Towing with automatics

I am a new comer to the forum.
We decided to down size from our much loved 40' motorhome powered by a Cummins 360 Diesel to a travel trailer. First priority was a suitable tow vehicle, decided on a Tacoma pick up truck. Found a very nice 2012 low miles example locally, bought it last week and emeidatly set off on the 1200 mile run from Spokane to Fargo N Dakota to collect a very nice travel trailer.
The trailer weighs in at 4800 lbs which is well inside the trucks 5500 towing capacity recommendation. This run is freeway all the way.
The first 100 miles on the return trip was somewhat disappointing because the automatic transmission did not seem suitable for the job. The engine has the power to get the job done but the transmission precludes using much more that half throttle. On approaching a hill I would select forth gear early to keep the revs up buts as more throttle was applied on the hill the transmission will dive down to third or even second gear which simply made the engine scream for no reason.
I learned to get along reasonably well with very light egg shell pressure on the throttle to avoid the unproductive change downs.
Several other makes have a transmission control switch designed to re programme the transmission shift points while towing, this is clearly what was required on the Tacoma but is not a option.
Toyota seem to take a different approach by offering the 6 speed manual gearbox as the way to go for heavy towing. This do it yourself gear box in sixth is lower geared that the over geared 5 speed automatic. This plus the ability to get the throttle down in any gear would appear to me to be the answer.
Toyotas answer to this dilemma is to take a cop out by instructing only to use forth gear while towing.
I have made a expensive mistake, not because I failed to do diligent and prudent research but because there is little or no real instruction from Toyota or the sales staff on real life trailer towing. I relied entirely on the manufacturers specification of the tow package stipulation and claimed towing capacity recommendation.
Frankly I suggest that the automatic Tacoma and Tundra should be restricted to lower tow weight recommendations while the manual gear box only carry the 5500 rating.
Any thoughts on the subject would be most welcome.

Roger

 

no overdrive or ECT button?

 

So you picked the Tacoma primarily for a towing rig? That's pretty rare. Did you know that the TRD models (and I believe optional with others) comes with some nice towing features like extra weight capacity (6500 lbs I believe) an upgraded alternator, Oil and Tranny Cooler and a CLASS IV hitch. I used to have a heavy tandem axle 19' travel trailer and pulled that thing up and down some pretty hairy coastal mountain grades. The transmissions are pretty bullet proof and the tranny cooler is nice to have. As for gearing, you can't expect this thing to be set up like an Allison. You are going to have to either trade in for a 6 spd (with full towing package for a 6500 lb towing capacity) or get used to the gear drops.

 

If you tow with a Tacoma 5spd auto do not use 5th overdrive you will toast your trany just pop the lever over to 4th and leave it there.
Welcome to the forum you will find a wealth of info and a little BS so use your judgment.

 

This is correct. Do not tow heavy loads in overdrive. Especially in hilly terrain.

 

Confused about your last sentence: Why include the Tundra? I have a Tundra and haul a 5th wheel camper. It hauls it beautifully. 5th gear is good for everything but the stiffest head winds and steepest grades.

 

I think my truck tows exceptionally well for what it is. (NOT a full size truck) I have towed pretty close to the 6300 lb limit (mine is not quite 6500 because it's a DCLB) a few times and I have no power issues maintaining speed on hills. I do keep it in 4th and I have the tow package.

What octane are you using? The truck makes more power lower on 91 or better. Even the ones here who balk at using anything but 87 will usually admit that when you're towing it makes sense.

Also, when the SAE towing standards were finalized the rating didn't change. So, the rating is in line with anyone else who uses that standard now (just about everyone).

 

Towing in overdrive will cook the transmission @koditten

 

Yeah, the Tundra does fine towing.

Also, you did make a mistake because you failed to do diligent and prudent research. 10 minutes on here and you would of learned from the many many forums on this:

A) To always tow in 4th, because the overdrive can quickly overheat the transmission when the torque converter unlocks. Actually I bet you've already fried you fluid if you kept going from 5-4-3 and back again.
B) That the Tacoma is really built for total loads under 5000 lbs. Sure it can tow more but not comfortably. Similar to how a full sized truck would feel out of towing within 1500 lbs of it's tow rating so does the Tacoma. Your trailer, after you, your stuff, your passengers, and your water, is going to weigh in at close to 6000 lbs. Did you honestly think this through before you bought the trailer, "huh I'm going to buy a trailer that wet weight is rated for more than the truck, maybe that's not a good thing."

The Tacoma can handle 6500 lbs. Just like my wifes F150 can handle 11,500 lbs. Doing either is crazy though with those trucks. You have to have some common sense and do your own research to find out what you will be comfortable with for a tow rig.

Sorry to sound mean but the fact that you are blaming Toyota for this is silly. You need a bigger truck for that trailer. If you had of done 20 minutes of research here you would of realized that and bought a Tundra/F150/Silverado/Sierra/Ram etc.

If you want to try and make this truck work I'd recommend:

A) Valve body upgrade
B) Supercharger
C) Rear airbags so the truck tows "true"

After those costs though you may as well have a bigger truck. Tacoma's hold valve extremely well. The good news is that, with a private sale, you can probably get within $500 of whatever you paid as long as you did your research buying the truck in the first place and didn't overpay. So sell the Tacoma and move up to something bigger.

Also, don't blame the 5 speed automatic. It's actually the transmission from the 4.0L Tundra's a few years ago. It's far stronger than the 6 speed manual, which you would know if you had of done some research. The 6th gear on the manual is far to high to tow in anyways and you'd stall out in 5th trying to go up a good grade with a manual. All these things you could of known if you had of turned on a computer for 20 minutes. See a common theme here. Do some research.

