Which mod do I get first?

I personally would not do any of those modifications. A "cold air intake" is in reality a hot air intake as it pulls in hot air from the engine compartment. It does not help with performance at all. A new exhaust system also will not help with performance, it will just make your truck louder. I have never used a Pedal Commander so I don't know how much of a benefit they are.

 

For the uninitiated ... a "Friday thread" is a ridiculous post or some topic that has been beaten to death. Thus "snorkel" (far too early to discuss for your truck) discussion on a Tuesday.

Cannot disagree with "pay it off" as a first priority.

 

I put an S&B Cold air intake on my 2017 Limited and very satisfied with the results! I got a very noticeable increase in horsepower and fuel Economy approved about 2 mpg. And it made my Borla exhaust system sound even better. Then I went with the yotawerks black halk 2.0 Tune in fix the Lag in the pedal, stopped the gear hunting, gave me even more Horsepower and 2 mpg increase. Which put me at 23 miles a gallon until I put all-terrain tires on And lost a few mpg.

 

Get some seat covers and a bed mat and bed cover , then give the entune radio the boot.

 

Seat covers and steering wheel cover are the first must haves imo.
Gotta keep the truck clean.
But out of the 3 you listed a petal commander is probably the best bet

 

That's the thing I'm trying to get rid of. When I'm sitting at a light the engine doesn't purr like any other truck. It sounds click clack like a tractor. I just figured those were the kind mods that would eliminate that tractor sound

 

That’s just the way the Atkinson V6 sounds, my neighbor (who is a mechanic) thought I had done a diesel swap the first time he heard the truck idling. No mods that I know of will change the way the motor sounds when it idles. It has a unique sound because of the way it idles, some people call it the “self cleaning mode” although that isn’t a technical term.

 

'Un-friend' whoever pointed you to those 'Mods'... - What a 'first mod' list! Was it the guy at pep boys??? Deary me!
Good advice here. Save your $ and DO NOT spend a penny on any of those.

 

yeah, that's just how the motor sounds with atkinson + direct injection

 

Thanks all for the info

 

lol at the exhaust.

Big noise, no performance... It's embarrassing to watch.

Get yourself some nice A/T tires and enjoy the ride.

 

OP if you want an exhaust/cai go ahead don’t let anyone discourage you from it, some people want an auditory experience to their ride. But yeah the pedal commander is trash get a tune instead

 

What’s wrong with tractors?
https://www.lamborghini-tractors.com/en-eu/

 

Things to note, pedal commander is a throttle sensitivity increaser, does not void a warranty. OTT tune will void your warranty on the power train if something fails.

Cold air Intakes - this motor is meh to begin with for power, a CAI isnt going to increase anything substantial and where our intakes pull from, it will get dirty quick if youre in dusty areas.

Exhaust, AWE makes a great setup and with the disconnectable bashguards in the back it makes it a worthwhile purchase because it sounds amazing and can be saved so it isnt compromised for offroad use

 

As you now know, thats just the sound of the engine. Nothing wrong with getting an exhaust if you want a little more sound presence, but no mods will change the click-clacks the engine makes. A different intake and exhaust may yield you a different sound to get that red-light rumble you're looking for, but just expect a lot of pushback when going for these 3 mods.

CAI - most people don't find value in spending money for no significant HP/performance increase

Exhaust - its a V6; thats enough said for most people. It just doesn't sound good in 99% of the cases, regardless of brand. The general consensus is the TRD Pro exhaust sounds the best, bc its not obnoxious, but gives a small amount of volume/no drone.

Pedal Commander - it doesn't do/fix what most people thinks it does. There's more value in an ECU tune for drivability improvements.

All that said, its your truck, and if you want all 3, don't let anyone stop you. Theres no preference on which order you choose to do those 3 things, because none of them yield any significant improvements to the vehicle other than subjective criteria, so its pretty much just your personal preference.

 

Since I have a Limited 2WD, the first thing I did was get floor mats to cover the carpet. And I’m OCD about keeping rides clean and shiny, so I got the Modesta Glass coating on the exterior paint (no more waxing for about 8 years). Next I got bed step, it’s the best thing since sliced bread. Got bed stiffeners since I haul a lot of firewood. Added a tailgate anti-theft bracket even though it has electric lock. I’m gonna get a bed mat and I enlarged the drain holes on the front of the bed. IMHO - spending $ on a different cold air intake is a waste.

But others have given good advice to just drive it and enjoy it and as time goes by you will do stuff that you want, both appearance wise and functionality wise.

 

^^THIS^^
OTT first - you will love your truck - no more gear hunting and just drives much much better

 

when I bought my truck last month, I also was thinking of getting an aftermarket CAI and exhaust set up. After doing more research, the OEM intake is essentially a cold air intake set up. Maybe some restriction in how the box and piping are set up, but the air is being pulled from the fender if I'm not mistaken. What I ended up doing is getting the TRD pro performance air filter. Its washable, and it could help with better MPG depending on how you drive. I would not say it adds HP/TQ, and no difference in how it sounds. It was a cheap mod, about $57 vs $350 for the SB CAI, or even $80 for the K&N air filter. I do plan on getting a borla cat back exhaust later this year, but I gotta save up some pennies before doing that. If you go the tune route, I would look at OTT first. Across the board reviews have shown it to be the most consistent. I'm on the fence if I want to get it or not myself. Just my 2 cents, I'm sure more veteran tacoma owners will have better understanding in how the factory air intake works.

 

Well, since you asked.....

1) A cold air intake is a complete and total waste of $$$. No, you will not gain any power. If you want more power, you should've bought a Tundra or an F250.

2) A pedal commander is a complete and total waste of $$$. Press the gas pedal more when you want to go faster.

3) An axle back exhaust kit is a complete and total waste of $$$. You didn't buy a Coyote Mustang.

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Things you actually SHOULD have

TOOLS AND FLOOR JACK TO DO YOUR OWN OIL CHANGES, TIRE ROTATIONS, ETC

A) Bed mat
B) Center console organizer
C) Speaker upgrades (tweeters and front doors) + boom mat insulation --> made a remarkable improvement in stereo sound while reducing road noise --> easy and relatively inexpensive DIY project --> 99.9% of people listen to the radio every time they drive. Even though I listen to a lot of talk radio and news, this has been one of my favorite upgrades

 

1. Ive read on here some members having issues with pedal commander, i’d suggest a tune like KD max (search it on the forum) or OTT is another. It reprograms your truck’s ECU rather than installing a middle man (pedal commander) and potential point of failure.

2. Most aftermarket exhausts suck

3. CAI’s do nothing except make noise


So 3 alternatives:
1. ECU tune
2. New tires (duratracs)
3. Seat covers

also welcome to tacomaworld!