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Gen 3 Towing Thread

Discussion in '3rd Gen. Tacomas (2016-2023)' started by TacoJonn, Jan 28, 2016.

  1. May 4, 2018 at 9:36 AM
    #1321
    Shellshock

    Shellshock King Shit of Turd Island

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    I ran sumo springs on my 2016 and they worked quite well. On my 2017, I switched the rear shocks to Fox 2.0 and that has greatly decreased the oscillation when going down the road compared to stock, its also kept me from slamming the bump stops like I've had happen with the stock suspension components with a decent load. I still get more sag than I would with the sumo springs, but I'm not towing daily so it works out well for me.
     
    fdb03taco[QUOTED] likes this.
  2. May 4, 2018 at 9:46 AM
    #1322
    wafersmith

    wafersmith Well-Known Member

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    Many
    I have been running firestone bags pulling a Rpod at about 4K typically. Love the airbags, no sag and much better ride.
     
  3. May 6, 2018 at 6:54 PM
    #1323
    fdb03taco

    fdb03taco Well-Known Member

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    SOMD!
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    Thinking about this post, I have a SR. Does anyone know the difference between the SR, Sport, and Off Road shocks? Curious if I could change to off road shocks, for example, to better control oscillation of a heavy trailer.
     
  4. May 6, 2018 at 7:47 PM
    #1324
    Shellshock

    Shellshock King Shit of Turd Island

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    Personally if you are going to go through the effort I’d go aftermarket. You are going to get better performance and it’s fairly inexpensive if you only do the rear shocks like I did.

    The fox 2.0 I put on mine are about $250 shipped and super easy install. They are significantly larger in diameter than the factory shocks and I can definitely notice a difference.
     
  5. May 7, 2018 at 6:28 AM
    #1325
    fdb03taco

    fdb03taco Well-Known Member

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    Yeah I think the SR has Hitachi shocks from the factory. They're pretty floaty.
     
  6. May 9, 2018 at 6:06 PM
    #1326
    Harvo

    Harvo Hanging On !!!

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    SpiderTrax, RCI Sliders, Warn bumper, Smittybuilt winch, Ridge Grapplers...
    Doing work

    20180509_205319.jpg
     
    bigwill837, arnette64 and thomas3ford like this.
  7. May 10, 2018 at 3:03 PM
    #1327
    jgr81

    jgr81 Well-Known Member

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    Summit County CO
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    Sumo springs have helped me a ton - no squat whatsoever towing around 3k lbs and full load in the bed. When i had my topper on it caused enough sag to ride on the sumo springs all of the time, which made it kind of like a harsh rebound when going over speed bumps, etc but not bad. I just took the topper off this week for the summer and it doesn't touch the springs anymore and the ride is good. It kind of firms up the handling if you have a bit of a load in the bed. Down the road I'll probably upgrade the spring pack whenever I replace the other suspension parts.
     
    Last edited: May 10, 2018
    skiscience likes this.
  8. May 14, 2018 at 11:42 AM
    #1328
    taco00

    taco00 Member

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    NorCal foothills
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    2018 TRD OffRoad DCSB MT
    Hi everyone. New guy here....been silently stalking this forum for lots of good information for years, as I've owned a 2000 TRD and a 2003 TRD. I just bought a 2018 TRD Off-Road, double cab, 6-sp manual, so I figured it was time to join and stop doing random Google searches for answers since there are already so many knowledgeable owners here. Please give forgive me for a couple very simplistic questions about towing...just bought a 3800 lb. travel trailer and it didn't pull as well as I hoped. My main reason for selling my '03 and going new was occasional towing, but I didn't want the larger Tundra for day-to-day driving. As for my basic questions:

    1) Several people have asked me if I have the "tow package". On the 2018 TRD off-road, my understanding is that there is no tow package option. These come standard with tow capacity of 6400 lbs. Am I crazy?

