The joys of towing - 10mpg!

I ran a 2 lane 36hwy across Ks from Mo doing under 60 mph and was hitting 14/15, coming back my average was 64mph for 10 hrs and was at 9.8mpg. I use the “manual” shift and back out as soon at the trans shift down and RPMs jump to 3k . that said I watch the mpgs close and if the wind is right I can occasionally get 17/18 on my 40 mile, commute running 65mph.
I think my diff gears backlash was set too tight from the factory ; ). Or the rear lockers on these OR’s leach power?
I am running 265/75/16 and have 2.5 inches over stock! So there’s that as well!

 

It’s built like the Toyotas of old, here for a long time, not a great time !

 

Hmm, you bought a truck that by definition is mediocre. It's not the biggest, strongest, or most efficient truck and never claimed to be. Toyota has always prioritized durability over all of those things.

The Tacoma automatic transmission shifting too often and the engine that requires higher RPMs than it's predecessor have been well documented since 2015. I have much more sympathy for an owner that experiences actual mechanical issues than I do for someone that didn't do their research and has buyer's remorse.

 

It has a better final gear ratio also which makes the manual more peppy feeling in some spots of the same gear ratio/speed.

 

Yeah most of my recent trip in the flats was 65-70mph, and in the mountains was all 60 and under. These trucks take a big hit anything over 60. When not towing I'll typically see 18ish if I stay under 60mph, but unfortunately most of my daily commute is 70mph.

I was actually quite happy with the towing of the truck this last trip. It was the first trip with 5.29s. Prior to the regear I would tow in S4, every now and then it would downshift if a hill as decent enough. S5 was never an option, it would unlock the converter constantly and trans temps would rise. Now with 5.29s I can leave it in S5 and TC stays locked. It might unlock for hills but locks back up as soon as you crest, and will only downshift if the hill is significant. Keeps rpm 2600-2700ish on highway. Much gooder than stock gearing. And daily driving while not towing is far better than before. I feel like this is how the truck should have came with an auto, or at least with 4.88s.

 

But that’s not when towing right? I’ve towed 5.5k lbs once before, and 5k lbs several times. Sometimes I need to shift down to 4th to keep it at speed on the highway.

Nice try, but I have driven there before. Maybe you should learn how to not give a fuck about other people.

Maybe you should know that every truck, or literally any vehicle, is going to have their weaknesses. There’s a saying, all cars are shit. I regularly drive different vehicles, weigh their pros and cons, and go with what I could live with when buying a new car. Maybe you should start doing that too.

I don’t think I’m a fanboy. I’m not going to try to preach that the Tacoma is the best truck for everybody. lol. I understand if people like a different truck, and who’s holding you to stick with a Tacoma?

 

True ... all cars have a weakness. The one failing I cannot choose to live with is "not reliable". I will find a way to deal with others.

 

I really enjoyed my Third Gen, but it shines off road, carrying light payloads for small projects, and as a reasonably comfortable daily driver. It's not great for towing. If you have to tow a lot, I recommend getting a full size if you can. I opted for a 2021 Tundra which I enjoy, but there are plenty of other good options.

 

Does the wind EVER stop blowing during the day in KS and MO? I ran across these states [twice] recently and the constant winds got very old.

Also.. nice work St Louis on closing I-70 for 90 minutes and dumping all traffic into the city.

 

My first tow I did after the KDMax tune and adding a set of blue Sumo springs. Got 15mpg roughly across Ohio Indiana and Illinois, so fairly flat. I went across US30 so kept it around 60-65. This was with a uhaul trailer and 3200lbs car. The transmission did pretty well but I didn’t have a towing experience without the tune to compare to.

I will say that nearly any tune will likely be a vast improvement over stock. I don’t know what Toyota was thinking with the stock tunes. They are terrible.

 

I do, buy I don't love it like I did the Tundra.

 

Though you are saying many correct things in this thread, you damage your credibility when you say that a Taco is a "midsize half ton" because there is no such thing. There's midsize, 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, 1 ton, etc. 1/2 tons are full size trucks.

 

I think what he is saying is that a present Tacoma is about the same as what a half ton truck used to be. Cause today’s half tons are certainly more capable and better built than the gas 3/4 tons of the 90s.

 

The St. Louis metro infrastructure is da poo-stick!
In 2007 highway "farty" was completely close for 2.5 years, which I wasn't opposed to at the time, since we were told how much quicker, cheaper, nicer the end build would be. It was all new, and has some new interchanges, but underwhelming result overall.

 

True, but depends where you look nowadays. I originally typed out 1/4 ton, but then folks would argue theres no such thing and the taco has a higher payload than that. Some sources today say midsize and 1/2 ton are tossed into the same basket, with trucks falling into 1/2 ton if they have between 1000# and 2000# payload capacity. Even some Toyota sources say while not "technically" classed as a 1/2 ton, it can be considered a half ton since they have a payload starting at 1,120#.

Regardless, the taco is not a vehicle hauler by any means.

 

Obv you should get a Colorado and hit their forums.

As for why I keep my taco? It's paid off, does great in the offroad stuff, and can tow stuff on the rare occasions I do. Your load isn't anything special, you've just got a lead foot on it and expect good MPGs, which it won't get with a lead foot.

Hey the 6MT works great.

...

Also, the best MPGs I've gotten while towing was on the old 1.9 TDI Jetta. 150hp and 270 ftlb on the dyno, 5MT, and while doing about 3k lbs on a 5x8 travel trailer, still getting mid 20's in the MPG dept.

 

The weight of those class labels doesn't mean anything anymore. Those are holdovers from a bygone era. All trucks are beyond those classifications, so the classes of 1/2, 3/4, and 1 ton are just names now, not ratings. A midsize is a midsize. It's not a 1/4 or 1/2 or anything else. It's a midsize. Calling it a midsize 1/2 ton is like saying you have a 4 door coupe or a 2 door sedan. They can't be mixed because they are different things.

 

Doesn't any 5 passenger vehicle (including, for example, a Corolla) have a payload capacity of at least around 1,000 pounds, because of the way they have to certify it for passengers?

 

the tacoma has trouble moving its own weight let alone dragging another car behind it

 

This. Did OP even test drive other trucks before buying the Tacoma?

I thought that’s what people are supposed to do before buying a vehicle