The Tacoma Towing Bible

Speed limit in just about every state is the same whether you're towing or not.

 

80 mph on the interstate towing or not. Only big rigs have to go slower and their speed limit is 70 mph on the interstate. With a WD hitch and sway control kit it towed great at 80, though it raped my fuel mileage. My UG said I was getting about 5 mpg maintaining 80, though at 65 I only averaged 9 mpg for the all interstate 150 mile drive...

When I towed the camper home the first time with just a regular hitch it towed fine at 65, but when a big rig passed me when I was doing 75 mph it got the whole thing swaying pretty bad... With the setup now, when big rigs passed me at 65 it never swayed it just tried to push me off the road (not as bad as that sounds).

So on the topic of tires. Do you think LT tires would lose their max speed rating when used on a trailer?

 

I'm no expert, but it would lose some but not all, if they're rated for 113 I'd say that they're good to 85-90 on a trailer.

We have LT tires on all of our trailers and I've run 75-80 for ~30 hours (with fuel stops) straight without problem when we moved.
That was on a tandem axle trailer (rated 14K) with about 9K of stuff on it.

 

Well is what I meant, is take my KM2's for example, they have a speed rating of 88 mph. But in a trailer application; would they just end up back down to 65 mph? It would defeat the purpose. haha Not that I would choose an MT tire.

 

Unless this is just a wheel rating, these ones are rated for 81 mph.

https://www.etrailer.com/Tires-and-Wheels/Taskmaster/TTWA15R45SM.html


EDIT: It's the tire! It says these tires have an M speed rating which is 81 mph.

https://www.etrailer.com/Tires-and-Wheels/Taskmaster/TTWTRTM2057515C.html

Apparently there are some N rated tires out there (87mph) but they are hard to find which is no surprise. haha

 

@maverick491 what do you mean by "overdrive"? I have a 4cyl 4spd. Is overdrive 4th (D) should I just put it in 3rd? Because at 55 mph in 3rd I'm cooking at 3000-3300 rpm.

Thanks for the help

 

Yes. Your 4th gear is an overdrive (higher than 1:1) and is something like 0.70:1. Your 3rd gear is 1:1. On the 5spd auto 5th gear is 0.72:1 and 4th gear is 1:1.

 

Thanks for the help!

 

Hi, I'm new to the forum and have a few questions.

I have a 2015 v6 Tacoma with the towing package and will need to tow a 5000lb boat 5 hrs, sometimes in hilly terrain a couple of times of year. I'd like to err on the side of caution with tranny cooling. I'm wondering if the stock transmission cooler is likely to be sufficient and if not, wether to replace it with something like the b&m 70264 or add another smaller cooler in addition to stock? As far as mods go, I figured in replacement situation the new one would use the same location and line setup as stock, if adding a second one, where to "plumb" in the additional cooler?

 

Check with the Mfgr to see if you can use the stock mounts (and how much extra cooling you can expect, while you're at it). My 2013 w/towing package is rated at 6500 lbs... if yours is the same, you should be ok, but a little closer to the upper limit than I like..

Try some local tows to "feel out" how the truck is handling it... that will also give you some insight into how you'll have to adjust your driving style to the tow rig.

Good luck.

 

Great thread. I haven't waded through the whole thing yet but thanks.

 

Hey guys, new member here. I'm towing for the first time next week. A small 18' travel trailer. I have a 6 spd MT. No factory tow package, but have a class 3 hitch.

Since I have a manual, do I need an oil cooler? I know I don't need the transmission fluid cooler.

Also found the Toyota towing guide saying 5000# rating without the towing package (attached). I assume the 3500# is for bumper towing.

Let me know if you have any other tips for towing.

 

Newbie tower here in need of advice. I have an access cab v6 with tow package and am looking into hauling my wife's Ford Flex from Florida to Washington state. After looking up the weights of the uhaul car hauler (2,200#) and adding the flex (4,400#) it comes out to about capacity (6,500#) Would this be to much of a haul? Are there better trailers? What are your opinions?

 

The flex capacity is 4,500 and a plane ticket is about $500.

 

Can't you just use a car dolly instead of a trailer?

 

unfortunately no, the vehicle is AWD.

 

I full 2 jet skies each at 750 pounds and a single axle trailer that's about 17 feet long, considering I have not regeared with 34inch tires is there anything else I my want to do to stay on the safe side with my auto transmission? Do I leave it D the whole way?

 

Hi all
Just found the forum, great info here.

I just completed an 11,000km (7000mile) trip to Newfoundland and back. Towed in 4 all the time (except for the odd long gentle downhill grade). I found that there would be a downshift in 4 on an uphill grade or increased headwind when I thought there wouldn't be. The rpm increase would be 150 or so. That usually signaled an iminent shift down to 3rd, so I'd disengage the cruise control if it was on, and cut backon the throttle. Sometimes the truck would shift down to 3, or I would shift it down.

Now, I understand the D/overdrive hunting and why that's bad, but is the slight downshift and hold when in 4 a problem? It doesn't flip in and out, just drops as the load increases and the gears progress downwards.

Equipment is 2013 Tacoma, 4x4, double cab, SR5 with full towing package. House trailer dry 2600lbs, usually under 3500lbs fully loaded. Sweet spot for towing is 90km/hr - 95km/hr (55 - 60mph). I get passed, but everyting is juusst right at that speed.

ralph

 

New Taco owner here. Recently completed a 500 mile tow of a 3,500lb travel trailer with no issues, but the trip left me with a lot of questions that I haven't seen the answer to in this thread.

2002 / V6 / SR5 / Manual / xtra cab / 185k / on 17" FJ wheels

Question 1: Should I replace my clutch? I don't know if it's ever been replaced, but performs fine. Is there a better clutch for towing than the stock?

Question 2: My first tow included multiple climbs to 2,100ft in the hills of Chattanooga TN. My question concerns engine braking, the owner manual suggests using engine braking and I can't imagine navigating hills without the truck in gear. But my confusion is those that would say "brakes are cheaper than transmissions". The trailer I was pulling didn't have trailer brakes, when I purchase one trailer brakes will be a certainty.

Question 3: Will towing 3,500lbs "wear out" my engine sooner? Obviously the manufacturer built it with an expectation that it would be used for towing, so why do some people suggest that towing with "our little v6's" will just tire them out. This question arose as at times on my first pull I had to put my foot in the floor requesting everything that little v6 had to offer.

Question 4: I found it most beneficial to run the truck at 3,200 rpm in 4th at about 65-70 mph. And I averaged 11-12mpg. Is this rpm "normal" for towing? The alternative would obviously be to slow down I guess but I like to get where I'm going and it's hard to imagine that the manufacturer didn't consider my speedy driving habits as I'm sure they're common.

Question 5: I assume the manual trans oil most loved by all is Redline MTF?

Thanks for this forum!! So helpful!!

 

I just finished up my write up on my 7pin trailer harness install. I wanted to keep it as "Factory" as possible.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/factory-7pin-trailer-harness-installation.390335/