THIS UNLIKELY SLEEPER TRUCK PAVED THE PATH FOR THE F-150 RAPTOR AND RAM TRX
Performance pickups are nothing new, going all the way back to the 1955 Chevrolet Cameo Carrier hot rod truck. They were, for the most part, fast for trucks and not necessarily competitive with performance cars. The 1978 Dodge Li'l Red Express, the 1990 Chevy C1500 454 SS, and the 2001 Ford SVT Lightning could all blow away every other truck on the road, but couldn't hang against top-performance cars.
Even the Ram SRT-10, with the mighty Viper 8.3-liter V-10 engine wasn't quite up to snuff when compared to its sports car cousin. Then, in 2008, everything changed with the introduction of the Toyota Tundra TRD Supercharged, which was capable of muscle car-esque acceleration times. In fact, with just a few bolt-on parts, this sleeper truck could smoke almost every performance car from the model year.
Currently, the Ford 150 Raptor and the Ram 1500 TRX are the highest-performing pickups on the market, but they wouldn't even exist if the Tundra TRD Supercharged hadn't paved the way. The humble Toyota showed that it was possible to achieve sports car speed in a pickup and that there is an absurd beauty in cramming insane amounts of horsepower under the hood of a truck.
In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturers and other authoritative sources.
10 Best Sleeper Trucks Of All Time
No one ever suspects a humble pickup can drag until one of these sleeper trucks comes along and blows their doors off
The 2008 Toyota Tundra Gets TRD Supercharged
Toyota's first attempt at a big truck, with the T100, wasn't a roaring success worthy of their legacy, but when the full-size Tundra hit showroom floors in 2000, they nailed it. The biggest reason why the Tundra set sales records and was the darling of the automotive press is because they corrected the T100's lack of power by offering capable V-8s. It started off with a 4.7-liter, but by the second-gen, had a bona fide 5.7-liter V-8 that could compete with the Ram 1500's Hemi engine of the same size.
Power And Performance Comparison
| 2008 Tundra SR5 | 2008 Tundra TRD Supercharged | |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 5.7-liter V-8 | 5.7-liter supercharged V-8 |
| Horsepower | 381 HP | 504 HP |
| Torque | 401 pound-feet | 550 pound-feet |
| Transmission | Six-speed automatic | Six-speed automatic |
| 0-60 Time | 6.0 seconds | 4.4 seconds |
| Quarter-mile | 14.7 seconds | 13.0 seconds |
| Top Speed | 112 MPH | 148 MPH |
(Performance stats sourced from MotorTrend)
It was this 5.7-liter V-8 in the 2008 Tundra SR5 that would provide the foundation for Toyota's most bonkers pickup ever. Bolting on a TRD supercharger, took the 381-horsepower V-8 from a worthy performer to an unreal 504 horsepower monster. This did nothing to improve the gas mileage of the Tundra, but it did transform the truck into a land-missile, which was kind of the point.
The DIY Super Truck
The 2008 Toyota Tundra TRD Supercharged was not a trim level, but more of an options package, and even that isn't an exact description. From 2008-2015 Toyota sold an Eaton TVS Roots-type supercharger kit that could easily be installed on a second-gen Tundra with a 5.7-liter V-8. There was some incentive to have the dealer do this, as it didn't void the Toyota warranty, but if it was done at home, all bets were off. Doing it yourself (DIY) was definitely cheaper, but when crossing the 500 horsepower threshold, it's nice to have some security.
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The Tundra TRD Supercharged Has A Nice Package
Getting the TRD Supercharged from the dealer was more than just a boost in horsepower, as it was a complete performance package. It's unclear if these other upgrades were mandatory, but they definitely should have been. First, there was the "big-brake kit" with six-piston front calipers, then a serious suspension upgrade, including lowering the truck by 2.0 inches, and finally some 22-ich TRD wheels with performance street tires. This did add $15,898 to the approximate $30,000 base-price of the 2008 Tundra SR5, but it's still not outrageous considering the performance.
The Forgotten Supercharged Toyota Pickup That Dethroned The Dodge Ram SRT-10
The supercharged Toyota Tundra TRD was a monster of a truck that could outrun sports cars and even held the title of world's fastest pickup truck
Toyota Tundra TRD Supercharged Performance
It's not the easiest thing in the world to launch a RWD pickup truck with 504 horsepower because there's not a lot of weight on the back wheels to help with traction. When those tires stick, however, the Tundra TRD Supercharged is as quick as any muscle or sports car. Actually, it's quicker, as the 2008 Toyota truck's 4.4 second 0-60 acceleration time was the best of the model year. This ultimate sleeper truck was blowing minds and doors off, taking everyone by surprise.
Tundra TRD Supercharged 0-60 Dominance
| Vehicle | 0-60 Time |
|---|---|
| 2008 Toyota Tundra TRD Turbocharged | 4.4 seconds |
| 2008 Audi S5 Coupe | 4.5 seconds |
| 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 | 4.6 seconds |
| 2008 BMW 135i | 4.6 seconds |
| 2008 Jaguar Xf SE | 4.9 seconds |
| 2008 Ford Mustang GT | 5.1 seconds |
The thing is, the TRD Supercharged isn't a trim, it's basically a modification, so there are no badges or decals that would indicate to anyone that it is a savage beast. The Dodge Ram 1500 SRT-10 had badging and racing stripes that let everyone know that sucker could move, but the TRD Supercharged was as unassuming as a plain Jane SR5. Speaking of moving, in addition to having a blistering 0-60 time, this truck could rip a quarter-mile in 13 seconds flat.
