Advance Pkg vs TRD Off Road Pkg

Looking to buy a Platinum or 1794 4x4 to pull a Travel Trailer (approx 7,000 lbs), what would be a better set-up. The TRD off Road with the stiffer suspension or the Advance pkg that has the load leveling air ride?

 

I could be wrong, but I think offroad suspension is softer. At least this was my experience with my 4Runner Trail (a.k.a. Offroad) Edition. Rough throttle or brake application really upset the suspension.

I wanted a Limited Tundra with load-leveling air suspension but it was difficult to find in my area back in Nov. I ended up with just a Limited trim. After much research, I bought an Andersen weight distributing hitch.

My vote would be for the Platinum with AVS and air suspension if money is not an issue.

Hope this helps.

 

I tow regularly and wanted the advanced package on mine. Could not find one at the deal I got on my platinum without. I tow 5000 pounds and do not have noticeable sag. But if I had the choice between the 2 I would go with the advanced package. I would not really need the additional 4wd options of the off road. I assume you are looking at the 1794, and the advantage there for some would be the black wheels instead of chrome.

 

It took a very long time to find a limited 4x4 CM with rear load leveling suspension but I am very glad I waited. I pull a 6000 boat and it is amazing. No squat and so stable I don’t notice it is behind me even at 70 mph. It also doesn’t buck or bounce over rough surfaces like every other truck I have towed with. If you like the TRD OR look, wheel and trim swap is really easy. You will love the AVS if you tow often. The ride is also very good empty.

 

I have a limited with TRD off road springs and shocks. The ride is pretty firm, when I put the trailer on it, I get a noticeable about of squat (maybe about 2 inches of drop in the rear). With my weight distribution hitch, I can level it out but most important is that the hitch moves some of the tongue weight to the front axle. This gives a better steering feel than not having it. Our trailer weighs 4,500 lbs. with a 500 tongue weight.

I am thinking about adding the Trimben bump stops to help the Bilsteins out. Not that it needs help as the ride is very stable but I am going to add a levelling kit and the front will be higher.

In Canada, we can't get the AVS on the lower trims as it is not offered as an option.

Keep in mind that the higher the trim (more goodies) the lower the payload so less carrying capacity. My payload is 1395 lbs. which is pretty low for the size of the truck.

The Honda was a previous vehicle (traded in on the Tundra). Using the same hitch, it works very well to keep thing level and stable.

 

If you are towing a travel trailer you should probably be using a weight distribution hitch anyways, unless its a really tiny trailer, so I dont feel like air suspension is really needed. If your WDH is setup correctly then the air bags wont really be supporting all that much extra weight anyways.

I have aftermarket airbags on my F150 and I dont use them while I tow unless I have a lot of weight in the bed in addition to the trailer. I use them to level the truck from the weight in the bed but not to support the trailer tongue. The WDH does that.

You could always buy Airlift or Firestone bags that go inside of the coil springs on the non AVS truck if you still need them.

 

Nice configuration PBNB. I had a 2013 Ridgeline that we sold to subsidise the Tundra. For the first gen Ridgeline at least a load equalizing hitch was not recommended due to the truck being unibody...presumably the hitch attachment and "frame" was not strong enough to take the force of the load equalizing hitch. Wonder how it works for 2nd gen Ridgeline? Also, the rated towing of the 1st gen was only 5000 pounds, and even when towing our UTV on trailer, total weight 2500 pounds, the 3.5L Ridgeline engine would struggle often. I'm guessing you find the Tundra to pull a lot better.

 

Paul, you are correct on all counts, our 2019 was a bit peppier but still worked hard on the hills. The brakes always felt light and underperforming. We used a WDH even though Honda said not to. It made a huge difference and took up most of the squat. The Honda suspension is much more compliant and squatted almost 3 inches with just a ball connection. Swapping it to the Tundra was easy with this hitch (Weigh Safe) as it has a lot of adjustment and the tensioning device can be dialled in with the on-board scale. If I add taller tires or lift kits, I can adjust the vertical position of the hitch body by sliding it up or down the drop bar.