 

Tundra is a 6 speed auto.

 

Tundra has way more Torque down low than a Tacoma. It's a silly argument you two are having.

Even with the Ecoboosts at work, which have over 300 ft*lbs of torque all the way down at 2000 rpm, they shift down on a grade into 5th.

 

You are right, it is silly to argue.

 

This is another guy who read 5 minutes on the Toyota site that he could tow 6500 lbs and bought the truck without a single test tow, minute of third party internet research, or common sense. They all blame Toyota when it's the buyers own mistake if they seriously think you can push a truck right to the tow rating without it dropping gears hard on grades or handling like crap.

It frustrates me that people deflect the blame for there own lack of research and then want help fixing something that you really can't fix. The Tacoma isn't built for towing nearly 6000 lbs wet weight trailers or more. Modifying it to try and do it will cost more than just selling it and moving up to a full size truck. It's as simple as that.

 

With a tow rating of 6300 lbs, I trust my truck can tow that under optimal driving conditions. You can't expect to do it though without taxing your truck or feeling like you're towing a heavy load. Those limits, like payload capacity, are usually on the safe side. If you want a truck that doesn't have to work hard to tow 6000 pounds then get a bigger truck, but the tacoma can do it. It won't handle as well as a larger truck, and it will work harder, but you shouldn't be so scared to push the truck a little within it's capacity.

 

Thanks fellers for all the input, I seemed to have unintentionally touched a nerve in the Tacoma community, I really did not expect to start a in house argument.
Your points are wide and varying ranging from "Tacoma not primarily designed for towing" "I should have chose a full size truck" "Overdrive will cook transmission" My fault for not doing my research on this forum" "My fault for expecting to tow 6500 lbs, the Tacoma is not built to tow that amount" " Tundra has more torque than a Tacoma" "My Tundra pulls a 5th wheeler easily in 5th gear"

Let me try to clarify the situation with actual facts and our circumstances.
My wife and I are both geriatrics, my wife specifically can not climb into and out of any full size monster truck, the full size will not fit our garage.
We did not choose the Tacoma "primarily for towing" as someone assumed, It is primarily as a second vehicle and motorcycle hauler. We see the v6 engine as better balance or compromise of fuel economy and performance. We fail to grasp the logic of a full size V8 for grocery shopping, only America does that as a matter of normality. ( I was bred and born in England, lived there 45 years)
The trailer is not close to 6500 lbs as someone suggested. Its WET weight is 4800 lbs as stated, I have a weigh ticket to that effect.
Two correspondence opine their Tundra has more power and torque that the Tacoma. According to Toyotas specific spec sheets the Tundra is fitted with the very same engine and transmission as the Tacoma so I assume that they have the optional larger V8 engines and six speed transmissions. The Tundra is also significantly heavier that the Tacoma.
Several criticisms that I failed to do research. This is patently untrue, I relied on the actual spec sheets of several manufactures in the mid size truck sections. Toyota clearly state that the Tacoma V6 automatic with tow package, which I have, is rated to tow 6500 lbs. As our trailer is no where near that it was reasonable to assume it would do as claimed. True I did not check in with this specific forum. but I did a bunch of Google owner reports and opinions. However going on the above responses any conclusion would be difficult to ascertain, it is akin to asking a group of Italian bystanders for directions. All it does is start a argument.
This Tacoma does not have a "overdrive", it has five gears. I used 4th gear extensively but that did not prevent the transmission occasionally diving down to second with silly revs at 5500. On one tank of gas I used 4th exclusively uphill and down dale, the result was a ghastly 10 mpg, just one mpg better than our 15 ton 40 foot motorhome.

Yesterday I towed the trailer back to my Toyota dealer, hooked it up to a 2015 V6 with 6 speed manual. Towed for about 35 miles with some sharp uphill and a freeway stretch. It worked so much better that the Automatic that I take delivery later today.

Lastly, perhaps I should have hung onto the automatic until the revised Tundra is available this fall. Toyota have bit the bullet and revised the decade old engine and the transmission to a six speeder. That one seems to be the best all-rounder for me. we will see.

Roger

 

Hey don't let that yep scare you off I drive from Williston ND to Utah and back every 2 weeks the way back to Spokane is going to be windy and hilly the entire way I tow my camp trailer with mine in Utah and it does great

 

X2

 

OP FYI the 5th gear in the Tacoma as well as the top gear in most automatics except 3 speeds is an overdrive gear and in many 6speed or greater automatics the top 2 gears are overdrive gears.
An overdrive gear is any gear where the output speed is greater than the input speed.

 

Good luck with your new truck

The Tacoma does have overdrive It engages automatically if in D.

You really know nothing about this truck. Tacoma gets about the same mileage as an old 1/2 ton. My wifes new F150 gets better mileage than my Tacoma. Brand new V8's beat 10 year old V6's on mileage. Just look on fuelly if you don't believe me.

At the end of the day, I still wouldn't tow that sort of weight with a Tacoma over long distances. It won't be fun. Manufacturer spec sheets are true, but would you tow 10,000 lbs behind an F150? If you are sane, no. Same with the Tacoma. Going within a thousand pounds of max capacity just isn't going to lead to an enjoyable towing experience. The Tacoma, or any other truck, pushed that close to the limit will have to use all the gears on hills. If you don't like that it's better to move up a bigger truck.

 

Also I notice you referred to a new Tundra in the Fall. There is no new Tundra coming in the fall, but there is a new Tacoma. Are you aware there is a huge difference between these two models?