1. Welcome to Tacoma World!

    You are currently viewing as a guest! To get full-access, you need to register for a FREE account.

    As a registered member, you’ll be able to:
    • Participate in all Tacoma discussion topics
    • Communicate privately with other Tacoma owners from around the world
    • Post your own photos in our Members Gallery
    • Access all special features of the site

The Tacoma Towing Bible

Discussion in 'Towing' started by maverick491, Nov 18, 2007.

  1. Feb 27, 2019 at 3:56 AM
    #1681
    jpereira2

    jpereira2 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 20, 2013
    Member:
    #118928
    Messages:
    6,025
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Jason
    Massachusetts
    Vehicle:
    2013 double cab trd off road
    Bilstein 6112 4th notch Bilstein 5160 rear Camburg ball joint UCAs Old man emu dakar leafs 265/75R16 Cooper ST Maxx Crux stereo a/v interface UltraGauge ARE fiberglass cap Wet okole seat covers Retro fit source Led fog lights Superbrightled pods in rear bumper Superbrightled light bar in grill Rock blokz mud flaps SOS Rock Sliders RCI Skid Plates (to be painted and mounted)
    Id recommend a larger trans cooler
     
  2. Feb 27, 2019 at 8:11 AM
    #1682
    ItsRichieRich

    ItsRichieRich Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2014
    Member:
    #134992
    Messages:
    1,339
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Richard
    Temecula, CA
    Vehicle:
    '13 Ford Raptor
    I was thinking that at first but I didn't get anywhere near the 250 degrees "oh shit" mark.
     
  3. Feb 27, 2019 at 8:12 AM
    #1683
    HB Taco

    HB Taco Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2011
    Member:
    #54683
    Messages:
    1,207
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Curt
    Huntington Beach, CA
    Vehicle:
    2019 F150 FX4 S Crew 3.5 TT
    Nice, I'm more interested in the M3 and how it went on the track. I'd love to track my NTM E90 335i. I'm running a MHD tune and it's fast but I need to upgrade the coolers before tracking it. :thumbsup:
     
    ItsRichieRich[QUOTED] likes this.
  4. Feb 27, 2019 at 8:27 AM
    #1684
    ItsRichieRich

    ItsRichieRich Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2014
    Member:
    #134992
    Messages:
    1,339
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Richard
    Temecula, CA
    Vehicle:
    '13 Ford Raptor
    DSC08437.jpg
    Still waiting for track pictures to be available but this is my E46 M3. This car handles like it is on rails!!! It's absolutely amazing on fun, responsive and forgiving this car is. Besides upgraded tires and coilovers, there is no upgrades. Brakes work great for what they are, but I am a late braker and will be looking to upgrade to Stoptech rotors and pads before committing to BBK (most people that get BBK don't even use BBK like they are suppose to). The S54 engine just screams at 8k rpm. If you can keep your speed/rpm high when coming out of a corner, this car is very capable of keeping up with the big boys.

    But to get back onto the thread topic. I use to track my bikes a lot but recently got into a really bad motorcycle accident and actually walked away very lucky. So I am taking a break from bikes and got back into a car. I plan on doing more track days so will be looking for a used aluminum car trailer. At first I was iffy about my truck hauling my car (supercharged Taco with 33" tires, not geared) but boy was I wrong. Of course with the help with a brake controller, I got up and down that mountain in LA with zero issues. I was thinking maybe selling the Taco and getting a full sized truck. Just wasn't all about that idea because driving a full sized truck as a DD sucks.
     
  5. Feb 27, 2019 at 9:13 AM
    #1685
    HB Taco

    HB Taco Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2011
    Member:
    #54683
    Messages:
    1,207
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Curt
    Huntington Beach, CA
    Vehicle:
    2019 F150 FX4 S Crew 3.5 TT
    Awesome. On the N54 its the opposite, big torque starting as low as 2.5k and shift at 6k. But the Twin Turbo N54 (tuned) gets hot quick so for now its quick blasts for me. Anyway you got through the grapevine okay so your good. In the summer it may be different. The 4.0 Tacoma's pull very well for a midsize truck. You have the blower so even more so but the cooling could be the only thing if you have to push it say in the summer months? I've been contemplating a full size truck also, but I drive the beemer whenever I can so the truck is just for bigger work jobs and offroad / recreation.
     
