Considering a 2024 Limited with Air Suspension....

Good day all. I am in the market for a new truck to tow my 6,000 lbs travel trailer. I see Toyota offers factory air suspension (but tow mirrors aren't an option with the air suspension? Weird). Would ya'll recommend it for towing? I have air suspension on my 2015 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel and it's been wonderful for towing. Just curious if the Toyota system works well, and is worth it for the additional $1200?

 

$1200 air susp(electrical wiring possible issues down the road) vs $1500 shocks and springs upgrade (no electrical wiring issues/easier to replace)

 

I have a 22 DC Limited with the factory air suspension and it works great towing my 27ft Lance TT. The suspension has 3 settings, Low, Med & High. Once you reach 18 mph it goes to Med height automatically. Once I set the WDH up the system takes care of the truck and trailer being level. It is more complicated than some others but the auto leveling takes the guesswork out of it. I would do it again for sure.

 

I’m curious how one sets up a weight distribution hitch if you have auto leveling air bags? I tow an enclosed car trailer with 2.5 gen and I have Firestone bags and a WD hitch. I run 15# of pressure in the bags and then set up the hitch. If the air pressure in the bags changed after that, would it not affect the hitch set up? Or am I missing something?

 

I have over 10k miles pulling a 7k lb camper. The air suspension works fine. Will be curious to see how your Tundra tows as compared to your Ram EcoDeisel.
I have found that my iForce-Max is perfect for my needs and is effortless compared to my old 08’ 5.7L Tundra.

 

I set mine up with the system in the normal mode. It doesn't go to auto level until you exceed 18 mph. It will have some squat before you reach that mph. So its best to remove as much of it as possible before you drive off. By doing it this way you don't put as much pressure on the system. Much like if you didn't have the auto leveling. I had a 2010 DC prior to my 22 and had 3 different trailers over that time span that required adjusting the WDH for each one. I used Sumo Springs in the past with fair luck. Much like you you develop a system that works best for you and use it each time the need arises.

 

The air suspension works wonderful, I have 25,000 miles of towing 12,000# and the air suspension is what makes it work.

I was upset I too was not able to get towing mirrors. The standard mirrors are good for what they are, but I still wish I could have got the tow mirrors.

 

Absolutely get the factory Air. Works seamless. I have the tow mirrors and air from the factory, but mine is a 22 so maybe something changed. BTW, I HATE the tow mirrors, will probably end up changing them out.

 

I haven't been able to locate a Limited with the "Load-leveling Rear Height Control Air Suspension" already installed. Was this something you were able to get installed by the dealer when you purchased it, or did it come as part of a package on the vehicle from the factory? I looked into installing it myself after purchase, but I can't find any part numbers.

 

It's from the factory.

Similarly, I've noticed it's impossible to locate nearly any trim level with the air suspension, even more impossible trying to find a Platinum with one. Those that have been able to find them are definitely lucky.

Also, Toyota's inventory search doesn't let you filter by that option. So even if you were willing to travel for it, you'd have to look through individual window stickers.

 

Well that's certainly a choice haha! Way to make a feature I very much want nigh impossible to get. Remarkable job Toyota

 

Took me 10 months to get a plat with rear air and a 6.5' bed.

 

Fun! Was it worth it in the end, or do you wish you would have just installed an aftermarket airbag leveling system?

 

lol same here, we ordered ours in 5-may-2022, after 6 months the dealer came back and said we have to transfer the request to a 2023. about 1-2 months after that the dealer called and said we have one close to what we originally requested. the wife said at that point she didnt care and just wanted a plat that was close to what we wanted.

we finally drove off the lot 22-feb-2023. 10 months later.

 

https://www.captoyota.com/new/Toyot...le-Salem-8277a17bac181734e65b817f8014a3df.htm

I saw this one locally. Has power steps and auto leveling. HUD as well.

and one with tow mirrors and leveling etc.
https://www.captoyota.com/new/Toyot...le-Salem-a859e118ac18460587e7fa0dc62cc23c.htm

so they are out there… if you like black.

Edit :
I had to look, one in MGM At Wilsonville Toyota.

 

I am happy that my '22 Limited came with the auto leveling air. At first I wasn't but I do tow a 25' travel trailer and it works great. Especially after seeing the squat of the ones without towing a trailer.