    2) My trailer is 3200 lbs. dry and 3800 lbs. max weight. I did get a brake controller. Anything else I really need?

    3) I live in the NorCal Sierra foothills, and the best I can seem to do uphill is running in 3rd gear at 3500-4000 rpm's. Any concerns with pushing the engine like that, or would you say "nah, these trucks can handle it"?

    Thanks so much for your advice.
     
  9. May 14, 2018 at 12:02 PM
    #1329
    Pickupman2007

    Pickupman2007 Well-Known Member

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    2020 Tacoma: Morimoto xB LED Headlights & fogs, MESO Total Tail S1, Fortin Evo One Remote Start, OEM Audio Plus System 500Q,, Redarc trailer brake controller, Carplay2Air wireless adapter, Custom shift knob, Electric tailgate lock, Chrome tailgate inserts, Limited fog light bezels, 2018 TRDOR Grill, Chrome door handle covers
    1. Yes I believe all 2018 V6 models have towing package as standard.

    2. Your less than 200 lbs. off from my camping trailer. Depending on your tounge weight and stability a weight distributor and or anti sway device might be needed or preferred. I don’t use either.

    3. Should be fine, the 3.5 really doesn’t put the power out until 3500 rpm.
     
    taco00[QUOTED] likes this.
  10. May 14, 2018 at 1:12 PM
    #1330
    Masterofnone

    Masterofnone 140.85

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    To echo @Pickupman2007 you're not making max torque until about 4000rpm. So in terms of will the truck handle it I'd say yes absolutely. However you may consider doing your service intervals closer together if you're towing several times a month at that weight and RPM
     
    taco00[QUOTED] likes this.
  11. May 28, 2018 at 6:15 PM
    #1331
    HBomb74

    HBomb74 Well-Known Member

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    I cannot engage ECT if the shifter is in the S-Mode. Just doesn’t come on. Anyone on this thread pull just a trailer with a four seater Razor? I’m trying to figure out what that weight would be. Thanks!!
     
  12. May 28, 2018 at 7:08 PM
    #1332
    fdb03taco

    fdb03taco Well-Known Member

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    Well guys. Traded my Tacoma for a Tundra. It just was not cutting it and I did not want to throw a bunch of money at the rear suspension on a brand new truck. First tow with the Tundra made it all worth it.
     
  13. May 29, 2018 at 11:42 AM
    #1333
    deminimis

    deminimis Well-Known Member

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    Hey all. First post here and this seems like the thread to ask the question I have. Back story first: Need a new daily driver and would like it to handle some local towing duties from time to time (I have a Ram 5500 but often that's just a lot of rig for zipping down to the river). I'm seriously considering an '18 TRD Pro. Max tow cap is 6400#. My boat (trailer, fuel, gear) is 6000# max. That's a lot of weight for a Taco, but again, this is just local towing (down the the river 15 miles away -any further and I'll use the Ram). I've read several threads where people vigorously complain about the auto (shifting too much, finicky, etc.,) and praise the 6 sp manual. Okay, I get that, but autos can be reprogrammed (either Toyota comes up with a solution (or perhaps that has already happened)) or perhaps aftermarket takes up the slack. Still, some of what I've read might make one pulls his hair out (5-6 constant shifting, for example) and if stuck with that constant shifting, well... On the other hand, I see clutches in my future should I go 6sp Manual (close to max cap then add boat ramps, canyons in my area, etc.). Then again, the auto gets a few more features, or so I've read. If it wasn't for the boat, I'd go 6sp manual hands-down. I'm going to drive both before I pull the trigger, but thought that since this is a towing thread, I'd ask folks' latest experience/opinions with both ('18 V-6 auto vs. manual). Unlike above, a Tundra, for me, isn't really an option as a daily (especially with that big Ram in my driveway). Anyway, thanks!
     
