Why not a Tundra?

Stating "I wish it had more payload" to the question of "why not a Tundra" isn't whining. It's just a statement and a valid answer to a valid question. Do I stress out about payload? No. Do I occasionally go a bit over payload when towing? Likely. While I will acknowledge that there are ways to improve the suspension and handling while hauling heavy, I'd rather not have to. I would take comfort in the added buffer if my truck was rated at 1500 lbs of payload versus 1100 lbs when hauling 1200 lbs. That's the engineer in me. That's all.

 

I don't think anyone is claiming to be a Toyota engineer. If you use a 2nd gen Tundra like a truck at all, you're going to be near or a bit over your GVWR on occasion. I take comfort in the fact that one can get a certified GVWR of 9200+ lbs (an additional 2000 lb) in a 200 series Land Cruiser in Australia just by beefing up suspension and adding armor. Did the Australian govt consult the almighty Toyota engineer oracle to arrive at this certification? Who knows?

By the way, that's a vehicle with a very nearly identical payload and GVWR to the Tundra. My 200 series has a payload only 40 lb less than my Tundra. It's rated to tow 8500 lb and has smaller axles (9.5" in the rear vs 10.5" in the Tundra), yet the rear axle has a higher weight rating than my Tundra at 4300 lb.

3rd gen owners are finding that they have more margin built in to their payload rating than the door jamb says. No, the Tundra is not an HD truck, but I think it's pretty obvious that these trucks have some margin built into them. My opinion is that this margin is perfectly summed up in the printed door jamb numbers (GAWRs vs GVWR).

 

Cant go wrong with a Tundra. Been driving them as my personal truck for over two decades now. 2001 Access Cab TRD, 2010 DC TRD Rock Warrior (would still have it if I was smart enough to get it in CrewCab to begin with), and current 2018 Platinum w/ TRD Pro suspension.

I personally would skip the 2019, and get either a 2018, or 2020/2021.

2018 gets Toyota Safety Sense, and still has the tranny cooler. Safety Sense is actually extremely well done, not obtrusive at all, and can be essentially turned off (and stays off after turning truck off).

2020/2021 get a host of convenience upgrades that get used every time you use the vehicle, and make for a generally better experience in somewhat future proofing the truck for the extended long term. Proximity keyless entry, push button start, shark fin antenna, and Apple CarPlay are really nice. There might be a couple more improvements I missed.

2014-2017 are also great trucks. Only difference is they modernized the gauge clusters and got Safety Sense in 2018.

2019 is basically a 2018 without a transmission cooler, and doesn’t get the added convenience features of the 20/21.

Good luck!

 

Hey @akmerle great thanks so much for breaking this out for me. Everyone else, also appreciate the great info here.
cheers.

 

I would imagine that everything has a margin built in when it comes to the sticker specs on products. My guess is that if a rope breaks at 2000 lbs in testing, they don't lable it at 2000 lb max load. I'm sure they lable things at well under their actual breaking point. Including trucks.
I certainly wouldn't want to use any product at or near it's failure point especially on a regular basis. There's a lot of moving parts that are stressed besides the leaf springs when a truck is working at or beyond it's rating cap. Especially on a regular basis. Not something I wanna do with a truck I plan to have for a long time. I guess it's different if it's a work vehicle and a write-off.

 

We own Ford's and Toyota's at my house. The fully boxed frame of the blue oval badge truck is a stark contrast to the Tundra's C-channel frame. The increased towing and payload capacity on the stickers reflect that. It isn't just mere suspension upgrades. However, I bought a Tundra knowing that for my weekend warrior pursuits to Lowes/Home Depot and occasional light offroading, it is plenty enough. I also bought it knowing the powertrain is generally more reliable than the Ford's.

Does it have any issue towing boats and light trailers? Nope. Will I use it to haul a 4-yard dump trailer loaded with landscaping rocks? Nope.

If I was in a position of having to haul heavy loads, I wouldn't look at anything Toyota has to offer. At that point you really should be looking at a Super Duty or RAM 2500+. However, those latter vehicles suck for being a daily driver. So yea, I guess I'm one of those guys who makes light duty trucks "soft". I'll respect the payload capacity Toyota states, regardless of suspension upgrades.

 

You're my kinda people.

 

My Tacoma had higher payload. Just sayin...

 

Look HD truck calculations involve more than springs.

I can't find the video. I thought TFL went to an HD proving grounds a while back and explain the testing process. Anyways, it included tests on the amount of weight the emergency brake can hold on an incline. The speed it can reach from certain incline from a dead stop.

Even heat. Remember tfl overheated their truck towing an the sticker had something like elevation and incline limits to its tow rating.

It's more than just heavier springs and better brakes.

