shifting and Towing

Is there anything that can be done on a 2022 Tacoma about the constant shifting?
My TRD Sport is rated to tow around 6500 lbs. when doing so and not near that much it will not shift into high gear and my fuel consumption drops from 20MPG to about 8MPG

 

Nope. 3.5 needs revs for power.

 

towing'll do that. shoulda gotten a diesel dually.

 

I have read often that S-4 or S-5 is the gear for towing, not D. Helps but only just helps.

 

Tow in 4th. That’s about all you can do.
6,500 is what it “can” tow. Not what it should tow. (My opinion).

You won’t hurt the engine towing in 4th.
You will hurt transmission by NOT towing in 4th.

Constant shifting creates heat. Heat kills the fluid.
And bad fluid coupled with constant shifting, wears the clutch packs in the transmission.
Let the engine do the work. Not the transmission.

 

Your truck is rated to PULL 6500 lbs. More than likely you can't actually TOW that much. There is a difference. In addition to the tow rating, you have to consider the payload rating as well as the surface area of the front of the trailer, and the altitude where you tow.

Published tow ratings assume only a driver in the truck, pulling the truck on level ground and at sea level. The more weight you put in the truck with passengers and cargo the less you can tow. With 4 adult men in a Double Cab Tacoma, you may not be able to pull ANY trailer. Four large men could max out your payload not even leaving any room for cargo, let alone a trailer.

Your engine loses 3% of its power for every 1000' you go above sea level. Over 5000' you notice the loss of power. Over 10,000' and the loss of power is significant. Especially loaded or pulling a trailer.

Travel trailers catch a lot of wind, it's like driving while towing a parachute behind you. Boats, pop-up campers, and utility trailers don't catch as much wind.

Single digit fuel mileage while towing is normal.

Depending on how much weight you normally carry in the truck around 4000-4500 is a sensible max for a trailer. Less if you tow at altitudes over 5000' or if you have to load the truck with more than 500 lbs including passengers.

If you don't want the truck to constantly shift gears keep it in a lower gear all the time. It's really easier on the engine and transmission. The constant gear changing overheats the transmission and engine.

 

Some people.will say that you can get a tune but it's really not going to make that much of a difference.

I've towed more than 6500 with mine at around 7000 feet. My gas mileage was surprisingly not bad. I wasn't on the freeway, and I wasn't trying to climb a mountain. Just take it slow with what you're towing.

 

Sport mode. 4th gear for level ground, 3rd for climbs. I tried to keep Revs above 3800 at a minimum. This was a 3500 pound snowmobile/trailer setup. Sounded horrible, got 10-12 MPG but it towed ok.

Don’t tow anymore. Would by a full size if I ever towed over 3,000 pounds again.

 

You’re chasing after the wrong goal. You should not be in high gear when you’re towing. You should be locking it in 4th with ECT turned on. You should expect it to still drop to 3rd on grades or heavy wind. Let it rev, it’s better for the motor that way and it’s better for the transmission to not shift back and forth constantly.

 

You could always get a full size truck that gets 20+ mpg empty and still in the double digits when towing heavy. The Tacoma just isn’t built for towing and pays for it with terrible fuel economy and performance under load. If you don’t tow often the moderate size of the Tacoma is nice though.

 

I have a Dodge diesel for towing. A Tacoma for general stuff.