Looking at a 2017 Tacoma, concerned about Payload weight

I am looking at buying a 2017 SR5 4x4 to carry around a pop up truck bed camper. The camper weighs 1045 lbs dry. Toyota says the payload capacity is 1120 lbs. What are my options for making this camper work with this truck?

 

If you want to stay under the payload capacity, and your dry camper, alone, weighs 1045, then you have no option with that truck except to take your chances and overload it. The truck has a terrible motor/transmission combo for heavy tow as well so beware. It seems an F150, with the 3.5 Ecoboost, may be a better choice.

 

I agree...I tow a 4,000lb boat. Hate it! Even with 500lbs in the bed it feels weak. The brakes have something to do with it. Rear drums suck!

 

really. I am looking at 18 Tacoma off road and I pull a bass boat about 4k also. My Diesel Colorado has zero problems and it can tow at 80 mph no issue if you wanted. Gas model my buddy has also has no issues. I was thinking the Tacoma would have no problems looking at travel trailers oothers are pulling. I don't tow often at all but I thought at less than 4k it would pull easy

 

There's a towing thread here that you should look at:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/gen-3-towing-thread.413026/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/gen-3-towing-thread.413026/page-46#post-15579823
This person says he's fine a 4k lb boat.

In short you should be in S4 or S5 with ECT on.

Based on the posts there you should be fine. If you do a search a few people tow their bass boats with no issue. Of course people have different expectations, I'm sure a person happy with going 60mph will feel differently than someone that wants to tow 80mph. It seems that if you wanted to tow it once or twice a week it'll be perfectly fine. Obviously pros use full sizes because they tow their boats literally all the time and it's their livelihood, but I would say for most of us weekend anglers it'll do that job.

Note: I do not have a boat (*yet* hopefully) but I plan on getting one sometime down the line so I do have vested interest in this.

 

i don't have one now either but sometimes tow my buddies old 90 Ranger 361 we fish out of. I might tow once every 3 months a couple hundred miles and never had issues towing with my 09 Ridgeline I had and I had a boat then and towed a lot more. Or back in 99 I had a Tacoma ext cab and had no issues. I do not care to do 80 towing either especially in smaller truck you have to stop the thing. It isn't about pulling it. I am also fine doing 60 to 65 towing and as I said I might tow 1000 miles a year every 3 months get a couple hundred miles or so. If I get a new boat it will be a aluminum bass boat but really don't see need.

 

I haven't gone quite that heavy, but with 2 big people plus 700-ish lbs of armor + camping stuff and dirt bikes in the bed of my AC TRDOR, it'd still cruise at 80 (although at 16-ish mpg, iirc), but felt noticeably more sluggish and underpowered on the brakes. Suspension felt better than unloaded. I'd run that kind of load again, but I wouldn't want to do it regularly/permanently.

 

Theed nailed it! Sluggish and underpowered is spot on. However, the Taco is a midsize. You can't expect the performance of a half ton or 3/4 ton. It gets the job done without breaking. Just need to be aware of the braking situation. FYI, I attached a pic of my setup. It may not tow great but it turns heads!

 

There are a couple of threads about aftermarket brake pads and rotors for towing, and I've heard good things about the EBC Yellow pads. That said, I don't think anything (even the supercharger or chip mods) will make the 3.5L V6 put out enough power to make you happy carrying around 1500lbs of loaded trailer + gear in the bed. Sounds like you might want a bigger truck, OP.