Towing

[Mr. Lambdebois]

update on my towing experiance....

I drove the 4runner from miami up to st. Louis towing a 6x12 closed trailer packed full and heavy at almost 5k pounds of stuff in the trailer. The 4runner performed flawlessly. It had plenty of torque for the hills in the smokey mountains. In fact my Gf in her civic couldn't keep up with me at times going up hills. It pulled 70-80 uphill and never even needed to break 2800-3000 rpm unless I wanted to really move and a down shift was all it took.

I'm impressed...

 

[Atomic 4Runner]

update on my towing experiance....
I drove the 4runner from miami up to st. Louis towing a 6x12 closed trailer packed full and heavy at almost 5k pounds of stuff in the trailer. The 4runner performed flawlessly. It had plenty of torque for the hills in the smokey mountains. In fact my Gf in her civic couldn't keep up with me at times going up hills. I'm impressed...

Well, that explains why the Highway Patrol has been looking for a suspicious 4Runner that appeared to defy gravity, going as fast uphill as it did downhill!

 

[Mr. Lambdebois]

Well, that explains why the Highway Patrol has been looking for a suspicious 4Runner that appeared to defy gravity, going as fast uphill as it did downhill!

Lol. They could be. There was another guy at the hotel with the same 6x12 trailer. He was complaining they he couldn't get over 50 before it would start to get squirely. I could hit 70-75 no problem and it wouldn't start to get squirley till about 80 snd then I would back it off 5mph. A couple times 90 snuck up on me and I would have to back down a little.

Why would two trailers of the same type loose stability at different speed so far apart? Is it how much better I had the trailer packed of is it something having to do with the harmonics and NVH differances of the trailer?

 

[RickyCRX]

How you load a trailer is HUGELY important... If you don't have enough tongue weight, a trailer can kill you.

Ricky

 

[vts747]

Please advice. I want to pull a 6000+ boat with my 06 4Runner (V8) here in Utah (most lakes are up in the mountains, high elevations). Will I ruin my 4Runner? Should I buy a diesel tow truck (F350)? If I drive slow will it last longer? HELP!

 

[RickyCRX]

I just got done pulling an empty enclosed trailer from Florida to Texas. This thing is 8.5' wide by 16' long and is an extra foot taller than the normal enclosed car trailers are. I ran in 4th gear the entire way back because I just didn't have enough power in overdrive. I think I got around 7-8mpg with the thing, going anywhere from 60-75mph the entire time. I'll calculate my actual mileage in the next day or two to be sure, but it was really bad. The 4Runner did just fine, didn't burn any oil, and the transmission fluid still looks great. Don't get me wrong, it was working quite hard with the TREMENDOUS wind resistance that this thing has, but it did the job. Get a good sway control system (I don't have one yet, and every vehicle that passed me made me change direction slightly)... If you can't remain within about 5mph of the speed limit at all times, I'd definitely get a bigger/more capable tow vehicle. Anything slower than that, and you become a hazard on the interstate, in my honest opinion.

Good luck. Try it and see how it does. If you're constantly having the transmission downshift to 3rd gear or lower, you may want to start shopping for that turbo diesel.

And for the V6 vs. V8 debate queens, there's NO way I would have been able to maintain a speed anywhere near the speed limit with the V6 pulling the trailer I just pulled. I'll post up some pictures in the near future, as well. The V8 was working hard just to stay close to the speed limit; the V6 wouldn't have been able to handle it at all and this trailer was less than 3000# empty.

Ricky

 

[RacerDude]

VTS,

My travel trailer is weighs in at 6400 and is 26' long. Like Ricky says the V8 works pretty hard but it will get the job done. If you tow very much you will want to get a larger transmission cooler in my opinion. I saw tranny output temps spike to about 215 on a recent mountain climb and it was only 75 outside. Whether you upgrade to a bigger truck depends on how much you plan to tow in my opinion....

RD

 

[RickyCRX]

VTS,

My travel trailer is weighs in at 6400 and is 26' long. Like Ricky says the V8 works pretty hard but it will get the job done. If you tow very much you will want to get a larger transmission cooler in my opinion. I saw tranny output temps spike to about 215 on a recent mountain climb and it was only 75 outside. Whether you upgrade to a bigger truck depends on how much you plan to tow in my opinion....

RD

Hey RacerDude,

When you saw that temperature spike, had the transmission downshifted to 3rd gear before that? I don't think the torque convertor clutch locks up in 3rd gear, so you will definitely generate a lot more heat if it goes to 3rd. I made sure that mine never downshifted on hills by just letting the vehicle slow down a bit on bigger climbs. I think the slowest I ever got down to was 60mph... I don't have a tranny temp gauge, but I am thinking (hoping) that my temps didn't get very high by making sure it stayed locked up even on the biggest climbs.

