bobt993

George, consider the Titan which has a 10K plus rating. You need a load stabilizer. With the car loaded , your going to get over 3 tons easily. Towing capacities are often a little optimistic and although the vehicle has the power, it can have a hard time controlling the load. I know several club members towing 20ft trailers with the Titan and are very happy.

banzaisan

I have a Titan and I tow a 24ft ATC enclosed trailer. I would highly recommend any diesel truck. When I tow my trailer, I get a whopping 8 mpg. The truck is nice but you will be happier with a diesel. If you want a Titan.. I will make you a deal!

George3

Hi Bob,
Not that I would not consider a Titan, because I haven't really looked at one. . . but in "your" opinion, is the Tundra definitely out of the question? (Give me the straight skinny)
Thanks

Phokaioglaukos

Check out this thread on the Tundra: https://rennlist.com/forums/racing-and-drivers-education-forum/411038-tundra-too-small-for-24-enclosed-steel-trailer.html

Very nice truck with 10,100 lbs. tow capacity, but the payload rating is too low to handle the tongue weight you need if you want to put anything in the bed or have passengers and maintain a margin of capacity. I was very surprised and disappointed.

The F-250 diesel got 10 mpg in recent tests and the Silverado/Sierra diesel got 13 mpg. Big difference. The pricing on the F-250 is very low, though.

bobt993

George, I agree with Dave on considering a diesel if you can spend the extra for improved mpg. I think were more annoyed by feeding the tow vehicle more gas, but towing is an expense in itself. Diesel fuel is also going up in price (total crap), so fuel price is somewhat normalized. (compare paying under 30k for a Nissan Titan to over 40k on a solid diesel and decide how much your saving over actual vehicle use)

If you average 5K in tow miles a year, your likely to save 500.00 in expenses for going deisel per year. Check resale vs depreciation and see if 5 years of towing will pay for itself by spending more now. Most important is the wheelbase and well exceeding tow requirements. Look at enclosed trailers as a big sail. Tail wag/control is very important. I have towed with the wrong vehicle and know the difference. The odds of damaging your car on the track are likely lower than towing with the wrong vehicle. There are some really good threads on towing. Do a quick search and you will find alot of info.

George3

Bob & Chris-

Thanks for the great info!!!

OK, I just got back from a couple Nissan dealers (early Sunday morning) . . . yeah, I know . . . I need a life.

Anyway, the Titan's do not list a GVW rating on the window stickers (like Tundra's do). Tundra says 10,300 Lb towing capacity. I have to believe what you guys say is true, because you have a lot of experience. I prefer the gas vs. diesel, but the Titan has a smaller engine (5.6L vs. 5.7L) and a lower horsepower rating, than Tundra.

If I'm to assume ALL the Titans have the same towing capacity, will a short bed be OK, or do I need a long bed truck?

Thanks

George3

I read your thread on Tundra . . . very helpful !!!
I think the Tundra may be out.

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banzaisan

George3,

The Titan can a little less tow capacity. My 2006 has crew cab with the standard bed is only 9200 lbs. If you want to save some money, I have a very clean 24K mile for sale. I still have another year on the MFG warranty.

Chulo

I have a 2005 Silverado 3500 DRW diesel. I drove the Ford, and just could not live with the noise of the Powerstroke. The Duramax is a lot quiter, and it drives much nicer, IMHO. My intentions are not to start another Ford vs. Chevy debate... just sharing my opinion.

Anyway, I trailered Dave's trailer (few posts up) with a 996 Cab in it from Indiana to Illinois, and averaged 13 mpg. I figure trailer, car, stuff... it was probably 7500lbs more or less. Power, power, power, and 13 mpg! I used to tow with a GMC Denali, and there is just no comparison. If you are going to trailer a small trailer, then I would stick with gas, as they are just easier to live with.

George3

From the Article:
http://blogs.edmunds.com/karl/579

"The specs on every full-size truck have gotten rather ridiculous. The Titan is considered one of the "weaker" trucks with "only" 9,200 pounds towing capacity, though its 1680-pound maximum payload is higher than most competitors."

Should this be of any concern to me?

Full Specs on 2008 Titan:
http://www.trucktrend.com/roadtests/...cs_prices.html

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Phokaioglaukos

George, The Titan is more usefully capable than the Tundra. Allowing a 20% cushion, you can tow 7360 lbs. (measured by tow capacity) and that will use 883 lbs. of your payload for tongue weight, leaving you almost 800 lbs. for other passengers, fuel and anything in the back of the Titan.

The issue with the Tundra is that although it can tow 10,100 lbs. it has a payload of only 1495 lbs, and those numbers don't translate into real world towing so well. With a 20' aluminum trailer you can probably pack light enough to be under the 7380 lbs. and use the Titan. A Tundra might work too, but you have to do the numbers. Tongue weight should be 9-15% of total, loaded trailer weight. I used 12% in the above calculations as a mid-point in the range.

George3

So, is it accurate to "assume" a shorter bed will equal "more" payload???
(because of less weight)

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