Towing

H

hogv8

New member
I towed my enclosed bike trailer with my Boss Hoss motorcycle in it to Daytona and back with my 2004 V6 4 runner , about 3500 lbs. total . Only got about 10 miles per gallon cursing at about 70-75 . I installed a trans cooler before I left and it seemed to work fine but the V6 did a lot of down shifting going up most hills even when it was in 3rd gear tow but the 4 runner had no break downs during the 2500 mile round trip .

I think the V6 is just under powered for towing in hilly terrain like I had to run thru . Is there anything I can do to get some more power and torque out of the V6 like a performance chip or something to aid in towing?

Thanks , Jack
 
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No chips for the 4Runner, but you can get basic bolt-ons like an intake and catback exhaust system.
 
Get a lighter bike....

But in all seriousness. I have a v6 that I tow a 12x8 enclosed with two "choppers" in. It does ok. It slow to get up to speed and keeping it there can be a challenge. I did find getting behind an RV or semi will help. I know you may think I'm a wussy but slow it down to around 65-70 and you should see around 13-15 mpg.

Kinda kicking myself for not getting the V8 but seeing how I only tow a few times a year it wasnt a deal breaker.
 
Thanks guys , yes , I wish I had a V8 . I agree that slowing down would increase the gas mileage and would reduce gear shifting but traveling 2500 miles at 65 miles an hour would seem like the trip would take forever .

I like the 4 runner but as far as power goes , I wish I had my Chevy Avalanche back . Hardly knew I was towing a trailer with it and about the same gas mileage .

Jack
 
Do you tow with the OD off? Not only is it best practice to extend transmission life, but it will "hunt" less. I tow two bikes in a 7X12 V-nose that comes in right around 4000lbs loaded and have no issues with excessive downshifting with OD off. Even with the V8, it will hunt on level ground if you use overdrive. Both V6 and V8 engines fall out of thier powerband in "D" versus "4".
 
IIRC the 04 V6 also has the A340 4 speed transmission, which also could be an issue.

Only "fix" I can think of would be to trade up for either a V8 or an 05+ V6 so you'd get the 5 speed but if you're going to pull a heavy trailer like that on a regular basis, a V8 might be the better option.

+1 on slowing down, though. MPG drops like a rock after about 62-65 MPH. Get in the right lane, Set the CC at 65 and let all the other drivers pass you.
 
Easier solution?

Of course, there's an easier solution to this problem: Since your motorcycle has a V8 you could just put a tow hitch on it and use it to pull your 4runner! :becky:
 
Martinjmpr said:
Of course, there's an easier solution to this problem: Since your motorcycle has a V8 you could just put a tow hitch on it and use it to pull your 4runner! :becky:
Click to expand...

This thought has crossed my mind . In fact I could probably pull the 4 runner and the trailer .
 
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