The Tacoma Towing Bible

I recently bought a sweet tacoma. 2008 tacoma dc 4x4 trd offroad with v6. Now I have a 1998 Triton tr-19 with 175 evinrude. Not sure of the weight but surely it's under the 6500lbs rating (prob half). Should I tow with the tacoma without worry or just put a hitch on the wifes durango and hit the lake. Sounds like a leaf tsb would be in order if I decide to use the tacoma. Sure love the truck. My third tacoma and just traded in a hemi ram...Dam gas.

 

Your boat weighs 1390lbs plus engine fuel and gear, and trailer. I'd say you are still less than half towing capacity of the tacoma, and with a streamlined shape and nearly no frontal area (compared to an RV or enclosed car hauler) you will be more then able to tow, launch and recover your boat with your tacoma, and you'll definately look cooler at the boat ramp when you're not in a dodge.

 

No doubt cooler.....I'm also guess the tongue weight on the hitch is around 200lbs. When I get some pics of the new toy I'll post them. Just bought it yesterday.....98miles on OD.

 

maverick has the ball....

 

Can you exlplain this a bit more? I'm very new to towing

"The spring TSB. (This is for Gen 2 trucks only.) Putting SIGNIFICANT additional weight on the rear end is going to be a problem for you unless you have the suspension TSB performed."

 

The truck bottoms out too easily with the stock 3 leaf setup (2 leafs, 1 overload leaf). The TSB upgrades it to 4 leafs (3 + the overload). It's free, and should also include replacing the shocks with Bilsteins all the way around if you don't already have them.

 

How long do I have to report this problem to my dealer? I just bought my new truck 1 month ago and haven't noticed a problem yet.

 

Big thanks to Maverick491 !!!

05 4dr v6 prerunner,
I tow long miles all year a 20' passport travel trailer aprx total wt 5000#.



1. Will a hitch stabilizer/wt distributor level my truck out? I am to low in the rear towing now.

2. If the above will not work do I need another leaf spring or air bag thing??? I want this truck level!

3. What about Full exhaust for extra Horsepower/performance???

4. How often should we change the Trany Fluid?

5. Towing how much air should be in the truck tires?




PS.....

I had the TSB done on the leaf springs and new Bilstens all around. I LOVE It, just barely any ride difference to me, made it stiffer and handle better.

I get around 10.5 aver. miles to gallon towing.....4th gear, easy breaking and excellerating.

 

You're welcome! Sorry it has taken so long for me to get back to you, I changed jobs and have less time to spend on-line these days.

1. A weight distribution hitch, will come close to leveling out your truck ONLY WHEN IT IS PROPERLY INSTALLED AND SET UP. Without my weight distribution hitch connected, my trailer squats my truck by nearly 4 inches in the rear. When the weight distribution is connected, it reduces that squat to about an inch and a half, or essentially making the truck almost completely level. This is on a pre-TSB truck (because I have been too lazy to go to the dealership and begin the battle with them about it)

2. You could go with airbags, though I think they are un-necessary, but an add a leaf, I do not believe could be added to your truck since you have already had the rear TSB done as it would make your un-loaded ride rediculously firm and harsh, that is if it even could be done.

3. Extra power is always nice, compliment your exhaust with the removal of the secondary air-filter, and a nice AFE pro-dry-s drop in filter, and you should see a mild bump in power.

4. Factory service interval is 100,000 miles I think, (not 100% sure on that), theoretically if you are keeping out of overdrive on the hills, have the full towing package with the coolers and such, and are otherwise being nice to your tranny, I don't see why you would need to do it any sooner.

5. I run my tires at max cold sidewall pressure, (when they are cold of-course) better fuel mileage, (slightly, we are talking about the aerodynamics of a brick towing a cinderblock here), and frankly better for the tire when we are running with a load in tow and therefor putting extra load an the vehicle's tires.

Enjoy your truck and camper, and tow safe and keep the rubber side down.

Regards,

 

Howdy....Toyota noob here. I'm really looking at the Tacoma V6 4X4 with tow package to pull a travel trailer and a car hauler with a small tractor. I mainly tow from about 1000' elevation to 4000' in a distance of 30 miles or so. I figure the car hauler and tractor grosses at around 5000#. I have done this once with a 2003 F150 with a 4.2 V6 and 5 speed manual (2WD). It wasn't a lot of fun. I now use a '95 F150 4X4 with 5.8 and automatic with 3.55 gears. This is acceptable, but gas mileage STINKS! What do you think as a comparison between the Taco and the Ford V6? I will probably only do this 3 times a year. Thanks for any info.

 

Mileage is mileage with a big box behind your truck. Air resistance does more to account for mileage than anything to do with the tow vehicle at that point. I suspect that while towing both vehicles will turn in about the same numbers 10.5-11.5 MPG in my experience with my travel trailer or enclosed car hauler. Roughly 12.5-13.0 MPG with my enclosed 6'x12' motorcycle trailer.

As for road manners. With my travel trailer and weight distribution hitch properly set up, I not only don't mind towing, I actually enjoy it. The same can not be said for my 91 f-150 and pop-up camper years ago. I hated towing that combination. The tacoma tows incredibly well for a mid size truck, and has more than enough power for all but the largest RVs.

 

Thanks for the reply. I think I was not too clear in my original post. I'm not really concerned about the towing mileage. My F150 gets about 12 MPG without towing and I'm sure the Tacoma would far exceed that. Most of my driving does not involve towing so I'd really like to get out of this Ford. My main concern is about the power of the Tacoma in the hills with a 5000# trailer compared to the V6 F150 which was not too hot. I think the horsepower is similar between the two.

