Tacoma 4x4

[jimiller5]

Originally Posted by Fullbooker

I've learned never to use overdrive while towing my trailer as it puts excessive strain on the automatic transmission. However, my tow vehicle is a V8 Tundra.

The Tacoma owner’s manual specifically states not to tow in overdrive.

[barrry smithe]

I also have an 05, 19 but tow with 2018 GMC Canyon, 3.6 V6, 2wd. Avg 16mpg towing to Grand Canyon and back through Yellowstone. About 5500 miles. Highest elevation was Medicine Wheel at 9600 feet. Pulled great!

[ZachO]

That's great. Generally the idea, to me, of owning a full size truck is pretty ridiculous. But with the right engine, a nice powerful V8 can get better gas mileage than my small "efficient" V6. My truck looks more efficient than a full size, but it's not. At least not some of them. I get 12-14mpg towing my trailer. I have friends with V8 Tundras who get 8mpg. But I know some full size trucks, like Barry's, do way better.

I just don't want something that big...

[stevebaz]

while you can tow the load within specs you run into tongue weight issues. especially if you have a full load of gear and people in the truck. once you get over 300 lbs tongue weight the Tacoma springs in the rear want to squat a lot making headlight issues and other problems with the level of the trailer. then you have to deal with adding support and spending more money. the Firestone airbags add support when you need it my 2016 4X4 tows very well but I don't go over 3000 lbs and its rated at 6700 lbs. At that point my truck starts to squat the projector headlights start bothering on coming traffic. My truck would easily tow more but you need to deal with the squat with a weight distribution hitch and other band aids to have a happy tow.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by ZachO

That's great. Generally the idea, to me, of owning a full size truck is pretty ridiculous. But with the right engine, a nice powerful V8 can get better gas mileage than my small "efficient" V6. My truck looks more efficient than a full size, but it's not. At least not some of them. I get 12-14mpg towing my trailer. I have friends with V8 Tundras who get 8mpg. But I know some full size trucks, like Barry's, do way better.

I just don't want something that big...

The concept , feel , size and ability of a mini , compact or midsize truck has zero appeal to me . If I wanted a small commuter vehicle , I would buy a small commuter vehicle and not a commuter vehicle shaped like truck
That being said I can appreciate that other people have different wants /needs and am glad the market makes allowances for both camps .
My current V8 truck gets better fuel mileage than my V6 truck whether towing or non towing
My wife has a 2019 Chevy Equinox which is a great grocery getter but I would not even pretend it’s a great tow vehicle or an all day driver
When we go for a trip or camping we take the truck .

[ZachO]

Yes it's a matter of personal preference, though personal preferences do have greater consequences than just personal. But when the fuel economy is a wash, it all makes sense.

All vehicles are commuter vehicles. To call a Tacoma a commuter but claim an F150 or even Super Duty or other full size is not, and isn't designed more for comfort than anything is inaccurate. Ford is building their Super Duty knowing most people buy them because they "need" a Super Duty to haul their kids to daycare and groceries home. And the fact that anyone thinks a Tacoma is a commuter vehicle is another sorry sign of the times. 4 doors and a 4-6' empty bed with over a foot ground clearance, locking differentials and 4wd with 6,000lbs towing capacity is a "commuter"?

Modern humans have confused "wants" with "needs", and decided comfort trumps all else.

I grew up taking road trips with my brother and mom in a VW rabbit, sleeping in it overnight in fast food parking lots on our way to camp (in a tent ) at Virginia Beach. Now my friends with two kids "need" a quad cab Tundra and a 25' trailer to camp because "they have a family".

Do what you want, but remember we are (*edited...I had written "aren't"*) living a life of ridiculous luxury when we can say we aren't willing to sacrifice the comfort a full size truck, because sitting in a lazy boy chair with all the modern comforts and technology speeding across the country at 80mph in a "commuter" is just more sacrifice than we're willing to make....It's good to keep in mind that it's possible to live a life just as good, if not better, with much, much less.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by ZachO

Yes it's a matter of personal preference, though personal preferences do have greater consequences than just personal. But when the fuel economy is a wash, it all makes sense.

