The Supercharged Toyota Tundra TRD: A Forgotten Muscle Truck Champion
Prior to the Ford Raptor and Ram TRX muscle truck boom, a few models tested the waters of fast pickup trucks. The Ford Lightning, GMC Syclone, and Chevrolet 454 SS showed that the truck market was ready for a change. While Ford and Dodge capitalized with the Raptor and TRX, Toyota remained silent in recent years. But it wasn’t always this way.
For those who might have forgotten, or never knew, a supercharged Toyota Tundra once dominated streets and tracks. Toyota themselves quietly stopped selling their TRD supercharger kits, bowing to the pressure of tighter emissions regulations. However, from 2008 to 2015, any new Tundra had a shot at being known as the fastest truck in the world. It was a sleeper, a true titan hiding where you least expected it, just waiting for the right person to unlock its full potential.
The Making of a Muscle Truck
To morph into a true muscle truck, the Toyota Tundra went through some serious in-house changes using high-performance TRD parts. At the core of this transformation was, of course, a supercharger—an Eaton roots-type unit that turned the already powerful 5.7-liter V8 into a tire-shredding beast.
A red Toyota Tundra TRD Supercharged.
2009 Toyota Tundra TRD Supercharged Specs
- Engine: 5.7-Liter Supercharged V8
- Horsepower: 504 HP
- Torque: 550 lb.-ft.
- Transmission: 6-Speed Auto
- Driveline: RWD
- 0-60 MPH: 4.4 Seconds
- 1/4 Mile: 13.5 Seconds
But Toyota didn’t stop with just forced induction. To help handle the extra power, TRD fitted the Tundra with a revamped dual-exhaust system, a high-performance “big-brake kit” featuring 16-inch cross-drilled front rotors with six-piston calipers, along with a complete suspension overhaul. Upgraded front coils, rear leaf springs, and a new rear anti-roll bar worked in harmony with tuned shocks. Forged, polished 22-inch TRD wheels, covered in 285/35 performance tires, ensured good grip, while a 2-inch front and 2.5-inch rear drop in ride height gave the truck a serious stance.
Unlike factory-installed performance packages offered by rivals, the Tundra’s supercharger was sold as a dealer option. Enthusiasts could transform their Tundra into a super-truck without voiding their factory warranty. It was Toyota’s way of winking at enthusiasts.
The Tundra’s Reign and its Challenger
The second-generation Tundra, introduced in 2007, was a huge step forward for Toyota’s full-size truck lineup. It was bigger, more aggressive, and offered improved towing capacity. Still, it wasn’t designed to break quarter-mile records.
2007 Toyota Tundra Engine Options
- A base 4.0-liter V6 with 236 horsepower
- A mid-range 4.7-liter V8 with 276 horses
- The top-tier 5.7-liter V8 pushing out 381 horsepower.
The largest engine option came with a six-speed automatic transmission, featuring a low first gear for faster acceleration and two overdrive gears for highway efficiency. The stock Tundra prioritized being a capable and reliable hauler rather than the king of the quarter-mile. Though the 5.7-liter V8 was powerful, it wasn’t enough to beat the reigning muscle truck of the era—the Dodge Ram SRT-10. That truck borrowed the 8.3-liter V10 from the Dodge Viper, making 503 horsepower and 525 pound-feet of torque. The Dodge Viper truck set a Guinness World Record as the fastest production truck.
A red 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10.
Then came the supercharged Tundra, and suddenly, Toyota could compete on the drag strip. The TRD-modified truck shattered the SRT-10’s 0-60 mph record, clocking in at a blistering 4.4 seconds—half a second quicker than Dodge’s Viper-powered pickup. The Tundra also completed the quarter-mile in just over 13 seconds, an incredible feat for a full-size pickup. This Tundra was the undisputed king of speed in the truck world.
Despite its dominance, Toyota discontinued the TRD supercharger after 2013. No official successor ever appeared, and for almost a decade, the supercharged Tundra’s record stood unbroken. It wasn’t until the arrival of the 2021 Ram TRX that the crown was finally taken, its Hellcat-powered 702-horsepower engine resetting the world’s understanding of what a fast truck is.
Where Does Toyota Go from Here?
Today, Toyota’s truck lineup is a bit different. The current (third) generation Toyota Tundra, while impressive in its own right, is not talked about in the same breath as the Ford Raptor R and Ram TRX. The latest Tundra has a hybrid 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 putting out 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque—respectable numbers, but nothing near the supercharged Ford and Dodge.
A front view of a Toyota Tundra.
The Raptor R, with its supercharged 5.2-liter V8, generates 700 horsepower and goes from 0-60 mph in a blazing 3.6 seconds. The TRX’s 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 pushes 702 horsepower and hits 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. There is also the all-electric GMC Hummer EV3X, a futuristic super-truck offering 1,000 horsepower and 11,626 pound-feet of torque, that can launch to 60 mph in just 3.0 seconds. In contrast, the fastest third-generation Tundra will do a 5.7-second sprint—fine, but far from competitive in the high-performance truck world. Also, its towing capacity lags behind, topping out at 12,000 pounds, while American rivals pull well over 13,000 pounds.
The Future?
For those yearning for the return of the supercharged Tundra, there is still some hope. Though Toyota is quiet about reviving a high-performance variant, aftermarket tuners remain. Companies like Magnuson offer supercharger kits compatible with 5.7-liter V8 Tundras from 2007-2018, boosting output to 550 horsepower and 550 lb-ft of torque. Unlike Toyota’s factory-backed TRD kit, aftermarket options have a hidden cost; installing them can void the factory warranty. Still, for anyone ready to take the plunge, the reward is a Tundra that can once again punch above its weight, reasserting itself as a sleeper icon.
So, will Toyota return to the high-performance truck market? With the Raptor R, TRX, and Hummer EV setting new standards, the market for extreme trucks is stronger than ever. Perhaps Toyota is waiting for the right moment. Maybe they are developing a hybrid-electric performance truck that could shake up the game in unexpected ways. Or perhaps, Toyota will bring back a V8-powered, supercharged Tundra to remind everyone who held the crown first. The memory of the supercharged Toyota Tundra TRD lives on.
