2017 Towing Experiences

I have an 07 and tow 5000lbs boat and trailer. I get about 8-10mpg at 55mph. Seems about right to me. My manual says keep the auto trans in d4 while towing. These are not tow vehicles, you need to set the bar low for tow capabilities. Id say expect shitty mpg and low power when towing. That said, it gets the job done for me and I would never drive a full size truck for the amount of towing i do. Its all trade offs. Also keep in mind, I have found these truck across the years get a huge range in mpg.

I get your frustration of all things being equal getting shittier mpg in your newer truck. Better MPG is one reason I have considered a 3rd gen, so that would bum me out too.

 

You should not be in 5th and 6 th !
You can screw it up.

 

Same here, 5000 with horses no problems, tows better than the 2nd gen I had.
Flat, no hilly terrain.
And not doing 75 like some expect to do.

 

I do use S4, or S5 as indicated in the user manual below. You can tow in S5 according to the user manual...

"Vehicles with an automatic transmission: To maintain engine braking efficiency and charging system performance when using engine braking, do not use the transmission in D. If in the S mode, the transmission shift range position must be in 5 or lower."

 

But it sucks to be broke and have no money to enjoy the good ones.

Ok back to towing.

I had a 4 banger before, hate to toe a freaking nail behind it, one of the reasons I upgraded to the v6 17.



only over 2k, but the 09 didn't like to haul this load. It seemed like it was easier to use the bed of the 09 and make a couple of trips rather than towing. the 16 took it like a champ. It was too short of a drive to really compare milage from normal, but the truck didn't seem to work that hard.

 

I didn't not have the cojones to tow with my 4 cyl

It can barely move itself

 

the 4 didn't have the cojones to to tow, but my heavy foot on the floor made it have to.

 

Maybe I need to lower my expectations. Do you have any idea what the gas mileage was when pulling the boat?

 

No replacement for displacement (unless force inducted). Thank the EPA for forcing Toyota to downsize.

 

Tundra 5.7 if you need it

 

I am not sure I need a Tundra, although it might help with a few things. I tow largely stuff between 6k (occasionally), down to smaller stuff 2.7k, all the way down to 750lbs. What concerns me a bit is that I tow quite a bit. When I tow the 2.7k I get in the range of 11-12, possibly 13 on a good day. 750lbs gives me a bit more. If a Tundra tows better (smoother, and the gas mileage is around the same), I really wonder about the value proposition of the smaller truck. Sure, you will get more gas mileage when you dont tow, but if you tow a bunch its a wash...

Whats not clear is what the Tundra MPG would be with 2.7k trailer? Any thoughts?

 

I can't speak for a Tundra, as my dream truck (Double Cab Tundra 5.7L 4wd, 8 feet bed, I haven't bought yet). However, when I tow heavy with my LX570 (same motor as Tundra), I get 9-11 MPG.

The 5.7L makes towing a breeze. You don't even feel it back there.

I am just saying instead of blaming the EPA (I don't like them either), if you need a Tundra, there is a 5.7L available. No need to be "forced" into smaller motors when other options are available if you need them

I know after I am bored of my TRd PRO, I am going Tundra. Enough playing around with little boys trucks.

 

I am waiting for the next gen Tundra before I would consider buying one. I am not impressed with the current Tundra.

 

Yeah current Tundra is long in the tooth. But when dealers offer 5K off msrp, its tempting. That said, I am with you 100%

 

Hell, towing 9k lbs in a 20ft enclosed trailer from NJ to UT in my supercharged 5.7 Tundra was not a pleasurable experience. Going up the mountains it was screaming in 3rd or 4th gear to maintain 60mph. For a 2200 mile trip I averaged 6mpg.

 

If towing is your main concern, then the taco is not for you. Get a bigger truck, i don't tow much but still did consider a bigger truck for a short time.

 

I have a polaris ranger which is the heaviest thing I tow. I did not buy my tacoma to do a lot of towing. If i was going to do a lot of towing I would have never bought a tacoma in the first place. If one is really into towing a lot don't understand why people would buy a tacoma and get disappointed when it don't tow well enough to suit them. Go full size if you know you are going to tow a lot of weight and tow often. I bought my truck just for the truck and very light towing if any.

 

I've towed both with my 1st gen 4 cyl and my '16 TRD Sport. No issues at all from either, though the 3.6 pulls much easier than the 2.7 did. of course, both are stick shifts..

 

havent towed a ton, but never noticed any drop in power or mpg with either a motorcycle trailer and bike or uhaul cargo trailer loaded to maybe 2000lbs. both fairly light but the MT handled it like a champ. much more than that and id use a bigger truck. 6speed auto, smallish engine and towing doesnt sound like a promising combination