2024 Tacoma handling at Max Payload

[andrewleader]

We were on a camping trip and I weighed our 2024 TRD Off Road 5’ bed truck in at 6,300 lbs with a full tank of gas, two people in the car, our Tune M1 camper with full kitchen build, skis, snow chains, rock climbing gear, and 7 gallons of water. This is 60 lbs over the GVWR of 6,240 lbs for this model.

It handled well! I was surprised when I was actually OVER the max payload, since it didn’t drive like it!

Acceleration / shifting / etc on the highway is quite normal. The only thing I notice is that the turbo is almost always running when at highway speeds. At 70/75 mph, the turbo is often between 1/3-2/3rds, whereas before all my camper setup it was usually only kicking in when accelerating.

Other than the turbo running more, the RPMs are still in the low range (right at 1,750 when going 65 and 2,000 when going 75), and there’s no “gear hunting” that the 3rd gen used to suffer from!

Breaking performance seemed normal but I can’t say I really tested it.

Gas mileage definitely sucks, like 14.5 mpg if you’re going 75 mph, and like 15.5 mpg at 65 mph. Idk how much is caused by the aerodynamics vs weight. This means the range of the truck kinda sucks though (like 260 mile range).

For the suspension, the rear springs definitely needed the upgrade I put in. I’ve got the Dobinson’s 819V springs in the rear, those are feeling great over speed bumps with this load (and also good when it’s 300 lbs lighter). I haven’t done off roading yet.

The front springs probably also need an upgrade, I went over one curb and the front felt a bit bouncy side to side.

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[gofastdan]

More pics of the interior build out please. That looks really slick!

I'm curious about the scale. I've seen the CAT scales at numerous truck stops but have never bothered to figure out how to use it. Do you have to download the app and set up an account or can you just drive on and then pay inside and get your printout?

 

[WKTJR1]

We were on a camping trip and I weighed our 2024 TRD Off Road 5’ bed truck in at 6,300 lbs with a full tank of gas, two people in the car, our Tune M1 camper with full kitchen build, skis, snow chains, rock climbing gear, and 7 gallons of water. This is 60 lbs over the GVWR of 6,240 lbs for this model.

It handled well! I was surprised when I was actually OVER the max payload, since it didn’t drive like it!

Acceleration / shifting / etc on the highway is quite normal. The only thing I notice is that the turbo is almost always running when at highway speeds. At 70/75 mph, the turbo is often between 1/3-2/3rds, whereas before all my camper setup it was usually only kicking in when accelerating.

Other than the turbo running more, the RPMs are still in the low range (right at 1,750 when going 65 and 2,000 when going 75), and there’s no “gear hunting” that the 3rd gen used to suffer from!

Breaking performance seemed normal but I can’t say I really tested it.

Gas mileage definitely sucks, like 14.5 mpg if you’re going 75 mph, and like 15.5 mpg at 65 mph. Idk how much is caused by the aerodynamics vs weight. This means the range of the truck kinda sucks though (like 260 mile range).

For the suspension, the rear springs definitely needed the upgrade I put in. I’ve got the Dobinson’s 819V springs in the rear, those are feeling great over speed bumps with this load (and also good when it’s 300 lbs lighter). I haven’t done off roading yet.

The front springs probably also need an upgrade, I went over one curb and the front felt a bit bouncy side to side.

A rough estimate would be about 80/20, with weight being the primary culprit. With the camper in the retracted position, your frontal area will increase slightly; however, running at maximum GVWR means the engine is working hard, as evidenced by the turbo running continuously. Additionally, if you're at any altitude, that will only make the engine work harder.

 

[andrewleader]

More pics of the interior build out please. That looks really slick!

I'm curious about the scale. I've seen the CAT scales at numerous truck stops but have never bothered to figure out how to use it. Do you have to download the app and set up an account or can you just drive on and then pay inside and get your printout?

I’ve got a video and more of the interior build here! https://tacotunesday.com/

For the CAT scales, yeah you install the Weigh My Truck app, then you just drive up onto the scale and open the app, and you pay the $15 inside the app, and you get the results right there. They have a YouTube video that helped me learn it the first time.

 

[gofastdan]

I’ve got a video and more of the interior build here! https://tacotunesday.com/

For the CAT scales, yeah you install the Weigh My Truck app, then you just drive up onto the scale and open the app, and you pay the $15 inside the app, and you get the results right there. They have a YouTube video that helped me learn it the first time.

