Heavy towing with TRD Offroad

Depends on the incline but usually we lock it into 4th for good climbs and unlock 5-6th for flat ground but I always monitor trans temp. I'm on 33's and I wonder if I would have been happier with the 5.29's but I do love my 4.88's.

 

Thats my fear with 5.29. If locking in s4 it would be pretty high rpms.

 

I believe that the Aisin in the Tacoma will go into 5th vs 4th if the RPM's warrant it.

 

Wasn’t sure how that worked with 5th and 6th both being overdrive gears.

 

This is my 2017 DCSB TRDOR, just got finished towing an overloaded trailer (6,100lbs+) from coast to coast. I've done the same drive twice in an 08 FJ and I think the Tacoma did much better with it. I have OME suspension with heavy springs front and rear. A trans cooler and temp gauge is a must, I have a B&M cooler and I run an UltraGauge MX. I ran my cooler in line with the stock cooler. I also have an OVTune installed which I would recommend. Everyday livability is improved and there is real power to be gained with 91/93 fuel and the performance tune. Beware that 93 octane is not available in all 50 states. The newest iteration of the tune also can disable the Atkinson cycle which should help with towing. I didn't think the trans hunted for gears much other than trying to stay in OD but the OVTune had already helped a lot with shifting oddness before my trip so YMMV. A tow button would be great for OD but no such luck with the tacomas but OVTune has a gear lock feature which can disable OD. The trans temps are overall higher but don't fluctuate as much with the 3.5 V6 compared with the 4.0 V6. I have KO2s which I inflate to 80 PSI when they are fully loaded. I would recommend a load range E tire if you are going to tow on the regular.
I tow a couple times a year for long distances and my truck is my daily. I'm happy every time I get in it and drive it but when I'm towing I wish I had a tundra. If I have to make the trip again I will install air bags, even with heavy springs there is enough sag to blind oncoming traffic. If you are going to tow at capacity on a regular basis do what others have said and get a Tundra, the tacomas aren't designed for heavy sustained towing. Its not that they are "bad", they are a tool for a different job.

About your questions. For towing near capacity you MUST have a trans cooler and trans temp gauge. I would recommend the tune for the power, shifting, and gear-lock. If you arent doing suspension any time soon get airbags ASAP. The stock leafs start to sag under the weight of a camper shell. Load range E tires arent a must but improve the ride and handling while under load.

I ran 4.88's on my FJ and I didn't feel like it made much a difference towing over stock with 285's. I cant speak to the 5.29s but I assume they would help.

 

Does the trailer in the picture weigh 6100 lbs?

 

The bed of the truck plus total trailer weight was right at 6100.

 

OMG so many recommendations that a truck cannot tow as much as what the factory says it can. smh.

 

Bringing this post back alive, I want to say that I've been towing with this truck for over 2 years now, and I tow daily pretty much. I have installed the 2lo mod, and highly recommend it for anyone with a manual transmission. Having the 2 low function has changed my world. My springs have just fully worn out to where they smack the frame rails when I bottom out at the same time they hit the bump stop. Going to go with OME heavy duty springs and most likely medium coil overs. Definitely need to upgrade the suspension if your towing a lot.

Overall on the truck, no it's not a good towing vehicle. But a towing vehicle isn't good in mud, sand, and deep snow. There isn't a perfect truck for everything, and I am making the best of both worlds. I truly enjoy towing with a manual transmission, and bought this truck because of that. If they had 4runners in a manual I would have bought one of those. I am a little disappointed that Toyota has made their user do so many upgrades to handle towing in their said capacities, but then again they know they have us whipped because of the chances of better reliability over time. Build quality definitely isn't what it used to be. We will see what happens when the trucks get to 200K with all these electronics...I'm at 55K right now.

 

No it doesn't.

 

I had a GMC Sierra 2500HD with the 6.0L and AT. It towed and hauled like a train. Biggest bed loads were 15 square of shingles in 1 trip, another load was 3800 pounds landscape rock. Pulled a camper like the camper didn't exist. Miss that truck....although, don't miss feeding it.

Suggest to keep the 2500 for your towing duties. Use the Tacoma for your daily commutes and medium duty loads.

 

my understanding is toyota doesnt supply the tranny cooler in the tow package any more. you also need to change to a heavier duty gear oil instead of the high mileage gear oil from the factory. The worst is you cant pull a dip stick on the tranny to check fluid condition. you will want to change the tranny fluid many times in its life. just remember the drain and fill only changes part of the fluid in the tranny.

 

Super charge the tacoma then your set don't waste money on gears

 

I'm towing 4-5k lbs over some pretty steep passes and after monitoring my trans temps via OBD Fusion I didn't think the aux cooler was necessary. The trans does get up to temp (I think ~210F) before opening the thermostat that enables the trans cooler but thats an easy "fix" by locking the thermostat open. Did you experience something else?

 

It's not.

I use OBD to monitor my temps and my before and after installing a 4454 are pretty much the same. Sure I could have gotten a bigger cooler I guess, but it is significantly bigger than the stock one and made no dent in temps. It maybe cools down quicker, but to say an aftermarket cooler is needed to tow is false.

I personally think if you live in a non frozen tundra, pinning the stat is far more effective.