V8 4Runner makes a great tow vehicle

[RickyCRX]

Recently I have started to do more towing with my 4Runner with the racing I do. Last year I did a lot of towing for my local AutoCross club, pulling the equipment trailer to each of the events. The end of last year we purchased a 14'x6' fully enclosed concession trailer. The trailer is big and heavy and we load a lot of equipment into it (two generators, air compressor, a couple hundred traffic cones (they weight 3lbs each), and a lot of other gear)... The 4Runner has NO problems whatsoever towing this trailer. I'm guessing it weighs about 4,000lbs with everything we have in it.

This season I also got my old red CRX up and running and have begun towing it to the races. I took it out there for the first time a couple of weeks ago and although I was only going 10 miles or so to the event it pulled great. This past weekend, I ended up trailering a friend's S2000 to an out-of-town event ~150 miles away. The car weighs ~2,800 lbs and empty trailer weighs ~2,200 lbs. With 5,000 lbs worth of trailer & car, plus tools, floor jack, spare tire for the trailer, two people, coolers, etc, we were probably loaded down close to a GCVW of 10,000lbs rolling down the road. On the trip up to the event we got 13mpg and rarely got under 75mph the entire time including spending a lot of time around 80-85mph. On the way back there was a lot of traffic and although we were going slower, the constant speeding up and slowing down seemed to hurt economy a bit.

The 4Runner had great pulling power and did a great job. I left it in D (Overdrive) the entire time and let the transmission programming figure out what it wanted to do. I never used the cruise control, but instead would let myself build up speed on a downhill and bleed off speed on an uphill so that the trans wouldn't keep downshifting or unlocking the TCC.

For a vehicle that is so well-behaved as a daily driver, comfortable, quiet, and can pull as much as it can, as effortlessly as it can; this is the best overall package one can buy.

I don't want to start a V6 vs. V8 debate in any way, but a V6 never would have been able to do this at the speed we did, nor as comfortably as we did (drivetrain strain-wise). I'll give up 2mpg to be able to tow what I want when I want at whatever speed I want... I got 20.2mpg on a trip to Dallas just the week before (not towing), doing 75-85mph, with a short burst for a couple of miles up to 110mph while a 4x4 V8 Sport 4Runner and a C6 Corvette were following me. This is a GREAT vehicle.

Ricky

 

[Koz]

I have to look back to see if the trailer (3K lbs) is still there, amazing!

Koz

 

[rook]

were you using a weight distributing setup w/spring bars for the 6k load?

 

[RickyCRX]

were you using a weight distributing setup w/spring bars for the 6k load?

Nope... The rear was squatted a little bit, but no more than another guy's Z71 Suburban that was towing a Miata with a much lighter trailer.

The trailer I was pulling was actually right at 5k... but it still didn't have a hint of sway or anything. Everything was very stable, even on bumpy/washboard roads.

Ricky

 

[Zachary]

Interesting...

I have an '05 Sport V8 4x4 ("AWD"), not the 2WD you have.

I pulled a very light boat and trailer. I'm guessing no more than about 2,500 pounds - boat, engine and trailer.

Driving about 70mph I got about 11 mpg. When I dropped it down to about 55 mph I got about 13 mpg.

I know that my truck has all time 4 wheel drive and thus will burn more gas than a 2WD, but you were pulling a much heavier load, and at higher speeds, yet you still managed noticeably better gas mileage. Perhaps there was more wind resistence with my boat than your trailer? I don't know. Frankly, I was very disappointed to see my mpg drop that much just with 2,500. I can't imagine what it would do with a 6,000 pound boat.

Zachary

 

[rook]

Nope... The rear was squatted a little bit, but no more than another guy's Z71 Suburban that was towing a Miata with a much lighter trailer.

The trailer I was pulling was actually right at 5k... but it still didn't have a hint of sway or anything. Everything was very stable, even on bumpy/washboard roads.

