RINZLER: 2026 Tundra TRD Pro Build

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Joined
Apr 9, 2007
Threads
91
Messages
864
Location
Spring Lake, MI
Feeling a little bit like I'm walking into the "Cruiser-less Wastelands" after reading the thread asking if this is where we go after we get rid of our Land Cruisers, but nonetheless here I am starting a new thread about Rinzler - my freshly delivered truck that hopefully will live up to the standards set by my previous vehicles.

ONLY READ IF YOU'RE BORED:
Like many of you, being on this forum for this long means I've been in Cruisers for a long time. My first ride in a Land Cruiser was in a 100 series across a river in Honduras because a local bridge had gone out. Over several years I had short stints in Cruisers from a 1976 bikini top Fj40 to a 1989 FJ62 (which I never should have gotten rid of).
I found my unicorn in 2007 and bought a very low mileage tripled-locked 97 LX450 (I also shouldn't have gotten rid of) which reliably carted my wife and I all over the mountains of Colorado, the deserts of Utah, and canyons of Arizona. That truck was a dream and a fun one to build. As families do ours grew by one, changing our needs and I got a 2010 Tundra Rock Warrior. Although a good truck I just never felt at home in it and honestly it just felt flimsy compared to my previous vehicles. After only 2 years I sold it and got our most recent LC in the form of a 2006 LC. I felt at home again and built that truck up as well. It was hard to let go of this one as well but this time I gave it to my niece who is mentioned in another post of mine. She grew up riding in the backseat of Land Cruisers and as such kindly requested I not sell it.

If you read all that great, but now let's get down to the new whip, Rinzler. If you're a Tron fan you'll understand. My son (who's 10) noticed the orange marker lights resemble him from the movies so it stuck.

The meat and potatoes:

2026 TRD Pro - 4 miles on the clock (first NEW truck I've ever bought for myself)
TRD Performance Package - advertised 469 HP, no mention of increased Torque numbers beyond the 583 but I truly wonder if it's not a little higher


Opinions vary widely on the Performance Package, I understand many people don't see the point, but after driving underpowered Toyotas my whole life why wouldn't I jump at the opportunity to drive the 3rd most powerful production truck on the market right now? And the full warranty is the other bonus.

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Planned Mods: I'm used to all the offerings for the LC, but much of design aesthetics for this truck will be different so I'm open to opinions as I may be ignorant on some things

Bumper - ARB Zenith bumper or C4 Fab (leery about sensors placement on either)
Winch - Probably a WARN 10K variety, looking at ComeUp as well (opinions welcomed)
AUX lights - Looking at the Zenith, I'll be looking at pod lights most likely in the Baja Designs Squadron flavor. I cannot for the life of me stomach putting lights called "NACHO" on the front of the truck but they are cheaper

Concerning suspension, not looking to mess up what Toyota spent their R&D time on, but I am wondering how much the front bumper will drop the front end.
Eibach appears to make front and rear springs that might fit the bill here, but I'm at a loss trying to find actual specs on these springs anywhere concerning weights or length.

Steps - SLEE Sliders are Inbound

Tires - Winter is coming so right off the bat will be equipping the stock wheels with Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT3
Summer Tires will likely be Falken Wildpeak AT4 35's on a 17 inch wheel of some sort.

Wheels - Looking at 17s. I'm torn between OZ Rally Raid, Braid Winrace, or possibly Icon Rcon SLX, or Method 315.
(I'm not used to having so many options)

Bed Cover - At a crossroads between wanting a Diamondback HD vs and RSI Smartcap


I'm really curious to get opinions on bed covers, it snows at least 4 months out of the year so it's a must have. After having a truck for different periods in my life I can see the advantages of both. My biggest consideration is we tow a trailer that makes bike storage an issue and with the Diamondback cover I'd love to be able to throw the bikes on the rack.
 
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Congrats on the new rig - jealous of the Perf kit....

I've got a set of the Eibach's (2.5" front/ 1.0' rear) that are NIB if you're interested - I went for Kings and Dobinson rear 2" to level out the rear rack /Decked setup. 2022-2025 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro - https://eibach.com/product-releases/2022-2025-toyota-tundra-trd-pro?srsltid=AfmBOoqbOet5uHr3LCpruTWE8Shpd-3jCbvn0JuUtHi0N5CAa7J9JvbV

SCS makes a 17x8 that works - I have a set mounted with 37's that I'll put on once the lift is dialed.... but I like them for lighweight and they were bulletproof on all three of my 80's....and there's a dude who sell a center cap cover that works on Etsy

Look forward to your build and seeing what you choose.