 

I towed an auto transport (2000lbs) and 2 ford trucks on separate occasions up over mountains and valleys in upstate NY several times now. Got around 14mpg each time, had to downshift to 3rd to climb a couple of the mountains out of cities (30mph zones), and was able to run in 6th with no problems on the flats. Just get a trailer with brakes, brake controller, and weight distributing hitch.

Wish I'd had the hitch and something other than surge brakes on the trailer, but it wasn't a problem. Just would've been easier for me.

For reference:

 

I've pulled my travel trailer up into the pocono mountains in PA several times, and pulled the car hauler with a 52 chevy DLX in it through several mountain passes and valleys to bring it home after I bought it, and have never wanted for power. Like tiger said, it will require some downshifting over some of the bigger climbs, but it will get you there, and you'll be happy while doing it.

Just for reference, power outout from the Tacoma 4.0L is better by about 30 horses than it was in my 91 ford 302 v8. I believe that you are definately looking in the right place with a Tacoma.

 

Drive 55 MPH for better MPG!

I just got back from a several week trip to New England with my 6000# 27ft camper in tow. I drove nearly 3500 miles and since I was filling up a tank every three hours or so I decided to do some experimenting. These are my results.

All results with A/C on and 4th gear, cruise only on downhill and flats, uphill was manual to keep from switching gears.

First 1000 miles, regular unleaded, 65-70mph average speed-9.5mpg/avg

Second 1000 miles, premium unleaded, 65-70mph average speed-10.2mpg/avg

Next 500 miles, premium unleaded, 55mph speed-13.1mpg!!!! Remember guys, this is with a fully loaded trailer, 6000#'s, full water tank and all.

Next 500 miles, regular unleaded, 55mph speed-11.4mpg!

Driving 55mph at first was very, very annoying. It just seemed so slow. Cars, tractor trailers, everyone flying by, tailgaters. My favorite was in NY a guy was getting off the next exit and a semi was passing me and he got stuck behind me for about 3/4 mile. He decided to high-beam me and tailgate me--making him disappear from the tow mirrors. Then he got off the exit and flipped me off, I thought it was hillarious, this was at 10pm. After a couple hundred miles 55mph started to grow on me. I noticed the truck wasn't struggling to keep speed as much, didn't have to downshift for almost any hill, and if you got lucky you could find a group of semi's or other drivers driving 55mph and just get behind them. Based on my data with an average regular price of $4.039 the trip would have cost $1488 on regular at 70mph. If I did the whole trip on premium at 55mph it would have cost $1148 (4.299 ave), saving of $340.

I also noticed that premium regardless of speed helped fuel economy but more importantly, the truck didn't shift as much on hills or lag as much--to me this offset the cost and made it worth it even if the fuel mileage increase wasn't worth the cash.

Anyway, once I get the pics downloaded, I'll get some of the truck with camper up here, even took it across a ferry.

 

^good info there. I have a feeling though that the benefit of driving slower was only amplified by you essentially towing a brick. More drag and more air resistance in addition to the extra weight. When I towed around 6000lbs with a truck on an auto transport I got around 14mpg with regular. That was only 3-4mpg less than normal. I was doing 55-60 anyway since any more than that and the trailer sways. I can't imagine trying to pull a 27 footer at 70 mph. Too many things can go wrong, and the truck isn't heavy enough to really control the trailer. Sure it tows ok, but a rental place like U-Haul would never let you rent a trailer that heavy with this truck. I had a hard enough time getting an auto transport to move a chevy lumina. Even after checking the door tag to verify the truck was heavier than their computer said the load was 30lbs heavier than truck. Being the difference was so low, they let me take it. But that did make me think about towing more, and pay more attention than normal while towing. Just to make sure I wouldn't have to do any emergency manuevers.

 

That's where your setup and mine must differ a bit. I have a 12,000lbs Equal-i-zer anti sway weight distribution hitch. I don't get so much of a hint of sway with that trailer at 75mph on the freeway, even if I pass a truck or if one passes me. Memorial Day weekend it made the two hour tow back in 30-40mph cross winds a one handed wheel drive. I have no fears of sway or the trailer coming around the truck when stopping, I use the agressive mode on the prodigy and let the trailer lead when braking and have locked it up in an emergency stop. If I had any hint that it was gonna be uncontrollable sway or come flying around I wouldn't have taken my pregnant wife cross country on a 3500 mile trip through the mountains of New England. Equalizer/Prodigy combo are worth their weight in gold.

I would really like to try towing a 30 footer just to see what it feels like compared to the old family suburban.

 

Sounds like a nice setup. I want a WD hitch, but I don't tow enough to justify the cost yet.

 

Cost vs safety/stability.. hmmm. .You don't need to tow a lot to justify a good setup. I've got 3000 miles on my trailer and 68000 on my truck. I only pull my 26' 5000# trailer 3-4 times a year. Having a good WD hitch (and sway control) makes a world of difference and those "few" trips much more enjoyable. Only takes one bad experience to ruin a vacation.

 

Yes, it was a tough decision between the $400 Equalizer or a front brush guard...still don't have that guard but I know I can tow! Best place to buy when you're ready is RV Wholesalers. They sell the 6K, 10K, and 12K equalizer all for the same price and don't charge shipping (weighs 80-100lbs dep on model). I like the Equalizer for ease of setup and use and it is a WD and Anti-sway all in one. I went for the 12K model in case I upgrade to a 3/4 Ton Tundra when they come out with a diesel and want to pull a bigger camper. Now if I could just figure out how to keep the hitch from rattling....duct tape wore off...