And it can tow

[03blkrunner]

So I'm getting moved short term from KY to MS for work and my daily commute more than doubled so I figured I would bring my little run around/DD with me (Subaru Impreza Brighton) to save on gas while I'm down here. I was curious to see how well the 4Runner towed and it did great. Total trip speed over 425 miles was 61mph (a lot of 55mph roads along the way) and an average of 13 MPG! 13MPG hauling it's own weight in trailer and car but only 16MPG if it wasn't!

Anyhow, thought I would share, proud of the ol' girl

Anyone else out there towing with their 4Runners?

 

[12guns]

Yeah, our V8's pull rather well.
I towed a 24' Arriva tandem axle ski boat three or four times last summer. If I remember right, that boat/trailer combo is close to 5,000lbs. Pulled it like a champ. Kind of funny looking at such a big boat/trailer behind a fairly small SUV! Funny, my buddies dad always puts his dodge ram in 4L to pull up the steep ramp...I didn't even lock my diff. TONS of torque, didn't struggle at all.
Now stopping? That's a whole other can of worms!

 

[Casper421]

Yeah, our V8's pull rather well.

X2 :iagree: They are beast's!! During the summer my V8 T4R pulls everything: a 2 PWC trailer(2500lbs), a few 21ft malibu's(4800lbs), and a Malibu 247(5800lbs). Gotta love the AWD on a slick ramp pulling almost 6k!!

 

[MicD]

I tow my 2,500lb ski boat with my V6 4Runner in the foothills of CA. Total load is about 3,500lbs with trailer and gear. Pretty impressed coming from a V8. The flat torque curve is nice. It's my wife's daily driver. Good all around SUV! I don't think may rigs can do everything the 4Runner does well...ie off road capability, fair gas mileage, reliability and towing capacity.

 

[Nuke]

I tow a 17' fully rigged out glass bass boat with my V6 every weekend and I also moved to MS, but from Chicago. That was 1,000 miles to haul the boat down here. But then, I had also moved from KY to Chicago and hauled the boat the 410 miles up there in addition to hauling it to KY Lake every weekend while I was in KY amd to various fishing holes when I was in IL.

I used to tow heavier loads with my 2nd gen (3.0L) and 3rd gen (3.6L) T4R's so towing with the 4.0L seems like a piece of cake. I'm sure with the V8 you sometimes had to check to make sure your trailer was still there. :trophy:

 

[03blkrunner]

Yeah, the V8 just pulled no problem. Never had to drop to 3rd gear, hell I don't think I had to go over 3,000 rpm once. I had towed a s10 Blazer from TX to KY on a dolly before, but I wasn't sure how the 4Runner would tow up some of the big hills on the way out of KY but it did it like a champ.

Stopping wasn't a problem at all, fortunately the trailer has electric brakes, though it needs some work. I think only 3 are working.

 

[jetboy1975]

Done a lot of towing with my T4R.

Started with this Starcraft Antigua 19' hybrid. 3800lbs loaded.

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And just dragged this home yesterday.
Forest River Flagstaff 26'. Should be around 5500lbs when loaded.

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Other than the extra length I couldn't really tell the difference. Tows like a champ. Held 60-65 on the highway with a headwind and never left 4th gear, even with small inclines. Averaged 10MPG.

 

[Presta24]

I pull an 18ft popup w/o any trouble at all. not sure of weight, v8 AWD

 

[12guns]

Question for the other V8 guys. Do you run in 4th when you're towing a heavy trailer? Or just let the trans cooler keep things cool when shifting more? In the mountians I'm sure O/D off is best, but what about interstate? My 4runner still shifts whne going up hill and such, but normally from 5th down to 4th.

 

[galactic_04]

I've towed about that same trailer with an 89 4runner running 38.5's (500lbs in tires) on it and the old v6 worked great around town with that on it.

 

[jetboy1975]

I did a test to see the difference towing in 4th and 5th. I could hold 5th on the flats with a tailwind but it would shift on the slightest incline and always felt like it was bogging down. Had trouble holding speeds as well.
In 4th it stays better in the power curve, held speed no problem even on hills, kept lower engine temps and actually burned less fuel. (higher RPM but less strain)

So it's 4th for me at all times.

 

[kahuna2]

It's what they do best, I used to tow a 5k lb keel boat, now this

 

[charlier180]

In 2010 my 4Runner pulled my trailer on numerous trips to Virginia, Upstate New York, North Carolina as well as around Pennsylvania. On the NY and VA trips I climbed a few "hills" some might call mountains. I almost always tow using 4th gear as most of the terrain I normally tow in is far from flat. The NC trip involved towing on the Cheaspeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel which was fun. Nothing like towing on a bridge that is 20 miles long out on the water like that. During the upstate NY trip when I was pulling out of a rest area I saw a Porsche SUV and 4Runner parked with open trailers attached to them (Porsches on both). One owner had a puzzled look on his face and the other was smiling. Don't know for sure which one was which but I can guess which one was driving the 4Runner.