E
 
@RS6tofj80 I’ll PM you about the springs, I haven’t been able to find much info on their specs online but I’m interested as sliders are on the way and weight will continue to go up.
 
MUD Flaps

Looked around for some ASAP flaps like I had on my 100, maybe he’s not making them anymore.

Went with Rally Armor flaps, pretty sure they’re the same material, I.e. very flexible.

I think they look good, definitely enough coverage for rocks flicking up, snow, etc.

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Something came in the mail…

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@sleeoffroad Sliders came in and I was able to install them today.

Initial impressions out of the box:
- HEAVY. This is my second set of Slee sliders (also on the 100) and I had MetalTech on my 80. It's been too long ago to remember the MT sliders but these are definitely heavier than the ones on my 100. Length and definitely more back-plating I'm sure.

- Parts, parts, parts. Directions are pretty easy to follow, but I guess the days of U-bolts are long gone.
It would be really handy to have a Youtube install video 😉😉.

- The step plates arrived with paint chipping off. Honestly not really a big deal as I've just grown accustomed to touching these up after each winter anyway.

- Overall I couldn't help but be impressed that there are people who can crawl under these trucks and come up with attaching something like this with all the wires, lines, and lack of obvious attachment points.

Install took about 4 hours - the passenger took 3 of those I think.

Now that the sliders are on the truck I just have one cautionary statement when choosing between these and the Deluxe Sliders - if you have a wife, get the Deluxe sliders. :doh: I'll post pictures when I get the chance but you definitely cannot fit your entire foot on the step when getting in and out. The rocker panel comes out too far, which is now why I understand the reason behind the "DELUXE" version which now looks like is more wife-friendly.

Will post pics soon.
 
@sleeoffroad Sliders came in and I was able to install them today.

Initial impressions out of the box:
- HEAVY. This is my second set of Slee sliders (also on the 100) and I had MetalTech on my 80. It's been too long ago to remember the MT sliders but these are definitely heavier than the ones on my 100. Length and definitely more back-plating I'm sure.

- Parts, parts, parts. Directions are pretty easy to follow, but I guess the days of U-bolts are long gone.
It would be really handy to have a Youtube install video 😉😉.

- The step plates arrived with paint chipping off. Honestly not really a big deal as I've just grown accustomed to touching these up after each winter anyway.

- Overall I couldn't help but be impressed that there are people who can crawl under these trucks and come up with attaching something like this with all the wires, lines, and lack of obvious attachment points.

Install took about 4 hours - the passenger took 3 of those I think.

Now that the sliders are on the truck I just have one cautionary statement when choosing between these and the Deluxe Sliders - if you have a wife, get the Deluxe sliders. :doh: I'll post pictures when I get the chance but you definitely cannot fit your entire foot on the step when getting in and out. The rocker panel comes out too far, which is now why I understand the reason behind the "DELUXE" version which now looks like is more wife-friendly.

Will post pics soon.
Would love to see some pictures of those Slee sliders installed!
 
@rkaminky winter came quick and hasn’t let up much.

Took a couple of low quality pics after car wash today.

After a few months with them I think the conclusion is these are 60% slider and 40% step. Winter has proved that they aren’t the best option when wearing boots.

I think for those out West that really are using them as sliders they’d be fantastic but for my current usage not as much. Having had two different sets of Slee sliders on former trucks I feel like they had more usable step in the older ones.

I like them but still think I maybe should have gone with the Deluxe. For $500 in shipping though they’re here to stay.

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Couple of other impressions after a few months ownership:

Gripes:
- Already have a couple of rattles which drive me crazy. One in the DS front door which I think I've localized and another behind me somewhere in the headliner.
- Not a fan of the keyless entry as it seems buggy (at least in the cold). Sometimes I have to try 3-2 times to unlock the truck with the handle.
- Is it me or is the heater on these newer vehicles weak? In both my truck and my wifes new Sequoia even on high you can barely feel the air moving.
- More of a preference, but I'm not a fan of Start/Stop nor did I get a TRD Pro to be gas conscious. I wish Toyota would have given the hybrid owners the same choice to turn off the Start/ Stop function.
- the stock fogs on these trucks are WEAK. I live in a place where it's dark all the time so I upgraded to some Baja Designs SAE fogs which are a huge improvement.
- FELT wheel well liners. I never had snow accumulation issues with previous Toyotas but they also never had felt liners. These pack on snow like it's their job.