    Last edited: Feb 27, 2019
  6. Feb 27, 2019 at 9:56 AM
    #1686
    bigbear1612

    bigbear1612 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2018
    Member:
    #265391
    Messages:
    126
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Gary
    Vehicle:
    2018 Toyota Tacoma TRD 4X4 silver sky metallic
    Ride Rite airbags with onboard compressor, Trail Ridge towing mirrors, 28,000 gwv external transmission cooler, Roll n Lock bed cover.
    Do you have any towing mods to your Taco or is it stock?
     
  7. Feb 27, 2019 at 11:20 AM
    #1687
    jpereira2

    jpereira2 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 20, 2013
    Member:
    #118928
    Messages:
    6,025
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Jason
    Massachusetts
    Vehicle:
    2013 double cab trd off road
    Bilstein 6112 4th notch Bilstein 5160 rear Camburg ball joint UCAs Old man emu dakar leafs 265/75R16 Cooper ST Maxx Crux stereo a/v interface UltraGauge ARE fiberglass cap Wet okole seat covers Retro fit source Led fog lights Superbrightled pods in rear bumper Superbrightled light bar in grill Rock blokz mud flaps SOS Rock Sliders RCI Skid Plates (to be painted and mounted)
    you may want to "Hey Jeremy .

    You can download a user manual directly from scan guage . I am not sure what model you have so I am pointing to all the user guides here .
    http://www.scangauge.com/support/user-manuals/

    If you were in 4th gear , you were in the proper gear for towing . 4th gear is direct drive in the A750E transmission . 5th gear is overdrive .

    How long have you owned the truck ?

    Program your scan guage to read the trans temps . If it gets higher than 220 , pull over and let the truck idle in park until the temps drop back down to 170 where it should be
    Lets have a peek at what transmission coolers do
    TRANSMISSION COOLERS
    If you do not have a transmission cooler on your truck and you plan to tow or haul heavy loads or you are in heavy stop and go traffic and use 4X4 low a lot , consider purchasing a cooler . The cooler thats built into your rad is designed to cool the transmission with the weight of just the truck by itself .When you are in 4x4 low , your torque converter is usually in the stall stage and creates a tonne of additional heat .You dont have much air flow going through your rad when you are in low range 4x4 .
    160 - 200 are considered normal temps providing your engine radiator is functioning properly . If your engine overheats , your transmission will also overheat
    Normal fluid temperature in transmission to be 175 deg. F.

    Rate of oxidation to double for each temperature increase of 20 deg F above normal (175 deg F). As oxidation rate doubles, useful life of fluid is cut in half.

    At 175 deg F life is 100,000 miles
    At 195 deg F (20 deg above 175) life is 50k miles
    At 215 life is 25k miles
    At 235 life is 12k
    At 255 life is 6,250
    At 275 life is 3,000
    At 295 life is 1500
    At 315 life is 750

    At temperatures much above 300 deg F the metals in the transmission will tend to warp, twist etc. high temperatures causes the formation of varnish deposits which impair or pre vent transmission operation.

    At a fluid temperature of 415 deg F fluid life is 30 minutes!" great info at this thread and others https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/trans-overheated.428722/
     
  8. Feb 27, 2019 at 12:22 PM
    #1688
    bigbear1612

    bigbear1612 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2018
    Member:
    #265391
    Messages:
    126
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Gary
    Vehicle:
    2018 Toyota Tacoma TRD 4X4 silver sky metallic
    Ride Rite airbags with onboard compressor, Trail Ridge towing mirrors, 28,000 gwv external transmission cooler, Roll n Lock bed cover.
    The problem is that 2018 Toyota Tacoma AT has a thermostat that doesn't open until the trans is in the 190 deg to 195 deg range. The only thing you can do about that is to pin the thermo open.
     
