Celica Hobby - Exhaust, TRD

TRD Exhaust Review
by Jason Bly

Well it's finally that time that we get down to checking out some exhausts. I recently purchased the TRD exhaust from Powerhouse Racing and installed it with relative ease. If you would like to use a guide for assistance on installing your TRD exhaust please print it out here. The install guide will closely match the installations of RMM exhaust system as well as the HKS, Bosal and possibly the 5Zigen Fireball exhaust. But if you can install this one or it seems like this exhaust isn’t hard to install then others won’t either. And this being an “axle back” exhaust makes it easier than many other vehicles to install!

But lets talk about the TRD exhaust. The sounds coming from this thing is great. Most everyone loves the sound. I thought it was somewhat quiet but after a night of “breaking” it in. It seems the computer must have made some adjustments and as a result has made it seem somewhat louder now than when I first put it on. Which it sounds all but perfect for me. Don’t expect to be able to pipe off Mustangs but its audible and nice sounding. The RMM exhaust sounds similar but not quite as good in my opinion. But that depends on your taste.

Quality is what you would expect from TRD. Top notch, full stainless, muffler system and tip are polished to perfection with the TRD logo etched on two sides of the tip. It is very nice to look at. With the 4-inch tip it fills out the notch in the bumper nicely. Just be careful that you have the exhaust mounted in the middle and have the muffler bearing loose enough for plenty of play. That way there is not touching of the tip on the bumper when the exhaust moves around when th motor is under load. If that happens melting will occur, as the tip gets very hot. But all of this is fully explained in the install guide.

You immediately feel the power increase from this exhaust over stock. I remember everyone asking if it felt like you had more power with the RMM Intake when it first came out which most did. With this thing there is no second-guessing. Much more power than from the Intakes so far. You can feel it from 3500 rpms all the way to redline. Hard accelerating feels very immediate once the second set of cam profiles come into play. A LSD would be a great help as you feel the torque steer all the more. As it gets harder to control this beast with the added power.

Like I said earlier this is a breeze to install, and is a good value for the power increase. I would recommend this exhaust to most any that wants a top quality exhaust, good power increase, and a sound that’s not raspy sounding at all. Plus if you get it installed at a Toyota dealership you don’t need to worry about warranty problems.