Tundra 4.7 vs. 5.7 for a 20' Safari

marta5 · 12-09-2007, 04:54 PM

Hi everyone, new member here and proud owner of an 07 Safari SE 20'.

The husband and I are in the process of looking and TV's and I am
wondering if the smaller of the 07 Tundra engines is up to the task
of pulling our trailer. Am I wasting the extra few thousand to purchase
the 5.7 liter?

We are flatlanders, but want to see the mountains, etc.

Any and all comments are appreciated.

Wayne&Sam · 12-09-2007, 05:16 PM

We pull ours with a Mercedes ML500. That's about a 5 liter engine. We have no problems. I can't speak to the Toyota 4.7, but I'm sure other can.

urbanfood · 12-09-2007, 05:19 PM

i'm sure a toyota owner will chime in here, but i'd say go for the 5.7. you'll appreciate having the extra power when you do hit the mountains and really for towing in general.

good for you for taking the logical approach to all of this, finding the airstream you want and finding a suitable tow vehicle.

B4WEDI · 12-09-2007, 05:35 PM

I think either one is up to the task. After driving them both, I've got to say I enjoyed shifting through the gears and the extra power of the 5.7, fun, fun, fun ! I felt the extra cost over the 4.7 would be $$ well spent for my liking.

Having said that, we pull our 19' with a Tacoma comfortably. 6 cyl, 235 hp 4X4 with tow package. Just back from 8500 miles cross country, avg'd 12.5 mpg + with no issues. I had my doubts when the two of us left, but am assured now that we don't need a bigger truck. *( much to my dismay ! )

The Tundra is a BIG truck ! I think you have to determine realistically how much towing you'll be doing, and what other uses the truck will fulfill for you because those "other" miles will cost you dearly in fuel the rest of the time.

Good Luck and Happy Streamin' !!

Bambi75th · 12-09-2007, 05:58 PM

We pull a 2007 19 foot Bambi (75th Anniversary Edition) with a 2004 Toyota Sequoia. The Sequoia is a SUV on the Tundra frame. Ours is a 4.7 with a 4 speed auto tranmission (Toyota went to the 5 speed in 2005). We live in the mountains at 7800 feet and we do a lot of mountain towing. The 4.7 is adequate, although I must admit there are time when a little more uuumph would be nice.

We have towed up over several 10,000 foot passes and while perhaps not being the fastest, we have never really had a problem.

Good luck with you new AS and whatever TV you pick.

**azflycaster** · 12-09-2007, 07:55 PM

Earlier this year I traded my 03 Tundra with the 4.7 for an 07 with the 5.7. The 03 pulled my 75 Trade Wind (5000 lbs) fine, but was a little under powered on the steeper hills. The 5.7 is a brute with over 400 foot pounds of torque. With the 5.7 you also get the 6 speed transmission instead of the 4 and because of that my gas mileage is better with the 5.7. Your 20 foot trailer is pretty close in weight to my Trade Wind and you want to go to the mountains. The 5.7 is what I would suggest.

SRW · 12-10-2007, 10:49 PM

We tow our 28 ft. International with a 2007, 5.7 Tundra. On our most recent trip we drove through the hill country of Texas, up and down some reasonable hills (OK, they were not the Rockies) and the truck performed great. Over 225 miles the mpg was 11.5.

Even though our AS is larger then what you will be towing I suggest that this is the truck to get. Not the smaller engine.

rhoward · 12-11-2007, 07:36 AM

I would go with the 5.7. I have the 5.7 and love it, tons of power. Plenty of highway passing through the hills. I have spoken to many people with the 4.7 and they get worse gas mileage than I do without a trailer. They say the motor doesn't seem to be enough for the truck. Of course that depends on the model you get. I have the CrewMax 4x4 5.7 and I get avg 16mpg and I'm mostly city driving. A friend has the same truck in the 4.7 and it's a lot of truck for the motor.

I think it's more than worth it for the 5.7. Not only do you get the motor, but you get the transmission as well as the 4.30 rear end (if you get the tow package).

marta5 · 12-11-2007, 08:49 AM

Thanks to everyone for their responses

.

Garfield · 12-11-2007, 09:26 AM

My buddy tows a 30 foot 4800 lb Antigua Starcraft with a 4.7L Sequoia with no problems at all. The 4.7L's dual over head cams & VVT w/5-speed tranny delivers all the torque and HP of the push-rod 5.3L in my Yukon, so don't let the slightly smaller displacement fool you. The 5.7L would certainly provide more power, but is unnecessary for a 20 footer IMO.

Gary

Silvertwinkie · 12-11-2007, 01:09 PM

5.7L....no question about it.

Streamer1 · 12-11-2007, 02:34 PM

Though the 4.7 may be enough, the 5.7 is DEFINITELY enough. Better to have too much power and not need it than to need it but not have it.

mffjm8509 · 12-23-2007, 10:27 AM

Sorry I didnt see this post earlier.....I belive most will tell you that the bigger engine will perform better with 381hp vs. 271hp.

I have 2007 4.7L Regular Cab 4x4 Tundra SR5 and tow an '08 Safari with no problems. I run a Prodigy break controller and an Equalizer hitch. I live at roughly 6000' and tow primarily along I25 in Colorado and east into Kansas and Nebraska. So far I havent ventured west in higher elevations.

The 4.7 Tundra tows fine and accelerates well with this Safari. I get roughly 17mpg in town and up to 20 on the highway, and have ranged between 8-12 mpg while towing. I find that the Regular cab truck is better suited for my overall needs and has its advantages over the larger models (as well as a few obvious limitations). Many will disagree I'm sure, but this setup is what works best for me.

If a Regular Cab truck is enough truck for you, then the 4.7 is sufficient to handle your towing needs.

If you plan on a dual cab or crewmax, then you should probably opt for the lagest engine available, (the DC Tunrda price difference between 4.7 and 5.7 is only $1200).

You might also check here for Tundra information Tundra Solutions Forum

I hope this info helps in your decision.....let us know what you decided.

Mike

bobkelly · 12-23-2007, 02:53 PM

Get the 5.7 and don't look back. This engine/tranmission combo is a significant advancement over the smaller one and it produces similar or better over the road gas mileage. It's an win-win situation.

At GM, the 5.3 w/4speed trans doesn't provide better mileage than the 6.0l. It makes good mileage sense to run a larger engine at a partial throttle position, compared to a smaller engine with a greater throttle setting.