Tundra Headquarters TundraHeadquarters is an enthusiast site dedicated to the 2007-and-up Toyota Tundra. Here you'll find reviews, news, and parts and accessory information about the new Toyota Tundra. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 78 0 20 892

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Toyota Says No More To Dust Mites 2008-01-31 20:37:30 Dust allergy sufferers everywhere rejoice! According to JapanToday.com, Toyota announced the development of the world’s first car seat fabric agent that stops 98% of dust mites from becoming active. Toyota intends to begin offering this new treatment on vehicles sold in Japan in the next few years. Dust mites, while technically harmless, are definitely very gnarly-looking creatures. These microscopic beasts account for a substantial portion of the world’s dust (10-20% according to EHSO.com)- mostly because they’re constantly shedding their skin and leaving their feces wherever they please. Even worse, dust mites are suspected of contributing to asthma, eczema, hay fever, and other common allergies. Mites particularly enjoy living in places where your body rests on fabric (like mattresses and car seats). Abating dust mites is rather simple - you can wash your sheets in hot water every couple of weeks, dust and/or vacuum regularly, and use a plastic mattress cover&hell ...

Private Eyes Are Watching You. Are You Paying Attention? 2008-01-22 16:27:31 Sorry to pull out the corny Hall & Oates lyrics, but it made me laugh…Toyota has announced they will integrate “eye monitoring” into a new safety system designed to measure if a driver eye’s are looking at the road. Combining this data with crash detection systems, Toyota’s goal is to determine if you’re paying attention to what’s going on. If the vehicle determines you’re not looking at the road, the vehicle will automatically apply brakes, pre-tension safety belts, etc., in order to prepare for a crash. There are a few problems with this system. First of all, calibrating this system for different people will be difficult. Anyone wearing eyeglasses, sunglasses, different skin tones, light differences caused by people wearing hats, makeup, etc., would all present problems. I don’t pretend to know exactly how this system works, but I would imagine it depends on a computer’s ability to differentiate between light and dark. ...

New 2009 F150 Versus Toyota Tundra 2008-01-18 17:11:49 This week marks the 2008 North American International Auto Show, with Ford debuting the next generation F150 due out in 2009. The newest F150 will represent tougher competition for the Tundra with new features, new engines, better fuel economy, and of course, new sheet metal. Here’s a break down of the new 2009 F150 and Toyota’s anticipated response. The Next Generation F150 Due out in 2009, Ford’s newest F150 (seen hear with Toby Keith and Ford CEO Alan Mulally), will have the new Ford signature three-bar grill similar to the SuperDuty. The SuperCrew will be 6″ longer to make it more competitive in terms of rear seat space. The 2009 F150 will also be lighter (perhaps as much as 500lbs) in order to improve fuel economy. Most of the weight reduction will come from the chassis…Ford states that the new F150’s chassis will be stronger and lighter than the current truck. We’re guessing they’ll use thinner, stronger steel and more aluminum. M ...

Toyota Tundra Hybrid DEAD 2008-01-15 16:20:17 Jim Lentz, President of Toyota’s U.S. sales operations, has officially declared the Tundra Hybrid dead. While we had determined that the Tundra Hybrid was due out in 2009 as a 2010 model, Lentz stated that “different models require different types of fuel saving technology…there may be a few [models] where hybrid technology doesn’t make sense“. Lentz then went on to say that diesel engine offerings in the larger vehicles (Tundra and Sequoia) will be both clean and very efficient. So Toyota’s stated goal of offering a hybrid version of each of their vehicles by 2012 is officially off the table. Some environmental groups are dismayed that Toyota has backed off their plan - Toyota has long been a leader in the field of hybrid drive trains and environmentally friendly vehicles. As far as we’re concerned, it’s very disappointing to learn that Toyota will simply follow other automakers with their plans to develop light diesel truck engines ins ... Hybrid

Toyota Tundra Diesel CONFIRMED 2008-01-14 14:11:13 Boy, do we like it when we’re right…here’s the Reuter’s press release trimmed-down to the important facts: Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe said on Sunday the Japanese automaker will launch a diesel-powered Tundra pickup truck and Sequoia SUV in the United States…Toyota has repeatedly hesitated to committing a diesel vehicle for the U.S. market…especially for use in larger vehicles. “I am happy to confirm that a new clean-diesel V8 engine will be offered in both the Tundra and the Sequoia in the near future,” Watanabe told a news conference at the North American International Auto Show. The “near future” is likely to be next year…we think the Diesel Tundra will debut in late 2009 as a 2010 model. Toyota usually doesn’t disclose information like this unless they’re more than halfway to production. Most industry experts agree that 3 years are needed to develop and produce a new power train, so we’re ...