  14. May 29, 2018 at 11:56 AM
    #1334
    Shellshock

    Shellshock King Shit of Turd Island

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    I’ve towed extensively with both. It comes down to personal preference but I much prefer the manual. The gearing is much better suited for towing and I’m averaging about 15 mpg towing with the MT vs 10 towing with the auto.
     
  15. May 29, 2018 at 12:00 PM
    #1335
    deminimis

    deminimis Well-Known Member

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    Thank you sir.
     
  16. May 29, 2018 at 12:06 PM
    #1336
    Tacoaric

    Tacoaric Well-Known Member

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    Name is stupid familiar...... Towing an XStar right?
     
  17. May 29, 2018 at 12:09 PM
    #1337
    deminimis

    deminimis Well-Known Member

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    Ha! Nailed it.
     
  18. May 29, 2018 at 6:44 PM
    #1338
    OpelGT

    OpelGT hOPELess Power

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    I towed around 5500lbs 3000 miles in a week with my 6-speed manual 2018 TRD off road Tacoma. I used a weight distribution hitch from curt as well as their cheapest brake controller ($35 on e-trailer). The weight dist hitch was a must. I had zero squat with it installed. I drove from Texas to Pennsylvania and back to go to the Carlisle Imports show with my 1970 Opel GT. I followed the owners manual pretty closely. 500 miles in the city without the trailer first to keep varying RPMs. I took it easy and slow for the next 500 miles with the trailer and then hauled ass the rest of the way. 4th gear was the name of the game going up the hills in Arkansas and Tennesee. I occasionally had to place a well-timed 3rd gear to keep from dropping below 75mph. I used 5th gear on areas with a downhill gradient, or flat with no wind. 5th gear can make it up a pretty steep incline, but I only did that once as an experiment. You don't want a huge load on overdrive gears. I never touched 6th the whole trip. A little tip if you want to stay in 4th before a huge hill is to accelerate and get your rpms higher. This engine adores high revs.
    The trip was very comfortable and the truck handled the load wonderfully. My only complaint is that the low end power is terrible. Getting started from a stop on a hill with the trailer is nearly impossible with the manual. I don't like to slip the clutch, so I figured it out after a couple of days. You really have to get moving slowly. If you can get the wheels turning and release the clutch at 700rpm you can slowly get underway with a tinsy bit of gas to keep from lugging.
    Going down the Appalachians was wonderful with the manual. I got great mileage for hours and never touched the brakes. Nashville and St. Louis both suck! The traffic is scary with a trailer.
    I got 12.5 mpg average with a trip average speed of 70mph and lots of stretches of 75+.
    Overall towing with this truck on the highway is leaps and bounds better than my Automatic 2nd gen. It's so much smoother, quieter, comfortable and more powerful (only at highway speed). On the other hand, the second gen kicks butt in traffic, city, and low-end power compared to the 3rd gen.

    Oh I got second place at the car show too:)

    IMG_1871.jpg IMG_062E8274D33F-1.jpg
     
    JTM1, shakerhood, 02Duck and 5 others like this.
  19. May 29, 2018 at 6:47 PM
    #1339
    Tacoaric

    Tacoaric Well-Known Member

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    I tow the X30 with mine.... really not a lot of fun over 55ish. In town tows, it’s totally fine. Not going anywhere quickly though. But since I know you have that badass 5500, you won’t need it for that anyways.

    That being said I will be trading back into an F250.


    (Mines an auto and I haven’t had a single complaint with it)
    4E45ADFA-80EE-4E43-8E22-96894C1C5976.jpg
     
  20. May 29, 2018 at 7:17 PM
    #1340
    deminimis

    deminimis Well-Known Member

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    Thanks folks. That's some good news right there.

    In case you're wondering, my Ram is a pain in the arse when it comes to tight quarters (parking lots other than a Wal-Hell, boat ramps, Baja, etc.). A Taco would provide a welcomed addition (sometimes I just want to splash the waverunner). Anyway, thanks again for all the feedback.

    20170325_185724.jpg
     
    Tacoaric likes this.

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