Toyota’s Full-Size Pickup truck offering, Toyota Tundra, is fascinating. It is not as powerful as the domestic offerings, but it doesn’t claim to be. Toyota Tundra is right up your alley if you are a fan of Toyota and how reliable and overbuilt their vehicles are. Whether you are a Tundra owner who’s looking for a performance upgrade or want to buy a new or a used Toyota Tundra, knowing which Toyota Tundra mods will be best for you will be very valuable. So, without further ado, let’s dive into why people use the best Toyota Tundra mods.
Why Do People Buy Toyota Tundra?
Most people buy Toyota vehicles because they are reliable, cheap to run, and long-lasting. Toyota Tundra is no different. It is a solidly-built, reliable truck that can easily handle occasional off-road trips to hauling. While Tundra’s payload and towing capacity are slightly lower than its competitors, it is still a very versatile pickup truck.
Toyota Tundra has always been a strong truck emphasizing off-road use. All generations of Tundras are fantastic for off-road adventures. While the older generations had the optional V8s, the twin-turbo V6 that comes with the recently updated Toyota Tundra is plenty powerful for almost everything you need on and off the road.
Should You Mod Your Toyota Tundra?
You should mod your car if you think you would benefit from modding your Toyota Tundra. Countless Toyota Tundra mods can help you improve on and off-road performance and more power. Not all mods are under the hood, too. You can find plenty of mods for customizing the appearance and comfort of your Toyota Tundra, too. Before taking a deep dive into best Toyota Tundra mods, we should look at the advantages and disadvantages of modding a car.
Advantages of Toyota Tundra Mods
While Toyota Tundra is a competent vehicle, you can further enhance its capabilities with the best Toyota Tundra performance parts. You can use different products to make your vehicle fit different situations. The most significant advantage of best Toyota Tundra upgrades is customizability. You can make your vehicle truly yours and set it apart by installing tasteful mods suitable to your wants and needs. For example, if you want a competent off-road vehicle that can go anywhere and do anything. In that case, you can get there with some strategic mods such as a Toyota Tacoma lift kit and some recovery gear like winches and traction boards. If you want better comfort on the road, you can get Toyota Tacoma interior mods like better seats, sound isolation, and seals for sound deadening. You can also find aftermarket heated seats if you live in a colder environment.
Another big advantage is price. With new and used vehicle prices going through the roof, installing a performance part is became of the most cost-effective ways to get a refresh. You can add almost every option to your car, from parking cameras to heated seats.
Another good thing about modding a car is its performance. With some performance mods, you can enhance your Tundra’s performance the way you want. You can get there with superchargers, turbochargers, and ECU tuners if you want more horsepower.
Disadvantages of Modding Your Toyota Tundra
Modding any vehicle is almost always a game of compromise. That’s not too different for Toyota Tundra too. Whenever you enhance some parts of your vehicle, you probably compromise other parts. That’s just how it works. While some mods like sway bars and suspension upgrades seem like they don’t have too many downsides, you do have to compromise some comfort to get that sweet handling. Finding the right balance that works for you is your duty when starting any projects involving best Toyota Tundra car mods.
Apart from balancing compromises, you also need to accept that most car mods drop the resale value of your vehicle. While this is not always true, most people want to buy a clean, stock vehicle. When you install any mod, the number of potential buyers drops significantly. While dealerships can sell modded cars for more, that won’t be the case for you.
Modding can also void your warranty. While you are protected under the Magnuson-Moss Act, dealerships can still revoke the warranty claiming the aftermarket mod caused the damage. Apart from a void warranty, mods can render your car illegal for road use if you want to install power mods like turbochargers, superchargers, ECU tuners, or exhaust mods.
What Are Some Popular Mods for Toyota Tundra
Toyota Tundra is a popular vehicle with a lively aftermarket scene. Countless manufacturers are trying to catch the attention of Toyota Tundra owners with mods and accessories that can improve their vehicles. This is good for you as a customer. Competition means you get better products for lower prices. However, shopping for mods does get significantly more complicated with all the choices in the market. Here are some of the most popular ones to help you navigate the market easily.
CAT Shields
No, we are not talking about those cute cat costumes. Cat shields are metal plates designed to protect your catalytic converter from the prying eyes and tools of catalytic converter thieves. Because of their height, Toyota Tundras are prime targets for catalytic converter theft, so installing a cat shield is a great idea.
Installing a catalytic converter may need some help from a garage because, most of the time, it involves some welding. Other than some welding skills, cat shields are some of the best mods you can do for peace of mind.
Light Bars
Light bars are beneficial mods if you plan to do lots of camping, overlanding, or off-roading with your Toyota Tundra. While your Tundra’s headlights are powerful enough for day-to-day, or should we say night-to-night use, you can’t depend on them to navigate your way through the darkness off the road where there are many hidden dangers.
These mods are a bunch of powerful LED lights that are attached to your vehicle. It is as simple as it gets, but it is very impactful. Also, light bars do look badass!
Bed Cover/Tonneau Covers
Tonneau covers seem purely aesthetic, but they serve a purpose. Apart from looking great, a tonneau cover can keep your payload dry and out of sight. Whether you want to keep your equipment safe from rain and snow or deter thieves from jumping on your bed, investing in a tonneau cover is a fantastic idea.
Moreover, tonneau covers usually pay for themselves. That’s right. Your Toyota Tundra's or any pickup truck's bed traps air and creates drag. A tonneau cover creates a smoother surface with much less drag, increasing the fuel economy by up to 5%.