Toyota To Make Instant Fuel Economy Gauge Standard 2008-01-10 16:06:53 Anybody remember the “motor minder vacuum gauge”? It measured the amount of vacuum in the intake manifold on a carburated vehicle. The more vacuum in the intake manifold, the less fuel being burned (and thus the better your fuel economy). So, if you watched the vacuum gauge while you drove and tried to keep it as high as possible, you could improve your fuel economy. They were fairly common in the early 70s, but they mostly disappeared in the early 80’s when electronic fuel injection made them obsolete. Fast forward to 2008. Many vehicles now feature an instant fuel economy gauge, including the Tundra. If you’re fortunate enough to have one, you know that your truck gets TERRIBLE fuel economy under hard acceleration (try 1-2mpg), but TREMENDOUS fuel economy while coasting (like 80mpg). If you watch it closely, and change your driving habits, you’ll improve your gas mileage. Toyota reports on their Open Road Blog that Prius drivers who watch their “in ...

Toyota Tundra Lift Kit Review: Truxxx 3? Lift Kit 2008-01-05 17:47:06 Lift and leveling kits are some of the most popular accessories for the new Tundra — they improve the look and stance of the truck, allow for bigger tires and wheels, and can even improve ground clearance. We’ve already reviewed the ToyTec 3″ lift kit for the Tundra, now we’re going to review another popular option, the Truxxx Tundra 3″ lift kit. Based in Tucson, Arizona, Truxxx started out installing after-market parts for truck owners in the Tucson area before becoming a manufacturer. All Truxxx lift kits are made in the USA and come with a lifetime warranty. The spacers are powder-coated steel, and the nuts and bolts are cadmium plated with serrated flange heads and built-in washers. We dislike the use of steel - it’s heavier than aluminum and the powder coating can be chipped, exposing the spacers to the elements…but this is a minor complaint. Overall, the kit is of good quality. Before. After. Click photos for a larger view. The Truxxx ki ...

Recall of 2007 4WD Tundras For Possible Propeller Shaft Defect 2008-01-03 19:35:01 Toyota has announced a safety recall on certain 2007 model year Tundra four-wheel-drive pickup trucks. The recall will effect approximately 15,600 units. The Details: From Toyota’s press release “On certain 2007 model year Tundra vehicles, there is a possibility that a joint in the rear propeller shaft may have been improperly heat treated, resulting in insufficient hardness. In the worst case, a section of the rear propeller shaft may separate at the joint. There has been one case reported among all affected vehicles that may relate to this condition. The one case involved abnormal noise and did not involve an accident.” Symptoms: According to the press release, an “abnormal noise” led to Toyota finding the problem. While there are literally hundreds of things that can cause an “abnormal noise”, you might want to contact your local Toyota dealer if your 4WD Tundra is exhibiting signs of rear-end noise that varies with RPM. Am I Effected? If y ...

2007 Toyota Tundra - The Year In Review 2008-01-01 17:16:08 The newest version of the Toyota Tundra, assembled in Texas and Indiana, debuted in February 2007, and it was easily Toyota’s best effort at making a full-size truck. Comparisons of the Tundra vs F150 and Tundra vs Ram both showed Toyota offered a superior product in terms of design, value, and performance. However, Toyota didn’t understand the truck market. The launch of the Tundra was worse than expected because Toyota over-estimated the demand for the “fleet” version of the truck, resulting in quite a few base Tundras on lots that needed incentives to sell. Toyota also had to deal with rumors of a 5.7L engine recall that were dramatically overstated (by both the mass media and this website). Toyota corrected their oversight and debuted the CrewMax, resulting in a big sales boost and increase in popularity. The popularity of the Tundra was demonstrated by the number of people modifying their trucks - take a look at our featured Tundras for 2007, and read about ...

