Hello from MD. Looking to get intel from y'all before I get the Tundra

Hello there all and let me say thank you for your input, suggestions, advice, etc.....etc....

Long story short.....I have a 2015 Silverado 1500 that I have lost faith in with 96500 miles and is paid off. Looking to join the ranks of Tundra owners in the not too distant future.

Mostly highway driving. Short commute to work. Just my wife (20 year retired Navy) and I and our two sons home from college with this Covid crap. We have 3 dogs (2 Boxers and 1 Doberman)

Last few trucks I have had.......(2003 Silverado 1500 extended cab, 2009 Ram 1500 crew cab Laramie, and 2015 Silverado 1500 LT crew cab.) All had bench seats up front that occasionally get used with all of us in the truck together.

Small single axle bass boat trailer and also a two axle travel trailer weighing in between 5000 and 6000 pounds are the only things I sometimes tow.

With the Chevy I did put airbags on the back after the first year towing the camper.

So here is my question for y'all: I am really impressed with the looks of the TRD Pro, and/or any of the upper tier trims 1794, limited, platinum.

Do any of y'all do any towing with the TRD Pro? Lots of sag? Light on front wheels or steering with this particular model or trim?

Probably makes more fiscal sense for me to get something besides the TRD Pro for the occasional towing. Sometimes do hit the sand or tram roads, but no true "off road" stuff through deep mud, etc....etc....etc...

And to follow up.......how do y'all like your Tundras? Any of you move to Tundra after getting fed up with the poor reliability and such of the big 3 traditional American pickups?

Hoping to get good intel and suggestions/feedback from you.

Stay safe out there with this Covid stuff.

Thanks,
JT

 

Welcome from Colorado

 

Welcome. I have a feeling this thread is going to have a lot of activity. I didn't come from the big 3 and have been a Toyota owner for 17 years. Baught my first Tundra last year. Love it.

 

Welcome from Indiana. Enjoy your search for your tundra. Not real familiar with the TRD Pro and the advantages they bring to the table. I just got mine in October of 2019. It came down to the platinum or limited for me. The 1794 interior is different. One of those you either love or don’t. I ended up with the limited. The platinum wasn’t worth the extra money to me for what u got. But that’s just my opinion.

 

Welcome from SoCal sir

I vote get the PRO if that’s what you really want (buy once cry once). You may need airbags for towing. If I recall, you will get a bit of a sag when towing. I don’t tow so no real world experience. But I guarantee you will love the truck good luck in your hunt for a new truck.

plenty of guys on here that came from the big 3. Im very confident they will tell you to jump on Toyota and never look back :toyota:

 

Welcome from Nevada

 

I've only towed my trailer down the street to get the axles repacked, but it did put a fair amount of sag in the rear. The Pro is basically level from the factory. Between the rear sag and front end rise, there was a 2" negative rake. Pin weight is around 650lbs. I don't have a WDH yet, so that's part of the problem. Honestly, it put the same sag in my 2016 F150.

If you want a Pro, get one...life's too short. You can bag it if necessary so you stay level while towing. There are a few more creature comforts in the Limited trim however. Things like folding mirrors and some of the safety stuff...if that appeals to you.

This is my first Tundra and even my first Toyota. I've had mostly Ford's in the past ('16 F150, '13 Explorer, '10 F350, plus a few more), but owned a couple of GMCs too ('07 Dmax, '03 Denali). I've had my truck for 6 months and have had zero issues. None of my previous vehicles have lasted that long without even a minor issue. It's not without flaws...There are some engineers at Toyota that need to be demoted to toilet scrubber. Everyone freaks out about the mileages, but my truck is within 5-7% of my last F150. Overall I'm really happy.

You seem to put a lot of miles on your truck. I think you'll be happy with a Tundra and their longevity.

 

I had a 2010 RCSB Ram SLT with the Hemi, and a 2015 Sierra ext.cab SLE with the 5.3. Both 4x4. Now have a CrewMax Tundra SR5 4x4. Basically all 3 of them were/are mid-range models in their respective trim line-ups. Here are my thoughts;

Going from Ram to Sierra, I liked the transmission in the Sierra better. The seats in the Sierra were more comfortable on long trips, and the nannies weren't quite as intrusive as they were on the Ram. However, this is hard to explain I guess, while the Sierra never gave us any problems and was a nice truck, it somehow just felt... blah.

The Ram looked better (IMO), and the 5.7 Hemi definitely pulled harder than the 5.3 in any situation. The coil spring suspension on the rear helped it ride smoother than the Sierra. Transmission started feeling... sloppy after 5 years and not too many miles. That was the main reason I traded it.

