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dansdad · 10-31-2009, 11:37 PM

Ok I've had great luck with his forum and a friend of mine also needs to get a pickup for towing a tt he hasnt bought yet, and he thinks he wants a Titan or a Tundra. I told him they were both gas hogs and I dont know if they were all that great for towing. I assume his tt would also be a 25-28 footer. What do you think???
Thanks again.....Dave

FreshAir · 10-31-2009, 11:41 PM

Good friends and fellow Forum members tow their 25' FB in the Cal. mountains with no problem with a Tundra.
Neil.

MDSilverado · 11-01-2009, 06:18 AM

I bought a 04 Titan the year they came out. I recently got a company issued Silverado but Titan still sits in front of the house because I just cant bear to part with her. Almost 120k on her and very little problems. The truck is a beast, very stong motor(especially compared to the Silverado). I think the tow capacity is 9500. Mine is the crew cab and the interior is HUGE, the back seat has a ton of room. There is lots storage everywhere in the cabin. If it had been my choice I would have gotten another Titan.

AirsDream · 11-01-2009, 06:51 AM

None of the above ... if it's mostly for towing, tell him to get a diesel. Lots more torque, better longevity if properly cared for, and somewhat better fuel economy. Pretty much everything on a 3/4 tonner is beefier and more durable, especially where it counts - like brakes, ring gears, transmissions, etc. Not so good in town as a daily driver, but they're great tow machines.

Ed Emerick · 11-01-2009, 06:59 AM

I have an 08 Tundra with the 5.7, its been a great truck. Fuel milage on the highway without towing is about 16-17. Towing any of my trailers that MPG drops from 11 to 12 and with a good wind 10. I have 27,000 + on it and all is well. In the city, not towing 15.

It can handle the weight of the 88 29 footer with its towing capacity and take the 600 pounds of tongue weight and the stuff we haul without squatting.

All in all a very nice truck. Just as an FYI I traded an 04 Suburban 3/4 ton with an 8.1 for the Tundra.

RLS · 11-01-2009, 07:07 AM

I have a 2006 QX56 which has the same power train as the Titan. I've been very happy with it and get about 9.5 to 10.5 MPG when towing ( I also have a lead foot

). In town, not towing, I only get 11 to 12 MPG. It has plenty of power and have no problems with it. I did put an extra heavy duty transmission cooler in it.

Bob

Mikethefixit · 11-01-2009, 07:12 AM

I bought a F350 before We had the AS. I bought that heavy for several reasons,which in fear of going to war I will not go into here. There is no reason to buy that heavy. A 3/4 ton Chevy or Ford will do just fine. If your friend is the kind that can or does take care of stuff, the I would suggest a diesel. I get 14MPG around town and 20 mpg highway,towing we get,depending on conditions 15 to 17 mpg. IT is also our daily driver.We don't own a car.
I personally don't like the tin can foreign brands,but then that's me. The foreign brands don't have the frame strength of AMERICAN MADE. There are a few other components are also lacking. Only one suggest I can offer is STAY AWAY from the FORD 6.0 they are trouble wiff a CAPITAL T. Just one man's opinion.

CanoeStream · 11-01-2009, 07:18 AM

I was the original Titan owner on these boards. It worked great for my Argosy. But a 1342# payload capacity greatly limited what I could put in the truck after I got the Safari -- just the two of us with our dogs would fill out the truck's payload with the Safari behind. But then rluhr towed his 30' bunkhouse with an Armada; I don't know how his Hensley alone made this feasible.

But the drivetrain was very hunky and low-geared for towing (read: fuel hungry). It was a pain on cruise control -- reach a slight hill and it would promptly kick down to 3rd gear and glug gas until it worked its way back up to 5th. The rear differential is pretty small IIRC.

But I can see where MDSilverado is coming from - it was a nice truck!

Sugarfoot · 11-01-2009, 07:28 AM

Here's my experience. I've been towing with it for just over 2 years now. Four-wheel drive drops the tow rating to 9000 lb. It's deceptive because if you crunch the numbers the truck would have to essentially be empty of cargo to tow that much. However, I know people that do push 9000 lbs. with their Titans.

