These Tips Will Help You Increase Your Tacoma’s Towing Performance

Unlike the new Tundra, the Toyota Tacoma is not really tow-oriented meaning that even though the Tacoma can handle some weight, it’s not meant to be a heavy hauler like its older brother the Tundra. Granted, if you just want to take the family jet ski out to the lake, the Tacoma will tow it like butter. However maybe you have a 24ft long plywood covered trailer that you want to use to tow your drift car to and from the track, then it might be time to consider some performance upgrades to the towing system.

Luckily, the stock engine output from the v6 will tow weight above the rated weight limit. You only problem is going to be things like suspension, brakes, hitches, and other small things like that. The question is, where do you start? Luckily, you are not the only one with this question.

On Facebook’s Toyota Tacoma TRD Trucks group, Michael Scott (not the guy from The Office) said, “I have a 2019 Long bed TRD off road. Tow capacity indicates 6400 pounds. Looking at getting a trailer with fully loaded GVWR of about 4500 pounds. I do have a topper that weighs about 350 pounds. Also have added a leaf to springs. Any advice on towing performance?”

Now before we get into what some of these owners said, it’s good advice to know that if you try to install any sort of modification in which may be the root cause of a faulty error or mechanical problem, the warranty could be voided. Just as an example if I install air bags and then my fuel lines snapped, if I take it to the dealer and they say that it was because of my air bags, then my warranty would be voided. Just a precaution to know.

Brian Schulbaum said, “Add a set of power stop z36 extreme tow rotors and pad. Pads are Kevlar and ceramic. They work great and will be worth it. If you also want great rotors, make sure to get ones that have divots and mini bumps in them like EBC Brakes does. Their brakes allow for better airflow and better cooling which not only makes them last long but also provides better stopping.

Here’s an interesting reply. If you are towing a trailer that comes with brakes, this is for you. Jim Killian said, “Does the trailer have brakes? If so, get a brake controller.” What is a brake controller? So most trailers that come with brakes have something called a brake controller which is a module places somewhere near the drive to help activate the brakes when the driver wants them to. Now if you want to tow something heavy, I will also suggest getting a better brake controller to help with smoother braking rather than conventional digital braking.

What do you think? What are some of your favorite tow-oriented mods? Let us know in the comments below.

Harutiun Hareyan is reporting Toyota news at Torque News. His automotive interests and vast experience test-riding new cars give his stories a sense of authenticity and unique insights. Follow Harutiun on Twitter at @HareyanHarutiun and on YouTube at Toyota Time for daily Toyota news.