Why is everyone everywhere afraid of mid-range RPM while towing?

As we're all aware, the Tacoma is hugely popular for all the reasons we love it. As a travel trailer owner and daydreamer, I'm constantly reading up on different trailers to figure out what our next one will be and reading opinions on what can be towed by the Tacoma, etc.

I swear like 90% of the people on various forums (not TW) get freaked out and dump their Tacomas for F-150s, Tundras, etc because they think 3000-4000 RPM is some kind of death sentence for engines while pulling 3000-4000lb trailers.

The GT350 I owned preferred to spend hours above 7000 RPM. I get the 3.5 is a Camry engine and isn't some high performance beast so it's basically an apples to oranges comparison, but come on; are the Toyota engines we all expect to last 500,000+ miles really so fragile that a 30 minute climb over a mountain pass every two months or more is going to destroy the thing?

I know Toyota doesn't prioritize towing for the Tacoma, but they've obviously at least taken it into account with the trans cooler, anti-sway, etc. Has anyone ever really killed a Tacoma engine while towing 4000 lbs or less long distance?

It seems people just assume that engines are only meant to be at 15% of their redline at all times and anything higher than that at any point is extremely detrimental.

I'm just looking for a sanity check: am I the ignorant one for trusting that the truck can perform within the limits established by the OEM? Or is everyone else just obscenely paranoid?

 

Around this form I don’t think anyone is much concerned with higher rpm’s when towing. They are mostly concerned with the weight and size being towed. Most here know you need a little higher rpm’s when towing to keep the tranny from running hot. Too low of rpm’s means the truck is straining and stressing the engine and tranny or if low rpm’s it is continuously hunting gears and over heating the tranny.

 

Toyota engine that's been detuned for truck duty (compared to IS350 application). Hammer it at redline all day if you want.

Typically if the trailer weighs more than the truck, handling while towing gets uncomfortable. Otherwise no issues. The tow rating per SAE J2807 is performance-based (i.e. the heaviest load the truck can tow while being able to accelerate safely into highway traffic).

Off-roading puts a lot more wear & tear on the truck compared to towing heavy loads, yet 45% of Tacoma owners go off-road, according to Mike Sweers.

 

Yeah, that's the impression I get with TW. I try to read the opinions of people on the individual trailer brand's Facebook groups and forums and there's so many people that say they switched to a full size strictly due to the high RPM on inclines. Just seems so extreme when my understanding is that the engines were designed to make use of the entire rev range depending on situation. Sure, you probably shouldn't be spending four hours at 4500 RPM regularly on most engines. But just because you spend a little time in that range doesn't mean you're going to destroy the vehicle.

Exactly. It's just kind of funny how most people that stick with Toyotas do so because of established reliability and knowing they will generally handle anything you throw at them. But then so many of those same people end up coming off as "oh my goodness but I have to be in 3000 RPM to maintain 60 mph uphill! I need to be able to be at 1700 RPM in 8th gear while towing otherwise I'll break something!"

I 100% understand the idea that feeling confident while towing is more important than strictly the data (that's why I moved from a 4Runner to the Tacoma: longer wheelbase gave me a better feeling of confidence while towing even though the 4Runner was probably fine), but there's just so many people that seem to go straight to "oh no you definitely need a full size for a 3000 lb trailer".

Anyway, I don't know exactly where I'm going with this. It was just something I observed while daydreaming and researching and made me feel like I was going insane for being one of the few people not being concerned about spending a little time in the higher RPM range when necessary.

 

I was never afraid of it, it was just annoying.

 

No, it’s just the American thing to do. Come up with an excuse to get the biggest vehicle possible. Like the dodge owners with their tow-mirrors out 24/7 or the duallies on the road without scratches in the trailer hitch from actually having a hitch slid into it.

It’s a lot easier to get a bigger truck and tow below the limit than to actually learn how to load a trailer properly and tow safely. Plus people like to drive 90 miles per hour everywhere they go whether they’re loaded or empty. It’s a shame really.