I'm totally happy. Granted, I've not towed much over than 4200 lbs yet, but I have towed close to 13,000 miles. The suspension hasn't sagged with my vintage trailers. I've had to punch the gas to pull out of bad situations and was impressed by the responsiveness. It has been totally stable. It hauled up Monteagle Mtn. (8% grade) without missing a beat. It defied a a mile of rainy wet 25% grade to Amicolola Falls campground and made the good 'ol boys in my neck of the woods scratch their heads. I've taken steep twisty roads "not recommended for RVs" up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. It handled the 30 foot '56 Sovereign flawlessly from Texas to Virginia in spite of a crippled hitch system with a missing a W/D bar.

Except for a steering rack replacement within a month of ownership, it has been completely trouble-free at 28,000 miles. The crew cab is huge. There are well thought out features. I can carry an oversized dog crate, two additional people, and lots of stuff. My only complaint is a short truck bed. I think they offer a long bed now. I don't have the cruise control issues CanoeStream had, so maybe they changed the design or the Tow Mode eliminated the problem. And I doubt I'll be towing anything over 6500 lbs.

All this said, my Titan mileage runs 10-12 mpg towing at 60mph, less with more speed. I'm lucky to get 17 mpg highway and 14 mpg city without the trailers. Yes, it is a gas hog. I'd advise your friend to research specs, do the math, and buy what he feels he can put faith in. In the end it is only his experience that will count.

**azflycaster** · 11-01-2009, 07:41 AM

I have been towing with an 07 Tundra for a couple of years now and it has been a great truck. We recently did a 2K mile trip from Phoenix to Albuquerque to Fort Collins and back and averaged over 12 MPG. Plenty of power for the Rockies and handled great in the cross winds as we traveled I-70 across Colorado. This truck is also my daily driver to work.

The future of the Titan is up in the air right now. Chrysler was supposed to start building them for Nissan, but that partnership went away with the Fiat purchase.

Gene · 11-01-2009, 07:57 AM

We've been towing a 25" FB with a 2007 Tundra for 2 years now and we've had no problems. It tows over Colorado mountain passes easily, is steady on the road and a couple of weeks ago handled snow, ice and slush well. Lots of power and with a big engine for towing, they all suck gas. Cost of a diesel is a lot bigger than economics of fuel savings. Tundra payload is generally a couple of hundred pounds more than a Titan. Much of the Tundra suspension and driveline looks like a 3/4 ton. There's no comparison between this 2nd generation Tundra and earlier ones—we've had both.

Gene

fotozone · 11-01-2009, 09:40 AM

'07 Tundra has done a great job through 4 different box TT's and doesn't even notice the new 22' AS hooked to its a...err, rearend! Tom

SilverHoot · 11-01-2009, 09:55 AM

A Tundra diesel is rumored to be in the near future.

Toyota Tundra Diesel CONFIRMED - Motor Trend The General Forum Forum

2airishuman · 11-01-2009, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dansdad

...a friend...a pickup..a tt he hasnt bought yet,

...I assume...a 25-28 footer.

...What do you think???

hi dans'

lots of vague tv questions and w/OUT any trailer info.

and SORTA all over the place on truck questions recently...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...uck-57561.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...ere-57507.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f238...-ok-57831.html

__________________

so unless this is just fishing...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...ler-46012.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...gest-4298.html

now what's the question again?

Quote:

Originally Posted by dansdad

...I told him they were both gas hogs and I dont know if they were all that great for towing...

mpg for ANY of the 3/8s to 5/8s ton trucks is about the same...

as are towing capabilities.

with NO idea about year/model/style of the TV or TRAYLA ?

try the ty-tan forums or the t'dra forums, there is LOTS of info on both...

along with the ge'em and dodg' in your other threads.

and trailer life's got the towing specs for many years back on the full palate of vehicles...

