5th Gen Tranny Cooler?

[Bimmer-Bob]

Howdy,

Very close to picking up a 2014 SR5. I've got many different reasons for wanting one, but one of the requirements of the vehicle is that it be able to tow my sports car occasionally.

This spring I'll be moving to the east coast from SoCal. My BMW is ~3200 lbs. I was going to rent a trailer from U-Haul, and according to their website, the 4Runner can tow my BMW on it, but when I look at the fine print it seems their trailers are 2210 lbs., which puts me over the 5000 lb. limit by 300lbs. So the hunt is on for a lightweight car hauler (I've seen them as low as 910 lbs, but I don't really have $6K for a trailer).

Anyway, all of this is just a long way of saying that I intend to do some pretty serious towing with the 4R. I intend to stay within the 5000 lb. rating, but will certainly be over 4000 lbs., and will literally be traveling coast to coast (and through all the mountain ranges that such a drive entails).

So basically, I'd like to buy some cheap insurance and install a tranny cooler. I've got a decent amount of tools, and I've done a fair bit of work on my BMW, mostly suspension stuff, but also exhaust and intake and other bits. I've never done any sort of fabrication & I've never messed with any of a car's fluids (not even an oil change!), so I'm a little hesitant to DIY this. Is it pretty easy? I'm sort of inclined to just pay someone to do it, but I don't even know where to go for this kind of work. The dealer won't do it, right? I'm not aware of any Toyota-supported option, even though the Tacoma has a tow package with tranny cooler available. The only other type of shops that I frequent are speed shops that likely won't work on a 4x4. Any ideas? I'm in San Diego, if that helps. I'm definitely a car guy, but this will be my first truck, and it's quite a different world than what I'm used to.

Thanks!

 

[GrantK]

There is a thread around here somewhere that has info by someone that added a tranny cooler. Even with one I would haul something that heavy for that distance, I'd pay to have it shipped by a car mover to save wear and tear on your near-new truck.

 

[1engineer]

Buy a pickup truck if you want to tow 4.5+K regularly. I have towed that for 2K miles but that weight will be few and far between for me. Lower weights no problem. Upper weights, buy a proper tow vehicle. Transmission cooler won't help the gear ratios or stock ECU programming or tongue weight or wheelbase or anything else except lower your transmission temps, which I had no problem with anyway.

 

[Bimmer-Bob]

Buy a pickup truck if you want to tow 4.5+K regularly. I have towed that for 2K miles but that weight will be few and far between for me. Lower weights no problem. Upper weights, buy a proper tow vehicle. Transmission cooler won't help the gear ratios or stock ECU programming or tongue weight or wheelbase or anything else except lower your transmission temps, which I had no problem with anyway.

Really? Because I have a lead on a 1300# trailer that is within my budget, so the total weight (~4500#) should be well within the 4R's tow rating. I realize that the 4R is not ideal as a tow vehicle, but it is so perfect for my needs in every other regard (I frankly am not interested in a bigger truck) that I hate to pass it up. It seems like it should be okay for incidental towing of this level - i.e., this will not be a regular requirement. If anything, I'm likely to tow to the occasional track day (1 or 2x/year @ <500 miles). It's just this initial cross-country tow that I'm worried about. But even then, Toyota rates the truck at 5000 lbs., which is probably a conservative figure, so I think it would be okay for 4500 lbs.

Thoughts?

 

[Ducmonsta]

Really? Because I have a lead on a 1300# trailer that is within my budget, so the total weight (~4500#) should be well within the 4R's tow rating. I realize that the 4R is not ideal as a tow vehicle, but it is so perfect for my needs in every other regard (I frankly am not interested in a bigger truck) that I hate to pass it up. It seems like it should be okay for incidental towing of this level - i.e., this will not be a regular requirement. If anything, I'm likely to tow to the occasional track day (1 or 2x/year @ <500 miles). It's just this initial cross-country tow that I'm worried about. But even then, Toyota rates the truck at 5000 lbs., which is probably a conservative figure, so I think it would be okay for 4500 lbs.

Thoughts?

I think [MENTION=66316]1engineer[/MENTION] and I read your first post the same way. You mentioned that you were going to do "some pretty serious towing" with this truck. I read that as towing often. Not 2x a year for less than 500 miles. Even with the initial move, a trans cooler would be a good investment long term. If the 4R fits 98% of your needs, go for it.

 

[Bimmer-Bob]

I think [MENTION=66316]1engineer[/MENTION] and I read your first post the same way. You mentioned that you were going to do "some pretty serious towing" with this truck. I read that as towing often. Not 2x a year for less than 500 miles. Even with the initial move, a trans cooler would be a good investment long term. If the 4R fits 98% of your needs, go for it.

Yeah, I realize that I was probably pretty misleading with the "pretty serious towing" comment. I meant with the initial tow. Otherwise this will not be intended to be a hardcore tow vehicle.

 

[philsey]

It's sort of nit-picking, but the '14 is no longer rated @ 5000# - it's 4,700# FWIW. This, due to Toy using newer standards by which to rate tow capacity.

OTOH, specs for the '14 include "improvements" to the chassis for tow handling, note "handling" not greater weight.

 

[1engineer]

....Anyway, all of this is just a long way of saying that I intend to do some pretty serious towing with the 4R....

Thanks!

Yep because you said so I thought you meant what you typed. The 4Runner will tow that mass but it is not real happy towing it. As I said, I have done it. If I were going to tow your car 2X/month to the track I would never get a 4Runner to do it. One time a year? No problems.

