2021 first tow trip: impressions and quibbles

Just back from the first trip towing our travel trailer to the Oregon coast to beat the heat.
Overall, I'm quite pleased with the truck and it pulls like a champ. So much better than the tired Chevy it replaced in many ways. More comfortable, powerful, and stable. It also seems to have a tighter turning radius than the old Silverado, which is great for getting a trailer into a tight spot.

Thing #1 that bugs me:
I discovered this when I first backed up to hook up the trailer for the first time. The hashmark in the camera display that SHOULD align with the middle of the truck actually aligns with the middle of the camera. And of course the camera is not centered on the truck... This seems like something that would have been simple to address with camera settings or software. Or is mine in need of some kind of fix?

Thing #2:
At times the exhaust note really grates on my nerves. It has a boomy tone at some mid RPMs that seems to resonate in the cabin. It's not just my mildly crappy old man ears, my mid 20s musician son remarked on it as well. Not the end of the world, but irritating. I'll be searching for an option to change the resonator to address this in the future, but perhaps someone has an easy solution?

 

Welcome!

I just got home from a 900 mile trip towing around Washington and Oregon. And yes, it was hot! It was our first long trip with the Tundra and trailer combination. I couldn't be happier with how it went.

I've just grown accustomed to the backup camera tick mark being off. I've learned to line that mark up just to the side of my hitch and I'm good to go.

We did not notice any excessive exhaust droning, though.

 

Do you have the TRD dual exhaust? Would explain the slight drone…

glad to hear the positive remarks

 

Welcome to the forum! Not surprised you noticed a better turn radius than a Chevy. That was one of my biggest gripes about our GM work trucks. Needed to make a 37 point maneuver to turn around on a two lane road.

This is normal for these trucks, and as you noticed it is because of the offset camera. There isn't a fix for this either. No settings to adjust it, and the lines don't move. The "fix" I have found is that the center line works perfectly if I put it right next to the trailer tongue in the camera. I kinda got used to it, and even prefer it because the line is never obscuring the tongue, and I can see my ball hitch perfectly to line up/stop when needed.

The only time I've seen anyone have issues with the stock exhaust is if they have the TRD Dual Exhaust. It has a helicopter like "thudda thudda" sound to it according to others. Some it bothers, others it doesn't. Your profile info doesn't say anything about your truck so it's hard to know if this is your issue. If it is, you can swap it for a single pipe set up, and sell that dual set for a bit, or you can contact Dirty Deeds Industries and talk to Keith. He's very knowledgeable and if you tell him what you want from your exhaust, he can build it.

 

Just the single pipe. Has the TRD off road pkg but no dual exhaust.

I've adapted to the off-center hash mark after just a few trailer hookups but it was off-putting to not have it be centered. I put a camera on the old Chevy and a couple of other cars and it seems a no-brainer to have the display centered.

 

Hmmm. You might check to see if all the connections on the exhaust/muffler are tight and leak free. The stock really didn't have much drone for me.

A few more questions just to flesh things out:

1. What speed were you towing at?
2. Were you using Tow/haul mode?
3. Were you towing in Drive or were you using Sport/S Mode?
4. If S Mode, what gear did you have selected?

No guarantees that this can be solved over the internet, but with more info we might be able to get you pointed in the right direction. And, finally, in the true spirit of this forum We love pictures of peoples trucks!

 

Speeds for the annoying sound were typically in the 40-55 range, towing or not. Seems like an RPM issue. Maybe I need to put on my big boy pants.

I only used Tow/haul mode and D while towing for the most part, kicking down to S4 or 5 for long downhills. The sound was not an issue while lifting, only under acceleration.

Haha No pics of the rig with trailer attached, but this was my first weekend with the new Tundra...

 

Pics don't have tonhave the trailer.. just wanted to see that purdy truck!

May well be that the RPMs hit the right harmonics to be bothersome in your truck. My first step would be checking the fitment and alignment of the current exhaust if you are opposed to swapping the muffler section.

If you are open to spending the $$$ to change out the muffler section then I would absolutely call Keith @dirtydeeds. You can tell him exactly what you're looking for I'm an exhaust and he'll steer you straight. Ask any of the many owners of his exhausts on here. It could be as simple as adding a resonator to mellow it out. It all depends on your wants and needs for your intended use.

 

Whenever the exhaust tone irritates me in the slightest I downshift to bump the RPMs and all is good.

+1 on the @dirtydeeds recommendation - completely satisfied with my DD setup.

 

Awesome, thanks guys.

 

You can also install a just a resonator from DirtyDeeds to the factory exhaust..
It WILL kill any drone! Or just get the whole system!!!

https://www.tundras.com/threads/dirtydeedsindustries-biggest-sale-of-the-year.92605/

I have the 10inch SS with the resonator and there is zero drone through all RPMS!