Trailer Life Magazine: Follow the Road to Adventure

for comparing apples to tuna casserole these might help...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...0-a-36718.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...ion-30671.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...ton-53806.html

or read how the voting has gone...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f232...ting-2893.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f232...icle-3249.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f232...-use-3306.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f232...oll-11128.html

besides all that really matters is color...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...cle-48737.html

any of these might help too...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...ort=replycount

there are just SO many possibilities out there...

cheers
2air'

hampstead38 · 11-01-2009, 11:08 AM

I have owned a 2004 Titan for the past five years. I haven't owned a Tundra, though my brother tows with one.

Gas hogs? I guess it depends on your expectations. If mileage is a big concern, you might want to think diesel... but they aren't giving diesel away.

If the choices are Titan and Tundra, I'd go with Tundra. The Titan has been a good truck, but not a great truck. My last Toyota was a great truck. The Titan is roomy and it has plenty of power. As for towing, 25' to 28' footer doesn't mean much. Pulling a vintage 26' Overlander with a dry weight of 4100 pounds is quite different than pulling a modern 28' SOB with slideouts and twice the weight.

Now, once you post about towing anything, the 3/4 ton brigade will arrive saying you need a 3/4 ton diesel to pull anything. Honestly, I don't have any problem pulling my Overlander with a 1/2 ton Titan. And I'm putting around on a vintage 3/4-ton Dodge. The Titan has higher tow rating across the board... and it has AC.

If you're looking at 25' and/or 5,000 lbs., I think the Titan and Tundra would be competent tow vehicles. Depending on the exact make an model, you could add some weight, but I'd be careful about adding much length. As noted, the future of the Titan is in question. Toyota also learned from some Nissan mistakes (like the lousy version of the Dana 44 rear in the early Titans). Gene is right. 2nd gen Tundra is a very, very good truck. Good luck.

dansdad · 11-01-2009, 11:43 AM

Thanks much...I have what I needed thanks to the forum...but I will pass ALL this info onto him . That took time and I appreciate it Thanks 2air.......Dave

Al - K4GLU · 11-01-2009, 02:03 PM

Well, I've owned both and for my money even though I've only had it two weeks the Tundra wins easily. Nothing against the Titan - put 140K on my 2005 with little in the way of problems and it handled the two trailers I towed with it fine but the Tundra just has more power and unlike the Titan it comes with a aux transmission cooler. My Titan was getting a bit long in the tooth and needed a bit of work - still had original shocks for instance and they were shot. Debated putting a couple of grand into the Titan or something new and decided on the Tundra. Five years is about all I want to drive anything anyway. As for a diesel - Tundra or other - forget it unless you want the extra performance. Taking everything into consideration there is no way you save anything with one.

romap · 11-01-2009, 02:21 PM

I had a Titan Crew Cab and although it towed the Airstream fine, I find the 2500 Silverado diesel far superior. It is quieter on the highway because it doesn't need to run with the revs in the upper registers going upgrade. The Allison transmission is a gem: set it in tow/haul mode with cruise on and it will downshift going downgrade saving the brakes. Overall, the entire towing experience with the Silverado surpasses the Titan. I did think the Titan was great when I had it in spite of the weak brakes and the worry about the small differential (there are lots of documented failures). I am glad I made the switch to a 3/4 ton diesel and that would be my recommendation

Al - K4GLU · 11-01-2009, 02:31 PM

The Tundra 6 speed transmission also downshifts on down grades.

n2916s · 11-01-2009, 04:54 PM

My 2004 Titan just clicked past 96000 miles and about 35000 of that was towing my 31' Sovereign all over the USA.

No problems. No white knuckle experiences. No mechanicals.

However, my brother in law is towing his 27' FB with a new Tundra and I have to say it is a more capable vehicle than mine. Brakes are especially herky.

I thought diesel back in '04 but I just couldn't justify the big $$$. I know that a diesel (well, most diesels-- I've read some nasty stuff about the Ford version...) will last practically forever but by the time the truck is 6-7 years old, it needs an interior overhaul, paint, some body...

All in all, if I had to buy a tv tomorrow, I'd look at the Tundra first.

mike