Very nicely done! You've clearly put a lot of thought and effort into the build. Mine isn't nearly as nice, I just built a simple drawer system, but I've thought about potentially building a cabinet for one side just to have a bit more permanent storage and maybe the potential to cook inside if the weather is really bad. I might have to use yours as inspiration!

 

[TacoFreak]

I agree - that is a really nice build. I think the extra gas is worth it for such a great camper setup, although you are right - it makes the limited range even worse.

 

[Miqie]

We were on a camping trip and I weighed our 2024 TRD Off Road 5’ bed truck in at 6,300 lbs with a full tank of gas, two people in the car, our Tune M1 camper with full kitchen build, skis, snow chains, rock climbing gear, and 7 gallons of water. This is 60 lbs over the GVWR of 6,240 lbs for this model.

It handled well! I was surprised when I was actually OVER the max payload, since it didn’t drive like it!

Acceleration / shifting / etc on the highway is quite normal. The only thing I notice is that the turbo is almost always running when at highway speeds. At 70/75 mph, the turbo is often between 1/3-2/3rds, whereas before all my camper setup it was usually only kicking in when accelerating.

Other than the turbo running more, the RPMs are still in the low range (right at 1,750 when going 65 and 2,000 when going 75), and there’s no “gear hunting” that the 3rd gen used to suffer from!

Breaking performance seemed normal but I can’t say I really tested it.

Gas mileage definitely sucks, like 14.5 mpg if you’re going 75 mph, and like 15.5 mpg at 65 mph. Idk how much is caused by the aerodynamics vs weight. This means the range of the truck kinda sucks though (like 260 mile range).

For the suspension, the rear springs definitely needed the upgrade I put in. I’ve got the Dobinson’s 819V springs in the rear, those are feeling great over speed bumps with this load (and also good when it’s 300 lbs lighter). I haven’t done off roading yet.

The front springs probably also need an upgrade, I went over one curb and the front felt a bit bouncy side to side.

Considering all the weight and air resistance, your MPG is not that bad. Heck I have a Sport 4x4 and I'm getting about 17, and that's not dogging it out. If mine was setup like your's, i'd be getting about 12 mpg.

 

[andrewleader]

Considering all the weight and air resistance, your MPG is not that bad. Heck I have a Sport 4x4 and I'm getting about 17, and that's not dogging it out. If mine was setup like your's, i'd be getting about 12 mpg.

Wow dang! How fast ya going on the highway? My trips are usually 65 and 75 mph and less, with the average being maybe 68 (speeds in Washington and Oregon are pretty slow)

 

[TacoFreak]

Considering all the weight and air resistance, your MPG is not that bad. Heck I have a Sport 4x4 and I'm getting about 17, and that's not dogging it out. If mine was setup like your's, i'd be getting about 12 mpg.

How many miles on your truck? Mine was in that range until 1,500 miles or so but has been improving since then. It has also improved since I started to use only Sport mode, which beats Eco mode mpg on my truck.

 

[Miqie]

How many miles on your truck? Mine was in that range until 1,500 miles or so but has been improving since then. It has also improved since I started to use only Sport mode, which beats Eco mode mpg on my truck.

Mine has about 4000 miles. I used to get 19, 20, 21 regularly. But now it's a struggle to get 18. And I am a very conservative driver, rarely gassing it. The only thing I can think of......maybe it's the winter fuel, and the fact that I'm using the heater (blower) all the time now. When it's warmer out, I use the A/C sparingly, unless it's hot and humid. So, less of a power demand.

 

[TacoFreak]

Mine has about 4000 miles. I used to get 19, 20, 21 regularly. But now it's a struggle to get 18. And I am a very conservative driver, rarely gassing it. The only thing I can think of......maybe it's the winter fuel, and the fact that I'm using the heater (blower) all the time now. When it's warmer out, I use the A/C sparingly, unless it's hot and humid. So, less of a power demand.

I don't normally monitor my fuel use very closely, but when I read fuel use threads on forums for all kinds of vehicles, there is one common thread. It is that winter blends definitely lower mpg, I think because they usually contain more ethanol. I bet you mileage returns to what you had when the weather warms up again , which is another reason to look forward to Spring!

 

[Miqie]

I don't normally monitor my fuel use very closely, but when I read fuel use threads on forums for all kinds of vehicles, there is one common thread. It is that winter blends definitely lower mpg, I think because they usually contain more ethanol. I bet you mileage returns to what you had when the weather warms up again , which is another reason to look forward to Spring!

That's what I'm thinking. I started noticing the drop in October, but I only gas up about every two weeks, so the gas could be from earlier. Truck runs the same, my driving habits are the same, so hopefully the summer gas blend will show an improvement.

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