TRD Supercharged Handling
The TRD Supercharged did have some suspension mods, and it was lowered by a couple of inches, but it is still a truck and handles like one. While it could beat just about anything off the line, it definitely couldn't corner as well as a sports car, so anything other than a straight line was an adventure. Also, sports cars have tight suspensions that make a driver feel like they are glued to the road, while trucks, including the TRD Supercharged, have a little bounce in the ride.
TRD Aerodynamics
Pickups are not jets, and as such, don't have the greatest aerodynamics. The high profile of a truck creates tremendous wind resistance and the beds cause incredible drag. The TRD Supercharged was not something that would dominate on an oval track, but that's okay, because it's a truck, not a supercar. The appeal is that it's a really fast pickup, and that's all. It doesn't have to handle like a Porsche or cut through the wind like a Ferrari. It just needs to jump off the line and that is something it does perfectly.
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The TRD Supercharged Spawns The Raptor And TRX
Truth be told, the Toyota Tundra TRD Supercharged wasn't just a sleeper truck, it was a sleeper option package that not a lot of people knew about. There were no TV commercials touting the massive 504 horsepower of this pickup and not every Toyota dealership even offered it. Ford and Ram, however, were paying attention, and they saw the potential for a supercharged V-8 high-performance pickup. Without the Toyota paving the way, there's a pretty good chance the Ford Raptor and Ram TRX wouldn't exist.
Super Truck Showdown
| 2024 Ford F-150 Raptor R | 2024 Ram 1500 TRX | |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 5.2-liter supercharged V-8 | 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 |
| Horsepower | 720 HP @ 6,650 RPM | 702 HP @ 6,100 RPM |
| Torque | 640 pound-feet @ 4,300 RPM | 650 pound-feet @ 4,800 RPM |
| Transmission | 10-speed automatic | Eight-speed automatic |
| 0-60 Time | 3.5 seconds | 3.7 seconds |
| Quarter-mile | 11.9 seconds | 12.3 seconds |
| Top Speed | 112 MPH | 118 MPH |
| MSRP | $111,550 | $98,335 |
Of course, both the Raptor and TRX are more overt in letting everyone know they are super trucks, which doesn't qualify them as sleepers. Also, both the Ford and Ram are designed to be off-road terrors as well as street performers, while the Tundra TRD Supercharged was strictly for paved surfaces. Still, the mighty Toyota option package most certainly planted the seeds that grew into the Raptor and TRX by showing it was viable to have a truck with crazy amounts of horsepower and torque.
Ford F-150 Raptor
Ford was making performance trucks as early as 1993, with the F-150 SVT Lightning, but with a peak of 380 horsepower, they were never anything more than a slightly faster truck. In 2010, they tried again with the SVT Raptor which was a bit more powerful at 411 horsepower. In the second gen, Ford dropped the SVT, and it became simply the Raptor with a 450-horsepower twin-turbocharged V-6, but by the third generation, beginning in 2021, it got serious about the truck. The 2024 Raptor R gets 720 ponies out of its 5.2-liter supercharged V-8 and is the most powerful truck ever built.
Ram 1500 TRX
The Ram 1500 TRX hit the scene in 2020 and its 702-horsepower 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V-8 was the most powerful truck engine at that time. In 2020, the Ford Raptor only made 450 horsepower, but boosted that to 700 horsepower from 2021-2023, before finally taking the crown in 2024.
The Ram TRX excels in luxury, comfort, and price, consistently ranking near the top for full-size pickups, just behind the regular Ram 1500. As awesome as it is, the Ram 1500 TRX has sadly been discontinued after the 2024 model year as all Mopar brands are shedding their gas-powered performance vehicles.
Watch As The Ford F-150 Raptor R and Ram TRX Trade Blows On And Off The Road
On paper the two trucks are identical, but how do they perform on the track?
Legacy Of The Toyota Tundra TRD Supercharged
Because it was never an official model or trim, it is difficult, or maybe impossible is a better word, to find any numbers for the Toyota Tundra TRD Supercharged. Nobody knows how many of these packages were installed, which makes valuing them a chore. Chances are, they are fairly rare, as there are slim pickins on the used market. A Google search for a 2008 TRD Supercharged yields a single result, and it has already been sold. Bring a Trailer has a couple of later-year examples, but again, they were auctioned off and there are no current listings.
The TRD Supercharged was a sleeper truck that launched a horsepower war between Ford and Ram. Thankfully, it is gaining new attention, growing into a legend and a collectible. The cool thing with this truck is there is no worry of getting a fake, like with Chevelle SS, because it either has the supercharger or it doesn't. Even better, there are rumblings on the Interwebz that some dealerships still have the turbocharger kits, so conceivably, more of these amazing pickups could be created.
2024-08-09T12:15:18Z dg43tfdfdgfd