Winch and Recovery Gear
If you are serious about off-roading, having recovery gear such as tow straps, tow hooks, trail jacks, and traction pads is necessary. Also, a small electric winch will be a huge plus. While Toyota Tundra’s off-road capabilities are well-documented, even it can get stuck in mud, snow, and rocks.
A winch, coupled with other recovery gear like traction pads, can get you out of almost anything. While they can be a little expensive, you’ll be glad you have them when you need them. Also, other recovery equipment is quite affordable, so you should have them around just in case.
Air Intake/Air Fılter
Your vehicle needs air, fuel, and spark to make a boom. If you want it to make more power, you must introduce more or colder air to the mix. Whether you install a cold air intake, a much better intake, or a less restrictive air filter, your vehicle will make more boom.
Cold air intakes are particularly interesting because cold air is denser and has more oxygen. If you want a better-performing Tundra without breaking the bank
Lift Kits and Suspension Systems
Suspension systems should be one of the first things you should look to upgrade if you decide to build your truck. While suspension does not provide extra power, it will give you the ride you want and can improve handling.
On the other hand, Toyota Tundra lift kits can improve your truck's looks. Also, a lift kit can be a massive help in off-road situations.
Bull Bars
Bull bars look cool. Nobody can deny that. They can also protect your vehicle from frontal impacts. Bull bars are significant if you do a lot of backcountry driving with higher chances for animal impact.
Bull Bars can also make for a fantastic mounting point for other equipment, such as lights, radio antennas, and winches. If you own a Toyota Tundra, consider investing in a bull bar.
Bed Mats and Bed Liners
Bed mats, liners, and bed coats protect your Toyota Tundra's bed against rust, dirt, and water. If you rely on your truck for work, invest in a bed mat or bed liner sooner rather than later.
Under Seat Storage
Under-seat storage is an issue for Toyota Tundra. Toyota doesn’t offer it out of the factory, so if you need extra storage space to organize your car or need a place to store all the emergency essentials, under-seat storage systems for Toyota Tundra can help tremendously.
Center Console Organiser
Toyota Tundra’s center console is huge, and keeping it organized is a chore. However, some inexpensive accessories can help you cut down the mess. You can even get safes for your center console to keep your valuables safer.
Running Boards
The Toyota Tundra is a relatively high truck, so a running board can make it easier for passengers to get in and out of the vehicle. If you have children or older adults who may have difficulty stepping into the cabin, a running board is a key investment for them. Running boards can also be helpful for loading or unloading cargo on the roof rack or for reaching items stored in the truck's bed.
If you want to customize your truck, Toyota Tundra running boards can be worthwhile because they look fantastic.
Wheels and Tires
Wheels and tires are essential upgrades that can change how your Toyota Tundra looks, feels, and performs. Before upgrading your wheels and tires, you must have a game plan in mind. If you plan to do lots of off-roading, you should get bigger, more robust tires with specialized thread patterns for improved traction. If you plan to stay on the road, you can find different tires for improving braking, acceleration, handling, and fuel economy.
The same thing goes for the wheels, too. Good aftermarket wheels for Toyota Tundra can improve your truck's look and durability.
Supercharger/Turbocharger
Installing a supercharger or a turbocharger is not for the faint of heart. These mods are more involved than almost everything we mentioned combined. If you want to convert your truck to forced induction, you must make some adjustments and install extra parts.
For example, before installing a turbocharger to your older Toyota Tundra with a naturally aspirated engine, you need to install some plumbing for the turbocharger, an intercooler, better intake, and exhaust manifolds, and we are not finished yet.
More air doesn’t mean much if you can’t burn more fuel, so you need to touch on the fuel injection system of your car. You may also need the next two entries in this list to successfully turbo and run your car for a long time.
Better Internals for the Engine
If you plan to do power mods, you need to beef up your engine. More power means your engine works extra hard. You must compensate for this extra work by installing stronger internals. This means installing bigger and stronger valves and forged pistons on your vehicle. Yes, even your Toyota Tundra might need better, stronger internals.
Performance Programmers/Chip Tuners
ECU tuners, performance programmers, chip tuners, call it what you will, but these tools are some of the most powerful tools you can get. If you know what you are doing, you can squeeze more power out of your engine without any other modifications.
If you plan to mod your car, best Toyota Tundra tuners can help you fine-tune the fuel-air ratio and help you dial your car the way you want. Don’t go running to buy a chip tuner yet! Do some research and understand what you are doing. Better yet, get professional help with tuning your car because chip tuners can cause catastrophic damage if you don’t know what you are doing.
Pedal Commander
Even if you go all out and build a sick Toyota Tundra doesn’t mean you don’t need Pedal Commander. What Pedal Commander does is so simple, but it is very effective. All vehicles have throttle lag, especially if you have a drive-by-wire truck. You know what we are talking about if you drive a Toyota Tundra.
Having all that power doesn’t mean much if you can’t access it whenever you need it, right? If you say yes, you should get a Pedal Commander. With Pedal Commander’s four modes and 46 presets, you will get the throttle response you need without needing any other mod. If you have other mods, Pedal Commander is still a valuable tool to customize your throttle response on the fly.
If you need quick acceleration or a more responsive drive, you can set Pedal Commander to Sport mode and be in awe because, with Pedal Commander, your Tundra will react instantly to your inputs. If you need finer control or fuel economy, you can set Pedal Commander to Eco mode and get up to 20% fuel economy. If you want to learn more about how Pedal Commander can help your Toyota Tundra, or read the experiences of Toyota Tundra owners, click here!