I've only had the Tundra for a few weeks and 900 miles, but the 5.7 pulls every bit as hard as the Hemi - granted I'm moving a heavier truck so I'm sure actual #'s are slower, but it definitely moves out better than the Sierra's 5.3. The Tundra feels like it provides more torque lower in the rpm range which makes stop and go traffic more pleasant - I don't feel like I have to wring it out to get moving (even the Hemi liked some rpms before torque really kicked in). I like the transmission shift points/feel better than either of the previous 2 trucks. It just feels right and works well with the engine. Seats are better than the Ram on long trips, maybe not quite as good as the Sierra. But they're good. Ride is more similar to Sierra (likely due to both having leafs in the rear and being longer wheelbase), but I find my Tundra is firmer and feels more controlled. Could be partially due to 20" wheels on Tundra vs 18's on Sierra. The tow/haul button actually makes a noticeable difference on the Tundra (even though I've not towed with it yet).

The only thing both of those trucks did better was highway fuel economy. The Tundra is still green, but I could consistently knock down 21 hwy in the Ram and 22 with the Sierra (flat land, no major hills). I haven't figured it on Tundra yet, the one road trip we've taken I forgot to reset the avg mpg in the truck and did not hand-calc either. From what I've read, I think 20 could be a stretch for the Tundra.

All that said, my wife and I agree - even though it's still new to us - the Tundra is likely to be the best overall truck I've had (there was also a 2000 Dakota ext cab 2wd with 4.7 prior to the Ram - I really liked that little truck, had it for 10 years). The Tundra looks better, drives better, feels put together better. The whole back window rolls down. Oh, and it's the best color you can get (MGM).

One last thing... WELCOME!

 

Welcome from NY.

 

Welcome from Ohio. I was a long time GM only guy and I can say my Tundra is my favorite and have no plans of going back.

 

Me. LOL I owned two F150's in a row - 2004 and then 2013. Not brand loyal at all; in fact, had I bought another truck from the Big 3, it would likely have been a Silverado/GMC with the larger V8.

With that said, honestly, I can't complain 'too' much about my last F150. I traded it in on this truck with 124K on it, and it never left me stranded or had any major issues. However, it did have some issues that just crept up on me over time:

- transmission had always shifted rough, especially when cold. Flashing it did no good.
- the 'media system' was so bad I can't even call it hot garbage...maybe lukewarm garbage. Those of you who had an '11-'14 F150 with the 4.2" screen know what I'm talking about.
- Mileage starting out pretty good (17.5-18.5mpg) but went downhill fast after about 50K, and nothing I did made it any better. Tuneups, Seafoam, replacing spark plugs/coils, etc., nothing. My new Tundra actually gets *better* mileage.
- 3.31 gearing. I'll leave it at that. (Though that's my fault, really.)
- It had plenty of power, but the majority of it (5.0L) was made up high. Towing a 24' camper actually required *2ND* gear at times.

Like I said, never left me stranded, but it was just severely lacking in many ways. On paper the 5.7L in the Tundra 'only' has 20 more HP/TQ, but 'in real life' holy CRAP the difference is amazing. I love my Tundra.

 

Thank you all so far for the responses. Great intel! For those on here who have done any towing.....aside from the sag....did you feel light on your steering?

The very first year I towed my travel trailer with all 3 dogs, (Doberman was still a pup) and both college aged sons.......I felt a little light on the front end. Even with the WDH by Equalizer. Towed fine through mountains of Western MD and PA. And I wasn't driving like a toolbag either though.

But.....the one thing that made me nervous was that I did stop by the scales on I-70. They weighed both my travel trailer and my Silverado.

I was well below my gross combined weight rating of 15000. And my TT was well below the tow rating of 9100. I did not get a hitch weight or per axle weight. But the tow vehicle was a few hundred pounds over the GVWR of 7200 for the Silverado.

Funny thing is......nearly every one that I had talked to with those concerns had said there is a fudge factor in those ratings. What? How much? Who knows? Even Chevy dealers who could benefit in upselling me a 2500 at the time suggest that unless doing that all the time.....so long as not driving like a toolbag......I am good to go.

Which gets me back to the Tundra. More often than not.....especially as things return to normal and kids go back to college.....will just be the wife and dogs and I towing the camper. I am sure that is well within limits for a Tundra.

However if I start getting closer to the GVWR of the Tundra.......I can't help but think the Tundra is better built with bigger brakes, etc...etc...than the 1/2 ton big 3. I am already sold on the quality control issues or lack of problems the Tundra has compared to the big 3.

That's why I am in the market now anyways. Just very irritated with Chevy right now and not trusting the truck with the electric issues.

Again thank you all for taking the time to read my post and provide feedback.

Stay safe out there and please keep the good intel and suggestions coming.

Looking fwd to pulling the trigger on a Tundra soon.

JT

 

I’m amazed you got that many miles out of you silverado. I had under 7500 on my 15 and they bought it back. So glad I got into a Tundra.

 

Welcome from Ontario Canada

 

I've not towed with the Tundra, but the wife and I have been considering a travel trailer. If you haven't already, you might find your answer by checking out the "Towing & Hauling" subforum. Maybe pose the question there specifically for those who are actively using their truck to tow.

From what I read, a lot of recommendations for weight distributing hitches (which I think are a good idea anyway as trailer weight climbs) and/or air bags.

 

Welcome

 

welcome from So Cal