 

I do always wonder how it seems the trailers that come from the Aussie's are built like military tanks and seemingly weigh as much but almost none of them are using 3/4 ton pickups to tow them around.

 

Because it’s freakin irritating at 4 grand. I pull a small trailer, T@b Outback around the US. It’s frequently dropping gears to get power.

 

I can understand if you're doing cross country trips or long-term/full-timing it in which case I'd assume a person wouldn't start from a mid-size truck anyway if that was the intent.

Google says that's a sub 2000lb trailer; kind of shocked you experience dropping gears that much. My NoBo 16.5 is 2900 empty and probably closer to 3500+ with how we travel and Washington is definitely not a flat state, but I don't ever feel like I spend that much time dropping gears. Certainly not to the point where I feel annoyed or that it's working too hard. We've all got our limits of course.

 

Mine rev'd insanely with an EMPTY 6' x 12' utility trailer. Did the Tundra mod and solved that problem permanently.

 

Close, I’ve got the Boondock model, it’s about 2200 dry. I have a midsize because a full-size isn’t needed for 3000lbs. It’s the way the Tacoma trans is programmed and the engine power power band. My 03 Tacoma Dbcb pulled this trailer around the Eastern US great but I wanted something newer. My sons 09 with 4.0 pulled great when I borrowed for tow testing when thinking new truck. I figured Id stick with Tacoma even after my research. Should have gone used 2015. Next one will be.

 

Revving a Toyota engine is something I got used to real quick in the prior truck with the 22R-E. It needed to be 3500+ RPM just to get itself up the passes. It's a traditional American V8 mentality to have such a low torque band that 4000 RPM is considered screaming but seems to me traditionally Toyota engines need to use all of their range of RPM to be effective. Where I start to get worried is when you need to bury the pedal at high RPMs, that's overburdening the engine. Modulating with mid throttle at 3000ish RPM climbing I don't think is unusual, though. I do think having a stick shift makes it more obvious since there's never any gear hunting.

 

I have an 05 Tundra with the 4.0 and 330k miles. The cruising rpm in 6th gear with stock tires is 2600rpms at 65mph. I’m sure the previous owner ran the truck 70-75mph frequently which is 3000rpm range for 330k miles just cruising to work down the highway.

 

I think this topic would get more traffic in one of the regular forums .

 

I think Tacoma’s are way more capable than most people realize. I’ve seen some first gens tow so big boats, and some 4 cylinders even tow a fiberglass boat. In a Ford/ram/ GM product I could see worrying about RPMs but I think people forget we drive a Toyota. It’s built to last.

 

The 3.5 tows great above 3000 rpm, like when on a highway. I had a travel trailer around 4k and i had no complaints towing at speed. It's low speeds that are the problem. 15-30mph are when it struggles. Otherwise this truck is a very competent towing vehicle within capacity.

 

for ANY Marque or model
any size engine runs BEST in the middle of its torque range

if U r in that range & matters start to degrade
its time to investigate or park it

' torque peak ' is the MOST efficient filling of the cylinder
the Strongest firing inside the cylinder ..........

proper air fuel ratio
sufficient spark
it simply doesnt get any better

conversely if matters are Not optimum
matters dont get better anywhere else in the rpm range / engine

of course on bigger engine there is more ' head room ' .......... more torque / Hp
yet the SAME physics apply

many simply feel better bootong the engine & feeling it in their butt

 

This question and conversation was extremely helpful... I, too, tend to panic at high RPM's not because I doubt my truck but because I don't do it often enough. I just purchased a trailer and will definitely keep this thread in mind when i pick it up.

 

So for a 3rd gen Taco towing around 3,500~ 4,000 lbs, what is an RPM range that WOULD be recommended for freeway driving?

 

2000 rpm on the flats and 5000 rpm up hill