Anyone towing with a Lexus GX 460?

[Losangeles]

Originally Posted by LJY

Hi John,

Have you ever measured your tongue weight without the WDH?
are those WDH usually 80 or 90 lbs ? I wonder how much do they contribute to tongue weight?

I'm not sure how to answer this question

Other than... I am not including the weight of the WDH arms when I measure tongue weight.

[caddoster]

Originally Posted by canyonrider

Check to see if the GX460 requires premium fuel. Our Land Cruiser takes regular, but my recollection is that the Lexus version (LX570) is calibrated for premium.

The 2017 GX460 is tuned to use 92.. I don't have the number offhand on what the difference is when not using the right octane though. We did end up putting a tank of 87 in Death Valley because that's all they have at Stovepipe Well.

[azjack]

John, our Durango is the R/T model that I think your daughter and her mother would like. It is loaded, two memory seat positions that includes everything , i.e. the radio stations, leather with red trim on black, 20" wheels that are black as is the grill. Quite aggressive looking to go with about 400# torque. The gas mileage towing the 21 is about 16 at 70 to 75mph and 22 to 23 not towing at over 75. The hills in Colorado are not even noticeable. This Dodge was about $47000 out the door inc. sales tax, 10% and all the other add ons. We then put 100,000 ext. warranty on it for about $1300 since I can't fix anything on the new cars and the radio/GPS would probably cost that much to fix. I don't even understand variable timing and shutting down 4 cylinders when not needed. Good luck finding the perfect tow for you.
The 3rd row seats were used once for a large teenage grandson.
Jack

[cpaharley2008]

Jack, I have the same motor in my Ram and was shocked to find out that a tune up is like $500 because you have 16 spark plugs, 2 per cylinder and that is how is cuts back to "eco" or 4 cyl while driving. But depending on year, your first tune up may not be until 100K.

[LJY]

Originally Posted by Losangeles

I'm not sure how to answer this question

Other than... I am not including the weight of the WDH arms when I measure tongue weight.

Got it.. thanks.

[float5]

I believe that our WDH is in the 60's. The Pro series.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Jack, I have the same motor in my Ram and was shocked to find out that a tune up is like $500 because you have 16 spark plugs, 2 per cylinder and that is how is cuts back to "eco" or 4 cyl while driving. But depending on year, your first tune up may not be until 100K.

I didn't realize that this engine has dual spark plugs, but it does:

(from Allpar.com)
Most modern engines, including Toyota's, have four valves and one plug for each cylinder; this one has only two valves but makes up for it with two plugs.

However, the dual plugs have nothing to do with cylinder deactivation (which they call "Multi Displacement System" or MDS). Lots of engines have had cylinder deactivation without dual plugs; this engine had dual plugs even in early versions without MDS. Proper cylinder deactivation is a feature of the fuel injection system and the valvetrain.

[caddoster]

thought I'd give a quick update -

we've towed the new 19' a few trips with GX460 by now.. it tows good, rear airbag is nice.. rear gate does not open fully but we didn't miss it.

[thiggins]

It's an awesome vehicle. Man, I'm jealous.

[P&L]

For our commute vehicle we looked at the Toyota sedan vs its enter Lexus counterpart. I was leaning toward a pre-owned Lexus and changed my mind when I learned that the base model Lexus didn't have heated seats.
Lorna

[thiggins]

Originally Posted by fudge_brownie

The GX is built on the same platform as the 4Runner so it will have many of the similarities, plus being quite a bit smaller than the Sequoia. I had the luxury of having a V8 4Runner, it was a great tow for the Escape 19. Not available with a V8 any more, the sixes are still very capable tow vehicles.

When an Escape 21 came into my life I was a bit hesitant with the 4Runner, the wider wheel base and width of the Sequoia appealed to me. That was a 2007 model, since stepping up to the 2012 Sequoia model - it is huge. My wife does drive it and likes the height for driving, it is a two step mount to get in but I like that better than squatting down for her Acura TSX. Very capable tow without a WDH. Timberlin rear air bags are popular.

