'20 TRD Pro Exhaust
- Thread starter Bruin1md
- Start date
fasteddy904
New member
Can you recommend one? Where does it get installed?
Somewhere upstream of your mufflers you’ll have a resonator most likely. You can just put another one in before or after. If you don’t like it just remove it and try more expensive options.
A decent muffler shop can hear your concerns and help.
Since it designed specifically to provide more sound and be less restrictive, I’m guessing the chance of Toyota changing it to be 0%. Wouldn’t get your hopes up that they fix something they intentionally designed.
Charles Bronson
Member
There are no resonators in the OEM or TRD system. I'm well versed in auto mechanics (30 years working on cars) and do much of my own work on my vehicles. There is no room for a resonator of any meaningful size (i.e., 12"+), unfortunately. The muffler on either system is too long and there is no room before the exhaust pipe goes over the axle and there's little room forward of the muffler and aft of the catalytic converters. Also, resonators won't do much for volume, they just smooth out the sound. We really need a second small muffler which defeats the purpose of a high-flow system.
LOL.
I yanked the TRD exhaust and put the OEM exhaust back on my wife's 2020 4runner a couple weeks back. The truck is SO MUCH BETTER. It's quiet, smooth, and oddly, I swear it feels more responsive. Even the 4-5 downshifting which is common on the highway is no big deal now because you hardly hear it. I love driving it now. Of course, my wife misses the sound and hates that her 4runner sounds like all the others. I think she's off her freaking rocker in thinking that the moaning/droning TRD exhaust sounds good.
If I have to put that POS system back on, I'm wrapping the muffler in exhaust insulation and the exhaust pipe in heat wrap. I don't give a flying fart if I rot that system by doing that. I'll also cut the TRD tip off and add a resonated one and install one or two exhaust inserts: 2.5" Exhaust Cone Insert Sound Reducer | ZZPerformance. We're talking $300 in mods to the exhaust system and sound insulation and I still doubt it will do much.
I can't stress enough how much the TRD exhaust degrades this truck. I'm all for good sounding exhausts (my BMW M235 has a high flow downpipe and catback), but you can't make an naturally aspirated V6 sound good. Impossible. Period.
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Agree with this 1000%. I haven't heard one "normal" V6 vehicle with an exhaust sound good. Looking at you too, Jeep owners with Metal Muhlisha exhausts....
AgentKooper
New member
Why’d you take it off your wife’s car if she loves it? I’ve got over 6,000 miles in my 2021 TRDP, and the exhaust doesn’t bother me at all.
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Clearly he sees Toyota’s design as a flawed mistake that must be resolved to suit him, and him alone.
We all have exhaust opinions, so I say whatever. Seems like a waste of time and money if the wife doesn’t care.
Charles Bronson
Member
Perhaps in CO you don't often drive at high speeds and slow/steady grades that result in a lot of droning.
My wife agreed to remove it (possibly only temporarily) because when we're on longer trips on the highway (5th gear, 65-80mph), people in truck, especially those the back seat must endure the constant bassy drone of the TRD exhaust as it varies its drone tone in 4th and 5th gear in the super annoying drone range of ~1700-2300rpms. When it's hot out (75+ degrees), the TRD exhaust gets deeper/louder which is something I've noticed on all aftermarket exhausts I've owned. The drone also gets worse if you load up the back which is the exact opposite of what I thought would happen. The excessive exhaust volume also overpowers the stereo when at typical sane volumes so it forces you to increase the volume and then it becomes too loud for others in the truck trying to listen to their own music/videos.
FYI, your TRD exhaust will get louder and drone as it ages and carbon builds up in the interior. The TRD really group sucks when it comes to designing exhausts. I haven't read a single review of a TRD exhaust for any Toyota product that doesn't report it as being boomy, loud, and droning. Automatics only compound this issue.
The TRD exhaust on the 4Runner has by far the worst drone I've ever heard in a vehicle and I've had some loud exhausts in the past. The fact that this is a V6 makes the drone frequency far less pleasing than something like a V8 which has a mellower, more soothing drone frequency.