  9. Feb 28, 2019 at 9:06 AM
    #1689
    snowmanwithahat

    snowmanwithahat Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2014
    Member:
    #120444
    Messages:
    1,555
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Matt
    Vehicle:
    2013 Spruce Mica DCSB, TRD OR, V6, Auto
    Yeah, I've noticed my 2nd gen idles around 190 also.

    I haven't tipped over 220 or 225 while towing on hot days, uphill, AC on, at about 1,000 ft elevation, with a 5,000 lb boat.

    I just flat out don't see the need for a trans cooler in my situation. Maybe it'll be different next summer when I take the same boat, and 2 more passengers, luggage and coolers (probably overweight) through the hills in Kentucky... but even then I'm not too concerned.

    Trans coolers really don't seem necessary in the midwest unless you're dangerously overloaded in weight. The stock one might not be very good, but it's just about all we need for the weights this truck is capable of pulling.
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2019
    bigbear1612[QUOTED] likes this.
  10. Feb 28, 2019 at 9:31 AM
    #1690
    bigbear1612

    bigbear1612 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2018
    Member:
    #265391
    Messages:
    126
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Gary
    Vehicle:
    2018 Toyota Tacoma TRD 4X4 silver sky metallic
    Ride Rite airbags with onboard compressor, Trail Ridge towing mirrors, 28,000 gwv external transmission cooler, Roll n Lock bed cover.
    I have the tow package so there is the OEM trans cooler, but it's awfully small. I also have added the scan gauge but have not towed the TT yet so I can't give you any temps yet. I'm going to ask the dealer if I can add another trans cooler inline with the OEM one without affecting the warranty. It's a closed system so I'll maybe preload the new cooler with AT fluid and check the level as shown on another thread on TCW.
     
  11. Mar 2, 2019 at 4:30 AM
    #1691
    Chimpo

    Chimpo Member

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2015
    Member:
    #157345
    Messages:
    23
    Vehicle:
    2014 TRD Off Road, white
    Febreeze Air Freshener

    I just towed the boat home last night, and I was surprised at how well the truck towed it. It wasn't good, but it wasn't the white knuckled ride I was expecting. I locked it into 4th gear, and kept the speed in the low 60's. Anything more and the truck felt loose and floaty.

    Would those Sumo spings help with that feel?
     
  12. Mar 2, 2019 at 6:31 AM
    #1692
    squeaky

    squeaky Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2014
    Member:
    #132895
    Messages:
    279
    Gender:
    Male
    Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2014 MGM DCSB Sport 4x4
    Did you happen to notice how close you were to the bump stops?
     
  13. Mar 2, 2019 at 11:02 AM
    #1693
    Chimpo

    Chimpo Member

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2015
    Member:
    #157345
    Messages:
    23
    Vehicle:
    2014 TRD Off Road, white
    Febreeze Air Freshener
    I'll report back on Monday when I splash the boat, but the tongue weight didn't seem too bad.
     
  14. Mar 2, 2019 at 11:09 AM
    #1694
    squeaky

    squeaky Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2014
    Member:
    #132895
    Messages:
    279
    Gender:
    Male
    Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2014 MGM DCSB Sport 4x4
    Cool. I tow a 4500# boat with a dual axle trailer also. I added an AAL recently and my boats in storage so I haven’t had a chance to see what it looks likes hooked up to the boat. My truck is leveled, so my plan is to step up to a HD Dakar pack if the truck sags too much...I’m usually towing in the dark going to/from fishing spots, so I’m worried I’ll be blinding oncoming traffic if my rear end drops too much.

    Nice boat btw.
     
  15. Mar 6, 2019 at 2:31 PM
    #1695
    bigbear1612

    bigbear1612 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2018
    Member:
    #265391
    Messages:
    126
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Gary
    Vehicle:
    2018 Toyota Tacoma TRD 4X4 silver sky metallic
    Ride Rite airbags with onboard compressor, Trail Ridge towing mirrors, 28,000 gwv external transmission cooler, Roll n Lock bed cover.
    I just got back from the dealer and they told me that The OEM cooler is all I need. He said that is sufficient to cool the trans during towing. I will let you know how that works out. I have a scan gauge and will be monitoring the temps.
     
