LC250 towing

[jeremy j]

Its not. I had a Prius. There is no (or close to none) engine braking when going downhill.

Prius had a "B" mode that enabled engine braking. Does the LC250 hybrid not have this?

 

[joseywales]

Yeah you can’t see the display from the passenger side. It’s weird.

Perfect. My wife likes to “side seat drive” and if she can’t see if I’m going 1 mph over her limit it’ll prevent “discussions” about my driving style…

 

[joseywales]

I tow a 30’ trailer with a pontoon.

I’m sorry.

 

[gx660]

The TFL guys took a 1958 and ran it on their towing test in Colorado along with a non-hybrid Tacoma. Said they were towing 5,500 lbs so ~90% of max capacity on the LC250. Couple of interesting thoughts:

• Downhill performance was worse on the LC250, it required more brake applications than the Tacoma to maintain speed. I was surprised by this as I expected the hybrid system to assist in braking to help regenerate some battery capacity (I know this works on EVs, perhaps the hybrid isn’t designed the same?)
• The Tacoma doesnt come with a brake controller at the trim level they have (cheap ass move by Toyota)
• The brake controller in the LC250 didnt work, ultimately they resorted to using the portable brake controller they had for the Tacoma
• Uphill the LC250 seemed to perform well, it got worse mileage than the Tacoma based on the on board computer but the powertrain was able to pull the load up the 8 mile pass and maintain the speed limit the whole way. I think this alleviates some concerns about the hybrid system’s ability to handle steep mountain passes.
• The gauge cluster seems to have a privacy filter on it that prevents the passenger from seeing anything displayed. Not sure if this is a quirk with their press car or if they are all that way, I dont understand why Toyota would add this.

video below

There are comments on the video and also in another video I saw that indicated they weren’t using the brake controller correctly. You have to go into the settings and manually turn it on.

 

[Sandroad]

The LC250 does have regenerative braking, accomplished with a hydraulic clutch that can engage or disengage the electric motor as generator. The battery is relatively small, so long downhills while towing will fill it up and then your using only engine braking. For a good technical reference on LC 250 operation see the Car Care Nut YouTube.

 

[LCWestCoast]

Just got the LC two weeks ago and I'm taking it on a weekend trip a few hours away with my 2400lb 23 Aliner Expedition in a few days. Tested towing around town and it tows WAY better than my T4R. I did have to adjust the tow options in the settings for the trailer brakes to engage. I also wanted to note that the hitch pin is quite a bit longer than your standard size pin, thankfully I was provided a factory Lexus hitch that included this longer pin. I was able to use it in my adjustable hitch setup.

Also the new LCs do have a trans cooler, its water cooled not as good as a plate and fin cooler but Ill take it. You can watch the Car Care Nut and he goes over this in his detailed walk around of the new LC. It also has one integrated to the radiator as well, just like most cars.

 

[Clemson TLC]

The LC250 does have regenerative braking, accomplished with a hydraulic clutch that can engage or disengage the electric motor as generator. The battery is relatively small, so long downhills while towing will fill it up and then your using only engine braking. For a good technical reference on LC 250 operation see the Car Care Nut YouTube.

I agree on regenerative braking. I used OBD Fusion to look at the battery current and it varied from +125A to -95A (charging). The truck's do have an entirely different hybrid system from the cars like Prius, Camry, and Avalon. I think the RAV4 has another approach from the trucks and cars but haven't looked to closely at that one. Weber Auto University has some great YouTubes on the various Toyota hybrid systems.

Check the arrows on the pic for power and charging current peaks on my LC250. This is normal driving, no towing.

 

[kerner]

Just got the LC two weeks ago and I'm taking it on a weekend trip a few hours away with my 2400lb 23 Aliner Expedition in a few days. Tested towing around town and it tows WAY better than my T4R. I did have to adjust the tow options in the settings for the trailer brakes to engage. I also wanted to note that the hitch pin is quite a bit longer than your standard size pin, thankfully I was provided a factory Lexus hitch that included this longer pin. I was able to use it in my adjustable hitch setup.

Also the new LCs do have a trans cooler, its water cooled not as good as a plate and fin cooler but Ill take it. You can watch the Car Care Nut and he goes over this in his detailed walk around of the new LC. It also has one integrated to the radiator as well, just like most cars.

View attachment 3685667

How's the rear droop when towing? What's the tongue weight on the Aliner? I tow a teardrop that weights about 2,500lbs but the tongue is around 300. I'm in a GX right now and love the air suspension with the trailer.