Taco Towing Gen 2

Prior to a recent trip, I searched the web for real world information about Towing experiences with the Tacoma (gen 2, 4.0L 6ycl). The posts, reviews, and videos were highly varied and none really provided actual accounts of towing experience, so I decided to create one for future searchers to find.

Vehicle and Equipment:
2012 Toyota Tacoma Extended Cab 6ft Bed 4.0L V6 TRD 45k miles
Tonneau cover on bed
This vehicle already has a Rite Loader motorcycle ramp installed in the bed, which adds 150lbs of static weight.
2 passengers approx 350lbs
In 2H mode for the whole trip

2009 Horton Hybrid 16ft x 8.5ft V-Nose enclosed trailer
GVWR 9900lbs, empty weight 2250lbs
Payload of approx 3500lbs
Total towed weight of approx 5750lbs

Trip:
3427 miles, 92% interstate highway, relatively flat
3 separate 1100 mile runs, 2 loaded, 1 empty
Stopping for fuel, and food, and a 2 hr nap on each run
Speeds mostly between 60 and 80mph
Rain and sleet for 200 miles, light to moderate rain for 600 miles, and the rest dry.
Temps from the high 30s to mid 70s, with most above 50.

Narrative:

Just for context, the two former trucks with significant towing were a 2000 GMC Sierra, and a 2008 GMC Sierra, so the Tacoma is my introduction to a mid-sized truck. I also drove a friend’s 6 cylinder F-150 towing an open trailer with a race car on it for several hundred miles.

The Tacoma was very stable towing. Surprise #1 is that it rivaled my former GMC Sierra, which is a full-sized truck with a towing package. Bow waves from tractor trailers, and crosswinds did not disturb the setup much, and there was no trailer wagging as with the aforementioned F-150. Power was adequate, with power passing requiring a jump into overdrive taking the tach north of 4000 rpm. Most of the time, maintaining 70+ mph kept the tach just over 3000 rpm. Which brings me to the second surprise. Mileage really plummets at 3000rpm! On average, I got close to 10mpg for the trip, but several tankfulls were in the single digits. At first, I thought I got a bad batch of fuel, but this persisted over Shell, Exxon, and BP brand fuels. To be fair, this is about what my old Sierras achieved while towing, but I somehow expected better. Surprise #3, fuel mileage was the same with the trailer empty or full !! Ok, it varied by a small amount, but it was within 0.5 mpg. So in this case, the aero impact of the trailer was far more impactful than the weight being towed.

Maneuverability was excellent. The smaller vehicle made tighter spaces more comfortable including backing into a trailer spot at a self storage place that would probably not have been possible with the Sierra. Engine temps remained normal for all 3 runs, and the truck did not burn a drop of oil. The nose of the truck did rise as the rear compressed, impacting the stance, but not a lot. The stock mirrors had a surprisingly good view down the sides of the trailer, although obviously not as good as a wider full size pickup.

This is not the kind of towing that this vehicle was designed to do regularly, but it did it admirably. There were more than a few surprised faces from other pickups as they finally pulled alongside to see what was pulling the trailer.

So there you have it. One experience does not make this conclusive, and it was far from scientific, but perhaps others will add to this thread.

 

6spd or auto?

 

Auto, I should have mentioned that. Thanks

 

Nice post but there are plenty of towing reviews in the towing forum (https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/towing.34/). My trailer is about the same weight and other than higher than desired transmission temps (240 at the torque converter in the mountains) the truck does fine.

Not mentioned in your post but with the automatic you should never tow in D.

 

I'm kinda new to the forum, just got a 2012 DCSB 4.0 and I put on the TRD pro suspension, dakar leaf packs and the firestone riderite airbags. Can you please elaborate on the not towing in D. Much appreciated!

 

You dont want to tow in d because it can cause the trans to hunt for gears and shift more than you want it, thus creating more heat and higher trans temps. High enough trans temps cause the atf fluid to break down. If you tow frequently it is recommended to change your atf fluid more often. By leaving the truck in 4, it locks the torque converter and keeps the trans from shifting more than it should

Hope this helps some, welcome aboard!

 

@rjbiii nailed it and welcome to the forum.

 

Thank You Sir!!!

 

Generally speaking stay out of Overdrive when towing. Even when not towing it can be better to forget OD. If I'm in a situation where I'm not likely to get above 45 mph for an extended time I just put it in 4th and forget about OD. The truck performs better and will likely get better fuel mileage.

If the gear selector is in "D" it will try to use OD. Doing this really heats up the AT fluid and results in premature transmission failure. If I'm reading the OP's post he did tow in OD, but it isn't clear. If he did, I'd change the AT fluid ASAP as it was probably compromised towing that much weight in OD for extended periods.

If towing a lighter load, especially a low profile utility trailer or popup you may be able to use OD at least part of the time. Just use common sense and treat it like a manual. Shift into and out of OD as conditions change. But if ever in doubt use 4th gear.

 

I tow a boat, around 3800 lbs, and I just make sure the tranny doesn't hunt. Downhill I'll use OD. Going up hills, drop it to 4th. Just pay attention.

I like towing it with my friends F250 much better... get up to speed and put it in cruise. Gotta love diesels.

 

When towing in 4, the torque converter can still unlock, though it is less likely than in D. I encounter this especially when towing in the mountains. Can tell when this happens because the rpms will increase by about 200, and the converter temp will start to rise above the pan temp.