# 2008 Toyota Tundra Crewmax 5.7 4x4



## ALASKA PFLOCK (Jun 24, 2007)

I have been partial to GM, but taking a look at the Toyota. I went and test drove an 08 Toyota Tundra CrewMax 5.7 4X4. It was "impressive, most impressive" ( Star Wars quote)







. The torque was amazing, broke loose when exiting the dealer. I have heard great things about this truck. Many of the parts are oversized like brakes, torsion bars, etc. The dealer is looking into getting a demo with an "average" weight trailer, so test drives will be more like why you are buying the truck. Does anyone have this truck for their TV? I really liked the tow/ haul feature, rear seat space, center storage space and turning radius.


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

There are quite a few tundra owners here and the consensus is it's a great truck all around, lots of power, comfortable and tows well.

The only drawback I see and it's a common one across the board for 1/2 ton trucks is low payload. It will reach it's GVW before it reaches it's tow rating.

Mike


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## 1jeep (Jul 24, 2007)

ALASKA PFLOCK said:


> I have been partial to GM, but taking a look at the Toyota. I went and test drove an 08 Toyota Tundra CrewMax 5.7 4X4. It was "impressive, most impressive" ( Star Wars quote)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have been happy with mine and this is my first toyota! But like with all 1/2 tons you run out of cargo capacity fast and looking at my signature you will see i am towing a lot for a 1/2 ton.


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## vikecowboy (Aug 17, 2006)

I pull a 25RSS with my 07 Crewmax - 2 wheel drive. Plenty of power and stability. I had an 05 DC before which did fine but the 07 is much better especially for braking. We don't usually carry a real big payload (2 adults plus 2 kids and camping stuff) so that limitation is not a factor for us. But I am sure it can be for others.

I got around 10 mpg when towing my camper 400 miles to Phoenix. Had a nasty head wind half of the way there and also went though mountains at Payson. My crewmax only has 2500 miles on it so maybe (wishful thinking) my mileage will get a little better over time.

I can't say the Tundra is the truck for you, for you have to make that call but we are very happy with ours.

Good luck


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## ColoradoChip (Jan 21, 2008)

They are sweet trucks for sure. I seriously thought about getting one, but with the deals that Dodge has going, I went with the Dodge 2500 Cummins. It was more money in the end, but I know that I will love not having to worry about weight!


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## tlasseig (Feb 7, 2008)

i have an 07 crew max TRD Tundra with 5.7 with gvw at 7000lb--travel with teenager and DH--anybody think i can pull a 28rsds safely with it? my front axel weight is 3900 and rear is 4150 giving me 7000gvwr.
gcvwr is 16000 lb-
tow cap, is 10,400--it has a 4.30 rear diff with 10.5 ring gear and staggered outboard mounted shocks. 
we really need the 28 as DH is 6'4 and ten ager getting there too...
really appreciate all the input for ya'll


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

ColoradoChip said:


> They are sweet trucks for sure. I seriously thought about getting one, but with the deals that Dodge has going, I went with the Dodge 2500 Cummins. It was more money in the end, but I know that I will love not having to worry about weight!


Nothing will slow you down with the Diesel!


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## vikecowboy (Aug 17, 2006)

I'm thinking if you are careful not to load a pile of concrete, you should be OK. There are folks here that pull the 28rsds with a Tundra and will probably chime in shortly.

If I knew I was one day going to own a newer tundra I would have bought the 28rsds instead of the 25rss. It will be more of a hassle manuevering at RV parks with the longer 28rsds however.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

We pull our 28krs with an '07 DBL cab 5.7/4x4 *AND LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THE TRUCK!!!! * The only thing "1/2 ton? about her is her payload but, contrary to general opinion, that has certainly never been an issue for us. There's more than enough capacity in the bed for us - - - we carry most everything in the TT.

You're right, the Tow/haul mode is awesome - but the Engine Braking is OUTSTANDING!!!! We took it down a 9% grade switchbacked mtn side and - - ready for this? (I wasn't!)







- - I NEVER TOUCHED THE BRAKES!!!!

Did I mention how much *WE LOVE OUR TRUCK*?

