Which suspension for towing?

[tnmeyer]

I'll be buying a 2005 Tacoma Double Cab this month as a daily driver and for towing a 4500lb (loaded) travel trailer. I'm torn between the SR5 SJ package and the TRD OG package.

I like the SR5 SJ package because it has the limited slip diff and less aggresive tires, which are great for a daily commuter. But I'm wondering if the suspension will be a little soft for towing.

I like the TRD OG package because of the beefier suspension and Bilsteins, but I don't want the locking diff nor the BFG TA tires.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the difference in the suspension between the SR5 and TRD models with regards to towing a heavier travel trailer?

[j4x4ar3]

Don't know what the real difference is but I opted for the OR package for the suspension and the locker. Got 4wd as well and used it with my trailer last weekend in loose gravel backing up. My trailer weighs about 5000lbs loaded. 26' end to end. Truck does fairly well and I get little or no bounce. Tongue weight is about 600lbs and the rear sags a little. I use a weight distribution hitch anyway but it's such little sag I only need to drop two links to level things out again. For comparison most people need to drop 4 links to level their trailers out.

Good luck

BTW my truck is a daily driver as well. I get 20mpg average (10 when towing). Ride is smooth and only really feels like a truck when I'm on the really rough stuff. Even then it's a great ride.

[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by tnmeyer

I'll be buying a 2005 Tacoma Double Cab this month as a daily driver and for towing a 4500lb (loaded) travel trailer. I'm torn between the SR5 SJ package and the TRD OG package.

I like the SR5 SJ package because it has the limited slip diff and less aggresive tires, which are great for a daily commuter. But I'm wondering if the suspension will be a little soft for towing.

I like the TRD OG package because of the beefier suspension and Bilsteins, but I don't want the locking diff nor the BFG TA tires.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the difference in the suspension between the SR5 and TRD models with regards to towing a heavier travel trailer?

Pick the suspension you want for other purposes because towing, when done right with a weight distributing hitch, will put very little little load on the rear of the truck.

Here's the math: a typical 4500 lb travel trailer will have a tongue weight that's about 10% of the total weight...or roughly 450 lbs. A weight distributing hitch will spread that tongue weight roughly equally between the truck's rear suspension, front suspension, and trailer suspension. In other words, by using a WDH you will only put 150 lbs of load on the rear suspension of the truck! I would hope that any of the suspension choices you're considering could readily handle a mere 150 lb load increase.

Going the other way...trying to brute force the tongue weight by using a super heavy duty rear suspension is, IMO, downright stupid. Idiotic in fact. Because not only will you have the entire tongue weight on the rear but you will also have a couple of hundred pounds extra that were transferred from the front because the trailer caused the front to become unweighted. And the front will have less downforce so the truck will have reduced steering and braking effectiveness. Dumb, dumber, and dumbest. Don't do this.

[tnmeyer]

Thanks for your comments. The logic about the tongue weight makes sense.

Do you think there is any value in upgrading the shocks that come with the SR5 SJ package (not Bilsteins) to a better one like the Bilstein or Rancho? If so, would towing change the criteria used for selecting a new shock?

Thanks again for your thoughts!

[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by tnmeyer

Thanks for your comments. The logic about the tongue weight makes sense.

Do you think there is any value in upgrading the shocks that come with the SR5 SJ package (not Bilsteins) to a better one like the Bilstein or Rancho? If so, would towing change the criteria used for selecting a new shock?

Thanks again for your thoughts!

Welcome. Yeah, there is definitely an advantage to having the better shocks for towing. Even when using a WDH to combat static tongue loading, you still have quite a bit more dynamic suspension loading when you go over bumps/dips etcetera with a trailer hooked up. Top of the line shocks like the Bilsteins are gas pressurized and have suspension velocity dependent dampening (more dampening for large, slow suspension movements (dips/bumps) than for short, fast movements (road irregularities). Both features really help with dynamic load control while towing so trailer induced bounce is substantially reduced. And the improved dampening is needed on both ends of the truck because of the way that a WDH transfers part of tongue load to the front suspension.

My truck has the TRD Off Road Suspension with the OEM TRD Bilsteins (yellow/blue) and I've found they work extremely well for towing. Only on the most extreme road undulations do I get any trailer induced suspension oscillation. My trailer has a moderately high (~650 lb) tongue weight and I use a WDH with 750 lb spring bars with 5 links dropped...the trailer and truck are fairly tightly coupled when it comes to suspension considerations. I actually kind of prefer the truck's ride with the trailer attached...very smooth, less minor jiggle, and almost no bounciness.