 

So if I understand this correctly, you need to try and get the WD hitch to hold the rear of the truck up around the height the auto leveling will lift to. Otherwise, if the bags lift the truck after the WD hitch is set, it removes the spring tension the hitch is creating to hold the rear of the truck up and then only the air bags are doing the work.

 

My '05 Tundra doesn't tow through the mountains very well, which is why I got the EcoDiesel. I wanted a truck to bridge the gap between towing and road trips (non-towing). The EcoDiesel is wonderful for road trips as I average between 25-32 mpg on long stretches of highway; and is very comfortable and quiet. Towing wise, it's not a horsepower king like the larger displacement trucks (diesel or gas). Though I still manage upper teens when towing (less on large mountain passes), and the towing power could be much better. I have nearly 200k miles on my EcoDiesel, hence considering a new Tundra for a replacement. I would like a little more tow power for my travel trailer. Looks like the standard iMax engine would be sufficient, and I wouldn't need to pony up the extra $$ for the hybrid. I love my auto adjusting air suspension--which sounds like yours auto adjusts as well. Definitely makes a huge difference in towing. The equalizer hitch maximizes the towing control though.

 

Thank you all for your feedback and input. Looks like I need to get to a dealer and take one for a test drive.

 

I had thought the self leveling needs to be turned off (set to manual) to hook up a WDH. This is what the Manual says. This allows you to raise up the truck to get the bars on without the air system trying to compensate. Anyway, the airbags work great and I was able to find a fully loaded SR5 with the air and the tow mirrors. On the interior it is almost a Limited, and on the outside no chrome mustache and it has 18” wheels, and no TRD and that just adds more weight which messes up my heavy towing.

 

Highly recommend driving the hybrid and non hybrid side by side to compare, *if* I ever get back into the gen 3 I would never buy the non hybrid

 

Good Job. There many video's on how to set up a WDH. Easy to go crazy watching them. Some are better than others but the basics are the same. Lots of variables, tongue wt, truck suspension, ie coil or leaf springs and truck payload. Air bags can make you look like a pro getting your rig level regardless if it is factory or an add on.

 

if you are towing, i would go the hybrid, since that what the hybrid is mostly built for. we went non hv since we never tow (1 in maybe in the last 5-7 yrs).

popular belief outside of the forums is that hybrids are for mpg, but toyota built the tundra hybrid for stand still towing (ie: easier to get a load moving with the hybrid assist). it does assist in uphills but its very limited in the duration since the battery pack is so small and wasnt meant for long term assist.

 

Totally worth it.

 

That definitely makes sense, as the EPA numbers between hybrid and non hybrid are negligible.

 

Exactly. There is no financial benefit to owning the Hybrid. The premium to buy it is obscene.

 

well technically there is no financial benefit to owning any non work related vehicle or collector car.

toyota never promoted the hybrid tundra as to saving money or better mpg since inception. but then again most people dont understand the hybrid system in the tundra. its sorely there to assist, not to drive the vehicle in what most people think of a hybrid system like the prius.

the tundra hybrid battery can only move the vehicle if :

1. speed is below 18 mph
2. can only move the vehicle for less than 5 mins on battery (not sure on duration since i have heard its even less than 5 mins)

 

The strange thing about this is that my Tundra will keep the engine off well above 18 mph in certain scenarios. I remember reading about the 18 mph thing before getting the truck so that's what I was expecting, but in practice, it actually keeps the engine off sometimes up to 40 mph. Of course conditions have to be basically perfect: flat or slight downhill, already in motion, maintaining a constant speed. But it DOES in fact operate the electric only mode above 18 mph. And it's not just coasting as when it's happening, I'm watching the electric motor output gauge.

But yeah, sometimes through 25-30 mph neighborhoods or similar situations, I can drive a pretty "decent" distance in electric-only above 18 mph.

 

FYI the hybrid does kick in above 18mph. I had mine running a lot between 35-65mph depending on roads and conditions, became a game to keep it there for as long as possible. Perfectly flat, light tailwind 2 lane roads saw extended hybrid only use and phenomenal MPG. One day running errands I was able to get 30+ mpg

 

Predict we will see Dex in a 3rd gen Tundra again at some point