towing

I have an 03 double cab suoercharged and I was towing a 27' TT at 4300 lbs dry (add 1000lbs with stuff) and I got 16mg. my average is 18.3 (truck only). a popup is not that bad, it's lower than your truck and should be good for towing. You should have a tranny cooler installed (check first) I changed my cooling fan to a "green" clutch that operated at lower temp's than the OEM orange one.

Dave

 

Thanks for the info. I am impressed with your mpg towing that much camper. I am trying to stay within a budget. Have been looking at 01-02 tacomas and also the 04-05 Colorado. You've got a great looking truck.

 

Avoid the chevy. I've heard all kinds of horror stories about those colorados.

 

These are the kinds of replies I'm looking for. Hard to dispute Toyota's reputation. Dave, sorry, I'm pretty green. Is that an aftermarket supercharger? Is it a popular mod? Expensive?

 

towing

THe supecharger is an aftermarket and toyota makes it TRD. If your looking for a truck I love the 03 and earler body style but youhave to drive it not me. I got the SN. for my supercharger and then bought it on ebay and installed it in 4 hours.

I agree with staying clear of the chevy colorado.

 

So, are you saying Toyota puts superchargers in TRD's, but yours is an aftermarket? I think I am confused. Thanks for your input on the Colorado

 

TRD stands for Toyota Racing Development. The supercharger is made by TRD and is one of their aftermarker parts you can buy for your V-6 Tacoma. They also have other aftermarker parts like full exhaust systems, performance brakes and so on. Just because a Tacoma is a TRD though does not mean it has a supercharger in it. TRD is also a package offered on their Prerunner 2WD Tacomas and some 4WD Tacomas. It offers bigger shocks from Bilstein and a few other things that make it more set up for off road driving. The supercharger is an aftermarket product that you can buy to install on your truck. It kicks butt too!

Add me to the stay away from Colorado trucks list. GM makes good full size trucks but their mid size ones suck!

 

ive got a 964x4 extracab with a 4popper and i pull snowmobiles and birtbikes and i get 17-18 mpg pulling, the sleds really bog me down so i caant use 5th gear but it will pull. the only thing ive noticed is that sometimes my trailer pulls me around with the sleds because of the weight. if you get one with a V6 you could put sand in back and that should take care of the problem and you wouldnt notice the power loss as much.

colorados do suck, poor mpg and not very reliable

 

I have an 03 dubcab 4x4 TRD and pull my popup with it. I do notice the mpg drop when I am towing. I get around 13-15 when pulling the camper. When I am going into the mountains is the only time it strains and I wish that it was a larger truck. Stopping is what you need to cautious with.

 

I just got back from hauling a 5k lb trailer to Idaho from NY and back and averaged around 10 mpg. No supercharger but lots of WIND! LOL Was a little hairy going through Bridger National Forest in Wyoming but she pulled and we made it. Coming back we took a flatter route.

Since this trip I am ready to keep my truck, supercharge it and buy a set of supersprings which will give me a payload capacity of 8k lbs. My camper is 7k GVW and I figure with a TRD Supercharger with the 7th injector I should be in good shape. A lot cheaper than buying a used F250 diesel with 100k miles on it so I can afford it.

My truck is an 03 with 90k miles on it and I've owned and maintained well since it had 20k with no problems. I love it and think I'm gonna keep her.

Any thoughts on where to buy the TRD Supercharger at the best price and how are those Supersprings? They sure look and sound good and they are on sale now for a little over 200 bucks.

Thanks,

Billy

 

Keep in mind the 6cyl Tacoma is only rated to tow 5K. Even with a power upgrade the 7k camper + all the gear may over tax the rest of the truck, espically the brakes. Plus, lets figure a rough 8-9K for the camper/gear/people and you get a load that is more than double the weight of the truck; this often ends with the tail wagging the dog. The biggest reason for a big truck when hauling things like this is the sheer bulk of the truck, not the power. At highway speeds and on down hills you need a vehicle that willnot be overwhelmed by the weight it is pulling.

 

Keep in mind the 6cyl Tacoma is only rated to tow 5K. Even with a power upgrade the 7k camper + all the gear may over tax the rest of the truck, espically the brakes. Plus, lets figure a rough 8-9K for the camper/gear/people and you get a load that is more than double the weight of the truck; this often ends with the tail wagging the dog. The biggest reason for a big truck when hauling things like this is the sheer bulk of the truck, not the power. At highway speeds and on down hills you need a vehicle that willnot be overwhelmed by the weight it is pulling.

This is very true. I used to pull a boat/trailer rig weighing 3300 lbs. with a 1987 full-sized Bronco and barely felt the boat back there. When I used a 1991 Cherokee, it was a different story; the Cherokee had a much tougher time stopping and turning with the boat behind it!

 

Oh and I forgot to mention we pull it dry and travel light. Biggest weight issue is a tank full of gasoline, wife weighs 92lbs and I'm 200 and working on losing some. lol

The trailer brakes with the prodigy stop the truck on a dime, I had a panic stock from about 40mph and she stopped even faster than normal! I know I am cutting it close and I wouldn't recommend what I am doing but I just don't have the money now for a new truck and after putting another 6k on it this trip to Idaho for a funeral I lost even more money if I were to sell it or trade it in. Shes a good truck, well maintained and taken care of. Buying a used truck with what I really need will come to me with 100k miles on it and be an unknown in regards to service etc. Not everyone is as good to their trucks as I am.

Will keep my eyes open for a cheap used f250 in the meantime and save my pennies.

B

 

How old is your wife??

Seriously, if you buy a Taco, and it's an automatic, buy one with the tow package 'cause it comes with a tranny cooler. Even if you didn't tow, it would give you longer tranny life. (With proper maintenance of course.)

04SR5

 

I agree dont buy a colorado, their crap compared to the tacomas.

 

Over here we have to use auxiliary braking on the trailer if the trailer weighs more than a certain weight and this helps with the braking while towing. The brakes on these trucks are very good as they are designed to stop a 1000Kg payload.
Joe