I know that lots of you have several questions about what it is like towing at the 5,000 pound limit of the Toyota 4Runner. Let me start by saying that I have owned multiple 4Runners. My first was a 2007 2wheel drive SR5 that was modded with a lift, 33” tires, spindles, custom dual exhaust, etc. I sold that truck and purchased a brand new 2016 Trail Edition with KDSS in December 2016. My 5th gen now has almost 90,000 miles on it. Here are a list of modifications done to the truck that impact towing:

Icon Stage 2 3” suspension lift
Cooper S/T 285/70/17 tires
TRD Cold Air Intake
Flowmaster 60 series cat back exhaust
URD MAF Calibrator
93 Octane always
Pedal Commander set on City+3

Now the big question. “What do you tow?” Well, a year ago I purchased a 2017 Robalo R200, which is a fairly well built and heavy 21’ center console (for those that don’t know what I’m taking about, it’s a boat). The Robalo weighs 3050 pounds including the Yamaha 150 outboard motor. The boat came with an aluminum Coyote trailer that has two axles and weighs about 950 pounds. So we’re at 4,000 pounds with the boat, motor and trailer alone. I usually tow with about 30 gallons of gas in the boat, plus a fully stocked cooler, ice, anchors, lines, extra battery, life jackets, fishing gear, you get the drift. I figure depending upon how much stuff we bring the weight of the boat going down the road is between 4,500 and 4,750 pounds.

So how does the truck do with all of that weight??? Quite well actually. I have towed the boat all over the State of Florida. We live in Orlando and go to the sandbar at Sebastian Inlet frequently. That’s about an hour away. We’ve also taken the boat to Sarasota several times (2 hours), Naples (3.5 hours), and as far as the Florida Keys (6 hours). So far the truck has performed flawlessly!

As a precaution, when I purchased the boat I went to Toyota of Orlando and had the transmission fluid changed. All 12 quarts were drained and refilled with Toyota WS fluid. At that time the truck had 70k miles on it. I also had the dealership install a fresh set of brake pads and turn the rotors. This truck is my daily driver and I put on about 20k miles of mixed city/highway driving per year.

I believe in three key areas of success for towing heavy with the 4Runner. The first, and most important, is to follow the instructions within the Owners Manual, which tells you to lock the transmission in 4th gear and keep your speed around 65mph on the highway. I have towed at 67mph in favorable conditions. 65 mph to 67mph is definitely the sweat spot at 2750 rpms. This isn’t a diesel, so acceleration from a stop sign or stop light is very gradual and I rarely exceed 3,000 RPM upshifts. Take your time, leave plenty of space and enjoy the ride.

The second tip that I have is to beef up your suspension. This modification is a given for most enthusiasts on the forums. The 4Runner’s stock suspension is extremely soft and the rear springs will struggle with the tongue weight that comes with towing heavy loads, plus whatever you might have in the back of your 4Runner. As mentioned previously, I have an Icon Stage 2 setup with 2” lift springs in the back. When the boat is attached I get about 2” of squat from the tongue weight of the boat. The truck still sits fairly level, and has never bottomed out while underway, but the rear definitely has a mild squat. I might step up to Icons 3” Overland springs in order to alleviate any squat. I had these springs on my 2007 and they were extremely harsh during day to day driving with no weight in the back of the truck, so upgrading to the larger spring would definitely be a trade off.

The third and final tip has to do with braking. At minimum I recommend having a fresh set of brake pads on your truck and, depending on how much you tow, I believe you should changed them every 25k miles or so. You will also need some type of brakes on the trailer itself to aid you with stopping. The Coyote trailer that my Robalo rides upon has disk brakes on both axles. They are surge brakes, so when I hit the brakes the force of the trailer lunging forward into the truck engages the trailer brakes and they definitely help me stop quickly and confidently. I did bring the trailer to our local trailer repair shop and had the brake system completely gone through when I bought the boat. New brake lines, one new caliper, new pads, etc.

