Any advice on towing with a Tundra?

Hi guys. I am new to the forum and was wondering if any of you guys have any advice and tips and performance mods I can add to my tundra as I am towing:

I have a 2017 SR5 Trd package with 47k miles equipped with tow package and a towing capacity of 9,800

What I pull: 2019 Avenger 30 foot @ 6,500 lbs loaded, but I sold it and got a
27.5 foot toyhauler
8,400-9,500 lbs total weight (from scale)
Depending on what we put inside
(We already did a 2400 mile trip from California to Utah pulling it at 9200lbs and it performed great, no issues and no sway. Going up and down the mountains was fine, I was able to maintain 55 (could have gone faster if I wanted) and even passed up some 3/4 diesel trucks towing their fifth wheel!
Just a little bumpy on bumpy roads but not bad...Had the tongue at 980 with the WDH included)
Will adding air bags and wider or larger tires give better performance?

I am changing oil every 5k instead of 10k
Changing tranny fluid at every 30K and the drive train fluids (front and rear differential/transfer case)
Payload isn’t the greatest but we manage to stay right on or under 7200lbs on the truck with the family and the toyhauler tongue weight.
Also I use a E2 hitch with built in sway control.
I use a tongue scale to try and get a max of 900lbs on toyhauler tongue and the remaining 80lbs for the WDH. (Dealer said no more than 980lbs tongue weight on my truck, sadly )
We will be towing the Toyhauler about 5k-10k a year, I know its going to beat up the truck but I want to make it last as long as possible and tow as safe as possible.

I was also thinking of lifting the truck 4” front and 2” rear, will that affect towing performance?

went with the tundra instead of 3/4 ton truck because toyota has always been reliable and want to stay away from the shop (so far so good)
I cant afford a diesel, and I don’t like the big 3s 2500 gas. So I bought a Tundra. I feel it performs as good as the 3/4 ton gas trucks. And will PROBABLY last longer, overall.

Love the performance of this truck, lots of power for towing what I tow. Torque is great.
(Towed my trailer once with a 6.2 F250 Gas and this Tundra feels much better)

thanks for your time guys

 

Lifting alone will just slightly increase wind resistance. Adding larger tires will lower your effective gear ratio and negatively impact towing. 4" lift with OEM tires will look kinda stupid.

 

Get a 7.3 Godzilla f250 with the 4.30

 

I would get a diesel but they are priced like gold. Especially the 7.3s.

 

The 7.3 is a new for 2020 gas engine. The F250 comes with 355 gears with the 10 speed. Some long beds do have 373. They all need at least 373 or 430. We don’t buy them for gas mileage.

 

Exactly. The new 7.3 gasser tremor that comes with the 4.30s is damn nice. Dialed in truck.

 

Hard to believe you're not over your payload capacity with that trailer...

 

My payload is 1580 max
My self, wife, and kid comes to 400
Trailer tongue with WDH comes to 980 (900 tongue + 80 WDH)
Total is 1380 + 180 lbs for full tank of fuel
The 900lbs of tongue weight is about 10-12% of total trailer weight depending on what I load.

It works and under legal limits.

 

And you actually weighed the tongue, you're not just going off what the salesman told you? If so, that's impressive.

 

Don’t lift it. If what you’re doing is working, leave it. Maybe some bags or helper springs

 

The salesman. Let me tell you about him really quick. Was selling me the Rogue at first and with a dry tongue of 1200lbs so if you fill the 2 propanes and 2 batteries, and whatever what have you, you’d easily get 1400lbs. Said my tundra was more than enough (They let me bring my tongue scale and measure as much I wanted)

4 out 4 trailers he recommended was way out of my truck capacity. Long story short, ANYONE reading this. Do your own research, buy a tongue scale and visit the scales to get the perfect set up. It’s a balancing act. These sales man will sell you anything, just to sell you. Trailers, cars, whatever.

I found the perfect Toyhauler with a dry tongue of 700lbs. Gives me more leverage. And being able to move the toys in and front of the axles influences the tongue.

 

I will look into airbags. What are helper springs? I currently have 265s on them, will going to 285s affect it you think?
I am going to add slotted rotors to improve braking, and I was thinking of adding a nice cold air intake and better muffler system or something.

 

Buy a bigger truck, and probably a diesel if you’re towing that much and in the mountains

 

Salesman lied to you. Tongue weight is generally 10 to 15 percent of the trailer weight. I did slotted rotors, TRD pads and braided brake lines and it made a pretty big difference In braking. I have the airlift air bags and love them. Rear and front sway bars as well. Muffler and intake won’t make a huge difference.

 

Good info. I think a couple other folks on here were looking for toy haulers and had trouble finding ones that were big enough for their needs and light enough for their trucks.

 

Bought a 2021 Heartland Fuel 250
Perfect for the Tundra 5.7

 

i added sumo springs to mine, but im really considering roadmaster active suspension. I dont haul enough for air bags I don’t think, i just want a little extra spring

 

For helper springs check out Helping. They have 2 types. I had the halves on my Tacoma and they eliminated any sag with my bay boat. It was 5000 lbs with gear. As far as tires any increase in diameter will effect performance. With that kind of weight I would definitely go with 10 ply E rated and air them up.

 

Says 7200 GVWR on door frame
Went to scales with full tank, with wife and kid and myself with the loaded TT TH. Tow vehicle weighed in at 7180lbs and still under 900lbs of total combined weight of tow vehicle and trailer. I forgot the term for that....

 

mine says 1520
I’m assuming I have to factor in the fuel too... still exact. Lol.

 

You have a crewmax?

 

Yes

 

Wow way more payload than i have

 

I bought a used 2010 CM Rockwarrior with 163k. Towing a 26’ Jayco Bunkhouse. Probably 6500-7000 loaded. Truck bell full of firewood, bikes and ice chest. I added air bags, tekonsha p3 brake controller and all new front suspension. No sway bars or trailer sway hitches. Truck handles it with no problems and I have not even had one “oh sh*t” moment. Yet.

 

My motto is always, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Most of us would love to have that much PL on our CM Tundras. A little bumpy on bumpy roads? Not towing anything, my Tundra is pretty bumpy on bumpy roads. Rear bags wouldn't hurt with that load, I suppose.

Why lift it? Do you off-road? If not, leave it alone imo. Lifting, in my experience, almost always compromises on road handling and performance.

Enjoy the new trailer.

 

Man my 2017 crewmax with the TRD off road package only had a payload of 1,227. How the heck does yours have 1,520?

 

Mine is a six seater if that makes a difference so I guess that saves from total overall weight?... And it’s an SR5, not TRD. Only comes with TRD tuned shocks. Will post picture when I get home