 

[4ShoreRunner]

I think there is a picture of someone towing their Z06 with their 4Runner somewhere? The Z06 is a little lighter than your Bimmer but maybe a little digging and you can ask that member what their experience was.

 

[phillyd2]

U-Haul: Tow Dolly Trailer Rental

 

[T4Ranger]

Id say go with the tow dolly, or ship it. The amount of additional fuel used and trailer rental will cost more than shipping it, and you'll save your new 4runner the strain of all that towing.


Where are you moving to on the East Coast? If you are moving to VA and autocross / closed course race with your BMW, as I do with my CTS-V at VIR and Summit Point, pm me.

 

[Bimmer-Bob]

U-Haul: Tow Dolly Trailer Rental

I wish I could, but the tow dollies only work for FWD vehicles. Not sure why you can't just run the car backwards so that the drive wheels are elevated, but that's what the site says. Anyway, it would probably scrape the piss out of my front end if I did that (car is lowered).

 

[dekeman]

Try to find a used Trailex. There's some around, but they go fast. They're not cheap, but they hold their value and they look great. Also fit in the garage. Most Trailex car haulers are under 1,000 lbs, so with your bimmer on board you'll be under the SAE tow limit of 4,700 lbs. The 4R won't object to that, especially if it knows it's going to the track.

 

[Bimmer-Bob]

Try to find a used Trailex. There's some around, but they go fast. They're not cheap, but they hold their value and they look great. Also fit in the garage. Most Trailex car haulers are under 1,000 lbs, so with your bimmer on board you'll be under the SAE tow limit of 4,700 lbs. The 4R won't object to that, especially if it knows it's going to the track.

I would LOVE a Trailex, but they're just so damn spendy. A used one would be great, but I haven't seen any around.

 

[Maz]

There is a thread around here somewhere that has info by someone that added a tranny cooler. Even with one I would haul something that heavy for that distance, I'd pay to have it shipped by a car mover to save wear and tear on your near-new truck.

I'm with Grant on this, and based on a lot of experience towing I'm thinking you haven't fully considered the very significant amount of extra fuel you'll have to buy while towing right at your limit.

My guess is by the time you pay for the U-Haul rental and the extra fuel, you're already within spitting range of what it would cost to ship your BMW. Then you've got the hidden cost of wear and tear on your rig for this very long tow.

Good luck in your new home whatever you decide !

 

[4ShoreRunner]

Better Idea -

Make a deal on a 14 Runner in the east coast destination town...make the specs match exactly that of the one that is in San Diego. Have east coast dealer ship the 4Runner from San Diego for free in order to find the exact 4Runner you want and then drive BMW cross country. :driving:

NO way in hell that would work but if you pulled it off it would be amazing.

 

[Bimmer-Bob]

So I went and got my car weighed today. It turns out there are public scales right around the corner that I didn't even know about, and the attendant let me on for free because I didn't need certification or anything.

It turns out the car is right at 3120# with 5/8 of a tank. So say I could find a Trailex at 845#, puts my gross trailer weight at 3965#, well below the limit of 4700#. According to the manual, that limit assumes 1 adult driver + 1 adult passenger - I'll be driving solo, so I figure that's another 150# of buffer, not to mention I would shave some additional weight by carrying less fuel in the towed vehicle. The other option is a 1300# Carson California Car Hauler, a much cheaper trailer, but gross weight would be approaching 4500# - still under, but only just. Thoughts?

And no, I don't expect to save money by doing my own towing. It's more about being self-sufficient. I don't want to have to schedule my life around some shipping company's timetable, with their pick-up & delivery windows, possible delays, etc. Keep in mind that I'm in the military, so out-of-state or even cross-country moves happen every 2-3 years for me, so the ability to tow myself is especially useful. The fact that I can also haul my car to the occasional track day would be a bonus.

As far as wear and tear on the truck, yeah, I get that. I don't want to abuse my vehicles, but at the same time, I bought a truck to do truck-y things, like occasionally tow. Using the above figures, I'm at about 80% of max towing capacity, which surely can't be asking too much of the 4R. Right?

 

[dekeman]

At 4,000 lbs, you're in good shape - just be mindful about adding extra cups and rims, 104 octane jugs, tools etc, which can add up in a hurry. The trailex will be a godsend too when you blow a coolant hose or something worse — plus it can be used for hauling a whole manner of other things, even stands in for an impromptu stage when your next backyard BBQ gets totally out of hand.
I'd still add some additional tranny cooling if you've got some big hills to climb, but you should be OK if it's mostly flat.

 

[Avwizz]

I installed the Hayden tranny cooler for my 3rd gen. For our move from Seattle to Connecticut. Super easy! Then towed this trailer with all our stuff in it from Connecticut to Florida without ant problems! (Except for a fuel pump issue but that's unrelated) I did have 265/75/16 tires and am sure it would have been better with stock. Just took it slow.

 

[Bimmer-Bob]

Okay, so I'm looking everywhere for a Trailex trailer, but they're really tough to find. On top of that, they're very pricey. If I could find one, it would really be ideal, though.

The alternative I've found is the Carson California Car Hauler, a bargain at under $2k. Over email I was quoted two different weights, 1300# & 1500#. So today, I called the company's office and got connected to a woman who looked up the trailer's specs. She quoted me an unladen weight of 1560#, which, along with my car's 3120# puts me at 4680#, or just below the 4Runner's tow limit. Keep in mind, that limit already accounts for the weight of the driver and passenger (which I won't have).

Still, that's too close for comfort, right? I mean, part of me thinks that Toyota's lawyers wouldn't say you could tow 4700# unless you could really tow 4700#, but part of me thinks it's asking for trouble approaching the limit like that.

Thoughts?