Towing across the USA with my 04 Sport

[eddie]

I own a 2004 V8 Sport Edition that I got in april, and so far have towed a show car we own over 10,000 miles with it since then. Now I got the ultimate trip for it, across the USA!

I will be using the 4Runner to tow from NY to Las Vegas, where our show vehicle is scheduled to be in a booth at the 2005 Consumer Electronics Show (CES - Largest electronics show in the world)

I will be leaving NY on Dec 31st and should arrve in Nevada 3-4 days later.


I have to thank the companies that made this possible for us:

www.polkaudio.com
www.carsound.com
www.theglosser.com

without these sponsors support, none of this would be possible.

Cant wait to live in my SUV for a few days on the road! I towed to Atlanta in 1 day thru Hurricane Ivan and it worked great, but this is a tad further. I cant wait to leave!

 

[Loki]

nice. is that a souped up camry?

 

[4runnerman]

looks nice,

what kinda tow bar u got there? I have sport edition 03 and was wondering if it is sturdy as limited models towing bar...


keep us informed...

 

[Loki]

whoa. your wife is hot! lucky bastard. nevermind on the camry; your website explained it all.

 

[Noloc]

Eddie... I remember you from the camryman.org site. Nice looking 4Runner you got there!!!

 

[eddie]

thanks guys.

its not seen in the pic, but i use a weight distribution hitch (forget the brand name) and got the electronic brake controller hooked up with toyotas little plug under the dash. the set-up works AMAZING. I towed a few trips without the distribution hitch, and i had sag in the back. with this hitch it made a world of difference. i can travel at 75 and feel great and stable.

 

[toyo]

Good luck with your travels. Please be safe, there are alot of idiots on the road. I drive my 04 Sport V8 AWD from Atlanta to northern Arizona each winter to visit my dad. I believe I am leaving in January.

 

[mjfrank]

Looks great.

If I might inquire, do you know how much your car and trailer weigh together?

I'm considering towing my Jeep next year, and I'd rather do it on a trailer than flat tow. Just trying to see if the 4Runner can manage it okay. My Jeep is around 4,000 lbs and I would be definitely getting a weight-distributing hitch, trailer brakes, and maybe a sway control.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[olliebear]

Keep us posted on capabilities.

Please keep us posted on capabiliites; heating issues pulling up and down grades, power issues, passing power, tranny behavior, inclement weather issues, mileage, etc.

The V8 are rated for 7,000 pounds but I am somewhat skeptical.....the 4.7 seems a bit stretched for that high level of load, the oil/tranny coolers looks too small, etc.

Let us know what your extended towing expereince is with this great SUV.

 

[eddie]

like I said, I have towed with this 4runner for over 10,000 miles this summer alone. I did NY to Atlanta towing non stop and it worked PERFECT (Even thru Hurricane Ivan!).

I have towed from NY to Toronto, Boston, Phili, Baltimore (Several times), all over the place.

The weight distribution hitch is an absolute MUST. Dont even think of trying to tow a car without it.

The show car weighs around 2900 pounds, The trailors title states it is 1250 pounds.

I dont feel the need to have sway bars installed with the new hitch. I rarely have any sway problems unless its very windy and Im getting passed by tractor trailors. Wind isnt that bad since I have an open trailor, so it doesnt get bullied around by strong gusts of wind.

I feel perfectly comfortable towing 75-80 consistantly. I do not feel unstable at these speeds at all. I normally drive in the range of 70-75 depending on the highway.

 

[toyo]

What is the difference betwwen a wieght dist hitch and what comes on our cars? I can never remember. BTW your 4runner is just like mine. Gotta love that white color.

 

[eddie]

What is the difference betwwen a wieght dist hitch and what comes on our cars? I can never remember. BTW your 4runner is just like mine. Gotta love that white color.

you use it on the stock hitch that comes with our vehicles, but its a new ball mount (height adjustable) and two tension bars that go back to apply weight to the bottom of the front of the trailor, bascially so that there is a force pushing up in the middle where the trailor connects as to stop it from sagging

 

[eddie]

well I just got back from the trip, and the 4runner was simply awesome. I left Dec 31st

Day 1 - Albany, NY to Nashville, TN
very smooth cruising, slept in the the SUV for an hour efore we took off again, celebrated new years twice as we went thru time zones!

Day 2 - Nashville, TN to Amarillo, TX
very flat drive

Day 3 - Amarillo, TX - Las Vegas NV
went thru the hills in Flagstaff AZ (7300 feet) very well, no problems.

RETURN:

Day 1 - Las Vegas, NV (departed Sunday night) - Fort Smith, Arkansas (slept in the car for 1 hour then kept driving

Day 2 - Fort Smith, Arkansas - Albany, NY (drove for 30 hours non-stop, thru very heavy rain.)

averaged aprox 11.4 MPG thu flat areas and 9.4 thru mountains. Thru the flat states we went 85 MPH unless we hit heavy traffic. I didnt puch it too hard up the mountains, but kept it above 60 MPH or so.

what a trip. the car towed perfect, not one problem. It was around 2800 miles each way. I had the oil changed when I left Vegas and had the tires rotated. I will try and post some pics, we had a good trip.

One note: when I got within 2 hours of my home we hit snow, and on back roads I had little to no control of the rig at all. I had to drive 10-15 mph to keep my steering. I believe it had a little to do with the load on the rear of the vehicle for so long, causing the rear springs to sag a bit and lifting the weight off the front wheels. The fact that what I was towing was almost the same weight as the 4Runner probably also played a factor. I would not recommend towing heavy loads with it if it is even remotly slippery (this doesnt really count for rain unless its real heavy, in real heavy rain I loose steering too).

 

[Koz]

I'll bet if you had the auto leveling rear air suspension (from the Limited) it would have helped.

Koz

 

[eddie]

Here are some pics from the drive out:

http://imageevent.com/apgmotorsports/roadtriptoces