Towing with the LX700h OT - Toyota apologists move along (3 Viewers)

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Any idea what the size limit is? Looks like 35s fit pretty easily, but maybe not? 35s were just a bolt on for my Tundra - nothing to do other than just put the lugnuts back on and drive it. Not sure on the LX, but it seems like 35s are a pretty easy fit as well but takes a few extra minor steps. I'd guess that the Armada has less aftermarket support though for things like gears, armor, etc. Although the Patrol can probably be fit with a snorkel a lot easier - only requires one. Lol. The dual airbox setup really is one of the dumbest ideas I've seen out of Toyota in a long time.
275/70/18 is max due to a structural bar that is needed for crash/impacts. Quick short vid below @ 30sec mark

 
275/70/18
Thanks. Looks like it needs some trimming there to get larger tires to fit. Pretty typical of the past gen Toyotas to cut and trim that body mount. I did that on my last 4Runner just to fit a 34" tire.

Edit - that must be removeable or something. The OEM Warrior package includes 295/70/8 tires (roughly 35s).
 
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I would say its TBD on the Armada V6.

I am not in the market but if you need the interior space its probably worth a look.

Competition is good.
 
OP could have simply put that picture up of the monstrosity he’s trying to tow in the first post and everyone would have agreed with his experience and steered him toward a vehicle that can actually handle that thing.

With its height, I can’t see that thing being settled behind anything but a 3/4 or 1 ton.
 
Travel trailers are pretty awful as far as trailers go - high polar moment, high frontal area, poor aerodynamics, high COG, and relatively short tongue to axle vs load distribution ratio. Basically all the worst things you could come up with in one package.

But the LX should be able to tow a midsize one pretty well. On paper it matches up pretty comparably to my last F250. I had an 06 F250 crewcab diesel 4x4. Awful truck - like unbelievably awful reliability. But it towed pretty darn well. When it was running... Anyway the LX700 has more power, more torque, is heavier, has similar brake size. AHC should be excellent at locking down the suspension and self leveling. I do question if Toyota tuned it correctly for that use to firm up enough. Pretty much everything except the overall rear suspension design (narrow spring spacing) and the short wheelbase (probably the biggest issue here) points to a pretty solid tow vehicle.

I know this is the LX forum - but might be worth noting here that Toyota appears to be building a more legit raptor competitor. Some spy shots going around. Looks like maybe 37s on the test mule. If they do a matching Sequoia it might be the size up off-roader some of us with families have wanted. Wouldn't hold my breath for Toyota to actually build it.
 
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Travel trailers are pretty awful as far as trailers go - high polar moment, high frontal area, poor aerodynamics, high COG, and relatively short tongue to axle vs load distribution ratio. Basically all the worst things you could come up with in one package.

But the LX should be able to tow a midsize one pretty well. On paper it matches up pretty comparably to my last F250. I had an 06 F250 crewcab diesel 4x4. Awful truck - like unbelievably awful reliability. But it towed pretty darn well. When it was running... Anyway the LX700 has more power, more torque, is heavier, has similar brake size. AHC should be excellent at locking down the suspension and self leveling. I do question if Toyota tuned it correctly for that use to firm up enough. Pretty much everything except the overall rear suspension design (narrow spring spacing) and the short wheelbase (probably the biggest issue here) points to a pretty solid tow vehicle.

I know this is the LX forum - but might be worth noting here that Toyota appears to be building a more legit raptor competitor. Some spy shots going around. Looks like maybe 37s on the test mule. If they do a matching Sequoia it might be the size up off-roader some of us with families have wanted. Wouldn't hold my breath for Toyota to actually build it.
The 60” of wheelbase difference had that f250 planted.

I needed to tow almost 10k recently and even though my Tundra says it can do it on paper, I could not sleep comfortably until I rented a 2500 dodge. That dodge had no idea it was even towing 10,000 pounds of Unimog.
 
The 60” of wheelbase difference had that f250 planted.

I needed to tow almost 10k recently and even though my Tundra says it can do it on paper, I could not sleep comfortably until I rented a 2500 dodge. That dodge had no idea it was even towing 10,000 pounds of Unimog.
The wheelbase makes a big difference for sure. I probably wouldn't stress too much about towing 10k with my Tundra occasionally, but I probably wouldn't want to do it every day. Mostly the engine and gearing isn't setup super well for that kind of load. Not without a turbo if I were going into the mountains. Chassis wise - it feels pretty similar to my F250. I looks a lot like Toyota used the 04+ F250 with a 5.4L gasser as a benchmark for the Gen2 Tundra - they're surprisingly similar across the spec sheet. IIRC they even share some transfer case parts on the 14+ models. My Tundra does have airbags which helps with the spring rate issue though. The rear springs are really soft.

