TRD Exhaust?

TRD Pro

 

Here it is.

 

I definitely want to do the intake, just haven’t decided on which one to go with.

I’m still under warranty, so not sure about the tune. Any suggestions?

 

KDMax variants are plug and play for me. And better sound.
A few other i tried need some tailoring

 

Keep it in warranty TRD is installed stock, just use OEM all the way... here is a view of the add
https://youtu.be/wb9DMEBv7GI

 

Ermergerd OEM!!!

Stop with that nonsense and spreading misinformation. A cat-back will not affect your warranty no matter what brand it is.

UGHHHH!

 

Definitely pair it with the TRD intake. I installed both at the same time and could not tell any performance improvement but the acoustics are perfect not too loud not too soft just right. I found myself rolling the window down more just to hear it better

 

The sound is great when paired together, now throw in a KDMAX Pro tune and it sounds even better. The lower rpm horsepower added from the tune changes the sound down low for a little bore aggressive tone. That is what I noticed.

 

Wow, you got the full shebang. Those cats on the ypipe alone cost more than the TRD Pro exhaust. They are pretty easy to sell too, since recently a lot of people have had their cats stolen and are in need of a replacement.

 

Yep. It was a no brainer after I saw that. Just picked it up yesterday.

 

Other than the warranty on the cat-back itself of course if it's aftermarket. Agreed though, unlikely for a cat-back only exhaust to cause an issue somewhere else.

 

If you don't want to spend the $350 on the TRD Cold Air Intake and can live without the pretty box and tubes under the hood, you can get the "working" parts - the Toyota intake flow accelerator and the TRD performance air filter - for around $80. That's what I did. The butt dyno noted a little improvement, but who knows really. As to the tune, for the longest time I was against it for the potential warranty risk as well. After doing some research I determined that while the risk is not zero it's certainly pretty low. With the KDMax tune the ECU ID is not changed, so if someone plugs it into an OBDII reader or TechStream the ECU ID will read the same as the stock tune ID. Sure, if Toyota pulls your ECU and starts digging around enough they will be able to tell, but for 99% of the warranty work you will go in for that won't be necessary. If you're worried about that 1% you can always flash back to the stock tune before you go in for service. I ended up going for the KDMax Pro+ XT tune and never looked back. The difference is amazing. Now I look for excuses to drive the truck lol.

 

Did you try any of the other tune settings with KDMax?

Can you describe the difference between stock and the KDMax Pro+ XT?

 

The only thing you can really try with the Pro+ XT are the throttle settings. There are 3....lite, normal, and sport. All three are more responsive than stock, it just depends how sensitive you want your throttle response to be. I'm an old fart so I went with the lite and it works great for me. My days of jumping off the line are long over You can also go with the KDMax Pro+ version (minus the XT) which will shorten the gear hold times a bit. If you decide to get tuned your tuner will let you try the different throttle settings and see which one you prefer if you are undecided about which to choose, and you can discuss the Pro+ vs the Pro+XT. I chose to buy the DIY kit and do the flash myself, so if I want to change throttle response and go with the normal at some point I can, but what I have works for me. I can also flash back to stock if I'm ever concerned about a service visit, then flash the tune back in when I'm done. If there is a tuner near you they will do that for you for free once you're a customer. My problem was the closest tuner was over 3 hours away.

As to the differences, it's quite noticeable. First of all that feeling of a dead throttle when you step on the gas is gone. The shifting is smoother and more predictable and the gear hunting is basically gone. Each gear is held a bit longer which improves your low end torque, and your acceleration is linear. With the stock tune it's like it's a race to get into 6th gear since the tune is biased towards fuel economy. This is what causes the constant downshifting when you hit even the slightest incline. Personally I think the juice is well worth the squeeze.

Full disclosure, I was so happy with the results and with no tuner in the area (SE Florida), I'm in the process of setting up to be a KDMax tuner and be able to tune for others. I hope to be ready to go by the end of next month. So my opinion, while admittedly a bit biased, is my honest opinion and not a sales pitch.

 

No exhaust upgrade for the 3.5 v6 can compete with a LS swap. Go big or go home.