# Looking For An Opinion



## vendorsw21 (Oct 31, 2008)

In 2007 I bought a 4.7litre Tundra and was pulling a large tent trailer and all the camping stuff that goes along with it. It ran fine and it was great. There were no issues. This summer I bumped up to a 21 foot trailer Outback 21RS that weighs just shy of 5000lb and all the towing stuff that goes with it. It tows OK but does poorly on hills and the gas mileage is horrendous. I'm thinking of moving up to the 5.7litre Tundra. Will it make that much of a difference. The numbers say so but I'm looking for your experiences.


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## johnp (Mar 15, 2004)

There are a few people here that tow much bigger trailers with that 5.7 and are very happy with them. I'm sure one of them with tell ya.

John


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

Some owners have compared their 5.7 Tundras to 3/4 ton diesel pickups on here. Regardless - it should be a substantial upgrade for you. I would think that you will be very happy with the power. The Tundra will tow that 21RS wonderfully.

-CC


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## ED_RN (Jun 25, 2006)

Not sure what difference the 5.7 will make but if you switch please post what you find. I know what your talking about with the 4.7. Pulling my 23RS I get 10 mpg, going up hill or down. Still love it though.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

I'm one of those 5.7 Tundra owners towing a bigger, heavier camper....1st a 25rss and now a 28krs. I am routinely towing in the mountains and have never had any issue with power, braking, or maneuvering (including those sudden evasive maneuvers we all know and *love*). My mileage here in New England avgs 10mpg (towing) and 19mpg (solo). On the trip out to & in the Tetons & Big Horns, the avg was the same ... although, for some reason, we avg'd 20mpg for the time that we were driving around in the Tetons & Yellowstone without the camper... certainly not complaining, just don't understand the better mileage in higher elevation & bigger mtns. A 5.7 will handle your camper with style









Edit: As mileage will, of course, vary depending on driving habits, I guess I should add that I routinely drive (highway) at about 65mph with the trans. capped at 5th gear. I'm pretty light on the pedal with starts & stops and, although I usually keep the cruise on when I can, I'd rather do the shifting myself in the real hills rather than make the truck do the hunting.


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## SDCampers (Oct 29, 2008)

I tow an 09 23RS with the 5.7 Tundra and it doesn't work hard at all. Thia summer I towed from SD to Missoula, MT at 65 - 70 MPH on the interstate with no issues. At that speed though I got about 8.5 - 9 MPG. Close to home at 55 - 60 MPH I get 13 - 15 MPG.


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## marker (Aug 14, 2009)

While not Toyota products I recently upgraded from a 4.7 Dakota to a Ram 1500 5.7.

The towing experience is so much better with the 5.7 and the bigger truck.

The 4.7 would get me there, but in the hills it had to rev up to over 4500 rpm to get the power and it just was not comfortable. I am told that the 4.7's are higher rev engines and the higher rev's will not hurt them. All the same, I did not enjoy the experience and was a good excuse to upgrade.

No regrets so far. I have towed our 23RS for only one trip and look forward to my trip to Florida in November. I do not anticipate any problems, but to be sure I have done a lot of work on getting my hitch setup just right.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

I'm going to guess you won't see a big jump in mileage. The Physics are what's fighting you there. Basically you need to get a set amount of power from the fuel to move the rig. The 5.7L may be able to produce the power slightly more efficiently due to being able to run at lower revs, but I wouldn't hold my breath for a big jump. However, the towing experience should improve due to more power.


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## mattyp (Jun 22, 2009)

vendorsw21 said:


> In 2007 I bought a 4.7litre Tundra and was pulling a large tent trailer and all the camping stuff that goes along with it. It ran fine and it was great. There were no issues. This summer I bumped up to a 21 foot trailer Outback 21RS that weighs just shy of 5000lb and all the towing stuff that goes with it. It tows OK but does poorly on hills and the gas mileage is horrendous. I'm thinking of moving up to the 5.7litre Tundra. Will it make that much of a difference. The numbers say so but I'm looking for your experiences.


I've been towing our new Outback 250RS with the 5.7L in a Sequoia - so probably more loaded in the tow vehicle (4 small kids, 2 adults, golden retriever, and a loaded Thule Atlantis 2100 Roof Box!).

I towed quite a bit this summer with a fairly loaded trailer too - full water tank from south Orange County all the way up to Fortuna, CA, and all the way down PCH. If you haven't done that drive lately - the Northern Mendocino Coast down through Tomales Bay - it's pretty crazy. We had ZERO issues towing with the Sequoia. My father in law, driving behind us in his Dodge Ram truck (camper), was laughing how we were passing people.

We were getting about 9mpg (9.1). Breaking, stopping, accelerating were all much easier than I could have imagined. I am pretty much a newbie trailer owner and trailer tower and towing with the Toyota was awesome.


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## Dub (Dec 8, 2008)

I am able to accelerate from 45-55mph when stuck behind big trucks on mountain passes to 65mph no problem in the mountains of WV and NC/TN. The 5.7L also comes with a 4.33 rear end which makes a big difference. I doubt you'll get much better mileage. With my old 27' 5500lbs trailer I got 10-11mpg...I get 9mpg with the 36ft 10,060lbs 310BHS. Great truck.


