I towed a single axle u-haul half way across the country with my 2wd V8 4runner.

It was a struggle acceleration wise (lots of planning and careful execution on the freeway on-ramps), and anything over 70mph pushed the mileage to between 10 and 11. 0 to 60 felt like 30 sec.

I cannot imagine towing anything bigger than a small rowboat with a v6.

I've pulled an 8-9,000 lb tractor on a heavy trailer. Up steep hills and down them. Not regularly, but on occasion. The V8 can handle it, in acceleration and in braking, without a problem. The only thing is that the trailer that heavy seriously sags the rear end, requiring a height adjustable hitch, jacked up. Otherwise the trailer would be aimed down and could bottom out turning into/out of parking lots or driveways.

I would not hesitate to tow larger trailers for short distances, since it seemed to handle the tractor so well.

As far as safety - the trailer can bounce around the 4runner a bit, so you have to drive smoothly. I've had it up to 60mph only and had no problems. YMMV.

Did you use a weight distributing hitch? I wouldn't tow anything that heavy a significant distance with a 4runner without one.

I'm driving cross country right now with my V6 pulling my Subaru

If you've owned both and say you can't feel a difference you are lying. There is an obvious torque gap when you drive them.

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Rear airbags would go a long way for your application. Seems like keeping the rear from sagging would be at a premium.

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I have owned, driven and towed with both models, V6 and V8. The V8 model isn't going to tow like a newer Tundra/5.7 V8, but the V8 4Runner does provide a noticeable difference in power, compared to the V6. If the truck was ordered with the factory towing package, it should have come with a receiver hitch that bolts to the side frame rails and rated for use with a Weight Distribution Hitch, which often makes the difference between towing a heavier trailer safely, and just being able to white knuckle it.

I regularly tow a travel trailer that weighs around 4,500 loaded, with around 450-500 pounds on the ball. The rig has plenty of takeoff power and tows the load confidently, though I opt to use the Weight Distribution Hitch, as it reduces squat in the rear.

I really like 03-08 4Runners and didn't want to upgrade to a Tundra to tow my camper. I probably would have had to upgrade if my current 4Runner had the V6. Real world mileage between the V6 and V8 is negligible. If I was buying another 4Runner of this vintage, I would look for another V8, and I have nothing to "compensate for" otherwise.

If I knew I'd never or rarely have to tow anything, either motor should be fine.

A lot of people touched on the oil cooler added and the hitch being different...the V8 tow package also has larger front brakes, maybe on the rear... and larger front sway bar.

A few years ago we bought a 4200 lb (dry) travel trailer. Believing some of the towing fantasies I read about the 4Runner we upgraded it. Hidden Hitch so we could attach a wdh. It is a V6. Also increased the towing capacity to 6300 lbs and hitch rating to 630 lbs (I think). Installed a transmission cooler. Bought new AT E rated tires. Replaced the radiator. Installed better brakes for stopping. Spent some $$$ "improving" our ride to tow!

Towed our tt twice!!! Once from the dealer to our rv storage spot and once to a weekend campground. Found out real quick that it was not a V6 vs a V8 thing!!! Our (loaded) tt was a little above 6000 lbs. Took it to the CAT scales and weighed both the vehicle and trailer. We were over on hitch weight, payload, and rawr (even with the wdh). Do not remember the numbers of how much since it has been four years ago.

So, we ended up buying a Tundra. It is a towing beast compared to the 4Runner!!! Night and Day difference! If I ever do tow "heavy" again with our 4runner it will not be over 4-5000 lbs. It just can't handle it very well. Not a V6 thing but a too small of a vehicle thing!

That is my 2 cents worth from my experience. Take it for whatever you feel it is worth!

I have towed heavy with my old v8 and the problem I found was stopping or slowing down. The heavy weight easily pushed the 4runner. I am looking for another v8 awd with the towing package but never plan on towing more than 5k lbs. If you need more than that you need to be safe with it and go with a Tundra or bigger SUV.

When towing a trailer more than 3500/4000 lbs you should have trailer brakes along with a brake controller especially with T4R, this makes a world of difference when trying to rapidly slow down and especially stopping.

Agree with both of the posts above.👍 We pull our tt somewhere between 6-8000 miles per year for the past 5 years. During that time if we had not upgraded to a Tundra from a 4runner I am almost certain we would have had a few accidents. There are a lot of idiots on the road, especially around the holidays. Having a vehicle near or over it's limits is not ideal for these conditions. I have no doubt that the 4runner can handle heavier loads but it is the "Oh Shit" moments where things can go south real quick! Believe it or not towing a trailer loaded between 6-7000 lbs is near some limits on the Tundra. If you are going to tow a lot of miles much over 4000 lbs do yourself a lifesaving favor and get a bigger truck!

I've got a 2008 4Runner Sport Edition. With approximately 40k miles on it I took a trip from Oakland to San Diego, CA towing a 4x5 Uhaul trailer. Total weight, maybe 1500 lbs. On the trip south I averaged 24.6 MPG to the bottom of the Grapevine. Milage dropped to an average of 19.8 after climbing the Grapevine, I made it to Orange County and still had about an 1/8th of tank left according to the gauge.
I put 19.8 gallons in it. Granted I had the cruise set at 58 MPH on the trip south.

Coming back with maybe 800 lbs, running 63 MPH, the milage averaged about 18 MPH. All of these figures were using the onboard computer.

Now for the not so good. All of the above was running stock 265/65r-17 tires. I'm now running 285/65r-17 tires and I'm lucky if I get 15 MPH at 70. I have gotten 17 MPH for short trips at 65 MPH. No hills and all level.

With the new tires, the milage sucks but the truck looks way cool.

Just another perspective.

My 4Runner is a V6 and I was really unsure of whether I should have bought it vs the V8 model. It doesn't exactly cruise at the desired steadiness beyond 85 MPH. The previous owner installed spacers and it seems to cause the fender to slightly wiggle at high speeds. I haven't tried to use it for any major towing needs but I am not sure I should even try to tow anything. It is more of a around the town and light offroading ride for the moment. Does anybody else have a 2004 V6 that has used it for towing a boat?

You could always add one of these to increase power ....

v6: URD Mk3 Supercharger Kit for 2005-2009 4Runner, Stage I - Underdog Racing Development

v8: URD Mk3 Supercharger Kit for 2005-2009 Toyota 4Runner V8 - Underdog Racing Development