Gen 3 Towing Thread

Diesels in this class size have far less horse power than the gasoline engines they are 'equivalent' to. You use horse power to maintain uphill speed. Torque gets you going, horsepower keeps you going.

 

I towed a little over 2000 pounds between the trailer and all the crap in the bed. Went from Palm Springs to Yucca Valley over the steep pass. It's not a long pass, but very steep. It towed in S3 between 45-50 and was to keep it from accelerating in S3.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUqWPcPFyFb/?hl=en

 

What model rear monitor is that?

 

Sorry can look at the model as I'm traveling for work and it's in my office across the country. I did a little review so you should find it in the 3rd Gen forum.

 

Took my new pop up out for the first time this weekend. Had a pretty good amount of weight on the tongue, the weight distribution hitch did great on the highway, but I tow on a fair amount of 4wd trails, and the wdh comes off when I go off pavement, so sumo springs or air bags are in my future. The truck towed well, going over Kenosha pass was a bit of a challenge, but ever spot to the west of Denver requires at least one decent mountain pass. P3 brake controller worked great.

 

Hello all,

Going to be towing a relatively light load from Florida to North Carolina, but am unsure what gear to drive in, and really would like this explained to me.

The trailer is approximately 2,000 pounds. I have no idea which gear is better for the transmission, and if I should be switching gears when in town vs whilst on the highway.

Beyond this and for future towing needs, I'm generally curious what each gear is for.

BTW I have a 2016 SR Double Cab 2WD

 

I'd personally tow with ECT button on, and in the S mode. When you click it over to S, it chooses 4th gear because that's the 1:1 ratio gear in the truck. That means the engine and driveshaft are spinning the same speed due to gearing. This is the safest high gear to tow in. Can you go to 5th gear? Depends on if you are on flat ground and the truck isn't working hard, but 5th and 6th are over-drive gears. Personally, the fuel savings are very minimal for 4th to 5th while towing (if any, due to engine load), so risking damaging OD gears if you're not confident in your towing skills isn't really worth the gain. Just keep it in 4th and you can test 5th if needed to feel how it has to work harder.

Running 2500 - 3000 RPM in 4th isn't a concern, even for long trips. My father in law runs his 2006 F150 at 2700 rpms while towing his travel trailer for hundreds of miles at a time, and he's got 150k miles on the engine.

This is a case where fuel economy isn't the priority at all, as towing in OD gears might do damage to transmission if you don't do it right.

Also, the weight of the trailer is a factor but there are three other factors that are actually more important.

1. Elevation change. Florida and NC don't have a lot of mountains, but can have some hills, make sure you're in 4th or 3rd on hills going up.
2. Wind resistance. If it's a utility closed in trailer, or a travel trailer, it's going to catch a ton of wind and it will dramatically change how it feels and how hard the engine works.
3. Transmission cooling. Keeping it from constantly shifting will reduce trans temps and prolong life of transmission. If it starts hunting for gears, pick a lower one, let the RPMs go, and keep it from shifting unnecessarily.

Stay out of 6th gear no matter what, and really leave 5th alone unless it's flat or downhill with no headwind.

I've towed many many miles and with v8's, Fords, Chevys, 3 different Tacomas, 5 speeds and autos. The only one that died was the Chevy cause it's a damn Chevy.

 

When towing my 4000lbs+ travel trailer I tow with ECT Power on and leave it in S4. I set cruise at 65mph on the highway and it's good to go. Seeing as your trailer is lighter, you may be able to leave it in S5 on the highway. If, when in S5, you notice the truck kicking in and out of 5th gear often then you want to drop it down to S4. 5th and 6th gears are Overdrive gears and it's hard on the transmission to keep going in and out of these gears.

The "S" gears simply limit the highest gear the transmission will shift into. So when it's in S5 the truck will NOT shift above 5th gear, or when in S4 the truck will NOT shift above 4th gear.

 

I've been towing my 17' Boston Whaler about once a week since the boating/fishing season started in April with my 2017 poverty model.

It does just fine. I tow with ECT mode on and in regular drive, not sport mode. Usually it's 4 men in the truck + gear. The boat/motor/trailer weighs in the neighborhood of 3500-4000 lbs.