[btw, 2 recall notices have resulted in our Tundra being inspected and nothing being found)


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

*disclaimer* This post is not a flame nor a bash.

Research and read up on various issues regarding the vehicle prior to making a purchase. You can see some highlighted at Tundrasolutions.com (Tundra owners), blueovalforums.com (beware - it can be like rv.net when the flamers come out to play but much excellent information otherwise) or many other sites which are found easily enough. I won't list them all - there isn't any real truck bashing to speak of on this forum (except in jest) like many I read and I like that about Outbackers. Although Toyota itself has spoken out about the problems with the truck, I believe that Toyota will work the problems out over time. I think that the truck, given a few cycles of improvements, will end up with a larger portion of the U.S. market than even Toyota themselves suspect. I certainly hope this is the case because it will serve to push all brands to ratchet up quality and performance due to the increased competition. Free market economies are a great thing! With Dodge getting rid of the Megacab in '09my for the 1500's and '10my for the heavies, this leaves the CrewMax as an attractive option for my growing family when we are ready to replace our TV in a few years and I hope to be able to consider it when we do.

-CC


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## MJRey (Jan 21, 2005)

I looked at them last year before I bought my Dodge and I really liked them. The only downside and the one that kept me from getting one was the payload capacity. For me I would have been at or over the payload/GVWR and I wanted more capacity than my previous tow vehicle. If you can live with the the payload/GVWR numbers then it's a good choice.


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## 1jeep (Jul 24, 2007)

MJRey said:


> I looked at them last year before I bought my Dodge and I really liked them. The only downside and the one that kept me from getting one was the payload capacity. For me I would have been at or over the payload/GVWR and I wanted more capacity than my previous tow vehicle. If you can live with the the payload/GVWR numbers then it's a good choice.


Your mega cab has a similiar payload as my tundra double cab, yes you have an interior the size of my living room...lol I did not need that and instead opted for a 8' bed with 1650lbs of payload capacity. Dont take this wrong way i know that CTD will tow both my truck and trailer, but couldnt believe it when i had seen this while shopping.

There have been a few recall on some tundras, i had the rear drive shaft relaced under recall. The first thousand had faulty torque convertors and about 20 5.7 engines had bad cams. The only open complaint is the tailgate weakness, i also have seen this on my own and have an open complaint with toyota. I have been told that they are doing an updated tailgate and i should know soon.

Tundrasolutions is a bad place to get towing info as it seems to be mostly younger people that are more concerned about drag racing and loud stereo's. They complain about truck like ride and how to make an already fast truck faster.

Do your research, drive them all i even drove a f350 diesel just to see if maybe i should go that direction...however the $$$ scared me off. I see right now ford has 0% for 5 years on the f150, this is what got me into my tundra when i purchased it.

So far i have 21k mimles and nothing has fallen off and it has towed my trailer considerably well.


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## MJRey (Jan 21, 2005)

[/quote]

Your mega cab has a similiar payload as my tundra double cab, yes you have an interior the size of my living room...lol I did not need that and instead opted for a 8' bed with 1650lbs of payload capacity. Dont take this wrong way i know that CTD will tow both my truck and trailer, but couldnt believe it when i had seen this while shopping.

[/quote]

My 2wd MegaCab has a payload capacity of 2025lbs ( 4wd is only 1590lbs). Like you I was a bit surpised by the somewhat low payload capacity of the 2500 MegaCabs. The Ram 2500 MegaCab has probably the lowest payload capacity of all of the 3/4 ton trucks but when I ran the numbers it was still enough for our needs. Last year I was looking at the Tundra CrewMax which is almost as big inside as the Dodge Megacab and the payload rating was 1605 lbs for the 2wd SR5. With me, DW, 3 kids and all of our stuff we would have been just below the CrewMaxs limit so the extra 400lbs with the Dodge gives us a little breathing room from a GVWR perspective. If you have fewer people and don't take a lot of things like firewood and kids bikes in the truck then the Tundra will do very well.

On our last camping trip a few weeks ago to Death Valley NP I noticed quite a few of the new Tundras in the campground so it looks like they're getting popular as tow vehicles. I read that Toyota will be coming out with a diesel Tundra in the next year or two so I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more Tundras in the campgrounds.


