My Experience Towing with a 4Runner

[cloudrunner]

I tow an M101a2 military trailer. With all our camping gear, it’s probably 2500lbs. I’m in Colorado, so lots of uphill towing. I can say, towing with the 4Runner is not something I look forward to, LOL. Seems to spend ALOT of time in 4th, near red line when climbing up I-70 to Eisenhower tunnel!

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Those Mountain Views are worth it though. We don’t have anything like that in FL. The entire inland parts of the State is basically one giant weed. That’s why we all have boats.

 

[RockyMtnT4R]

I tow an M101a2 military trailer. With all our camping gear, it’s probably 2500lbs. I’m in Colorado, so lots of uphill towing. I can say, towing with the 4Runner is not something I look forward to, LOL. Seems to spend ALOT of time in 4th, near red line when climbing up I-70 to Eisenhower tunnel!

I feel your pain as we pull a pop-up at the same weight. Of course life really starts to suck when you get pinned behind a semi and loose momentum. :frusty:

I'm leaning towards a re-gear and possible transmission cooler... Have you done either? If so, did you notice a difference?

 

[josephp732]

I tow my Boston Whaler 210 Montauk NJ to FL (~1,200 miles each way) and back twice a year with my 2019 4Runner Limited. My boat/motor/trailer comes in at 4,700 lbs - (certified scale), trailer has surge breaks. Tow at about 60MPH - mostly flat on I95. I never have had any issues (except gas mileage!) six trips so far. I do change the driveline fluids every 30k miles. The weak spot on the 4Runner are the brakes. The Gen 4's with a V8 where rated at 7,300lbs.

Pretty good video review of towing a cargo trailer with a 4R : TOYOTA 4RUNNER REAL WORLD TOWING. CAN IT DO IT? - YouTube

 

[Titan_Bow]

I feel your pain as we pull a pop-up at the same weight. Of course life really starts to suck when you get pinned behind a semi and loose momentum. :frusty:

I'm leaning towards a re-gear and possible transmission cooler... Have you done either? If so, did you notice a difference?

I’ve not done either of those things, but I have thought about


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[BorotHex]

I tow an M101a2 military trailer. With all our camping gear, it’s probably 2500lbs. I’m in Colorado, so lots of uphill towing. I can say, towing with the 4Runner is not something I look forward to, LOL. Seems to spend ALOT of time in 4th, near red line when climbing up I-70 to Eisenhower tunnel!

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I live on the slope and have serious uphills everywhere I go except west. I’m really struggling with the ida of towing with these. I dont mind working the hell out of a solid vehicle though. I put 350k miles on an F150 with the I-6 and could floor it while barely pulling boats and it didn’t even phase the engine. Did that until I sold it after 20 years of hardcore abuse. It was maintained properly though. This 4Runner? I just don’t have a feel for what it can take.

 

[Chumly]

We also tow a boat with a 2020 4Runner. It is an Everglades 211. On a trailer it weighs in about 5000 lbs. We have been towing this with a 4runner since 2015, originally with a 2012 4Runner with 165K miles on it. We are in Florida and we keep in at 65 on interstates, less on back roads. Other than some rear end sag, which does impact low beam headlight aim, it tows without difficultly. We had no ill effects on our old 4Runner and none so far on this. Only had to replace brake pads once on our 2012. Interstate towing is not hard on the brake pads. Just a note. Do not estimate your load, go to a truck scale. I would have estimated our load at 4400 lbs dry, but with batteries, gear, cooler and a full tank of fuel, It can get to 5400 lbs. (I do not tow long distance with a full fuel tank on boat). Throw in 4 passengers and a lot of luggage and you can start approaching the GCVWR.

 

[BillsRunner]

Towing to tow limit - it works but...

We've towed two boats with our 4Runners (2 4th gens and now a 2021 - the first was a 20 Bayliner on a single axle. It has a big V8 (the boat) but it all came in around 3,000 pounds. No problem anywhere, anytime. Our current boat is a Hurricane deckboat - comes in at about 3,800 pounds, 1,000 pound Venture trailer. The 2021 has, as you know, just under 30 hp more than the 4th gen but another 900 pounds of Toyota. Still, I find the extra hp overcomes the weight. Torque is solid.

