The Tacoma Towing Bible

Similar experience here with a 2016 TRD OR. If I recall correctly 60mph is about 4000 on the tach. And it does take some getting used to. Drives the wife crazy....

 

similarly with manuals, the OM for my 2008 stickshift says to stay out of 6th when towing. no big deal, 5th is fine on the level, 4th on the mountains.

 

If I am towing a small utility trailer that is only 700lbs do I still need to keep in in 4th on the freeway or am I safe to put it in "D"? I have a 2nd Gen V6 DCSB Offroad.

 

no on a freeway doing 65-70mph with that light of a trailer you can be in overdrive no problem.

 

My wife and I are looking into getting a travel trailer, using my Tacoma as the tow vehicle. I have a 2007 TRD Sport AC 4WD, with tow package. I only have about 54k miles on it, so not a lot of wear and tear.



Do you guys think I would have any issues pulling a trailer with these specs (2017 Keystone Hideout 175 LHS):

Dry Weight- 3170 lbs

GVWR- 4445 lbs

Hitch Weight- 460 lbs

Length- 21'


I would definitely use trailer brakes and a WDH. I live in Montana, so there would be some inclines, and I will be moving to California next year so at least one long road trip. I've read through a lot of this thread, and it seems like a some people are pulling trailers around this size; but I am just looking for some advice before I make a purchase.


Thanks!

 

just remember to subtract that hitch weight from the truck's payload, whihc is 1200 lbs including passengers... so you get about 740 lbs... subtract yourselfs, and don't pack more than whats left on the truck.

when loading the trailer watch the hitch weight.

even with a WDH, you'll likely want overload springs or airbags.

 

hey guys trying to get a good answer about this. i have an 08 4x4 6 speed WITHOUT tow package. I've already installed the curt 4 flat tow wiring. i need to up to a 7 pin and run a brake controller. everything i am reading and can find says that there is a brake controller plug under the dash for a truck with tow package. i looked under my dash and i have an open plug that looks exactly like the 3040p connector. did they just do that standard for all truck?? because i don't want to go splicing wires in to add a controller if i can just plug and play. i know i need to run the wiring for power and the controller input from the trailer but i really don't want to have to cut stuff it i don't have to. any help would be great.

 

I doubt the trailer relays or light controller relays are in place or connected. all the stuff shown on this PDF is part of the trailer package.
http://www.customtacos.com/tech.old...toyewd/06toypdf/ewd/2006/tacoma/h/em01d40.pdf

 

Anyone know how much the stock tow package itself weighs in pounds

 

I've installed similar hitch recievers in other cars, they weigh about 20-30 lbs. the wiring adds a few more pounds. the relays, a few grams. the larger alternator is probably a few pounds heavier than the stock alternator, and the larger transmission cooler (automatics only) and extra couple quarts of ATF add a half dozen pounds more, so we're up to 40-50 lbs?

the updated sticker they put on my 2008 AC 4x4 SR 5 TRD Offroad, factory hitch, says maximum payload including passengers: 1205 lbs
the original sticker says GVWR: 5350 lbs, GAWR: 2755 lbs front, 3110 lbs rear.

5350 - 1205 lbs suggests a curb weight of 4145 lbs.

anyone got the exact same setup without factory tow?

 

What does that mean? I don't have a overdrive selector anywhere I can see. Please help. Thanks!

 

If you have an automatic, just put it in 4 instead of D.

 

and if you have a manual, don't put it in the top gear (6th in my case).

 

so for the controller plug. what are the other wires. from what I can find the green is an illumination wire. but the black, yellow, and white wire I cant find what they are for anywhere.

 

I towed my travel trailer for practice before the big road trip I have coming up

The question I had is, what is the top speed I should be driving on that drive setting? When I have the Tacoma over 60MPH, the engine revs high and I am thinking about all the gas it's guzzling.

Besides more gas usage, is it bad for the engine to rev that high for long road trips?

Also, would it it be safe to shift back into D when the highway becomes flat?

 

60ish should be fine and shouldn't be reving high? Maybe 2500-2700 rpm's? If it's a full TT I wouldn't use D even flat because of the wind resistance. I can use D but I pull a Pop up trailer which has very little wind resistance but even then I switch to 4 on the slightest up hills and it only weighs 3000 fully loaded. Like that I get 16-17mpg hwy, depending on your weight figure 12-13mpg hwy flat? Post a pic of your trailer and results of your mpg. I'm curious as we may upgrade our trailer sometime. Have a great trip.
Happy 4th of July everyone!

 

I would try it in D on a flat road. If it keeps shifting back and forth to keep speed up, put it back in 4. AFAIK, it's the constant shifting that causes trans temps to rise and excessive wear. If it stays locked in 5th, I don't see a problem with running it that way.

 

I pull my snowmobile trailer all winter at about 70-75 in 4th. Won't hurt a thing and the mileage is what I'd expect pulling a few thousand lbs of sled and trailer. Even when I'm in the potato field country of Northern Maine where it's flat as a pancake I keep it in 4th. Once you get used to it you won't think anything of it.

 

I have stopped towing in D since watching trans temps. Even on flat level ground, without hunting, the temps rise quickly when put in D. I get about 12 mpg in 4th, which I can't expect much more. On a side note, you shouldn't tow any trailer over 65mph, as trailer service tires are only designed for that max speed. Just my 2 pennies.

 

All it takes is the torque converter to unlock to to create excessive heat. So just because its not downshifting doesn't mean its not working hard. Watch the rpms and listen. It's in most owners manuals under towing to not use overdrive. But if your acutely aware of what the tranny is doing than you can do it under the right circumstances, but basically pulling a TT in D is not good.