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## OutbackBrat (Oct 13, 2009)

wolfwood said:


> I'm one of those 5.7 Tundra owners towing a bigger, heavier camper....1st a 25rss and now a 28krs. I am routinely towing in the mountains and have never had any issue with power, braking, or maneuvering (including those sudden evasive maneuvers we all know and *love*). My mileage here in New England avgs 10mpg (towing) and 19mpg (solo). On the trip out to & in the Tetons & Big Horns, the avg was the same ... although, for some reason, we avg'd 20mpg for the time that we were driving around in the Tetons & Yellowstone without the camper... certainly not complaining, just don't understand the better mileage in higher elevation & bigger mtns. A 5.7 will handle your camper with style
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ok.. Ive got TV envy.

I have an 009 dodge 1500 crew cab. Its rated as 8400 with the 17" 265 tires. I have the 20" 275 tires and its rated for only 7400 I am having one heck of a time finding a 26rs for a good price on the west side of north america. I am toying with a 28rsds. seem to be newer and cheaper than the 26.

So now I have to look at changing wheels and tires to have that extra safety factor.... Of find rubber in the same size that will handle more weight.

Amazing the weights on the toyota!!!


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

OutbackBrat said:


> Ok.. Ive got TV envy.
> 
> I have an 009 dodge 1500 crew cab. Its rated as 8400 with the 17" 265 tires. I have the 20" 275 tires and its rated for only 7400 I am having one heck of a time finding a 26rs for a good price on the west side of north america. I am toying with a 28rsds. seem to be newer and cheaper than the 26.
> 
> ...


Be careful with a 28RSDS and a 1/2 ton truck. Some are happy with that combo, but many people, myself included, bought a 28 model and within a year were truck shopping for a 3/4 or 1 ton truck. The 28RSDS loaded has ~1000 lb tounge weight which puts the Crew cab 1/2 tons right at their max for GVWR when ready to go camping. Factor in a cross wind hitting that big sail you are towing and, IMO, I did not feel very safe. The wind could literally push me off the road (No, it wasn't sway, the trailer and truck went together....).

Anyway, just a word of warning there.


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## Dub (Dec 8, 2008)

Nathan said:


> Ok.. Ive got TV envy.
> 
> I have an 009 dodge 1500 crew cab. Its rated as 8400 with the 17" 265 tires. I have the 20" 275 tires and its rated for only 7400 I am having one heck of a time finding a 26rs for a good price on the west side of north america. I am toying with a 28rsds. seem to be newer and cheaper than the 26.
> 
> ...


Be careful with a 28RSDS and a 1/2 ton truck. Some are happy with that combo, but many people, myself included, bought a 28 model and within a year were truck shopping for a 3/4 or 1 ton truck. The 28RSDS loaded has ~1000 lb tounge weight which puts the Crew cab 1/2 tons right at their max for GVWR when ready to go camping. Factor in a cross wind hitting that big sail you are towing and, IMO, I did not feel very safe. The wind could literally push me off the road (No, it wasn't sway, the trailer and truck went together....).

Anyway, just a word of warning there.
[/quote]

When I was in Alaska this summer, we rented an 09 RAM, put six guys in it (not fun, cab was very small) and had all of our backpacking gear and luggage in the bed of the truck. We drove it 6 hours from Anchorage, last 43 miles were on an unpaved road that required 4x4, two stream crossings. 6 guys at avg of 225 and the truck was at its payload limit. Then add in the 60-70lbs ea of backpacking gear, and another 50-60ea of luggage and we had it grossly overloaded. It did fine...no melted axles, no rough ride, etc. At first I thought it was a Dakota since the double cab inside was so much smaller than my Tundy, but after looking outside it was indeed a RAM. I would think it would be fine if you did get close or slightly over your payload as we put the hurt on that truck in the mountains of Alaska. Originally we had a Ford Expedition rented but before we got their the rental car company upgraded their fleet and the only 4x4 they had was the RAM.


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## OutbackBrat (Oct 13, 2009)

[/quote]
When I was in Alaska this summer, we rented an 09 RAM, put six guys in it (not fun, cab was very small) and had all of our backpacking gear and luggage in the bed of the truck. We drove it 6 hours from Anchorage, last 43 miles were on an unpaved road that required 4x4, two stream crossings. 6 guys at avg of 225 and the truck was at its payload limit. Then add in the 60-70lbs ea of backpacking gear, and another 50-60ea of luggage and we had it grossly overloaded. It did fine...no melted axles, no rough ride, etc. At first I thought it was a Dakota since the double cab inside was so much smaller than my Tundy, but after looking outside it was indeed a RAM. I would think it would be fine if you did get close or slightly over your payload as we put the hurt on that truck in the mountains of Alaska. Originally we had a Ford Expedition rented but before we got their the rental car company upgraded their fleet and the only 4x4 they had was the RAM.
[/quote]
I hope it was a quad cab. I think the crew cab is around the same size as the tundra? Oh well It was a good price $34,000 Cnd for a loaded SLT and we bought it for the family. We were going to stay tenting with it but we've had a few trips where the wind has blown the tent down lately....

Camping lol


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