Starting from a stop up a hill, it's a push - but it gets there - patience helps. Once at speed, no problem. On the highway, I have to watch out as it wants to go over 70. Up hills she slows a bit.

I keep her in 4th on most secondary roads unless it's a downhill slope, on the highway I keep her in 5th and either let the transmission do the work or put her in 4th on uphills.

What I like is that if I tow the boat a dozen times a year - it may not be ideal but it works nooooo problem but I love the 4Runner (over a big V8) for every other trip. I also tow a fully loaded 10' utility trailer with 1/3 cord of firewood, and all sorts of other lighter towing with absolute joy.

 

[CutthroatSlam]

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.

Change the trailer brakes to electric-over-hydraulic. You will love that set up.

 

[AMLOR]

So would adding a SC help this issue in the hills? I plan on towing a smaller camper into Tennessee at least semi-regularly.

Yes, but...
change your gears for 4.56 or 4.88. you will not believe the difference in drivability and it will cost less than half of the $$$ of a supercharger.

 

[Mor Funr]

Yes, but...
change your gears for 4.56 or 4.88. you will not believe the difference in drivability and it will cost less than half of the $$$ of a supercharger.

I recently towed a 6x12 dual axle uhaul enclosed trailer from NC to NY and it was awful. Every bump that trailer took made the 4runner sway. I doubt I will ever tow more than that type of uhaul again with my 4runner. As much as I love this vehicle and all it's capabilities....it sucks at towing.

 

[Muskrat14]

Cloudrunner, get some Airlift bags for your rear springs.

Worked great in my Pathfinder and folks here have had great success w them.


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[gordonp]

Great Thread - there are vehicles better for towing than a 4Runner, but as one part of varied usage, it's OK. I live in Western Canada (ie Rocky Mountains) and have some thoughts.

First, let's review what Toyota says about towing with our 4Runners:

• max un-braked trailer weight is 1655 pounds. I would say, sensibly / practically / experience, anything beyond 1500# needs brakes.
  
• don't exceed 65mph
  
• sway control device is mandatory with trailer >2000 pounds. I happen to use a Fastway E2 weight-distributing hitch with anti-sway friction bars. There are lots of other choices, some better, but Toyota mandates that you use something.
  
• 4Runner may overheat on uphills, ambient temps >85F / 30C. Wow - half the world exceeds this, I think. Plan ahead; avoid ugly problems. Toyota has warned you...

Now that we've reviewed Toyota's info, here are a few things I've done:

• Lift. With slightly stiffer springs.
  
• Rear Firestone airbags. Un-loaded I drive around with 5psi in them and this adds about 1" rear height. The only (and important!) thing this does is maintain level attitude when towing.
  
• Raised axle-side Panhard rod, so it handles "neutral" with my lift. But importantly for towing, this raises the roll-center and makes it more resistant to roll.
  
• With the lift, I also added JBA Upper Control Arms. In this context, having 4 degrees of caster makes highway cruising so much more stable and relaxing.
  
• Tire / Wheel are changed to TRD Pro-type 17x8, with stock-size 265/70-r17, Load Range E. The sidewalls are straighter due to these wider rims, and the E-rated sidewalls are stiffer. Less chance of sway.
  
• Transmission cooler. Because Canada has winters, I went with Hayden 699 for the cold-bypassing, and largest size. Tru-Cool makes nice stuff too.
  
• changed rear diff oil to (Pennzoil) full-synthetic 75W-140. It's still a 75W like Toyota chose, for my winter driving, but with awesome shear-stability. There are other great brands, and some crappy ones.
  
• Moly-enhanced grease for the driveshaft U-joints.
  
• My travel trailer has tandem axles (naturally combats sway), and I am careful about distributing the weight when loading, to maintain 10% - 15% more front weight. Total is around 4200# fully loaded and "wet" (3500# empty).
  
• I like my Redarc brake controller, but Tekonsha and others are well-regarded. Learn how to adjust and use it (including manual operation).

Lastly, here are a few "attitude" suggestions which help:

• Plan ahead. Check weather, route conditions (construction, destruction, fire, avalanche, flood, etc)
  
• Allow extra time. Don't stress when slow-downs are encountered.
  
• Braking on downhills: manually apply your brake-controller, so that your trailer brakes "lead" and your hitch / coupler is under tension. Don't let the trailer push the 4Runner around!

HTH, and safe trailering!