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Originally Posted by SWFL5.7XSP
Borla does make TRD.
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No, the base factory exhaust AND the TRD exhaust are made by Tenneco Automotive. (Their aftermarket brand names are Walker and Monroe)
Both systems are made in their facility in San Antonio (on Toyota's property) and also in Evansville, Indiana (near the Princeton plant.) I know this because I managed the Toyota business for them up to August last year. The TRD system was my baby.
There are huge differences between aftermarket and the TRD exhaust for the 07 Tundra. We did the TRD system for the Scion tC and it was launched as an accessory. Only the basic testing was required by TMS in order to be approved. However, the TRD system for the Tundra was a completely different ball of wax. Toyota's OE group (called EKB) was involved in the testing and evaluation. This dual system was extremely critical to the success of the new truck when the press would get the first reviews. It HAD to sound American.
The durability requirements for the this system were very extreme. Much more so than a typical aftermarket program. The TRD system for the Tundra had to go through full testing in a full anechoic chamber, fatigue testing, resonance frequency, shell emission noise, thermal fatigue and so on. I can assure you that aftermarket systems by MagnaFlow, Borla, Gibson or Flowmaster do not go through this kind of testing.
The reason Toyota's requirements are so tough on this system versus previous model TRD systems is that they are installed ON the assembly line like a factory option. TRD systems for the first gen Tundra were installed off line in a TMS building across from the plant. Because the 2nd system is installed in the Toyota factory, the system is treated by Toyota like a factory part and not an accessory. This may not sound like a big deal, but within Toyota, it certainly is.
The OE system design is a dual in and single outlet system. The 2nd Gen TRD system is a dual in and dual out design. Both the base system and the TRD muffler is a laser welded muffler design. Pipes and muffler are a combination of 439 and 409 stainless steels. All of the TIG welds are done by robots or rotary welders. (Not hand welded.) Since the pipe had to cross over to the driver's side, countermeasures were put in place to counter heat damage to the bed of the truck, the brake lines and the rubber insulator holding the pipe up on that side. Other aftermarket manufacturers would not know about the heat issues since they wouldn't run thermal couplers on the truck and take those measurements. We learned from the competitors brake recall issues on the first gen Tundra.
What I'm trying to spell out is that the TRD system is not just some aftermarket system. It took hundreds of man hours to get the tuning "just right" and to make sure every "i" was dotted and every "t" was crossed. Sure, you can save a couple hundred bucks and get an aftermarket system. In the end, you will replace that system in a couple of years and be back to square one. Since this system is designed by the same people as the factory systems, built on the same equipment, made of the same materials and gone through the same testing ... then the life of the system should be just as long as you've come to expect from your factory systems.
Trust me, this is money well spent. Enjoy!!
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