Kino the Tundra - Steve's 2018 Toyota Tundra

[sixstringsteve]

I thought it was appropriate to name our new Tundra after an explorer.

Eusebio Kino was an explorer of the southwest. He explored Northern Mexico, Southern California, and Arizona. He was the guy who proved that Baja Mexico wasn't an island, like everybody thought.



Details:
2018 Toyota Tundra 4x4 SR5


Upgrades:
Phoenix Stereo - Tesla-style android radio

 

[sixstringsteve]

I feel like it's good to have plans any vehicle before modifying, otherwise one mod will lead to another... and another... until I'm broke and sitting on 40" tires with a roll cage.

This is our family's only vehicle. It needs to be able to do many things. In order of priority:

1. comfortably haul our family around every day
2. have room to load our little girl in and out easily
3. be reliable
4. tow our trailer (next trailer TBD, but it will weigh less than 10k lbs fully loaded. I'd like to keep it under 8500 lbs).
5. explore dirt roads like those found in the san rafael swell, the Maze, white rim, etc.
6. haul all my tools, camping gear, and bikes from time to time.


This isn't going to be a rock crawler. It's not going to be the world's most wicked Tundra. I'm focusing on functionality and reliability. I actually find that the closer a vehicle is to stock, the more reliable it tends to be, and the more confortable it is for long drives. That being said, it's gonig to be hard to resist the urge to lift it, put some 35s on, sliders, bumpers, etc., but I have other priorities at the moment.

I will be adding build videos as they come.

 

[sixstringsteve]

There are a few things I really love about this truck.

1) the color
2) HUGE 38 gal gas tank. 600 miles to a tank
3) great visibility
4) great power for what it is
5) smooth ride, especially off road
6) it doesn't feel as big as I thought it would, which is great
7) tons of aftermarket available
8) great online resources/forums for these trucks. My last vehicle, a Ford E350 van, had almost zero online support. Finding diagrams, info on diagnostics, etc. was next to impossible.
9) simple features. I picked the SR5 over the limited and platinum because they had fewer electronics. I like the idea of my truck lasting as long as possible with as little maintenance as possible. I'm at the point now where I'd rather be out exploring in my truck than wrenching on it.
10) adaptive cruise control (not such a simple feature, but I like it)
11) adjustable headlight angle for when I'm towing



There are a few things I don't love.

1) the stock nav/ICE is awful
2) fuel economy is decent, but not amazing (I knew that before I bought it)
3) too much chrome
4) tailgate doesn't lock with key fob (yet)

 

[Greg]

With that name, I suppose the Tundra needs to make a Baja trip at some point!

 

[moab_cj5]

The tailgate lock/unlock on the fob is awesome. I almost did the mod to my Tundra, but then I sold it. Looks good so far!

 

[Anchor_Mtn]

There are a few things I really love about this truck.

1) the color
2) HUGE 38 gal gas tank. 600 miles to a tank
3) great visibility
4) great power for what it is
5) smooth ride, especially off road
6) it doesn't feel as big as I thought it would, which is great
7) tons of aftermarket available
8) great online resources/forums for these trucks. My last vehicle, a Ford E350 van, had almost zero online support. Finding diagrams, info on diagnostics, etc. was next to impossible.
9) simple features. I picked the SR5 over the limited and platinum because they had fewer electronics. I like the idea of my truck lasting as long as possible with as little maintenance as possible. I'm at the point now where I'd rather be out exploring in my truck than wrenching on it.
10) adaptive cruise control (not such a simple feature, but I like it)
11) adjustable headlight angle for when I'm towing



There are a few things I don't love.

1) the stock nav/ICE is awful
2) fuel economy is decent, but not amazing (I knew that before I bought it)
3) too much chrome
4) tailgate doesn't lock with key fob (yet)

I have a 2018 CrewMax in Cement.... I love it.
Gas gauge will be pinned on "E" and computer will show 0 miles to empty at 29gal and you will get 14.5-15mpg. 600 miles to a tank is a dream I have long forgotten.
Dump the stock tires before winter... they are terrible. 295/70r18s fit on a completely stock truck(wheels too) and make a huge difference in road manners and winter traction. I have the Cooper STT Pros.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Ive gotten as high as 19mpg, and as low as 9 while towing. Average is 17 on the freeway and 14 around town.