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## HuckZito (Jan 1, 2008)

Well I seem to be getting in here a bit late, how did I miss this one?

I just went through the same process of determining what I could tow safely with my 07 Tundra 5.7 CrewMax.

I did massive amounts of research and drove countless people crazy.
You do need to be careful with tongue weight and use a good WD set-up.

I tow a 30RLS with my Tundra and it does an awesome job!
Way more than enough power, and the Equil-i-zer hitch does a great job making everything feel safe.
On our trip home from Quartzsite Az a few weeks ago we drove through a massive wind storm, the kind that blows rigs over, and the Tundra/TT handled it very well.
I couldn't be happier with my set-up. Do your homework on weight and get a good hitch/WD set-up (I would definitely recommend the Equil-i-zer) and you will also love towing with your Tundra.

Plus, you'll have the fastest, coolest looking truck around!! Right Wolfwood? LOL









PS I also upgraded my low end brake controller to the Prodigy P3 and what a huge difference that made! It's a real nice unit and looks good in the Tundras cab. ( You can change the screen color to match your truck!! Cool!)


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

HuckZito said:


> Plus, you'll have the fastest, coolest looking truck around!! Right Wolfwood? LOL


NOW _THAT'S_ WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT!!!!!! (....'specially if its Nautical Blue Metallic







)


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## tlasseig (Feb 7, 2008)

wolfwood said:


> Plus, you'll have the fastest, coolest looking truck around!! Right Wolfwood? LOL


NOW _THAT'S_ WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT!!!!!! (....'specially if its Nautical Blue Metallic







)
[/quote]
blue streak blue metallic! with 2 tone leather interior!


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## Airboss (Jul 14, 2007)

tlasseig said:


> Plus, you'll have the fastest, coolest looking truck around!! Right Wolfwood? LOL


NOW _THAT'S_ WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT!!!!!! (....'specially if its Nautical Blue Metallic







)
[/quote]
blue streak blue metallic! with 2 tone leather interior!








[/quote]

Sure it's not BRG, Wolfie?







Sorry - I had to add that after you stole my last thread with Miata talk. Hope you take this in jest!!!


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Airboss said:


> Plus, you'll have the fastest, coolest looking truck around!! Right Wolfwood? LOL


NOW _THAT'S_ WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT!!!!!! (....'specially if its Nautical Blue Metallic







)
[/quote]
blue streak blue metallic! with 2 tone leather interior!








[/quote]

Sure it's not BRG, Wolfie?







Sorry - I had to add that after you stole my last thread with Miata talk. Hope you take this in jest!!!








[/quote]
Oh yeah! I'm sure!!! BRG is reserved for ragtops - CUTE - REALLY CUTE - ragtops!!!


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## GoVols (Oct 7, 2005)

Alaska,

Have you ever taken your 26RS to certified scales and weighed it, specifically weighing for tongue weight? If not, that's an eye-opening experience for sure. The actual tongue weight (with the trailer packed for your typical camping weekend) bears no resemblance to the published tongue weight of the trailer. I have the same model as you, and I can attest to that fact.

This has nothing to do with Tundras or Fords or Chevys or Dodges; it's about the payload limitations of half-ton trucks. You can drive the truck and even tow with it, and it might 'feel great', but with DW, two kids, dogs, etc., you are right at or over your payload capacity. Any one with a large trailer and says weight is not a factor probably has not weighed their rig or are not concerned enough about it to impact their buying decision.

tongue weight 1000#
equalizer hitch 100#
DW, 2 kids 295#
me, > 150 lbs 40#
4 bicycles 100#
1 dog 20#
extra battery 60#

total: 1615 lbs.

And that is without considering anything else in the truck like vehicle options(!), a small ice chest, snacks, dvd player, kid toys, bottle jack, blue tank, occasional firewood, even the receiver hitch! So with my half-ton Chevy, I was routinely towing over the payload capacity of the truck. Still had plenty of _towing _capacity left, but no _payload _capacity, and is why I traded up to a 3/4 ton tow vehicle.

If you are concerned about payload capacity, and especially if you are considering upgrading to a bigger trailer later or one even more tongue-loaded, skip the Tundra and go after a 3/4 ton something.


