Grandson has a Tacoma extra cab and will tow 6000-ish pounds (including weight of trailer) maybe 3-4 times a month.

Currently has P-rated tires on it and it's noticeably squirrely at highway speeds. One local mechanic recommended full 10 ply load range E tires.

I think that's serious overkill and will raise hell with the ride quality (currently their only vehicle).

I'm thinking Load Range D light truck tires would be a decent compromise.

What says the hive mind?

I would go E. He should of bought a real truck for consistent hauling of that weight. But hey Tocoma lovers go ahead a flame away. I stand behind my comment.

If he doesn't have an equalizer hitch he needs to get one. At that weight it is a necessary addition and will have a bigger impact on stability than tires.

Jim

I have E rated tires on my Jeep JK unlimited and will be getting them again when it comes time to replace them, and I don't even tow. I don't notice any real difference in ride quality at all. I say go with the E rated tires.

quote:

What says the hive mind?

I say he needs to make damn sure he has a tongue bar that is a proper lift/drop to have the trailer at the best level to get to proper tongue weight. More or less is going to play hell with that truck more than E rated tires.

Hint - this is almost certainly not the one he had with whatever he drove before.

Of course smart practices on loading still apply, whether it's a boat or trailer. If it's animals, well, wrong truck I guess!

I went from a Yukon XL to an ML350. Theoretical tow capacity is actually more. I've pulled my 6,000 boat/trailer to and from storage and ramp which is about 10 miles, and that is just plenty. I made the mistake noted above and had the mount probably 1.5" too high and it made a shocking amount of difference.

Backing down my neighbor's ramp I'd used for years was an eye opener too. Funny how much easier it seemed for the boat to be trying to drag me into the water. Roll back a foot, brake, sliiiiiide.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
He should of bought a real truck for consistent hauling of that weight.

I drive a Frontier with a tow rating similar to the Tacoma. When I had my Draw-Tite Class III hitch installed, the guy told me that if I ever towed max limit at highway speeds that I’d be at the dealership the next day trading it in on a full-size truck.

Tires may help slightly but he’s fighting the physics of a mid-size truck.

I went from C to E load tires and don’t notice a lick of ride degradation.
I also added 2” of lift.

Not knocking the Tacoma as it is a solid little truck but he is certainly pushing it’s limits.
I certainly would go with Es

Solid stone ought to support that load.

I had a lot of experience in the tire industry, the one thing I always hated was solving issues with tires. What your suggesting might work but you'll need to air the E rated higher than the P, take the wheels into consideration, can they take the pressure?

Granted my vehicle is a Pathfinder, but using LT tires made all the difference when towing. I don't think you need 10 ply E rated, but a decent C rated LT will certainly help.

quote:

...noticeably squirrely at highway speeds.

That is almost always a symptom of improper hitch height. Start there, then look at the tire load rating.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
I would go E. He should of bought a real truck for consistent hauling of that weight. But hey Tocoma lovers go ahead a flame away. I stand behind my comment.

Love my Tacomas. With the extracab Ranch truck (‘03 5 speed, V6) I have towed 4,000 pounds, including up and down steep hills on the ranch (4wd low comes in handy), and have carried just shy of 3,000 pounds in the bed (pallet of quikcrete, 49 60# sacks). I’ve done it infrequently, very carefully, and always thought if I was going to do it often I should get at least a half ton truck or better yet a three quarter ton truck.

The Tacoma is a great little truck and perfect for most of what I need, including getting around on little ranch roads where the surrounding brush would scratch the snot out of a full-sized pickup. I sure wouldn’t use it regularly to tow three tons on a public road though. For a one time deal I’d probably rent a full-size truck. For something more frequent I’d consider trading up to a more appropriate vehicle.

You can go to the E rated ten ply tires and it won’t hurt (I had them on the first ranch truck), but the Taco itself doesn’t have enough mass, braking power, or even a wide enough footprint for safely hauling heavy loads. It being so light (especially the ‘01-‘04 body style, the ‘11 four door long bed [6’] feels like a tank by comparison) is part of what makes it so nimble, handy, and fun, but it doesn’t make it a good tow vehicle at all.

Check the door panel label for the actual towing capacity of your specific truck.

Assuming it's equipped with trailer towing package, then it should be sufficient to tow 6500~ lbs. If it's not, it's significantly less, like on the order of 3500~ lbs.

Tires alone may not be adequate to alleviate the sway problem. I suspect it doesn't have the trailer towing option which includes these items:
- Class IV receiver hitch
- Supplemental transmission cooler
- Supplemental oil cooler
- 130-amp alternator
- Heavy-duty battery
- 7-pin connector (with 4-pin adapter)
- Trailer-Sway Control (TSC)
- Connector for electronic brake controller

Yes, trailer package, proper hitch height, load equalizer.

Yes 6000 pounds is pushing it with a Taco, but it's what he has at the moment. Already pretty much decided to trade up when the time comes.

I've spoken with him numerous times about tongue weight, not really sure he gets it. Seems to panic if the back of the truck squats even a little.

10 plys it is, and thanks for all the input.

If you switch from pmetric to LT tires, please be sure to inflate properly.

There is a tendency to under inflate the LT tires because pmetrics only took 35 pounds. LT will require 50 or more to be properly inflated.

The door sticker no longer applies for inflation when making this type of change.

Also, realize the LTs are going to weigh more and require more to stop.


Most tire sellers don't even bother to share this kind of info.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
I've spoken with him numerous times about tongue weight, not really sure he gets it. Seems to panic if the back of the truck squats even a little.

Tell him to get one of these.



I think not enough tongue weight will be worse than too much. Too little tongue weight and the trailer dances all over at highway speeds.

quote:

Originally posted by 1967Goat:

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
I've spoken with him numerous times about tongue weight, not really sure he gets it. Seems to panic if the back of the truck squats even a little.

Tell him to get one of these.



I think not enough tongue weight will be worse than too much. Too little tongue weight and the trailer dances all over at highway speeds.

Since the thread has pretty well been answered maybe some thread drift will be ok. I understand the principle of tongue weight, and how to adjust it. What should you shoot for though? Say your hitch has a maximum tongue weight of 500 lbs, would you want to aim for neutral or closer to 500?

quote:

Since the thread has pretty well been answered maybe some thread drift will be ok? I understand the principle of tongue weight, and how to adjust it. What should you shoot for though? Say your hitch has a maximum tongue weight of 500 lbs, would you want to aim for neutral or closer to 500?

Generally I believe it's a % of trailer weight rather than max capacity. Spend some time on RV or boating boards and you'll see this debated more than .45 vs 9mm.

quote:

Originally posted by Georgeair:

quote:

Since the thread has pretty well been answered maybe some thread drift will be ok? I understand the principle of tongue weight, and how to adjust it. What should you shoot for though? Say your hitch has a maximum tongue weight of 500 lbs, would you want to aim for neutral or closer to 500?

Generally I believe it's a % of trailer weight rather than max capacity. Spend some time on RV or boating boards and you'll see this debated more than .45 vs 9mm.

That actually doesn't surprise me at all.

I generally shoot for 60% of the weight on the tongue. I actually don't have one of those tongue weight scales. I have driven in vehicles with too little tongue weight and it sucks. As soon as you hit 55 or so, the trailer starts dancing. Scary as all heck.