All vehicles are commuter vehicles. To call a Tacoma a commuter but claim an F150 or even Super Duty or other full size is not, and isn't designed more for comfort than anything is inaccurate. Ford is building their Super Duty knowing most people buy them because they "need" a Super Duty to haul their kids to daycare and groceries home. And the fact that anyone thinks a Tacoma is a commuter vehicle is another sorry sign of the times. 4 doors and a 4-6' empty bed with over a foot ground clearance, locking differentials and 4wd with 6,000lbs towing capacity is a "commuter"?

Modern humans have confused "wants" with "needs", and decided comfort trumps all else.

I grew up taking road trips with my brother and mom in a VW rabbit, sleeping in it overnight in fast food parking lots on our way to camp (in a tent ) at Virginia Beach. Now my friends with two kids "need" a quad cab Tundra and a 25' trailer to camp because "they have a family".

Do what you want, but remember we aren't living a life of ridiculous luxury when we can say we aren't willing to sacrifice the comfort a full size truck, because sitting in a lazy boy chair with all the modern comforts and technology speeding across the country at 80mph in a "commuter" is just more sacrifice than we're willing to make....It's good to keep in mind that it's possible to live a life just as good, if not better, with much, much less.

Thank you for your post and you made several excellent points
I admit my prejudices toward larger vehicles
I have arthritis in my knees , hips and feet plus my right knee is bone on bone but I am apprehensive about getting a knee replacement ( My problem)
I find driving / riding in a small vehicle downright painful , about an 1 1/2 hours is all I can take and getting in and out of the vehicle at times borders on the impossible . A full size truck allows me to travel longer distances with less pain where my wife’s car does not
My point is that in some cases , the choice of vehicle is not based on luxury but because of physical limitations
I fully admit I enjoy the wide ,lazy boy style seats in my truck
Let’s hope that soon Covid will be a bad memory and we can return to normalcy

[thrifty bill]

The "thing" about small trucks is anymore, they are not much smaller than full sized trucks.

A Tacoma Tacoma Quad cab is 225 1/2 inches long, 75 inches wide. A F150 Super Crew is 232 inches long, 80 inches wide. So you don't save much. Similar to Steve, I find the fuel economy of an F150 can be as good, often better, than a Toyota Tacoma. Higher payload, higher tow capacity, rear disk brakes, integrated factory brake controller (option), etc.

4x4 Tacoma double cab is 18 city, 23 highway. F150 is about the same, or higher, depending on engine choice.

[Jon Vermilye]

Having had both a 2016 Tacoma Off Road & a 2018 F 150 Supercab 3.5 Ecoboost Off Road, I have to say the Tacoma was more fun and easier to park despite the only 5" narrow body. That said, when towing an Escape 21 the truck was 150 - 200 pounds over payload, mileage was terrible, and it spent way too much time running at an uncomfortable high RPM. I did enjoy it for off roading & non towing, but finally gave in to the larger truck. I towed an Escape 17B at 3200 pounds for 15,000 miles with the Tacoma, and found it better suited for the smaller & lighter trailer.

The F150 gets better mileage, towing on not, with the 36 gallon fuel tank many more miles between filliups, and cruises along at 1600RPM at 63MPH. It is still a bear to squeeze into parking spaces, and far less maneuverable when backing the trailer into a tight spot. As to seating comfort, I'm 5' 11" and 175 pounds & never felt less comfortable in the Tacoma than the F 150.

[Rx2fish]

Originally Posted by tuna60

Can I tow a Bigfoot 17.5 with a v6 Tacoma?