I am running Amsoil synthetic in the tranny and the fluid now has about 24k miles on it. I'll probably drain what's in the pan and replace what pours out at the next oil change (in about 1000-1500 miles or so)....

Ricky

 

[vts747]

Thanks guys! Here is a completely stupid question: the V8 has maximum torque at 3200, which is around 65 mph in the 4th gear. Toyota recommends to tow at 45 mph, that is 2000 rpm in 4th gear. Does it mean that driving 60-65 in 4th you are more likely to stay in that gear because engine makes maximum torque and won't downshift? Is it better for engine, transmission, etc to keep rpm around max torque?

 

[RickyCRX]

Not sure about your gearing, but I was around 3,000rpm at 70-72mph in 4th gear.... I just spent 18-19 hours in 4th gear this weekend towing that trailer, so I know it well

I've found that if you keep the engine closer to its power/torque peak, you put less stress on the transmission because the computer doesn't need to downshift so much to maintain speed.

Keep in mind that U-Haul also says to never take their trailers over 45mph. I think it's a liability issue and Toyota probably doesn't want to make themselves responsible if you crash while towing a trailer due to excessive speed.

I just calculated my mileages and got around 7-8mpg the entire way back from Florida. One tank I got around 6-6.5mpg because I was keeping it around 75mph the entire time. Not good... I was getting right at 20mpg on the way out to Florida without a trailer.

Ricky

 

[Twisty]

About to tow my zook out to the local 4x4 park.....tows it great with the Lexus V8, but the old coils couldn't hack the weight (you can see how much the back is sagging down).....I've now got 80 series Landcruiser coils in, which should take the load a lot better.....haven't had a chance to try yet.

 

[RacerDude]

Yeah, that temp was in 3rd holding about 60 mph I think - on flat ground locked up in 4th it would run at 150. I have the new 5-spd auto with the WS synthetic, so I'm not too concerned about those temps for short periods.

RD

 

[vts747]

Guys! Another stupid question! (I am kind of sorry I tried to put my 4Runner in 4L mode and it felt jerky. I was surprised as my old Durango didn't seem to do that. I didn't have any load (that could be a problem) but still it felt like rpm were changing up and down (but engine was smooth). It might be normal (I just don't know) but still felt weird. I only have 3800 miles on the truck, am I still in the break-in period? Has anyone tried it in 4-low mode with no load? Just curious, slightly paranoid as I am going to pull heavy load with it and probably use 4low mode to pull the boat out of water on a steep ramp.

 

[Koz]

You also have to remember the 05 V8 was upgraded with more HP and a lower RPM torque peak/curve. This could be a big difference compared to the 03/04.

Koz

 

[Uneek]

Guys! Another stupid question! (I am kind of sorry I tried to put my 4Runner in 4L mode and it felt jerky. I was surprised as my old Durango didn't seem to do that. I didn't have any load (that could be a problem) but still it felt like rpm were changing up and down (but engine was smooth). It might be normal (I just don't know) but still felt weird. I only have 3800 miles on the truck, am I still in the break-in period? Has anyone tried it in 4-low mode with no load? Just curious, slightly paranoid as I am going to pull heavy load with it and probably use 4low mode to pull the boat out of water on a steep ramp.

Were you in neutral and stopped? Truck needs to be in N and stopped for 4L to engage.

 

[4-Ruiner]

first time

this was the first time my 4Runner had towed anything. it handled that trailer with ease!

 

[eddie]

Towing my 16' travel trailer that I pull 400 miles every other weekend

Towing my 18' auto hauler and show/demo vehicle. I have towed this thing from my home in upstate NY to Boston, Toronto, Virginia, DC, New Jersey, Ohio, Atlanta, Las Vegas and many more places... multiple times.

I have a different weight distribution hitch for each trailer.

I think I am one of the people that has probably towed the most with a newer 4Runner. Seems like there is always something attached to the back.

 

[Atomic 4Runner]

Re: first time

this was the first time my 4Runner had towed anything. it handled that trailer with ease!

Hey 4-Ruiner, what kind of gas mileage did you get when towing that trailer? That's about the size of a trailer I'll have to use soon on a 400-mile trip. I assume you've got the V-8?

 

[peter78]

Re: Re: first time

Hey 4-Ruiner, what kind of gas mileage did you get when towing that trailer? That's about the size of a trailer I'll have to use soon on a 400-mile trip. I assume you've got the V-8?

Wow, 4-Ruiner has a 3rd generation 4Runner. That means he carried that big rig with a 183 HP V6 engine.:bonk:

 

[4-Ruiner]

hey atomic, i'm not sure what kind of milage i got towing that trailer b/c i only towed it about 35 miles.

and yes, i do have the monstrous V6 engine. 183hp and a mind-blowing 217ft-lbs of torque! haha.