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## 1jeep (Jul 24, 2007)

GoVols said:


> Alaska,
> 
> Have you ever taken your 26RS to certified scales and weighed it, specifically weighing for tongue weight? If not, that's an eye-opening experience for sure. The actual tongue weight (with the trailer packed for your typical camping weekend) bears no resemblance to the published tongue weight of the trailer. I have the same model as you, and I can attest to that fact.
> 
> ...


eye opener is an understatement! I nearly had to change my pants when i saw the weights!
My trailer was advertised at 805lb tongue and 7695 dry, it was just over 1000lb tongue and 8250lb not fully loaded with the wifes wine glasses. I am not saying that towing with my 1/2 ton is great, it is okay and does a fair job. Had i known i was buying a bigger trailer i would have bought a 3/4 ton truck...this is a future upgrade plan over the next couple years.
For now i pack light, no water in the tanks, one battery and have the family on weight watchers... However i find it hard to believe that a decent 1/2 ton cant handle a 26rs...just know your situation and dont dirve like a fool.....there are enough of them out there in all sizes of trucks!


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

1jeep said:


> For now i pack light, no water in the tanks, one battery and have the family on weight watchers... However i find it hard to believe that a decent 1/2 ton cant handle a 26rs...just know your situation and dont dirve like a fool.....there are enough of them out there in all sizes of trucks!


ABSOLUTELY! Our 4Runner towed the 25RSS like a charm and, with the Hensley Arrow hitch, _all_ numbers were ok...although we were close on the tow cap. I, too, have a hard time believing that a good 1/2 ton - driven within reason - couldn't handle a 26rs comfortably AND SAFELY.


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## ALASKA PFLOCK (Jun 24, 2007)

Thank you to all the Tundra owners for your info. that you have shared. Thanks also goes out to the non-Tundra owners too. We will do the math to be sure that we arn't going over our GVWR, with the current TV and future TV. I am also taking into account where we currently live in Alaska (just above sea level) and where we may move to in the future (Colorado, Idaho, areas well above sea level). Please keep the good and bad info coming. This is really helping us to make a well informed decision.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

GoVols said:


> Alaska,
> 
> Have you ever taken your 26RS to certified scales and weighed it, specifically weighing for tongue weight? If not, that's an eye-opening experience for sure. The actual tongue weight (with the trailer packed for your typical camping weekend) bears no resemblance to the published tongue weight of the trailer. I have the same model as you, and I can attest to that fact.
> 
> ...


Your dog is only 20 lbs?!?!








Maybe if I put the Beagle on a diet, my 1/2 ton would work.


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## briansk11 (Apr 29, 2004)

I just got rid of my 2008 Dodge Ram 6.7 CTD because it went in the shop 4 times in 3 months for the emissions crap. I have not towed with the Tundra yet but I am wondering what people are doing for tow mirrors on their Tundras. I have the regular mirrors right now and am trying to figure out what is best.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

briansk11 said:


> I just got rid of my 2008 Dodge Ram 6.7 CTD because it went in the shop 4 times in 3 months for the emissions crap. I have not towed with the Tundra yet but I am wondering what people are doing for tow mirrors on their Tundras. I have the regular mirrors right now and am trying to figure out what is best.


We have tow mirrors from the 4Runner/25rss days and fully expected to use them on the TUNDRA. And we did - ONCE! After coming close to clocking several items with them, and not being convinced that they really gave me any better visibility - I decided to TRY towing without them. I was very comfortable with visibility but we meticulously continued to carry them with us every time we went out - "just in case " - and never used them again. I shift the Tundra mirrors a bit further out, and I do have small convex mirrors mounted anyway, and have simply never had any problem seeing anything - - including that idiot racing down the on-ramp to beat the "it's-a-camper-must-be-slow-moving" hauling down the hi-way. Odds are that our tow-mirrors will be sold here on Outbackers.com in the next month or so.

All that having been said...doesn't the CrewMax come standard with those wonderful, extending tow mirrors?