Good:
- Truck is amazing on long trips, I drive a lot for work and the truck just eats up miles. Not sure if its the performance package/ tires/ winter fuel formula but I'm really only getting about 15.5 mpg on the highway which seems lackluster. Having said that I regularly am doing about 80-85 so maybe that's not bad for a brick.
- Love the performance. The exhaust can be a bit loud and I'm a little nervous to tow the trailer because my wife already has commented on how much louder it is than her Sequoia.

Upcoming this spring:

Air
- been watching some Youtubes on ARB air compressor placement so that'll be upcoming once it gets warmer outside. The single compressor has served me well for years so I got another one. I'm thinking bed placement but we'll see.

Bed - I think I'm pretty much decided on a RCI Smartcap. The current bed cover almost prevents me from even using the bed because everything feels like it's in a closet

Bumper - After looking at it now for several months I just can't get myself to like the ARB offering for the Tundra. For once I think I'm going to go a little more low profile and I've really started liking the CBI DAKAR bumper. I don't have to mess with the Radar Cruise sensor and my aftermarket Baja Designs fogs can stay as is.

Wheels/ Tires - Have some Nokian LT3s on the truck now for winter. Plan to go with 35's (maybe 37's????). I'm currently leaning towards the Falken AT4 as I've really been impressed with them on my niece's Cruiser.

The WANT list continues to grow but slow will be the progress I think.
 
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Wheels/ Tires - Have some Nokian LT3s on the truck now for winter. Plan to go with 35's since I got the truck to tow a trailer. I'm currently leaning towards the Falken AT4 as I've really been impressed with them on my niece's Cruiser.
I wish I had the money for 35s... 33s are almost as heavy as 35s, yet General charges extra $100 per piece. $400 is too much of a premium for me, especially that I have a winch that beats any tire below 40" :)
 
Awesome build! Hah can relate to the "cruiser-less wasteland" feeling - just transitioned to this platform w/ a new Sequoia in hopes to diminish the amount of miles I put down on the lx and savor it for the camping trips. Good call on the fogs - definitely agree the oem leave much to be desired. Good luck with the continued build - let us know what aftermarket goodies you end up adding to the Sequoia too!
 
Awesome build. I’ll also echo the cruiserless wasteland. Just got a Sequoia and seems like all the discussion is on facebook which is a nightmare to navigate through.
 
Finally, users, not haters! Most of the hate reviews are from reviewers that haven't even driven the new 3rd-gen Tundra. I personally have had many 80s including diesels, and about five 2.5-gen Tundra Pros (with superchargers), and I love them. There's a lot to like about this truck, but I'm a Toyota guy so Im going to give it a chance. Run 5W30 and do a 500/1000/1500 mile brake in oil intervals. At least, that's my opinion.

I have owned several F350s. This truck has diesel torque and is fun to drive. I love the peace of mind of owning a reliable unstoppable roach (2.5-gen Tundra), so there's that.
 
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@Rouleur I can echo your sentiment that any haters at this point I feel just need to get behind the wheel of the Gen 3 and follow that up with the driving a GEN 2 - its just objectively better in every way. It’s only because I ruined my baseline expectations by owning Cruiser the last 20 years that little things like rattles bother me so much.

Looking forward to having some warm weather next week so maybe I can clean the truck up a bit and start roughing out my plan for the compressor.
 
I appreciate that someone with experience and that probably knows how to wrench gets it. I find the truck to be fairly quiet the console rattles, but most all of them do.
I wanted a DC Ltd without a roof, and that’s why I pulled the trigger on this one.
I mean, there’s going to be some wind noise, right? It’s a fist punching the wind. You have to push a 2.5-gen down the road; the 3rd-gen glides and loves to eat miles! The whole drivetrain is buttery, and even with 315s I feel no loss of power.
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@Rouleur Shes a beaut Clark! Not gonna lie if I could have gotten my hands on a SC 5.7 I don't think I could've turned that down.
 
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