If I had to pick a truck that feels really really similar - that would be my 01 GMC HD2500. They are very similar in driving and towing feel. I had the 8.1 gasser. Power and delivery feel really close, steering feels similar. Even the cheap hard leather feels the same. haha.

The LX towing 10k for me would depend a lot on the trailer. 3 yards of sand in a dump trailer? Easy peasy. 32 foot bumper pull? Maybe not. But everyone has different experiences and risk tolerance. I used to tow 8-10k lbs with a 1984 F250 diesel that had 190hp and 300 ft lbs of torque and 12.5" brake rotors. By that standard a late model Tacoma would probably both out-pull and out-stop it. But the world has changed a lot and going 35mph up mountain passes isn't normal anymore. I just looked it up and that truck was rated for 14,000lbs - I'm not entirely sure it would even physically pull that much up some steeper passes unless you were in 1st gear.
 
The wheelbase makes a big difference for sure. I probably wouldn't stress too much about towing 10k with my Tundra occasionally, but I probably wouldn't want to do it every day. Mostly the engine and gearing isn't setup super well for that kind of load. Not without a turbo if I were going into the mountains. Chassis wise - it feels pretty similar to my F250. I looks a lot like Toyota used the 04+ F250 with a 5.4L gasser as a benchmark for the Gen2 Tundra - they're surprisingly similar across the spec sheet. IIRC they even share some transfer case parts on the 14+ models. My Tundra does have airbags which helps with the spring rate issue though. The rear springs are really soft.

If I had to pick a truck that feels really really similar - that would be my 01 GMC HD2500. They are very similar in driving and towing feel. I had the 8.1 gasser. Power and delivery feel really close, steering feels similar. Even the cheap hard leather feels the same. haha.

The LX towing 10k for me would depend a lot on the trailer. 3 yards of sand in a dump trailer? Easy peasy. 32 foot bumper pull? Maybe not. But everyone has different experiences and risk tolerance. I used to tow 8-10k lbs with a 1984 F250 diesel that had 190hp and 300 ft lbs of torque and 12.5" brake rotors. By that standard a late model Tacoma would probably both out-pull and out-stop it. But the world has changed a lot and going 35mph up mountain passes isn't normal anymore. I just looked it up and that truck was rated for 14,000lbs - I'm not entirely sure it would even physically pull that much up some steeper passes unless you were in 1st gear.
This is really interesting. I have towed my 10k dump trailer with the 700H a few times and had no issues at all. In fact I would say because of the rear suspension it is better in a way than my 2500 power wagon. I have also looked at old towing stats as an interesting point of reference. The margin of error sure seems to be higher in the US than in some places and also seems to be higher in modern times than in days gone by, probably for good reason. Having said that, with a braked dump trailer even overloaded to 11k (which might happen on occasion) I feel quite safe towing with the LX shorts distances to the dump or quarry and back.
 
Having had an overloaded trailer push me into an intersection, I just don’t like to knowingly put others in danger around me. I am finding I err on the side of caution as I march well into my 40s. A few years ago, I wouldn’t have cared at all.
 
Having had an overloaded trailer push me into an intersection, I just don’t like to knowingly put others in danger around me. I am finding I err on the side of caution as I march well into my 40s. A few years ago, I wouldn’t have cared at all.
Probably more of an issue with the trailer brakes than the tow vehicle right? The trailer brakes should be stopping the trailer. Always better to have some reserve braking for emergencies though. Something I have found is that Toyota's OEM brake controller software is pretty terrible. I only used mine a few times before going back to my wireless controller. All of the domestic OEM controllers I've used are so much better I'm not sure why Toyota can't figure this out. I think that's part of the issue here too - it seems like the LX has the parts to tow better but may not have the right software to make it work as well as it could.

The Tundra and LX both sit in that in between weight class. They're about half way between a domestic half ton and 3/4 ton in weight. LX is actually pretty close to a Ram 2500 4x4.

A Crewcab Chevy 1500 4x4 is 5,130lbs.
A Tundra crewmax is 6,015 lbs
LX700h is 6,290lbs
Ram 2500 crewcab 4x4 6.4L Hemi is 6,650.

And then a maxed out Ram 2500 Cummins megacab is way heavier at 9,036 lbs. It may need (maybe has?) upgraded brakes just for stopping the truck itself.
 

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