The rear hatch is electric on my Sequoia and clears the Escape easily. I cannot come up with any annoyances from a tow standpoint. I just use the stock mirrors, though I have extensions, and they are adequate.

Both the LX and GX are Land Cruiser based vehicles, not Tundra based.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexus_GX
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexus_LX



Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus LX are a badge-engineered twin; and
Toyota Land Cruiser Prado / Life and Lexus GX are a badge-engineered twin; and
Toyota Land Cruiser Prado / Life and Toyota 4Runner share something, but they are far away from a real badge-engineered twin.

[John in Santa Cruz]

4runner is somewhere in between the LC Prado and the Tacoma pickup (which also shares some LC Prado genes).

The Sequoia is built on the larger Tundra chassis.

[disneydoc]

A very informative thread about Toyotas, probably one in my future if & when I upgrade to a E21.

[jawymore@ymail.com]

I bought a 2020 HIghlander mainly because it has a towing capability of 5000#'s (which I thought would be adequate) and also because a SUV fits my lifestyle with dogs. (I will not buy a pickup truck, and I really will only buy Toyota, Honda, Nissan etc.)
Unfortunately, I bought my Highlander before my Camper. I did buy a camper that weighs 4100 dry. But with the hitch, and everything else added, I am being told that I am not safe. The Highlander can tow my camper easily enough, but I am told that with a good gust of wind or something like that, I can easily get blown over. So now I am terrified, and looking for a new tow vehicle.
I recently came across a Lexus GX 460 that can tow 7000#'s. I wanted to see if everyone thought this would be a safer towing vehicle? My other options like a Toyota Sequoia are soooo big. I don't want to be driving a big clunky vehicle when not camping.
Any recommendations etc are GREATLY APPRECIATED. I bought my camper a few weeks ago and eager to get out and really enjoy it....safely.
]d

[Losangeles]

I am a firm believer of having the right vehicle for towing......

and you will get *many* different opinions on vehicle towing in relation to manufacturers towing weight limits....

and it is my understanding that there *may* legal considerations that you *may* be liable .... in an accident if loaded wet weight of tow situation is over the manufacturers limit....

however the one thing I will discount is your comment below "... I am told that with a good gust of wind or something like that, I can easily get blown over"

this seems like a crazy statement, perhaps made to you by a car salesperson, who is trying to profit off your situation?

I can't ever imagine a gust of wind blowing over a vehicle that happens to be towing a trailer that is a little overweight. Unrelated issue.

so i take issue with that one concept: "a good gust of wind or something like that, I can easily get blown over"

I am sure others can offer good towing vehicle advice.

My 2c is for many reasons (including sufficient braking, handling, acceleration, and possibly liability issues) yes, make sure wet weight (and tongue weight) is well within manufacturer limits.

j.

Originally Posted by jawymore@ymail.com

I bought a 2020 HIghlander mainly because it has a towing capability of 5000#'s (which I thought would be adequate) and also because a SUV fits my lifestyle with dogs. (I will not buy a pickup truck, and I really will only buy Toyota, Honda, Nissan etc.)
Unfortunately, I bought my Highlander before my Camper. I did buy a camper that weighs 4100 dry. But with the hitch, and everything else added, I am being told that I am not safe. The Highlander can tow my camper easily enough, but I am told that with a good gust of wind or something like that, I can easily get blown over. So now I am terrified, and looking for a new tow vehicle.
I recently came across a Lexus GX 460 that can tow 7000#'s. I wanted to see if everyone thought this would be a safer towing vehicle? My other options like a Toyota Sequoia are soooo big. I don't want to be driving a big clunky vehicle when not camping.
Any recommendations etc are GREATLY APPRECIATED. I bought my camper a few weeks ago and eager to get out and really enjoy it....safely.
]d

[JeffreyG]

The statement on being 'blown over' is hyberbolic and not helpful. A first good question to answer is whether you are overweight or not. As a first look, it's going to be very close.

