Towing question

I have a 2003 Tacoma, 3.4, 5spd. I don't have the factory towing package, however I do have a capable hitch assembly. I understand that without the towing package, I'm rated to tow 3,500lbs. I have towed a pontoon boat before, which was about 2,800lbs, or at least that's what the sticker on the trailer said. I didn't have an issue towing around town, however towing at highway speeds was quite rough. There were times when I couldn't maintain speed in 5th gear, and had to downshift to 4th. Gas mileage was horrible as well, I would estimate ~4mpg. I recently purchased a Miata. Pretty soon I am getting transferred to a different duty station, maybe even across the country. It would be easier, and possibly cheaper, if I could tow the Miata to where I'm going. However, I don't want to deal with horrible gas mileage this time. The Miata weighs in at about 2,300lbs without a trailer, and creates significantly less drag.

Now that the backstory is set, here are my questions. Does the sticker I saw on the trailer for the pontoon boat represent the combined weight of both the trailer and the boat? Also, does anyone have any experience towing a lighter car with the same truck I have? I want to know if the significantly lower drag will improve my gas mileage enough to make this worth it.

 

Your gas mileage is still gonna stuck...... regardless of drag.

The Miata weighs 2300lbs and you still need a trailer. If you're going long distance, I would not flat tow!! You'll need an open deck trailer (car hauler) probably 14' minimum. Unless you can get an aluminum trailer - but I'm not sure how much weight you'd save.....not enough to make a difference.

I used to own a 14' open deck trailer and towed a jeep on it (not with tacoma). The trailer by itself weighed 1200lbs.

So already, you're talking about 3400lbs ....

Anytime you come close to the tow rating.....the truck is working hard and that means....consuming a lot of gas.

 

My tow rating is based on not having the towing package. The towing package on the same truck is rated to 6,000lbs. I wouldn't want to go near that with the towing package, unless I had a SC. At this point, it may be cheaper to just ship the Miata separately.

 

I wouldn't rent a trailer.
I'd rent a dolly.
I think the dolly weighs ~650lbs.
http://www.uhaul.com/Trailers/Tow-Dolly-Rental/TD/

You'll take a hit on the mpg no matter what.

Try to save on other weight.
Make sure the miata gas tank is on empty or nearly.
Try not to load too much in the truck.
Let Uncle Sugar ship as much junk as you can.

OtOh, you might check into having either or both the Taco and the Miata professionally hauled across the country if you have a long trek.
Til you figure your gas and time, plus wear and tear, shipping a vehicle is pretty reasonable.
Lot of places even offer military discounts.

 

With just the tow dolly weighing 750lbs, is it possible that the pontoon boat trailer weight 2,700lbs? That's what was on the sticker.

 

Turns out with a bit of research, a ~20ft pontoon boat with trailer weighs in at roughly 5,000lbs. Now my question becomes, what's the difference between the Tacoma with the towing package, and without the towing package?

 

Current Tacoma tow package includes:

hitch
extra cooling on oil/transmission
heavy-duty alternator/battery
7-pin connector
Trailer-Sway Control

... and as far as I understand, is only available on V6.

 

1st gen trucks never came with a towing package.

See more here:
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/towing/4031-tacoma-towing-bible.html#post35018

 

the transmission cooler is only for automaticand I'm not sure what trailer sway control is because usually that's a whole nother bar you moUnt on.

 

Well I can tell you that the difference of a factory tow package isn't going to have anything to do with power. The tow package might have firmer springs to support the tongue weight of a trailer, and of course the hitch and wiring, but the axle ratio is the only thing that potentially can be adapted, and if I remember correctly all Tacomas with the same engine/transmission combo have the same axle.

The thing is, you have a big plus with the 5-speed because you don't have to worry about overheating the transmission as you would with an automatic. I am new to the Tacoma but I have previously towed with an S10 w/manual transmission and the best thing you can do is forget you have a fifth gear. Just leave it in fourth. In fact the owner's manual of my Tacoma says not to use fifth when towing. So, it's no surprise and not an indication of a problem that when towing previously you could not maintain highway speed in fifth.

I am going to be doing some towing with my four-cylinder Tacoma. I plan on not exceeding 55 mph while towing. If you want to tow big trailers at 75 mph you need a big V8 truck or SUV. If you are willing to slow down and take it easy the Tacoma will tow fine.