TRD Parts for the Toyota Tundra: 2007 and 2008 2007-12-27 16:53:40 Here’s a list of TRD parts available for the 2007 and 2008 Toyota Tundra. We’ve included the suggested retail price as well as what you can expect to pay for each part (prices don’t include install). TRD High Performance Brake Kit TRD’s part description: “Provides increased heat capacity for substantially more resistance to brake fade and caliper distortion during multiple stops from high speed. Creates firmer pedal feel due to stronger and more rigid components. Better modulation characteristics under threshold braking…” Our take: Cool. Literally. Keeps brakes cool. If you plan on racing and/or towing like crazy, buy these brakes. You can probably get them for $2500-$2600, but expect to have to order them. The good news is you can put your old rotors and calipers on eBay or Craigslist and get some of your money back. Fits Tundra 07-08′, Sequoia 08′ with 20″ wheels (or larger, will not fit with 18″ wheels) — Part ...

Special Ordering a New Tundra - The Skinny 2007-12-21 21:39:06 Here’s the deal with “special ordering” a new Toyota. Technically, it’s possible. Realistically, it’s often too much trouble to bother with. Toyota, unlike domestic manufacturers, doesn’t build trucks to a dealer’s spec. Instead, before one vehicle is built, Toyota determines the number of red ones, the number of 4×4’s, the number of limiteds, etc. that they’re going to build. As the trucks are produced and sold, Toyota may (or may not) tweak their pre-determined production numbers based on sales rates and commodity availability. Witness the beginning of the 07′ model year — Toyota was producing quite a few regular cab Tundras in a “fleet” configuration because they anticipated a lot of fleet sales. Unfortunately, the demand for reg cabs was low, so Toyota’s first incentive was $1,000 on all regular cab Tundras. In short, Toyota doesn’t build trucks based on orders. They build trucks based o ...

Possible Bed Bounce CURE 2007-12-15 12:52:49 Great news! One of our readers, Matthew Davis, has come up with a way to dampen and CURE the Tundra’s bed bounce cheaply and simply — check out his full explanation and PICTURES below: Hello everyone. I am the owner of a 2007 Tundra double cab 4X4 with the 5.7 engine. I have noticed the bed vibration since shortly after purchasing the truck in July. I had some time on my hands the other day, so I got up under the truck to see if I could identify the source of the vibration. Those of you who own this truck can go and grab the rear bumper and shake it up and down vigorously and you will observe independent motions of the bed and the cab. I began to realize that the frame of this truck has a harmonic frequency with a pivot point between the engine/transmission area and the rear axle area of the frame. (Visualize a guitar string.) You can get into the bed of the truck and stand directly over the rear axle and jump up and down, and you will find that it is almost impossible to m ...

Diesel Tundra Update: Diesel Tundra Likely in 2009 2007-12-12 19:03:12 Isuzu and Toyota made a recent announcement about a diesel they’re developing that shines some light on their development of a diesel Toyota Tundra. GOOD NEWS: While not specifically having anything to do with the Tundra, Toyota’s recent announcement (see link below) contains some enlightening information. The press release indicates that Toyota and Isuzu can recuperate diesel development costs even if the diesel engine they’ve developed only sells 20k units per year. If Toyota can recover their R&D costs on on such a small number of engines, the sales volume needed to justify producing a diesel variant of the Tundra is probably lower than we estimated in our last discussion of a Diesel Toyota Tundra. If we conservatively assume that Toyota will need to sell 40k diesel engines per year to cover R&D costs, Toyota only needs to boost Tundra sales by 20% to reach their “break-even” point. In 2006, Dodge sold 150k diesels, GM 200k, and Ford about 320k ...

Sweet Zero to Fifty Five Tundra Video 2007-12-08 19:25:27 Nice video of Will Travis racing his blue 07′ Reg. Cab. Find more videos like this on TundraHeadquarters Social Network I like the smell of burning rubber in the morning. Smells like…victory. ...

How Long Before Toyota’s Drive Themselves with Robotics? 2007-12-08 18:43:43 Toyota Motor Company has a history of innovation. They debuted a production hybrid car in 1997 (the Prius). They built one of the world’s most sophisticated assembly plants in Mikawa Bay, Japan, called Tahara, back in 1979. The Tahara plant is now estimated to be the world’s best quality auto production facility, with fewer defects per vehicle than any plant in the world. Of course, in 2007, Toyota debuted the new Tundra, the most powerful half-ton truck on the market today. So, like I said, they’ve got a history of innovation. We’ve already reported that Toyota is excited about the potential of their personal robot, and how they plan to develop a completely new industry. However, we’ve seen evidence that they intend to apply much of the technology developed with robotics integrated into new vehicles. Here’s a list of the new features you can expect: 1) Optical Recognition: What’s really stopping your car from driving itself? The on-board compu ...