Towing with a Tacoma

[JaneH]

We have a 2008 17B. Has anyone had any experience towing it with a Toyota Tacoma in the mountains of BC? Does it have enough power?

[Devil Dog]

With the Tacoma TRD 4L V6 access cab it's no problem. The 5 spd auto has up and down hill assist. The 17B and the Tacoma is our set up and a good combo. Hills are not much of an issue.

[mitsui]

Originally Posted by Devil Dog

With the Tacoma TRD 4L V6 access cab it's no problem. The 5 spd auto has up and down hill assist. The 17B and the Tacoma is our set up and a good combo. Hills are not much of an issue.

I am thinking of getting a Tacoma SR5 V6 and I am curious if you could tell me what your L/100km is for city and highway and what you get when you are towing the 17B. Thanks.
Jim

[Devil Dog]

My milage varies but averages about 12L / 100k combined.
And 16-17L / 100k with the trailer. But I keep the speed about 90 km/hr.
Sometimes 110km/hr on the straight and level. And I take it easy on the hills. Thats when you can use a lot of fuel , pushing it hard on the hills.

[bryan]

I don't know what my mileage is, but I've found my 05 Tacoma v6 quadcab has been doing really well towing on the hills. I rarely go over 3500 rpm and only drop down to 75kph on the Coquihalla hwy's steepest spots. I usually don't go over 3000 rpm for the most part.

I also carry 2 motorcycles(150lbs and 230lbs), a Honda gen(i2000), 12 gals of fuel, 5 gals of extra water and all the extra riding gear for riding motocross bikes. Of course this is on top of all your normal gear and supplies for a 3-4 day weekend. I was really pleased at how well the Tacoma towed.

it should be noted, that I do have airbags and WDH to help handle the extra weight.

[Cypherian]

Hey,

I tow with a 2011 Tacoma V6 4x4 Sport It pulls fine, avg fuel mileage was 12 mpg based on 100 mile trip half being flat land @ 60 to 65 mph, hills were ok running in 4th gear @ avg 35 mph slow roll on of throttle works well and stresses the drive train less. I do have an Andersen Weight Distribution hitch, Firestone Ride Right Air Bags and a Prodigy Brake controller . I also run a Scan Gauge2 programed for the transmission temp I never went over 201F. Be aware if you order the Firestone bags check the air fittings for the bags and ensure they screw in they had a parts problem and there are kits out there with the in correct size fittings in them. Firestone is aware you just have to call them and they send you new ones.

Cypherian

[thoer]

17B and Tacoma's are a great pair in my opinion. On flat ground and no significant wind we usually get 16mpg (US gallons) and I drive right at 65 mph on the highway. We use a WDH and I would never go back to towing without one. Climbing mountains never seems to be any problem at all. I just make sure to never use cruise control when climbing or in up and down terrain - (it will really get the revs up sometimes to try to keep the exact speed.)

[holo]

Just to add to the positive replies...our 06 Tacoma, V6, 4WD, with WDH does well towing our 17B. Uphills are not fast but stable, flats cruise easily at 60- 65mph, I get about 15 mpg while towing and near 20 mpg without the trailer. The weight distribution hitch is a very good thing to have. We towed the trailer home to Oregon without it and thought it was fine until I got the hitch. Makes a positive difference.

[mitsui]

Thank you for the info on towing with the Tacoma. The trailer I am considering purchasing is the 15A.
Jim

[Greggo]

I get 15 mpg in the flats with my 19'. My suspension is beefed up (4 leaf springs) but I think it still needs a WDH. I can almost watch the gas gauge move though when I'm in hilly terrain. Closer to 10-11 on a lengthy grade. Plenty of power.

[NuthatchBC]

For what it's worth, we tow our 19 with a 2012 Tacoma and no WDH. No problems at all except when going up steep grades. It does slow down but pulling down into 3rd gear to keep the RPM's up really helps.

Doug

[gbaglo]

You don't say if you have auto trans.
If you do, I'd check your manual on towing on grades.
My RAV4 manual says not to tow in 3 for any prolonged time up a hill ( doesn't specify ). It says to leave it in 4.
Of course, I don't know what components the Tacoma and RAV4 have in common, but, it's worth checking.
I ignored that instruction once and turned on the transmission warning light.

[Devil Dog]

A Tacoma could pull a his and hers 15A no trouble at all.
Where hooking up tomorrow and heading up to Penticton B.C for a few days. That will make 7 weeks of R & R this year. We've done 12,km in 16 months and still punching the clock 5 days a week. I guess it's time for a brake and bearing service.