 

[Blitanicle99]

In 2010 my 4Runner pulled my trailer on numerous trips to Virginia, Upstate New York, North Carolina as well as around Pennsylvania. On the NY and VA trips I climbed a few "hills" some might call mountains. I almost always tow using 4th gear as most of the terrain I normally tow in is far from flat. The NC trip involved towing on the Cheaspeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel which was fun. Nothing like towing on a bridge that is 20 miles long out on the water like that. During the upstate NY trip when I was pulling out of a rest area I saw a Porsche SUV and 4Runner parked with open trailers attached to them (Porsches on both). One owner had a puzzled look on his face and the other was smiling. Don't know for sure which one was which but I can guess which one was driving the 4Runner.

Jeez. Thats a big trailer for a 4runner.

My old set up.



Inside is a 600hp 2800 LB Evo 8.

 

[2003Can4runner]

I tow my girlfriends 16' horse trailer with my 2007 V8 Limited. Some might disagree, but I LOVE the self levelling rear. I used to tow the same trailer with a 2005 V8 Sport and it sagged too much. Pulls it without any issues at all.

I also tow a 15' camper and a snowmobile but those don't really count!

 

[Ridger]

And just dragged this home yesterday.
Forest River Flagstaff 26'. Should be around 5500lbs when loaded.

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Other than the extra length I couldn't really tell the difference. Tows like a champ. Held 60-65 on the highway with a headwind and never left 4th gear, even with small inclines. Averaged 10MPG.

What is that, the 26RBSS? Nice... be interested in hearing more about your experienses with it, though I guess it will be a few more months before it gets used.

How was it as far as sway, and movement with big rigs going by, and braking?

I have a 10' Flagstaff pop-up, but I'm upgarding trailers which is a big reason why I wanted the V8 and rear air.... but have yet decided on which one and how big exactly.

 

[jetboy1975]

It's still early to say how well it's going to tow. The tow home was only 1.5hrs away, the trailer was completely empty and I used the WD hitch I got with it (equilizer) without adjusting it. (It was used on an F150 before). As it was, it towed better than expected. Seemed easier than my 20' hybrid, no sway at all, but didn't pass many trucks either and very little wind. Braking was good. Still need to dial in the controller a bit better though as they locked up a couple times in the parking lot. Roads were a little greasy with snow so it wasn't the best time to adjust it.
I took it to the scales on the way home and it was pretty much as expected. With our gear it should be around 5500lbs, and carefully loaded a tongue weight between 650-680lbs. All weights are within limits however with the tongue weight I'll be right at the GVW of the T4R with my family of 4 and a dog. (suprisingly low payload #)
It'll be a couple of months for warmer weather before I get a chance to set it up properly and tow it again but so far so good. Can't wait for summer.

The model listed is a 26BH but I believe it's the same as the 26RBSS (rear bunk super slide).

 

[4RunnerFan]

Towing "Sweetheart" with '08 T4R V6 Limited. With trailer and motor the total weight is 2,800#. Get 16-17 mpg while towing mostly in 4th gear. Smooth and level all the way using standard factory setup.

 

[Ridger]

The model listed is a 26BH but I believe it's the same as the 26RBSS (rear bunk super slide).

Very nice.... I like it. I have been limiting the length to 25' max (with 23' more likely) so I'm certainly interested in how you make out with yours.

I've been looking at the 23RS (rear slide) here... http://www.forestriverinc.com/nd/de...S&choice=sham&nav=rec&name=2935&series=Expand

But I'm still undecided. I started looking at hybrid's and have since tried to focus on a small travel trailer with no canvas. I too have a family of 4 and a dog so bunks are required.

Congrats on the purchase.

 

[charlier180]

Jeez. Thats a big trailer for a 4runner.

My old set up.

[Inside is a 600hp 2800 LB Evo 8.

Not really that long. My trailer is 20 feet. It looks longer in the photo. The car inside is usually 1,800 to 2,000 lbs.
Personally, I would not tow a car trailer that was any longer than 20ft with a 4Runner.
24ft and 27ft car trailers would be pushing the recommended weight limits for a 4Runner unless it was all aluminium.

I use a weight distributing hitch with dual cam sway control.
Have driven in 30-40 mph cross winds and felt nothing more than a little nudge.
The same cannot be said for some pickups I have seen all over the road pulling their trailers in those same conditions.