  16. Mar 9, 2019 at 3:44 PM
    #1696
    dgetman

    dgetman Member

    Joined:
    Aug 27, 2018
    Member:
    #264331
    Messages:
    16
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Dan
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tacoma TRD Sport
    Hi folks.


    I’ve been doing a lot of reading in these forums and following up on the recommended links related to towing with the Tacoma. I couldn’t list every contributor that brought me from total noob to somewhat informed about towing, but I am incredibly appreciative of your help.


    I’m finalizing my numbers to make sure I’m within all of the towing related capacities and there are a few things that I can’t seem to find solid guidance on. The goal here is to make sure I don’t inadvertently purchase a camper that pushes me past any of the capacities.


    If anyone here has thoughts on these, I’d appreciate your perspective.


    Questions:


    Looking at a couple of WD hitches, most in this range around 100lbs. As this hitch is attached to the truck I’m assuming that it is added to the payload capacity, but as it is also attached to the camper frame and redistributes weight I’m actually not sure where to add it into the math for capacity checking. Does anyone know where I can find guidance on which capacities this weight is counted in?


    Considering tongue weight, the camper I’m looking at has a hitch weight stated on the sticker. Once I add a load to the camper, balance the weight in the camper and set the WD hitch correctly, is the goal for that tongue weight to stay the same or should I count on that going up (and hitting the payload capacity at a higher weight)?


    As I can’t actually weigh the truck and the camper together to get axel weights before purchasing it, is there a straightforward way to estimate loaded tongue weight and the axel weights for both the camper and the truck axels with a properly adjusted WD hitch in place. My assumption is that the WD hitch keeps the front truck axel the same, loads the rear truck axel at the tongue weight (more or less), and pushes the rest of the weight onto the trailer axel, but I’d love to get confirmation or contradiction on that.


    Lastly, related to transmission temps, I’ve installed a ScanGauge II and am monitoring transmission temps during regular driving. I’m pretty surprised to see temps regularly in the 190s just commuting to work in normal traffic on a cold day. I’ve seen just over 200 headed up a mountain road unloaded. Does this seem crazy to anyone else or are my expectations just not set correctly?



    Thanks again for your help everyone. Happy to provide details if that helps.
     
  17. Mar 10, 2019 at 9:23 AM
    #1697
    dgetman

    dgetman Member

    Joined:
    Aug 27, 2018
    Member:
    #264331
    Messages:
    16
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Dan
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tacoma TRD Sport
    If the thermostat doesn't open until 190-195, that would explain why I'm not seeing higher temps. Seeing 190 on an easy, unloaded, 25min commute just seems high to me.

    If this is normal and the numbers on lifespan of trans fluid are true

    something isn't adding up for me.
     
  18. Mar 10, 2019 at 2:33 PM
    #1698
    snowmanwithahat

    snowmanwithahat Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2014
    Member:
    #120444
    Messages:
    1,555
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Matt
    Vehicle:
    2013 Spruce Mica DCSB, TRD OR, V6, Auto
    Don't overthink it... 190 is what they designed it to run at, which is probably why they recommend inspecting, but not changing at 30k miles. People use their trucks differently and an operating temp of 190 - 220 on the transmission is just fine. If you use it a lot at high duty cycle then you'll want to make your intervals lower.
     
  19. Mar 10, 2019 at 3:38 PM
    #1699
    dgetman

    dgetman Member

    Joined:
    Aug 27, 2018
    Member:
    #264331
    Messages:
    16
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Dan
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tacoma TRD Sport
    I appreciate your reaffirming that 190 isn't out of the ordinary. I'll check back in once I get 4,000 lbs. behind it and see what the transmission is up to then.

    about overthinking it... let's just say I'll do my best on that front snowmanwithahat...
     
  20. Mar 10, 2019 at 8:54 PM
    #1700
    Retumbo7

    Retumbo7 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 10, 2019
    Member:
    #286136
    Messages:
    200
    Gender:
    Male
    SF Bay Area
    Really glad I stumbled upon this thread! I've towed more things I can imagine over the years with my 4 Tacos, but turns out there was still a lot I didn't know. Great info!
     
    jpereira2 likes this.

Products Discussed in

To Top