So that’s it! Don’t be afraid to tow a camper, boat, or other heavy toys with your 4Runner. This rig is a little tow pig!!! One other detail that I should mention is you will get about 9.5 miles per gallon while towing. I’ve definitely put the truck through it’s paces over the last year with no sign of mechanical failure, no change in transmission shifts, no burning oil or weird sounds, nothing out of the norm.

I have been a member of this forum for several years and learned a ton about the 4Runner during that time. I’m also an active participant with Toyota’s “Owner’s Intersection”, which consists of several volunteers who are asked for input about factors during the creation of the new 6th gen 4Runner. Please feel free to ask me any questions that you may have about using your trucks for towing. I am happy to answer any questions that you may have on the topic.

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Thanks for the write-up. I also live in Florida and I have a 24' Cobia CC. I took it to the scales with my now sold super duty, and it was at 5340 lbs with about 3/4 tank of fuel, no ice, water or gear on it, so I won't likely be towing it much with my new to me 2014 trail. Not sure I'm keeping this boat though, so not a huge deal. I am however looking at pull behind campers. I was out today at a few stealerships and it looks like I'm going to be limited to around a 20 footer. I would like dual axles, but I haven't found one yet, built the way I want and under 4500 lbs.

yeah I pull a 22' CC with my TRD Pro down here in Fl. Its right at 5k lbs. You can definitely feel it back there. I really helps that Florida is so flat. I worry more about traction at the ramp. Usually engage 4wd. If the water is flat it is more fun to take all day on the water to get to the keys. Do some drift fishing on the way. Let the wife meet me down there with the 4runner.

I miss being closer to the mountains, but its hard to beat Sunday afternoons at the sandbar

The major difference that I foresee towing a camper versus a boat is aerodynamics. A boat is fairly aerodynamic and therefore easier to tow at highway speeds. A 4,500lb camper on the other hand might require lower highway speeds due to the blocky design of most models. Think of it as a parachute.

100% agree with this statement.

100%. A travel trailer at 60mph is a giant windbrake. While towing a boat might be comparable at lower speeds, a travel trailer rows very differently at higher speeds.


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Nice write up.

I went to an auto repair shop when I was 16 and asked them to turn my rotors on my Capri 5.0. The guy looked at me like I was an idiot and said, “Do you race that car? If not, your rotors aren’t warped. Sand them with sand paper and stop removing material that you need.” He built cars and engines for NASCAR racers, so I took him seriously.

I’ve sanded pulsating rotors ever since and they’re smooth as silk every time. I still have never turned rotors or had to buy new ones. If your rotors warp, they are garbage.

What is really happening is that your rotors are building up pad material on them and acting as if they are warped. Just usually from cheaper organic pads.
Replace them with Wagner OEX Ceramic pads or similar and you won't even have to sand them. After a few dozen miles they will be smooth and you will also never have any brake dust on your wheels.

Exactly. I don’t go into more detail because people start arguing with me, but obviously it is from pad material building up. When pads were asbestos there was no issue like today’s pads.

Varnish. Yep. Sometimes you can tell if your rotors look yellow but it’s not rust


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You're lucky you live in Florida where it's relatively flat. Take that towing combination where there is some hilly country and you'll spend as much time in 3rd gear as 4th. I have that problem on the midwest interstates towing a camper weighing less than 3500 lbs.

I've been telling people this for years. Years. Daily driven cars don't have warped rotors 99% of the time -- it's uneven deposits from the pads. But people always want to argue that for some reason.

I wonder how this guy feels towing this. lol



Looks brand new. He must be pissed he has the wrong tow vehicle. lol

Totally agree with this. I live in Kansas and Florida is WAY flatter than eastern Kansas and western Kansas is a constant climb (~900 feet elevation on the east border of KS and near 5,000' on the west border = High plains).

I wouldn't tow more than 3,000lb if you live anywhere with topography.

Yep. Rotors don't warp. Pad material gets deposited in random sections of the rotor face and grabs pad as the deposit heats up. This causes the pulsing or what people perceive as warpage. Every "warped" rotor I've dealt with you go see the pad material in the rotor.

If the deposits aren't too bad, you can try and re-bed the brakes. However, sometimes this could make the issue worse. At that point, you can get the rotors machined or better yet, replace the rotors and pads.