Ricky

a good trailer makes a big difference. i'd assume its a 2 axle / 14" radial tire setup

you wouldnt believe the junk i see in tow around here.. makes me cringe.. lot of stock car racers w/ retrofitted open config's.. no trailer brakes heck they think lights are "optional"

as for your mpg... keep doin whatever you are doin 'cuz its workin' for ya.. runnin with the wind or tailgateing a semi

 

[TeryT]

Yup! It is a good one. Many more people over on the RV.net forum are finding this out!

We have an ultralight 26' travel trailer that weighs around 5k loaded. We use the premium Hensley weight distributing hitch to compensate for the shorter wheelbase. This hitch virtually eliminates sway. I added the tranny stuff (see sig), and it is quite strong climbing several thousand foot grades in the blistering Arizona summer.

Main thing with it is, you'll find, is the lower tongue weight capacity common to most SUVs. With the weight distributing hitch, the rear sags minimally, but it still does drop some. I plan to add the easy rear air bag upgrade some on here are doing, to compensate the last 1.5 inches it needs.

 

[rook]

I added the tranny stuff (see sig), and it is quite strong climbing several thousand foot grades in the blistering Arizona summer.

does your trans cooler replace the factory unit or is it supplemental

 

[viper4evr2001]

im not expert but when towing your spose to take it out of overdrive. IE overdrive off.

 

[RickyCRX]

I use a Drawtite Activator II brake controller. This trailer has 15" wheels and is tandem axle with electric brakes on one axle. At one point on the way back home a large RV pulled out in front of me while doing 70mph on a 2-lane country road (I was doing the speed limit) and had to get on the brakes pretty hard with no drama whatsoever. The trailer tracks straight like a dream.

On the way up to the track event that morning, I was the lead vehicle in a 6-car convoy. I had been to the event site before while some others were not as familiar with the area, so they let me lead. I stuck to my own pace, which involved passing just about everything on the road (I usually cruise 5-10mph over the limit). Since we left town at 6:00am on a Sunday morning, there was NO traffic whatsoever. If I could stay at 80mph or so(sometimes 85mph), then the 4Runner was more in its power band (~2,200-2,500rpm) and had enough power to run more efficiently without losing a large amount of speed on uphills. I made sure to keep my throttle position such that I would try to maintain speed as best I could, but if there was an uphill, I would just let the vehicle lose speed instead of forcing a downshift. If you do this, you can tow in overdrive all day long without causing damage to your transmission. If the TCC is positively locked up, there is no slippage that will cause damage to the transmission.

Here's what I found out regarding speeds while towing... If you can safely go faster, do it. Keeping the engine in its powerband where it runs more efficiently will give you the best economy. To the guy that got 13mpg at 55mph while towing a 2,500lb boat, what gear were you in? A 2,500lb boat is plenty light enough where you can be towing in Overdrive without stressing the transmission and I would recommend you do that. The lower you can keep the rpms, the more efficient your engine will also be. Hence the reason why getting the rpms up WHILE in overdrive will give you the best economy (As I mentioned, I got 13mpg while trying to stay at 75mph or better the entire 150 miles).

Just some things my dad and I found out when we trailered MY S2000 to Vancouver, Canada from San Antonio with a 5.3l Chevrolet 1500 pickup truck. We got 15.5mpg on the interstate with the same trailer setup I'm towing with and we RARELY got under 80mph and towed the entire way up to Vancouver and back in Overdrive without any problems at all (and this was on a truck with over 100k miles on the original GM transmission; somewhat of a scary thought, but it had no problems at all).

Ricky

 

[TeryT]

does your trans cooler replace the factory unit or is it supplemental

It replaced the factory unit. It also has a fan & thermostat, and provides about 3 times the cooling. I thought at one point about adding the factory one back in series, but the temps stay down well now. Only very breifly, when pulling a mountain at 105 degrees ambient did the tranny gauge get above 210, and only breifly. The fan is actualy very useful when I find myself in stop n go traffic.

 

[TeryT]

There has been tons of discussions over on RV.net regarding towing in OD. The general rule of thumb is not to do it if the transmission is hunting at all. If it hunts, that is of course bad.

Some trucks can do it. I've found the 4Runner will hunt even on level ground in OD.

The other test is if the tranny temp goes up. If it is hunting, the temp will go up.

