Toyota redesigned the Tundra from the ground up in 2021 for the 2022 model year. Based on the TNGA-F platform of the all-new Tacoma and 4Runner, the full-size truck comes with V6 muscle exclusively. The punchiest version is called i-FORCE MAX, with the MAX standing for hybrid assistance in the form of a small electric motor.
Said motor is located within the bell housing between the 3.4-liter V6 and the 10-speed automatic transmission, providing extra oomph through said transmission. Powered by a small battery located under the rear passenger seats, the motor generator with a clutch does the bulk of the work at speeds under 18 miles per hour (30 kilometers per hour).
Codenamed V35A-FTS, the internal combustion engine is good for 348 horsepower in the SR and 389 horsepower in SR5 and higher trims. The i-FORCE MAX, meanwhile, levels up to a stout 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet (790 Nm) of torque. How many of those crankshaft ponies and pound-feet of twist actually reach the rear wheels?
Hennessey Performance Engineering, which specializes in American brands rather than Japanese designs, recently strapped a Tundra TRD Pro to a dynamometer to find out. The Solar Octane-painted truck is completely stock, and the baseline numbers are kind of so-and-so: 365.35 horsepower and 372.13 pound-feet (504.52 Nm) at the wheels.
That's 83.60 percent of the advertised horses and 63.83 percent of the advertised torque, which are higher drivetrain losses than the generally accepted 15-percent rule. Thing is, an off-road truck will always be disappointing in this regard due to the off-road stuff, including the all-terrain rubber shoes.
Photo: Hennessey on YouTube
For example, Hennessey baselined a Ram 1500 TRX at 583 wheel horsepower using the very same dyno, which is 83.04 percent of the crankshaft rating of 702 horsepower. We also have to remember that the electric motor does not assist the internal combustion engine at higher speeds, meaning that we should compare these wheel numbers to the internal combustion engine's 389 horsepower and 479 pound-feet.
Having cleared that up, the most famous tuner from Texas also prepares to drop an upgrade for the Tundra TRD Pro with the i-FORCE MAX in less than 15 hours from the moment of reporting.
The only clue we have on the Hennessey Performance Engineering-tuned Tundra TRD Pro is the photo attached just above, which shows a Hennessey-specific front bumper with LED lights, Hennessey wheels, beefier all-terrain tires, and a windshield banner with the Hennessey script. It's not clear if software tuning for the engine and transmission ECMs is in the offing as well.
Speaking of software tuning, $529 buys you the Burger Motorsports JB4 plug & play chip tuner for 2022-and-newer Tundra models. It promises up to 75 additional ponies at the crankshaft or up to 60 additional ponies at the wheels, all without the risk of flashing. The JB4 further enables the complete removal of the front active spoiler module without annoying error codes. The front spoiler delete is currently priced at $29 on the Burger Motorsports website.
That said, what's your take on Hennessey Performance Engineering's forthcoming upgrade package for the 2022+ Tundra TRD Pro?
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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