According to the owner's manual, the Toyota can possibly tow up to 5000 pounds. Given a 4100 lb dry weight, you are likely very close to 5000 including the hitch and whatever stuff / options are in the trailer. I suggest you take this trailer to a CAT scale loaded up with what you normally bring camping and find out what it actually weighs. This is go/no-go question 1, is the loaded trailer over 5000 lbs or not?

The Toyota also has GCVWR of 10,830 lbs (2WD) or 10,935 lbs (AWD).

The Toyota curb weight ranges from 4,135 lbs to 4,450 lbs depending on options and powertrain. So you need to check your sticker and find out what your's actually weighs. Or go weight it when you weigh the trailer (you have to disconnect them on the scale).

All this means your combined cargo capacity is somewhere between 10,830 - 4,135 = 6,695 lbs and 10,935 - 4450 = 6,485 lbs.

So now we have go/no-go question #2, does your entire loaded rig (vehicle, trailer, gear, people, dogs) weigh more than whichever GCVWR you list above. Since these numbers are well over 5000, my guess is that if your trailer is not over 5000 lbs, you can stay under GCVWR as well. I can't imagine you also have 1400+ lbs in the car.

Finally, the Highlander GVWR is 5830 (2WD) to 5935 (AWD). Again, I don't know your specific curb weight. But this means you can carry (not tow, carry) 5830 - 4135 = 1695 lbs to 5935 - 4450 = 1485lbs.

This last limit needs to include both your tongue weight which should be around 500 lbs, plus the weight of your hitch, and then every person, dog etc. inside the vehicle.

My take? It all comes down to what the loaded weight of your trailer is. If the trailer is <5000 lbs then the rest of these numbers look pretty good and I would say that the Highlander is capable of towing it.

Finally - whatever happens, that Highlander will be towing right about at its maximum. If you tow a lot of miles and especially in difficuly situations (mountains, very hot deserts etc) then the Toyota will wear out quite a bit faster than normal. But if this is the occasional vacation, it may well be fine.

[BigSwede]

Originally Posted by LJY

They don't sell the RAV4 with V6 any more right? at least in the States..

The 3rd gen (with available V6) was model years 2006-2012.

I had an 08 V6, it was a lot of fun to put your foot down.

[BigSwede]

Originally Posted by canyonrider

If I'm not mistaken I think that the GX460 is a hair smaller than the Land Cruiser...

Check to see if the GX460 requires premium fuel. Our Land Cruiser takes regular, but my recollection is that the Lexus version (LX570) is calibrated for premium.

Also, I wouldn't hesitate to look at used GX460s (or LX570s/Land Cruisers) that have over 100K miles on them if they have been regularly maintained. They hold up like few other vehicles out there. I know that this is true of all Toyotas, but it seems particularly true for these models.

The GX is smaller than a 200 series Land Cruiser, LC is 195" L x 78" W; GX is 192" L x 74" wide.

I believe the GX 460 does not require premium, but the previous GX 470 did.

Agreed about a used GX or LC, they go 200k+ miles without breaking a sweat.

[BigSwede]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

4runner is somewhere in between the LC Prado and the Tacoma pickup (which also shares some LC Prado genes).

Both the 4Runner and GX460 are built on the Prado 150 chassis. The Lexus of course has more bells and whistles, but the most important distinction (to me anyway) is the GX has a V8 and a 6-speed transmission, whereas the 4Runner has a V6 and a 5-speed transmission.

While I am not in the "more speeds are better" camp when it comes to transmissions, I can tell you I wish my FJ Cruiser (same drivetrain as 4Runner) had a 6-speed. Would make downshifting for hills a little less jarring.

[jawymore@ymail.com]

Thank you all for your excellent feedback! I am a first time camper owner and new to towing also. I know that this weight issue is holding me back from really enjoying my escape.