 

Yea, I saw that thread after posting my question. However my question was originated from my owners manual. There's a section that specifically states how to determine whether you have the towing package or not.

 

Also consider terrain if you have route options.
Flatter route vs going up and down mountains.

You should actually be fine.
Remember this is a one time thing, not a daily commute.
Think of it as a chance to see our glorious land at a slower pace.

Just leave extra time.
Bring great tunes.
Even 35mph is fun with good tunes.

 

This will likely be a cross country drive. I'll likely be driving from central NJ to San Diego. 35mph just isn't feasible.

 

I usually stick to the two-lanes when towing with a tow vehicle that's close to maxxed out. The slowdowns let the differential cool off, and you avoid having to go so fast to keep up on the Interstate. And as said above consider the route, elevations, etc.

But NJ to San Diego you're going to encounter just about everything. I think the truck would do it but you just have to decide whether you can handle a relatively slow cross country trip. Towing that car I would figure on limiting the trip to 500 miles a day if it were me.

 

I'd ship it, hands down. I assume you'd rent a trailer most likely from uhaul. For a NY to CA trip, it's about $1000.00 and the Tacoma doesn't meet the requirements for a trailer. I wouldn't run it on a dolley for that distance as it doesn't load the rear of the truck as good as a trailer and you could have more sway/wandering. Dollies are ok when the tow vehicle is a lot heavier than what's being towed. Also uhaul trailers have surge brakes which I don't think give as good control as brakes that use a controller. The surge brakes only activate when the trailer pushes into the hitch ball. That makes going around down hill sweeping turns interesting as the trailer wants to push the rear of the tow vehicle out. Get it shipped and enjoy the ride across the country in your Tacoma.

 

Also when towing that much weight keep the manual transmission in 5th gear. The motor does not bog down as bad and the gas milage will be better.

 

Sorry, I didn't mean 35mph the whole way.
But there are going to be work zones, spots of heavy traffic, slow tractor trailers, and some steep climbs once you hit the Rockies.
Sometimes you'll cruise right along, others, not so much.

This is from a site called flattest route.
http://tinyurl.com/trent2sadiego

Srsly, so would I.

http://tinyurl.com/shipcarmilitarydiscount

I'm sure military regs for shipping your gear has changed some. But when I was in, the Marines were pretty generous with the moving allowances.
Paid by weight in a large degree.
I'd heard wild rumors of guys renting huge uhauls, filling them with water barrels, or scrap iron, wall of boxes in front the door, then getting weighed, then dumping the weight. Probably only scuttlebutt.

Fair points on the trailer/dolly comments, actually on all your comments.

Even though one can handle some pushing and swaying, doing so for 2700+ miles would be a massive PITA.

 

How many miles on your truck??

You're gonna drive an 11 year old truck with manual transmission towing the max tow rating for .....that far??

I'd seriously consider looking at having at least one of them shipped. Drive the miata or drive the truck (without towing) or ship both. That's a very very long distance to tow on an 11 year old manual transmission.

Personally, I'd be worried about toasting the transmission.

 

They have changed a bit. You have to weigh empty AND full at your starting destination, and full at your final destination. This is due to what you talked about, people being fraudulent to get extra money. Depending on where I go, I think I'll just have them ship the truck, and drive the Miata. We'll see when I finally get orders. Towing just doesn't seem like the best idea the more I look at it.

 

This matches my experience towing with my 4cyl 5spd -- forget 5th is there. You're gonna run higher RPMs. I've found my truck's comfortable power band towing is above 2500 up to just under 4000 climbing in the mountains (3rd gear).

EDIT: My experience is with an enclosed 6'x10' trailer and a 7'x12' flatbed loaded with quads or a 6x6 Ranger side by side. Both single axle and 3000 (+/- 200) lbs gross weight.

Been retired from active duty 5 yrs and I know the rules have changed; but it used to be possible to ship a vehicle on the gov't, and drive a second vehicle in a DITY move. People did it coming to and leaving AK all the time. Check out the JFTR and research it yourself. The TMO folks (or whatever the Navy calls them) are spring loaded to saying no because it's easier than researching what the regs actually say. Good luck and thank you for your service.