I've hit 600 miles to a tank before, but it was all highway driving.

 

[clfrnacwby]

If you decide to go with larger tires, know that your transmission shift points will greatly suffer. They use the current MPH to determine when to shift, and if your speedo is off, your shifts will be off. I had to install a Hyptertech in-line speedometer calibrator to fix it (Part #730119). At least this was the case with my 2010.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Very interesting. Thanks for the info Andrew.

 

[2002maniac]

Did you deliberately choose the short bed, or was that just a matter of availability?

 

[sixstringsteve]

Yes. While the 8 foot bed would be nice in certain situations, i opted for the 6.5 foot bed for ease of parking and driving around towns.

 

[Bart]

Nice truck Steve, and sounds like some straight forward plans.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Weve been enjoying this truck a lot. Here's a shot from our latest trip in Colorado.

 

[Caleb]

There are a few things I really love about this truck.

10) adaptive cruise control (not such a simple feature, but I like it)

I didn't realize Toyota put this in the Tundra. When I was told my Ford had it, I thought...that sounds like a dumb feature. Now that I've used it, I can;t imagine not having it. I absolutely love it, and love that Toyota now has it too (my '16 Tundra didn't have it).

There are a few things I don't love.

1) the stock nav/ICE is awful
2) fuel economy is decent, but not amazing (I knew that before I bought it)
3) too much chrome
4) tailgate doesn't lock with key fob (yet)

Yep, I think that pretty much sums up the negatives on these trucks.

Glad you guys are enjoying it!

 

[mbryson]

....
10) adaptive cruise control (not such a simple feature, but I like it)
...

I just drove a 2016 (?) GMC Acadia from McMinville OR to SLC last weekend. With all the gadgetry, it took me at LEAST 100 miles to figure out what was affecting my ability to change lanes, why when I’d go to pass a car I wouldn’t have any power (I’d start to make my lane change to pass just as the adaptive cruise shut the power off) and a few other things I never did figure out.

I think I’ve just become “get off my lawn” guy? I HATED all the new “safety” features and never did figure out the adaptive cruise. If I were to ever buy something with that, I’d be at the dealership trying to get them to turn that crap off so I can drive the car without the nanny crap on it. I’d lose that battle as it’s “safety” stuff and the dealership won’t touch it for liability reasons. I suppose I could remove it but then the liability transfers directly to me and I could be held liable in the case of an incident.

I’m sure my wife will buy something newish with adaptive cruise. I’ll likely stick to some old F350 with a 7.3L or V10 with less “safety” features. What do people like about the adaptive cruise?

 

[sixstringsteve]

All the safety stuff can still be turned off on my truck, so its easy to disable if you dont like it.

I love it for long driving days. I can set cruise at 77, ensuring i dont go fast enough to get a ticket, and it will adjust to traffic. Its just really relaxing.

Now... the one time i hate it is when someone cuts me off and it slams on the brakes.

All this being said, i do worry that people are less focused when driving due to all the new safety features. I can tell when someone else is using afaptive cruise, and its usually not fun to drive near them. Its definitely a double-edged sword.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Id like to get my chrome grill and bumper painted to match the grey of the truck.

Does anyone here have any recommendations for a shop that will do a decent job? I dont want it to be chipping and flaking in a year or two, but i also dont want to pay $5k.

What should i expect to pay for something like that?

 

[BlueWolfFab]

Id like to get my chrome grill and bumper painted to match the grey of the truck.

Does anyone here have any recommendations for a shop that will do a decent job? I dont want it to be chipping and flaking in a year or two, but i also dont want to pay $5k.

What should i expect to pay for something like that?

To do it right and make it last you will need to have a chrome shop acid strip the existing chrome off.

 

[Jesser04]

I believe the grills come from Toyota painted I have a friend that did this a year or so ago and it was cheaper to buy a new grill from the factory with paint already on it. You can eBay your factory grill and recoup some of the cost. I’d look into the bumper also

 

[Hickey]

You have to have the chrome removed before it will take paint.