Oddly enough I don't have a good pic of them hooked up...

 

If you are going to be towing routinely, you should really come up with a way to monitor transmission temps (autos only, of course). It doesn't matter what gear you are in, if the torque converter isn't locking, your temps will go sky high pretty quickly.
I know the new 6-speed is a bit different than the old 5-speed, but i'll bet it still does some similar goofy things. The 5-speed will only lock the TC in 4th and 5th, 4th gear will only lock when in D or S4. It will not lock on downshift in S5. In 5th gear, it'll lock in S5 and D. Just something to be mindful on how you tow, accelerate, keep speed, etc.

 

Thanks for the tip. Honestly, this is my first automatic. I've always owned manuals before. I was happy to hear the new v6 towing package came with atf cooler and engine oil cooler. Seems like it should help with towing. Would a scan gauge show atf temps?

 

Yes it does, I have one on my dash for just this reason.

 

Atf noob question: what are your normal trans temps?

 

A very good question, and I'll share another thought on it that is important.

Without a trailer, once it's warmed up, about 195 degrees.

Toyota says this fluid is good for 100k miles. Science would disagree.

I do not believe the ATF used is synthetic, so it's life is approximately 5 years. Also, at 175 degrees the life of the fluid should be around 100k miles. However, for every 20 degrees the life is cut in half. So at 195 that 100k is 50k. At 215 that 50k is 25k. You get the idea.

With a trailer, I've had it run around 205 at the worst, but it opens up the thermostat and usually gets it back down to 199 - 203.

So in a nutshell, expect to change your fluid around 50k miles, even if Toyota says 100k. If you tow, consider 25k - 30k to be safe. Probably overkill, but I have killed a transmission in a Chevy by letting the fluid go to long. Torque converter clutches failed, partially bad design, partially went 65k miles without a fluid change. Mild towing.

 

Realistically if you can keep pan temps under 220F, you're good. Most of the time, with the stock setup, normal driving, you're probably around 190-200. Trans temp isn't like engine oil temp, the lower usually the better, although some transmissions won't shift into OD or lock the TC when trans temp is below 110F or so. Not something to really worry about.
I added an air to oil cooler (inline with the stock water to oil cooler) on the 4R. I average temps in the 140-150s with normal driving, the highest I've seen was mid 180s while towing 5000+ lbs in the city. The big coolers really work well.
You can read 2 temps: the pan temperature (the temp of the fluid in the pan, good indication of overall temperature) and the output from the torque converter temp (this will give you an idea of the heat being generated, as the torque converter generates most the transmission's heat. When the torque converter is locked, the pan and outlet temp are nearly identical. Unlocked torque converter under a heavy stall condition, easily see a 50F difference).

 

Wow. A ton of good info here.

I was considering adding a brake controller at some point. One of the trailers I tow has brakes. My boat trailer has surge brakes so no need for a controller there. I think I'll add a scan gauge to my list of things to do. I tow my boat often enough that I should monitor that stuff.

Thanks for the info!

 

Most of us guys tow with a Tekonisha Prodigy P3 brake controller. It's a very good purchase and is smarter than a time delay controller. I highly recommend it.

 

Best portable towing mirrors out there. I bought mine in Europe when I lived there before they were even available in North America and would never get another style again. My original ones were the Aero 3 that have the egg shape style, but now I own the same ones as you.

 

For anyone interested in transmission temps when towing and regular driving, read through this threads. Lots of info and tests

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-transmission-cooler-upgrade.482280/

@fajitas21 @(none)

 

I'd like to chime into this thread a bit and offer up what I'm looking at purchasing to tow with my '17 TRD OR DC SB, fully stock currently, and get input on whether this will be a safe tow without a weight distribution hitch. I have towed, with my previous '16 TRD OR AC, about 3K pounds in a 16' U-Haul trailer to move across country with, on the stock Tow Package. It did just fine from DFW to Ft Smith to Northern Virginia.

http://www.americanrv.com/rv-detail/2017-keystone-passport-ultra-lite-grand-touring-2520rl-0#

This is what I'm planning on getting (or very close to it). I think this will put the taco at just about the maximum safe when loaded down, but the question remains am I going to need a weight distribution hitch or brake controller (brake controller probably just for additional safety I'm sure).