Pulling a boat is a different critter than a travel trailer because of the vastly improved aerodynamics. I would think a car on a carrier would be better in this department too.

 

[KDCane]

Say hey Ricky!

I've had the same experience as Ricky. In November I towed my Honda S2000 on a Featherlite trailer. I think the trailer was 18 or 19 ft. Not 100% sure. Total weight was between 4500-5000lbs I would guess. The trailer had electric brakes and I used a Tekonesha Prodigy brake controller. The 4Runner towed great. Not once did I feel like it lacked power or felt unstable.

A couple of times I had to pass folks on a two lane road, without any problem or drama. The only issue I had was due to the slight amount of rear end squat my headlights were up a little causing some people to flash me. Part of this I attribute to my HIDs. I have subsequently lowered the headlight aim and don't anticipate the problem in the future.

 

[charlier180]

a good trailer makes a big difference. i'd assume its a 2 axle / 14" radial tire setup

you wouldnt believe the junk i see in tow around here.. makes me cringe.. lot of stock car racers w/ retrofitted open config's.. no trailer brakes heck they think lights are "optional"

as for your mpg... keep doin whatever you are doin 'cuz its workin' for ya.. runnin with the wind or tailgateing a semi

True, a good trailer makes a difference. I can also see that an open car hauler may not sway as much as an enclosed one.
When pulling my enclosed car hauler (8.5'x20' weighing 5,400 lbs) my weight distributing hitch is a must. Once I did not have it adjusted properly and I could really notice the sway and bounce when being passed by a tractor trailer.

MPG can and does vary based on conditions. Last fall when I towed I had a head wind going to the event and a tail wind coming back. I got 2 mpg more (calculated) with the tail wind.
That was the first time I had a strong tail wind (25-30 mph) and boy that was a strange feeling.

When towing my trailer I average 9-10 mpg. Worst I ever got was 7.25 mpg but that involved some fairly steep mountains. In any case, I do not use overdrive when towing due to the "tranny hunting" it tries to do.

 

[trd2001]

When towing my trailer I average 9-10 mpg. Worst I ever got was 7.25 mpg but that involved some fairly steep mountains. In any case, I do not use overdrive when towing due to the "tranny hunting" it tries to do.

The worse i got was 5.5mpg. I was driving in a head wind. The 4runner was struggling to keep 50mph, and was shifting between 2-3 thw whole time.

I installed airbags, and it made a difference. The rear sags less than an inch now.

 

[Clarkson!]

Yup! It is a good one. Many more people over on the RV.net forum are finding this out!

We have an ultralight 26' travel trailer that weighs around 5k loaded. We use the premium Hensley weight distributing hitch to compensate for the shorter wheelbase. This hitch virtually eliminates sway. I added the tranny stuff (see sig), and it is quite strong climbing several thousand foot grades in the blistering Arizona summer.

Main thing with it is, you'll find, is the lower tongue weight capacity common to most SUVs. With the weight distributing hitch, the rear sags minimally, but it still does drop some. I plan to add the easy rear air bag upgrade some on here are doing, to compensate the last 1.5 inches it needs.

Im looking at tires to tow a similar trailer/camper with my 2005 V8, but am a little confused about the load rating needed for new tires to work with this setup. What tires are you running? Any advice you can provide is greatly appreciated.

 

[Keros]

There has been tons of discussions over on RV.net regarding towing in OD. The general rule of thumb is not to do it if the transmission is hunting at all. If it hunts, that is of course bad.

Some trucks can do it. I've found the 4Runner will hunt even on level ground in OD.

The other test is if the tranny temp goes up. If it is hunting, the temp will go up.

Pulling a boat is a different critter than a travel trailer because of the vastly improved aerodynamics. I would think a car on a carrier would be better in this department too.

I stopped in to say this. Also, to add that another reason to avoid OD while towing is to keep transmission RPMs up so that the pump cycles faster, keeping everything doused in lubricant.

 

[importman]

Im looking at tires to tow a similar trailer/camper with my 2005 V8, but am a little confused about the load rating needed for new tires to work with this setup. What tires are you running? Any advice you can provide is greatly appreciated.