 

That's pretty much what I expected with the 2nd gen Ridgeline. The 1st gen was nice for it's era, but that is past. I looked at a 2nd gen but just couldn't get past the very limited towing capacity. And the price to performance was just not there either. Hope you like your Tundra, which trim is it, I didn't see that. Ours is 1794 TRD with Nov 11 build, zero problems so far and loving it. Time is the proving ground though.

 

Our trim is a Limited TRD off road crewmax with the longbox. It is very long!

 

Oh wow the long box. We went with 5.5ft box to fit garage and were used to the Ridgeline bed. Hope yours serves you well.

 

We took it when it came available, we originally ordered a short box in Lunar Rock but this one came up after 6 months. Only differences were a different dealership, black and the longbox. Close enough and I am sure that the extra space will come in handy. Ours has 1,600 kms on it and is covered in snow right now not getting used until I get the new tires on it. I really don't want to play bumper cars with it. We have some of the worst drivers on the planet in Vancouver

 

Just FYI:
short box is 5.5'
regular box is 6.5'
long box is 8'

 

I think a lot of people underestimate towing capability, especially with a travel trailer. Honestly, with a travel trailer, you should probably just cut the towing capacity of the vehicle by 1/3 or 1/2 to get a realistic towing number that is safe and comfortable in all conditions due to the aerodynamics of a TT.

 

Thanks Maharisc, I guess the definitions on the toyota.ca site refer to the 8' box on the double cab as "L" as well as the 6.5' box on the crew cab. They seem to have the same designation but either way, it is one long truck.

 

@PBNB Love your posts. We have a very similar story with a little twist - I ordered a Lunar Rock long bed, then a Black short bed came up. I am getting the exact same truck as you (Black Limited TRD OR) but with short bed. Feb 2023 - the wait is almost over!!! I am sort of embracing the short bed as a way to gain a little more payload and a little ease in city use. This is going to be our first truck, completely influenced by our ever growing love of camping. We pulled a pop-up with a minivan for years, but just got an Imagine 2400BH trailer this past year - headed over to Toyota the same day and ordered a truck! After a bit of math, we should have no problem towing with a good weight distribution hitch (I actually used one on my van with pop-up as well - awesome going through mountains).

Your pics of the mountains are getting me excited... When you live on the prairies, the mountains are extra majestic when you get to see them. Our big 2023 trip is going to take us down through Montana, into Yellowstone, then over to the Big Horns, and then the Black Hills. For 2024 we are going to head straight west into the Kananaskis, then down into Glacier National Park.

Sorry for derailing the conversation - on a cold winter day in Winnipeg the best thing to do is dream about summer, ha!

 

TRD-JP, I think the Tundra is a great truck for towing. We did okay before but our last few trips using the Tundra is like night and day over the Honda. The endless power when pulling the trailer uphill on a 10 percent grade is amazing. We sort of discovered (by accident) a descent control of sorts, coming down that same 10 percent grade, the truck seemed to geardown and keep the speed constant without me doing anything. The Honda would plummet and the brakes would be on fire at the bottom of the hill.

The Rockies are always a favourite, we went in May so it was a bit cold but the bugs were non-existent. We were supposed to venture out to Sunny Sask (Melville area) to camp at my sister's place but they came down with covid so we passed on that trip. Also, the gravel roads out there have me worried!

 

I have a limited with the auto rear level and this is my 35ft at around 9500. I would get the auto level just my opinion

 

Wildmank, autolevel sounds like a great option to add. I see that you have a weight distribution hitch as well. Are you running any lift or levelling kit?
I think this is only available in the Platinum or 1794 trims, and probably the Capstone up here. We can't option that in Canada on lower trims. I was thinking about the Trimben bump stops for the rear to help support the extra weight once I level out the truck. I really don't want to be doing a wheelie!

 

Hey no this was stock suspension. Yeah it towed very well. All I did was add more air in the tires. Had a very small amount of side to side in the tires.

 

Yes, they are long trucks, I have a DC 6.5 that barely fits in the garage, no way could I do a DC with 8 or CM with 6.5.

 

My CrewMax 5.5 barely fits in the garage, only about 6" to spare front and rear. Thankfully the backup camera and PVM system make it really easy to squeeze it in there.