Towing with a Tacoma

[nozleman21]

Does anybody tow a 22i with a tacoma? How has it held up?

[TeamAllen]

I wouldn't do it for very far. I have towed our 22i with our 02 4runner 4WD V6 from our boat storage to the lake. It is a short distance and no freeway. What year and engine do you have in the Taco? It's the stopping that is the big issue. We upgraded our brakes on the 4Runner to the Sequoia/Tundra rotors and calipers.

[nozleman21]

It is a 2007 4.0 v6 with tow package, rated at 6500lbs. I agree the stopping will be the issue. How was the brake upgrade, that is a great idea. Did you do it yourself.

[River Runner]

You will be close to the limits but IMO you will be ok.

Towed a 21i for a few years with an 05 Tacoma. Same powerplant as the 07. That V6 is awesome. I tow up some pretty good hills going to and from the river.

The Tacoma will squat a little more than you will like with the trailer hooked up. I recommend adding a set of Firestone Airbags to the rear. Only mod I had to do for the Taco and easy to install.

The Tacoma uses 4 piston calipers, which you rarely find on a domestic truck. The brakes will be just fine. Remember, your trailer brakes should be stopping the trailer, if properly adjusted.

[dogbert]

I wouldn't go very far. Without 4WD, pulling out on ramps might also be an issue.

[Wake Bandits]

We tow our 22i with an 06 v6 pre runner and have for years.
Works great.

[TeamAllen]

It is a 2007 4.0 v6 with tow package, rated at 6500lbs. I agree the stopping will be the issue. How was the brake upgrade, that is a great idea. Did you do it yourself.

You have the newer generation. I don't know too much about those years. I would imagine they stepped up the brakes like River Runner said. I did the brake upgrade myself. I was a needed improvement.

I also upgraded the brakes on the trailer from drum to disc a few years ago.

What is the usual distance you tow your boat to and from?

[kasey200]

I towed my 22v a couple times last year when i didn't have anything else to use with my 07 Tacoma. It was a very unhappy truck to say the least. Stopping would have been nearly impossible with out the good, strong, 4 wheeel disc brakes my illusion trailer has.

[Joeprunc]

I tow my old boat with an old Tacoma with the 3.4L. I'd love to get a bigger tow vehicle, but I'm poor so I need a truck the gets decent MPG and something to tow. Most of my towing is relatively flat and on the hwy going 55-60 mph. I've upgraded the suspension and reinforced the rear frame, not sure how strong the newer frames are. If my tow consisted of more than just a few hills, I would probably look for something stronger, but until then the Taco works great.

Also if you've got 4wd check out the 2low modification, it is amazing pulling the boat out of the water especially if you've got a manual tranny.

Like mentioned above the Tundra brake upgrade helps a lot, here's a link, but my rims are too small (I've got 15s)...I put some upgraded Hawk pads on and can feel a noticeable difference in brake power.

[Joeprunc]

I towed my 22v a couple times last year when i didn't have anything else to use with my 07 Tacoma. It was a very unhappy truck to say the least. Stopping would have been nearly impossible with out the good, strong, 4 wheeel disc brakes my illusion trailer has.

Does your Tacoma have the TSB? Does your leaf pack have 3 or 4 leafs? There is a factory upgrade for your truck, and I think Toyota will do it for free...
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd...uspension.html

[H20SKIER14]

I have towed my '01 21i quite a bit with a '09 Tacoma and haven't had any problems, the power impressed me but the gas milage did not

[Joeprunc]

I agree with the mileage, I get around 13-14 while towing. But if you look at the bright side, when I'm not towing I get around 18-20 mpg. My old Silverado got 12-13 whether I was towing or not.

[nozleman21]

I just got back from a trip to the Colorado river aprox 200 miles, with some significant grades. Tacoma did great, I was happy with the power, braking was not an issue, Gas mileage wasn't great but not horrible, thanks for all the info.