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AgentKooper
New member
Well, sounds like it’s not working for you, so I’m glad you got it changed. I’m frequently driving from Denver up to the mountains, up very long grades. None of the V6 engines I’ve had sound particularly great when pushed up Vail pass. For me personally, the TRD exhaust isn’t an issue, so just adding that different perspective here.
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Charles Bronson
Member
Around town below 50mph and once the rpms are over 2500rpms or so like hilly and mountain driving, I find the TRD exhaust completely acceptable. The issue is that the drone hits right at around 1800-2100rpms which is the rpm the transmission is constantly seeking at light throttle.
I would actually drive the truck in 4th a lot of time on the highway at speeds below 75mph to keep the rpms above the drone range. It does impact MPGs, but not as badly as I thought it would (only about 1 mpg).
Per a majority of the 2020+ 4Runner TRD Pro journalist reviews, the TRD exhaust is excessive and needless on the highway. I should have listened to them! LOL
2021nightshade4x4
New member
No such thing as exhaust paint but would engine paint work?
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Charles Bronson
Member
Agreed. I would recommend cleaning the tip thoroughly, then scuffing it with a light grit sand paper, wipe down with rubbing alcohol, apply and then apply 3 to 4 coats of BBQ/grill paint. I did that on my BMW M235's exhaust tips and muffler can (I used flat black for both).
Rust-Oleum 7778830 High Heat Enamel Spray Paint, 12 oz, Bar-B-Que Black - Spray Paints - Amazon.com
If I have to put the TRD exhaust back on, I'm chopping off the exhaust tip and adding a resonated one.
jasxn
Member
does this really work? I have a borla s-type and just like the Pro exhaust, when you hit a certain rpm the drone gets annoying and/or driving up mountains/hills/etc...
as you can see i'm being very lazy to reinstall the oem.....
I had a NISMO exhaust on a 2011 3.5L Altima ... By far worse than my TRD exhaust. Looked great, made me want to blow my own eardrums out to stop the drone.
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josephp732
New member
I just got a 2021 TRD ORP that has a factory installed TRD exhaust. Having a 2019 TRD OR and a 2019 Limited - I thought the 2021 sounded cool on the test drive.....well with only 200 miles on the new truck and about 100 of them highway miles...the drone of this exhaust is really tough for me to listen to.
Graciously another forum member has offered up his stock exhaust, but I am also very curious how the Borla Touring Exhaust and the Magnaflow Overland Exhaust compare to the original stock exhaust - are they a little deeper with-out the drone?
Graciously another forum member has offered up his stock exhaust, but I am also very curious how the Borla Touring Exhaust and the Magnaflow Overland Exhaust compare to the original stock exhaust - are they a little deeper with-out the drone?
TrailRunnin14
New member
I just put the TRD exhaust on my 2014 over the weekend. I was expecting a bad drone after reading all of the complaints. We are realize that this is a V6, so it’s not going to sound great. I’m guessing from most of the complaints that people have not run an exhaust on a V6 before. I would honestly say that the TRD exhaust is relatively quiet and I don’t experience a drone at all on the highway. Now if you were running a 14” Magnaflow of something like that then that would be another story.
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josephp732
New member
For me the drone is really difficult on my ears when accelerating up grades and at highway speeds around 70MPH running at ~2,300 RPM's. My wife and I also tow a boat from NJ to FL twice year and I think driving this rig for over 20 hours and 1,300 miles would be a very tough listening experience.
I had a 4.6L Mustang GT that use to drone with an aftermarket exhaust right at 1,800rpm's.
Now my 67' Barracuda Fastback with a 383-cid B-block and glass packs sounds very loud but very sweet.
I know there is a huge disparity in what people find tolerable with exhaust sound/volume/drone - I am just wondering what people experience with other aftermarket systems.
I had a 4.6L Mustang GT that use to drone with an aftermarket exhaust right at 1,800rpm's.
Now my 67' Barracuda Fastback with a 383-cid B-block and glass packs sounds very loud but very sweet.
I know there is a huge disparity in what people find tolerable with exhaust sound/volume/drone - I am just wondering what people experience with other aftermarket systems.
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