I towed an RPod with a newer Tacoma TRD 4x4 on several trips from Wisconsin to Utah, Wyoming, Dakota's. Averaged 10 mpg. It worked but was not comfortable. Cruise control caused it to downshift repeatedly as it lost speed. Did not matter if we used tow mode, manual shifting etc. It was a little better if I drove 55 but terrible at 65. Used 2nd gear often. The wind was the issue, not the mountain climbs. Nebraska was horrible.
I now have a 17.5 bigfoot. Bigfoot has a lot more wind resistance since it is flatter, taller, and wider. Bigfoot tows comfortably with F150 ecoboost 3.5l. I don't drive over 65 and get 13.5mpg towing and 23mpg daily.

[ZachO]

I do realize that "minimalist" views won't be popular on an rv site, too...

But yeah. Mostly my point was not that we're all evil and should get rid of our trailers and drive Honda Fits even if that causes us constant pain, and I'm glad no one seemed to take it that way. It's more a matter of being honest with ourselves. Everything we talk about here is a luxury, above and beyond what's needed for a happy, fulfilled life. It's all icing on the cake.

As I get older I may look back on my current attitudes and do my own head-shaking. I'm still relatively pain-free.

The size of the Tacoma up to '05 is perfect for me. 5'10", 150lbs. I fit just right. It is an adequate, but not ideal tow vehicle for most trailers of the fiberglass rv size. Completely adequate and even ideal for a 13'-er, but a Bigfoot 17? Yeah, any real headwind and I'm not enjoying myself. It's not the weight that's the problem, it's the large, flat front. The 5-speed helps. But I am comfortable in it, refuse to drive anything bigger as a daily driver, and don't have a lifestyle that allows multiple vehicles. So I make do. I do feel my truck is safe towing my trailer. I use 4th gear, 65mph, no problems. Up steep mountain passes, 3rd gear, 45mph, flashers, just like the semis.

[Civilguy]

The frontal area brings the drag formula into play. Each time you double your speed the work increases four times.

So, going 30 MPH or km/h takes about four times the energy as driving or pulling a trailer pulling at 15, and going sixty makes it four times again for a total of sixteen times the energy required at 15.

Going up hills is linear. Twice the slope requires twice the energy.

The speed that you go up the hill can really take a toll because of the aerodynamic drag added to the elevation gain.

The different engine efficiencies involved at different speeds, and to some extent the transmission and running gear efficiencies, alter the above somewhat but generally don't dominate.

At highway speeds, the drag caused by increased speed, whether towing or not, is the dominant controllable variable in terms of the energy (fuel) expended and correspondingly the heat generated.

Bottom line, speed kills (your mileage).

[John in Santa Cruz]

IIRC, wind speed friction is a cubic function, so twice the speed is 2^3 == 8 times the drag. it goes up very fast above around 50 MPH.

[John in Santa Cruz]

ok, i've been corrected, its roughly v^2, but turbulence is a wildcard.

[ZachO]

That looks like a good tv/trailer combo for easy towing. With the huge frontal area of my Bigfoot and my small truck, I was seriously looking into wind deflectors for the back end of my truck's topper, but the more I looked into it, the deflector needs to be within a few inches of the trailer to be effective. Can't remember the exact distance but it was something like 14" or less, otherwise the wind just gets in there again. The distance between my topper and trailer is closer to 14' than 14"...

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by ZachO

That looks like a good tv/trailer combo for easy towing. .

Couldn’t agree more !!

[ZachO]

And this one??

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by ZachO

And this one??

Attachment 139078

I recognize the trailer but not the vehicle

[ZachO]

That's my Tacoma, hauling the trailer back from Canmore, AB the day I bought it, before I put the straight axle on the Bigfoot, and airbags in my truck's back end.

Lots of frontal area to catch air, that's for sure.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by ZachO

That's my Tacoma, hauling the trailer back from Canmore, AB the day I bought it, before I put the straight axle on the Bigfoot, and airbags in my truck's back end.

Lots of frontal area to catch air, that's for sure.

Thank you , I learned something new today .
I installed airbags on my last 3 Ram trucks and am very happy with their performance