add an acoustic hood blanket and maybe inner finder liner. The material is cheap enough, but the results may be limited.

Let me know if you guys have tried any of the above, and/or what you think.

Thanks!

 

You didn’t think of these things before you test drove and then bought it?

 

Excellent point. No need for any further ideas.

 

Never seen this one before. But you can fit 265/70-17 tires without a lift.

 

@Apex1 Instead of insulating the engine compartment, why not insulate the cab. I believe the name is dynamat. This way not only are you going to reduce the noise from the engine bay, but you will also reduce road noise and any other sound from outside of the cab.

 

Fart can exhaust

 

Use sound deadening in the cab. Keep outside noise out and improves acoustics for your music inside. Worth it.

 

This is one of the best things I've done to the truck especially running Duratracs as they are noisy tires.

 

Absolutely, but didn't seem that bad during the test drive. I guess you learn and notice more things after driving a vehicle for a few days.

 

Probably a good idea. I used this before installing speakers in a door. Pull up the carpet and lay this down underneath.

 

I actually installed a TRD exhaust because the truck was too quiet for me. Decent sound with no drone.

 

Truck prior to my Tacoma + 1GR had a 22R-E that sounded even more like a sewing machine for the 287,000 miles I put on it. I assume it still sounds like a Singer for the guy putting more miles on it since. I don't care about the ticks and taps Toyota engines make. When the ticks and tap sounds change then I worry.

 

Better than loving the sound but hating the power, lol. At least your issue with it can be fixed rather inexpensively in comparison.

 

People armchair quarterback all the time when they're outside of the situation. It's easier to pick up on things once you've been in a previously unfamiliar environment for awhile. Lord knows it's happened to me plenty of times.

Bottom of the cab, door panels, rear cab... Even the roof if you're inclined. Throw some CLD, CCF, and MLV mats in there and be done with it.

 

1st world issues. Just live with it.

 

Check the oil

Check the exhaust. Are the heat shields loose?

 

That's helpful

 

This might sound dumb but run some boutique synthetic engine oil? That tends to quiet things down a little.

 

option 2. The supercharger makes it sound different.

 

Put some good music on the stereo, turn it up a tad and drive on. After a little while you won't really notice the noises anymore. It's just part of these trucks. I swear that the lawn tractors you can buy at home depot are probably more refined mechanically.