Since this thread is about 14 years old I doubt if any of the original posters will reply so I'll chime in with my opinion. The important question is, will you be using a good weight distributing hitch? If so, a good portion of the weight of the camper will be spread to all 4 of your vehicle tires and back to the camper tires as well. So if your camper weighs 5000 lbs and you use the common theory of 25% of that as your tongue weight that means you have 1250 lbs tongue weight. Spread that evenly over all 4 tires on the 4runner and that comes out to about 312 lbs per tire. If the 4runner weighs 4500 lbs and you assume about a 55/45 weight distribution front/rear that means you have about 2475 lbs on the front or 1237 lbs on each front tire and 2025 pounds on the rear or 1012 on each rear tire before you hook up to the camper. If you add 312 lbs from the camper to the front you have 1549 lbs and add it to the rear you have 1314 lbs on the rear. Most standard load tires in 265/65/17 should be rated for about 22-2400 lbs so that gives you a little wiggle room if any of the calculations I did above are off a little. So a standard load tire in stock size should be sufficient. If you want a little piece of mind you could either go to a 265/70/17 in standard load that will likely give you another couple hundred lbs or find some class C tires that will give you even more. But be aware the C and E class tires will not ride as good as the standard load.
If you're NOT using a good weight distributing hitch (which I strongly recommend), all 1250 lbs of that tongue weight will be placed on your rear tires as well as the wheel bearings, suspension and rear end. (Not good)
I also strongly advice you to have some form of sway control. I used to pull my 29 ft travel trailer with my 07 Tundra and even with the larger, heavier truck with a much longer wheelbase I wouldn't have pulled it any moderate distance without the WD hitch and sway control. And the 5.7 Tundra with tow package is a towing beast. The wind from 18 wheelers will really make you clinch your butt cheeks and turn your knuckles white.
With all that being said, this is all my (somewhat educated) opinion. Do your own research and choose what you feel comfortable with.

 

[AuSeeker]

Since this thread is about 14 years old I doubt if any of the original posters will reply so I'll chime in with my opinion. The important question is, will you be using a good weight distributing hitch? If so, a good portion of the weight of the camper will be spread to all 4 of your vehicle tires and back to the camper tires as well. So if your camper weighs 5000 lbs and you use the common theory of 25% of that as your tongue weight that means you have 1250 lbs tongue weight. Spread that evenly over all 4 tires on the 4runner and that comes out to about 312 lbs per tire. If the 4runner weighs 4500 lbs and you assume about a 55/45 weight distribution front/rear that means you have about 2475 lbs on the front or 1237 lbs on each front tire and 2025 pounds on the rear or 1012 on each rear tire before you hook up to the camper. If you add 312 lbs from the camper to the front you have 1549 lbs and add it to the rear you have 1314 lbs on the rear. Most standard load tires in 265/65/17 should be rated for about 22-2400 lbs so that gives you a little wiggle room if any of the calculations I did above are off a little. So a standard load tire in stock size should be sufficient. If you want a little piece of mind you could either go to a 265/70/17 in standard load that will likely give you another couple hundred lbs or find some class C tires that will give you even more. But be aware the C and E class tires will not ride as good as the standard load.
If you're NOT using a good weight distributing hitch (which I strongly recommend), all 1250 lbs of that tongue weight will be placed on your rear tires as well as the wheel bearings, suspension and rear end. (Not good)
I also strongly advice you to have some form of sway control. I used to pull my 29 ft travel trailer with my 07 Tundra and even with the larger, heavier truck with a much longer wheelbase I wouldn't have pulled it any moderate distance without the WD hitch and sway control. And the 5.7 Tundra with tow package is a towing beast. The wind from 18 wheelers will really make you clinch your butt cheeks and turn your knuckles white.
With all that being said, this is all my (somewhat educated) opinion. Do your own research and choose what you feel comfortable with.

I agree with the above 100%, but I would also make sure the trailer has electric brakes and then you should have a brake controller to make sure those brakes are braking when you want them too.

 

[Clarkson!]

Thanks all for the feedback. I believe the trailer hitch is factory. How can I tell if the hitch is a weight distributing hitch to confirm?