 

I'm speaking to what we have, as our F-150 is a 12th gen, not aluminum bodied and it's payload capacity is nearly 500lbs higher than our 2020 Tundra, similarly equipped trucks. But I stand by my statement, if I needed real hauling, it wouldn't be a Tundra or an F-150, I wouldn't be looking at a 1/2 ton truck.

 

I think that’s really the answer. The question is why not a 2.5 gen tundra? The answer is it’s not the right tool for your job and you need either a heavy duty three-quarter ton or 1 ton truck or do you need a smaller “midsize” pick up truck. Otherwise, it’s a very good light duty 1/2 ton truck.

 

No, but I have experience designing things, and modding a Tundra, and I can think. We have 16 years of data on the 2nd gen and they don't fall apart when severely overloaded. Everyone hauling a regular camper is over payload, often by a lot... even blasting over the desert as well. I wouldn't recommend this, but I saw one guy with a longbed like mine and a ginormous camper... probably 5k lb load since he and his wife were living in it and camping in the woods. Said it did great with airbags. Structural margins are pretty huge.

 

WATCH THIS. It's more than just springs.

https://youtu.be/BbiBXK5CLlw

https://youtu.be/GwsBOIHwAQs

 

I don’t think anyone is saying our OEM leafs are the reason the Tundra isn’t an HD truck. I mean, I hope no one is saying that. But I also think the rear leafs are the limiting factor in safely carrying big loads (“big” meaning up to and maybe a few hundred lbs over GVWR).

The “margin” built into the truck is printed on the door jamb. It’s the GAWRs. If you could perfectly distribute the load, you can carry 8150 lbs without overloading either axle. Yes, your brakes can handle this. Your brakes are designed to stop your truck and a substantial small trailer (say 3-4k lb) with no trailer brakes.

• Does the truck handle differently loaded down? Of course. It squats in the rear with very little weight.
• Will it take longer to stop the heavier it is? Of course.
• Do you need to be careful? Of course.
• Should you beef up your rear suspension if you’re going to be loaded down around GVWR? I absolutely think so.

The factory leafs are great at their main purpose: articulation to keep both rear wheels on the ground. This is of paramount importance on a light duty truck with an open rear diff. Do they also sag under a load, despite the fact that the truck can handle 4150 lb over the rear axle? Yes, they do. This is why I think it’s important to mod your rear suspension if you’re towing or hauling big loads. (Again, “big” meaning within spitting distance of GVWR).

I have no problems occasionally using my Tundra at the top end of what a light duty, “half ton” truck can handle. If I get to the point where I need more truck, I will move on.

 

Ya, acceleration and hill climb tests, making sure the brakes work (at 20mph), and the cooling system works. So if you have a Tundra that is over payload and it doesn't suffer from any of those issues, are we good?

The handling test was a joke. They need to put a 30,000 lb camper behind it and put it through an accident avoidance test. Ya, good luck with that. And also note that even with good trailer brakes, the stopping distance of these things is way longer than a normal car or truck. If you are worried about safety, a Tundra with modest suspension and tire upgrades towing 15k lbs is a hell of a lot safer than the 1 ton towing 30k lbs.

 

The "axle rating" is also limited by springs and tires. It isn't the limit of what the axle itself can take. It has the same validity and rationale as GVWR; it sets Toyota's liability and warranty for the stock truck.

In panic stops, weight is the main determinate of braking distance (more weight, longer distance). If ABS is kicking in, you are at the limit of traction, and bigger brakes won't help.

 

I don't know your background. Are you saying you know more than the committee put together by the big 3 to establish the metrics used for a trucks towing capacity rating?

My only point was to point out that to qualify as an HD truck and increase your rating, it's a lot more than springs.

 

Yes, that testing is bogus. I'd say it's a lot less than springs, since you could be resting on the bumpstops and still do fine in those tests. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to see that. The big 3 getting together and making up their own certification standard?... doh.

 

Alright, well I respect the fact all are entitled to an opinion and can share. Free speech ftw.

However, I'll comply with and follow the committee put together to ensure apples to apples testing across all brands. I'll also take the physics and science backing their product (ratings) over your (or anyone elses) speculative opinion.

Until someone in here is willing to put their neck on the chopping block legally, like the individuals giving these ratings. Anyone saying different is just all talk and speculation.

 

Doesn't the manual say a trailer over 2k lbs needs brakes? (I might be misremembering because that's also what the laws in Alberta say.)

 

I average 13.5 mpg around town towing nothing. Calculated many times. A tundra get 13.5 mpg, flat Houston terrain. If you want more than 13.5mph buy something else, it loves gasoline......

 

Depending on the week, I average 15 to 16 mpg. In the city it would get about 14 and highway it gets 17mpg. It is pretty much what I expected when I bought it. Yes, I have it set to the American standards because I prefer my temperature readings in Fahrenheit.