Towing With A 22RE

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wantahertzdonut

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I'm hunting for a 90-00 4Runner right now and have it in my head that getting an older truck equipped with a 22RE engine would be the way to go. Reason being is this truck would serve daily driver duty through the winter months, and I like the 22RE's reputation for being solid reliable. I also need decent gas mileage for my normal commuting.

I'm posting in this forum because I need a vehicle to tow my motorcycle trailer (up to 1200lbs plus equipment in the truck along with up to 4 people, but usually 2) to track days. These are generally 1-2 hours each way, almost all highway, and can get hilly if I'm going to tracks in PA.

I know all the 2nd and 3rd gen trucks are dogs, and I think I'm fine with that. But is the 22re so underpowered that towing around a trailer be a life of frustration? And will the lack of power murder my fuel mileage? If so I'll broaden my search to include the 6cyl trucks.
 
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Had a friend growing up that used a 1st gen runner for the same purpose and load you are describing. It was slow and mileage dropped but it was still acceptable. The 22re is a fantastic motor and very hard to beat. The hills will frustrate you as you crawl up them but as with everything it is a give and take.
 
I Agree with Pikeman. I have an all original 1986 1st gen Runner 22re with 396,000 original miles and counting an i tow 3 standup jetskis with her on a 900 lb flatbed trailer at least once a week every summer with A/C on, 4 people and gear and really dont have any issues unless im going up a mountain lol. When on flat ground its great on power even with a tow load i can cruise at 70 in 5th with half or more throttle left. I have headers, Exhaust, Cold air intake, and a fresh tune-up thats about it for motor mods.
 
Towing With A 22RE
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BWAHAHAHAHAHAHaHaHooHoohehehehehehe, whoo, heh. Hee hee. Towing with a 22RE, that's funny. :)

Nah, like they said, it can be done. The 22RE has oodles of torque and will always get you there, but make sure your hazards are flashing when you climb a hill because you'll be doing it at 40 mph in second gear. Maybe third, if you get a manual, which I strongly recommend, it doesn't suck near as much power as the slushbox.
 
I can tow a car behind my pickup that has a 22R and can hardly tell it's there so a m/c trailer shouldn't be any problem at all.
 
stevec5000 said:
I can tow a car behind my pickup that has a 22R and can hardly tell it's there so a m/c trailer shouldn't be any problem at all.
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Really? You might want to get your butt-dyno calibrated! Maybe I'm extra sensitive but my 1GR-FE and 2600 lb under tow is very noticable on hills and under acceleration. In other words, if my Runner were unloaded and performing anything like it is loaded I'd be searching for the problem.
 
Towed this monster the other day......drove about 5 miles to the boat launch!
 

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i occasionally pull a snowmobile trailer with a couple quads, and/or camping gear. it does OK.

ive also pulled a 16' car trailer with a wrangler for about 10 miles. it wasnt fun.

a light trailer with motorcycles it should be fine. but i really think a newer v6 would be a better choice.
 
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tundrayetti said:
1st gear, 10 mph the whole way. I did have to drop her into 4L to crawl out of the steep boat launch......it was definitely interesting
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Actually, doing low speed work like that isn't nearly as dicey as driving highway speeds and interacting with traffic. I've driven many a tow tractor with only a handful of HP that would do fine on a flightline. Here you're under fairly tightly controlled circumstances. There's a huge difference between what you CAN tow and what you SHOULD tow. I'd be willing to bet that 22RE in 4LO would tow a medium-sized commercial jet liner though there might be a lot of roasted clutch between here and there!

I imagine the light weight of your truck is the limiting factor getting that boat out of the water and back up the ramp. Only so much traction available though usually ramps are intentionally rough to help with that.
 
My personel exp!

My first truck was a 89' 22RE. Standard cab

Lived in Wyoming and drove up and down the mountains all the time... I towed a Double trailer with 2 Honda 4Trax ATV. The truck pulled it with gusto just be sure to get the 5spd manual and fill it with premium.

If I had to guess, fully loaded (5000LBS) of gear I could still crest the peaks... its stronger then you want to think for a 4cyl.

FYI my truck was very well maintained...a good test I have found is try and get it to 100MPH on flat road if it struggles at 85-90 stay away. My toy could tap 100mph and was Mild Stock... not all of them can so its just a good measure of its capacity.

my friend had a 91 22RE without a bed and could only get it to 85MPH! it died after 2 years

my toy is still around just not mine anymore.:ybrick::ybrick::ybrick:
 
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