Charvonia Design Billet Tie Downs Review: My Take

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I’ve seen quite a few of these Charvonia Design tie downs being reviewed on YouTube lately so when the company reached out to me to test them out myself, I jumped on it.

I was curious to see if they were actually an upgrade over the OEM plastic ones on my Tacoma.

One of the most common statements I saw in the comments of the videos was that these are over-priced. Are they a worthy upgrade or a waste of money?

First Impressions

The Charvonia Design tie downs are gorgeous. The machine work is top notch, the anodized finish is clean, and the logo and torque spec engravings add a nice touch.

These are machined out of 6061-T6 aluminum, then anodized or powdercoated depending on which option you select. They’ll fit all 2005-2024 Tacomas and should work fine with any tonneau cover or camper shell.

There’s no question that this is a premium product when you hold it in your hands. In my opinion, this is what happens when a business prioritizes 11/10 quality first, then has to set the pricing based on their costs afterward.

Whether or not thats a good or bad thing is really up to you but regardless, no one will be questioning the build quality on these jewels.

Installation tips

Installing these is a no-brainer, even if you aren’t mechanically inclined. All it takes is an Allen wrench and you’ll have them on your rig in under 30 seconds.

A few tips though:

Attach the backing plate loosely first, rather than trying to line up the bolts with the holes.

The tab on the backing plate should be facing the tie down, not away. This allows it to lock into the channel in the set locations like the factory ones do. It doesn’t seem like installing them the wrong way will cause much trouble though.

You can choose to have the engraved logo and torque specs displayed on the top or flip them around for a cleaner look.

If you’re a torque-spec kind of person, you’ll want to crank these down to 20 ft-lbs.

Performance: How Do They Stack Up?

To test these out, I strapped down the biggest snow blower I could get my hands on and drove around town. (Yes, I’m ready for anything Old Man Winter has in store for me this year!).

It’s no surprise that the results were pretty boring. They did the job perfectly as expected and indeed made it easier to hook the straps on.

I wouldn’t be worried about these things breaking due to their aluminum construction and grade 8.8 hardware.

The Tacoma’s composite bed is probably the weak point now. As matter of fact, Charvonia didn’t increase the load rating over the stock ones for this very reason.

The billet tie downs can handle much more weight just fine… but the truck bed itself will bow before they give out.

If I had the guts to ride my Harley up a ramp and into my truck bed, these tie downs would definitely be a must have. But alas, I’ve seen that go badly too many times so I’ll stick with a trailer if it ever needs to be transported.

The low-profile design of the Charvonia tie downs is also a nice feature. Unlike the factory tie downs, which stick out and could easily snag or break when loading large items, these sit tighter to the bed, reducing the risk of damage.

The Drawbacks: Not for Everyone

And now for a little criticism. The biggest complaint I’ve seen from people aside from the price is the fact that you need to use an Allen wrench to adjust their placement.

The factory tie downs have a large plastic dial on them that allows you to loosen and tighten them in a flash.

So if you tend to adjust the placement of your tie downs very often, it might be problematic.

Personally, I tend to keep basic tools in my trucks so it’s not an issue. I also don’t adjust my tie downs very much so it doesn’t really affect me.

Longevity: How are they holding up?

You’re probably not concerned about wear and tear considering the build quality of these but the optional anodized finish might be a different story.

There have been a couple of cases of red ones fading from the sun and turning pink over time.

Keith (the owner) himself mentioned on the Tacoma forums that he upgraded to a more UV resistant anodize for the red tie downs. He also said he’ll warranty any others that turned pink.

On their website, Charvonia mentions that the anodized tie downs can be damaged by UV or the use of alkaline soaps. They recommend parking your truck in the shade if possible and if you aren’t able to, the powder coated finish is a better choice.

Great honesty on the company’s part if you ask me.

How are mine holding up? Well, I installed them about 1.5 months ago and my truck has been parked outside in the summer sun ever since. They still look perfect but it’s too early to tell.

I’ll come back and update this post in the future for a more long-term report.

So, are they worth it?

The final question: are the Charvonia Design tie downs worth the hefty price tag? These retail for roughly $194 CAD for a pair. You’ll likely want at least 4 of them for your rig.

That’s a lot of money to spend on replacing something that already does a decent job. If you tie things down in your truck bed often though, the premium feel of these is a really nice upgrade.

These also come in handy if you’re looking for something colorful to blow your hard earned money on. It’s a great way to add a splash of color to your truck. In my case, the anodized blue looks awesome on my lame silver Tacoma!

My verdict is that they’re expensive but the high quality matches the price. It really comes down to how you use your truck and what your priorities are.

If it helps to justify your purchase, these are made in America and you’re supporting a small business that’s owned by a fellow car enthusiast. That certainly counts for something.

You won’t find a nicer set of aftermarket tie downs for your truck, that’s for sure!

Disclaimer: I received this product for free from Charvonia Design to test but was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own – I take pride in sharing both the good and bad of every product I review