Back in a Tundra after 11 mos in a Suburban

[berettafan]

Well the 1+ qt of oil usage on the last oil change was just too much for me to be comfortable with so I traded the Suburban in on a '17 Tundra. While it is not perfect I am much happier in the Tundra. It's just what i'm supposed to be driving. Suits me.

Thoughts on the new truck:

-quieter than the suburban
-almost as easy to park, they must've really reduced turning radius somehow from the 1st gen Tundra.
-worst sounding factory stereo I've experienced since my '82 Rabbit.
-quickest Bluetooth connection ever. as in before i'm even backed out of driveway.
-aside from lousy sound the 'entune' interface is pretty nice.
-only towed the boat a few miles (waited till I had 700 on the ODO) but towing power is definitely improved over both prior Tundra and Suburban. 'burbs power was adequate but Tundra is just better.
-very nice ride (limited model, not sure SR5 is any different)
-noisy mechanicals under hood.
-very weak exhaust sound.
-outrageously spacious back seat. suburban 2nd row was shamefully short on legroom. this truck is big enough to haul NBA players in the back.
-No EPA bull**** screwing up the motor. 8 cylinders all the time!

Overall I am thoroughly pleased with my choice.

[wdfifteen]

What is a "weak exhaust sound?"

I have a complaint about the exhaust sound on my 2016 Tundra. There is a droning sound at 1200 RPM that reverberated through the cab. Do you experience that in your truck? The solution of course is to drive faster.

BTW that black plastic holder that surrounds the left front fog light and holds it in disappeared from my truck - just gone. $67 for a new one.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

What is a "weak exhaust sound?"

My 2015 has a great little exhaust note and the stereo is great!

Gas mileage sucks but the truck has been great - almost 55k in two years

[craigster59]

The Entune system takes a little tweaking of the audio settings to get it sounding good, the default settings are a bit weak. So far I'm enjoying the interface in my 4Runner. Here's a little "cheat sheet" posted on 4Runner.org.... Living with Entune - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum

[berettafan]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

What is a "weak exhaust sound?"

I have a complaint about the exhaust sound on my 2016 Tundra. There is a droning sound at 1200 RPM that reverberated through the cab. Do you experience that in your truck? The solution of course is to drive faster.

BTW that black plastic holder that surrounds the left front fog light and holds it in disappeared from my truck - just gone. $67 for a new one.

doesn't sound like a v8. there are several aftermarket options that sound very nice but finding one that isn't childish is not easy.

I drove a '16 SR5 that had awful highway drone then drove a 17 Limited and for whatever reason it is quieter without the drone. not only that I suspect the throttle mapping to be somewhat different. haven't seen any info to confirm or deny any of my speculation but there was a very clear difference between the two trucks. could've saved a lot of dough on the '16 SR5 but once I felt the quiet and enjoyed the limited goodies it was all over. Also test drove a Pro and wasn't blown away by the sound or the ride. Test drove an F150 with the V8 5.0 and loved the sound of it. great motor. just didn't want the aluminum body (serious concerns about paint bubbling, dissimilar metals, ding repair expense, etc etc).

A popular aftermarket exhaust brand 'dirty deeds' aka 'BAMuffler' sells something called a helmhotz resonator that is supposed to remove drone. you cut a hole in the exhaust tubing and clamp it on. might be worth a try. I know if I had the SR5 i'd for sure be spending money to fix the awful highway drone.

[berettafan]

Originally Posted by craigster59

The Entune system takes a little tweaking of the audio settings to get it sounding good, the default settings are a bit weak. So far I'm enjoying the interface in my 4Runner. Here's a little "cheat sheet" posted on 4Runner.org.... Living with Entune - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum

oh very first post in that thread says don't populate the phone favorites or you won't get the 'read' option for texts....maybe that's my issue with that!

as to sound my current thinking is the center channel is WAY overpowered and should be about 1/8 the level.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by berettafan

doesn't sound like a v8.

Kids...

[berettafan]

I know but my suburban had a nice little growl when you started it. completely stock.

heck the greatest thing about an old 911 is the sound. speaking of resonance how about mfi stacks at high rpm? or a dual out sport muffler in a tunnel....good lord such good sounds.

[DanielDudley]

Toyotas are great trucks. I have to say though that my old GMC uses a quart about every 5000 miles, and had about a 10,000 mile change interval on synthetic. Now I use a semi synthetic, and change it every four... It will probably make it to 300K, if I don't get tired of it.