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## briansk11 (Apr 29, 2004)

No the tow mirrors are an option. I could not find any truck iwth the options I wanted with the tow mirrors and I am not sure I really want them. I am thinking Mckesh but I am scared of scatching.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

briansk11 said:


> No the tow mirrors are an option. I could not find any truck iwth the options I wanted with the tow mirrors and I am not sure I really want them. I am thinking Mckesh but I am scared of scatching.


The McKesh are the ones we have - - and they're great!!! No scratching!! I just haven't needed them on the Tundra. I thought I would. I expected I would. I had every intention of using them. They were AWESOME on the 4Runner....and it felt 'wrong' to be towing but not have my "tow mirrors" strapped on .... but I honestly saw no improvement for the Tundra....only excess width that really did interferre.


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## 1jeep (Jul 24, 2007)

The tow mirrors came standard on mine, double cab, SR5 8' bed. Even if they didnt come standard i would be out looking for some at the toyota dealer, hands down they are hte best part of my truck.


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## skylane (Oct 28, 2007)

We have a 2000 Tundra, and it has no options for anything close to factory tow mirrors, wish they did..... but 
we have tried with every kind of cheap mirror, and now we are looking for mckesh, but they are expensive, 100.00 a pair or so, used on ebay. I would find the factory mirrors for your new Tundra, might be expensive but they will be worth every penny.

and there is my 2cents worth
Mark


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

skylane said:


> We have a 2000 Tundra, and it has no options for anything close to factory tow mirrors, wish they did..... but
> we have tried with every kind of cheap mirror, and now we are looking for mckesh, but they are expensive, 100.00 a pair or so, used on ebay. I would find the factory mirrors for your new Tundra, *might be expensive but they will be worth every penny.*
> 
> and there is my 2cents worth
> Mark


Been there. Done that. And I've got the battle scars to prove it!

If they are an option on the model to be bought - I agree! Get them!!! Absolutely!! However, he said he hasn't been able to find a CrewMax WITH the mirrors....

When we were buying, we learned that the tow mirrors are NOT an option on the DblCab Tundra. So, we figured- "hey - they're gonna have to replace somebody's mirrors, someday - so, surely, the dealer can get them - - - RIGHT? We'll just get 'em and have them installed". Well - - yes. The parts can be gotten - - - for many 100s of $$$. The *REAL* problem is that, IF your Tundra is not already wired for these mirrors, then it will cost several more 100s of $$$ to have the wiring done - - correctly. We decided we'd try the McKesh that we already had - and then decide if we REALLY needed the extendables and, if so, which bank we'd rob







As it ended up the McKesh mirrors - even with as wide as they are - didn't give me any more visibility than I already have with the stock non-extendable mirrors + the little stick-on convexes. The standard Tundra mirrors are BIG - guess they're big enough. I would love for the DBL CAB to have come with the extendable mirrors - you bet - we'd have them. But, as it ended up, I'm really glad we didn't spend what would have been 2k-3k to have them added after-the-fact (oooooooooh, we were soooooo close to doing it! eh, Herbicidal?







)


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## briansk11 (Apr 29, 2004)

The limited comes with driver memory for the seats, steering wheel, and side mirrors. the tow mirror option deletes all of that but adds $$ to the cost of the truck. I guess the dealers I went to in Houston decided that people would rather have the memory than the tow mirrors. I am comming from having a Dodge with the big towing mirrors to these standard sized mirrors so they seem small to me. I found some on ebay for 380 - 410 so it is either that or the McKesh for about 170. I am not sure I want to part with the mirrors I have now though. Much easier parking in the garage and after 4 years of tow mirrors I like that







. I am most concerned about the McKesh scratching the paint.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

briansk11 said:


> .... I am most concerned about the McKesh scratching the paint.


When put on right, there are no metal parts on McKesh that come in contact with the paint (there's a soft pad on the back of the "roll bracket" and hooks that contact the door and rubber tips on the mirror arm) Worst case, I suppose, is that you order them, try them on and, if you're not comfortable with them, your return them. (Or maybe there's an Outback/McKesh owner in your vicinity that would 'demo' them for you....







)

btw - I HAVE used mine on the Tundra (and will again if I see the need) and all who know me will tell you that I will do NOTHING to hurt my baby!!!!


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