[Devil Dog]

Hi Gbaglo, I have the 5 sp auto with OD. I just put it in D and go.
I tried leaving it in 4th but the rpms were too high and gas consumption was too high as well. At about 95 km in drive the rpms are about 1200 in OD. On a slight hill the trans shifts into uphill assist, rpms increase to 1400. On a steeper hill it will shift down to 4th on its own and rpms go up to about 1600 to 2100 by pressing on petal a bit. And going from a level road to an extreme hill it will go through the same process and even shift down to 3rd gear all on its own, but in 3rd gear the rpms are in the 3000 to 3200 range the speed is down to 75 km. I usually back of to 3000 / 70 km until I get to the top. I will sometimes shift manually just to save a few auto shifts and maintain a higher road speed especially if theres a semi bearing down on my backside. The 4L has VVT multi port injection 236 hp and 238 f/p torque at the flywheel.

[daveandsandyclink]

Not being critical, I am trying to understand why someone would drive or tow with a smaller tow. Having to "baby the vehicle" up the hill and not get much more than 15mpg. A lot of full size pickups get that or better now and will comfortably tow and carry you and your stuff. There has been a lot of tow vehicle discussions and questions that lean towards using a vehicle that's too small and underpowered to tow safely. I understand "try to tow with what you already own". But why risk your safety and destroy a vehicle? As Reace increases the size of his Escapes, you might think about using a "built to tow" vehicle that will handle/stop your RV in all situations and conditions.
I know this reply will draw hate mail. I have always wanted to ask but was afraid this would a fend others on the forum.

[Jim Bennett]

Bigger is not always better. Some geographical locations are known for this way of thinking.

In the same vein, why not get a bigger trailer then, if your tow vehicle can handle it? It really comes down to what works best for each individual.

Not sure at all where you get this idea our smaller vehicles need to "baby" their way up the hill. There have only been two hills I have encountered where it was long and steep enough to warrant slowing a bit. In the past I have mostly towed larger trailers, with larger tow vehicles, all the way up to tractor/trailer combos, and in no way do I feel the my smaller tow is underpowered, or that I am in any way not towing safely.

Not that there is not the odd person who really pushes the limits, wanting to tow at, or beyond, the vehicles rated limits. I am not at all a proponent of this, and discourage it regularly.

I have both a truck (Ford F250 Powerstroke Diesel) that barely notices the trailer behind it, and gets just about as good of mileage towing as does my preferred tow vehicle (Honda Pilot). However (and this is the key), I want a more comfortable vehicle, that works much better as a run around vehicle, gets better mileage when not towing, and is just plain easier to get around in due to its size. I do not want a vehicle that I would use only to tow the trailer.

Once I retire and get rid of my F250, there is a good chance I will still want a pickup, and may get one of the newer offerings much smaller than what I have now, especially if they move towards some good diesel offerings like there seem to be doing now. I might then use this vehicle to tow as well, as it will get lots of use outside of towing too.

[thoer]

(I don't think you will find any hate here on this well mannered board.) A V6 Tacoma with tow package is rated at far higher towing capacity than a 17B or even a 19, so I am unsure why you would think it would need to be "babied" up hills? It has more space than we ever fill when heading out, has a decent ride and gets decent gas mileage both towing and alone and has Toyota reliability - a biggie for me.

[FMLNM]

We can't fit a larger tow vehicle in our garage (which is a necessity here).....plus we don't want to drive a larger tow vehicle. Thus we choose our trailer and tow combinations accordingly.

[Dave Walter]

I think many owners of fiberglass RV's take the view that they are happy with the towing performance of a smaller vehicle, and thus see no reason or need to go with something akin to a full-size truck. I have owned full-size trucks in the past, and although they serve a purpose, that is not what I want to be driving as my daily driver. I prefer something smaller and better suited to my tastes and preferences.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by daveandsandyclink

Not being critical ...

If this post is not "critical" then I guess I need to look up the definition of the word.

Originally Posted by daveandsandyclink

There has been a lot of tow vehicle discussions and questions that lean towards using a vehicle that's too small and underpowered to tow safely.

What has been posted in this discussion which even suggests that a Tacoma is too small or underpowered to safely tow a couple of tons of trailer? If a V6 Tacoma is inadequate to tow any Escape safely, then all of those big rigs out there should be pulled off the road right now, because their performance is far worse.