Jeepster

I towed a 19' Airstream around Texas and then from Austin to the Chicago area. The trailer weighed about 4,500 lbs (?). I had a brake controlled installed and couldn't tell there was a trailer attached when stopping. Acceleration was slower, of course. It towed extremely well and I got about 8 - 10 mpg in hilly areas and 10 - 12 in the flat lands. My GX had the air suspension and I had an anti-sway tow bar. The car self-leveled when when it sensed the trailer weigh while hooking it up. I never towed a boxy trailer but have read that it's like having a sail on the back of your vehicle to slow it down.

Get on the Airstream Forums to learn more.

skrypj

Yes, a full 8' wide travel trailer is like a parachute. You need a lot of HP to keep those things moving at freeway speeds, and you need even more if you are fighting a headwind.

I towed my travel trailer across Wyoming while a winter storm was blowing in using my F150 Ecoboost. I went basically 9 hours straight into a 20-30 mph headwind I was almost continuously using about 200+ hp to keep the thing moving on flat ground. My Ecoboost makes about 525 ft-lbs at 2000 rpm because it is tuned, and I was having to run at 3200 rpm in 4th gear the whole way just to keep it from gear hunting, just to give you an idea of tough it was. Also, I normally get 9.5-10mpg towing my trailer at 65-70mph in good conditions, that day I averaged 6.5.

It would have been a miserable experience in the GX. At those same elevations the GX would have only been making a maximum of 240 hp and probably would have been spinning 4500 rpm the entire way. Not saying it cannot be done with a GX, but if you were gunna be towing a lot in the Rocky Mtn and at high elevations you either should buy and smaller, aerodynamic trailer(like an airstream, tear drop, or just a 7' wide trailer instead of the full 8') or consider another tow vehicle. Something with a a lot of HP.

swfla

iTrader: (1)

That sounds very dangerous. I imagine that you had no choice but to keep going instead of sitting the storm out for a day. A good example of why matching the tow vehicle and the trailer with power to spare is important.

meitzler

How well does the 17 GX 460 toe an airstream Bambi 22 or Flying Cloud 23' trailer? They both fall within the weight limitations. I have only seen old posts some positive and some negative. I just would like to know if someone feels comfortable towing them now and at what speed limit.

swfla

iTrader: (1)

I went to the Airstream site. Looks like you're close to max towing capacity with gear and 2 people. You'd be fine on flat road at 60 mph but tough going up hills, forced to run in a lower gear and reduced speeds. The Caravel would be a much better size for the GX than the Flying Cloud. The Bambi may work better as well. That being said, you could get away with Caravel but the more you go camping, the worse it is on your vehicle. Pulling a large weight with a light vehicle is tiring. A truck based vehicle is superior to a Lexus SUV. I'm sure you can find something to make this work for you. Have you been to see these trailers in person? From personal experience, it's worth a thousand words. Ethical dealers also want to put you in something that will make you happy, easy towing is part of that happiness. What did the travel trailer forums say?

Acrad

Wonder if tow rating (J2807) would have been different on the 460 if it hadn't started life in 2009 Model year? Looks like J2807 implementation years are all over the place for Toyota/Lexus as well as other manufacturers who apparently didn't conform until years later.

https://pressroom.toyota.com/toyota-...-tow-standard/

Example changes for LC/LX:

[2011 LX 570] - 7,000 lb tow rating

[2010 LX 570] - 8,500 lb tow rating

[2011 LC] - 8,200 lb tow rating

[2010 LC] - 8,500 lb tow rating

swfla

iTrader: (1)

https://vehq.com/best-suv-towing-travel-trailer/ there's a section in this article about general towing "rules". I think it reflects what you need to make an informed decision. As the weight of the trailer approaches the weight of the tow vehicle, the trailer will jerk the tow vehicle around when anything like wind, g-forces, etc act upon the trailer. Trailers are a tall and wide sail type surface that catches even mild cross winds, including a semi-trailer zipping past you on the freeway. The GX weighs about 6500 lbs. Specs for trailer weight is always under actual weight in real life towing situations.

meitzler

3 airstream dealers say it should toe the 23 just fine. No recent posts on the airstream forum for the GX 460. One old post expressed problems. I just wanted to make sure the GX had enough power. It would be nice to hear some real-world experience.

nuclearn8

Add an air cooled transmission cooler
Add a redarc trailer brake controller
Ensure your tongue weight is within limits
and
It'll tow it but your gas mileage will absolutely suck but that's no different than any other vehicle...

In the end it's really your comfort level and how it feels... a 23 is gonna feel much much different behind a full size pickup than a GX just based on tow capacity... pickups are purpose built to tow and haul, a GX, not so much...

meitzler

What is the total GX 460 weight limit including vehicle and RV? The trailer max is 6500 with weight distribution hitch. Also looking for recent toeing experience.

Ontario102

Plenty of threads on this, but I wouldn't tow more than I am now: 4500# loaded. Sure it's rated at 6500, and plenty of people push this limit irregardless of safety, but our trucks just aren't that powerful to confidently pull that much if you are driving anywhere but generally flat terrain, IMO. Ascending mountain passes are sometimes a bit of a struggle with full payload in the truck. I can't imagine descending an 8% grade with 6500# pushing on my ***, either. WDH's help a bit, but I don't think load distribution is the issue.

Acrad

6,600 lbs GVWR with curb weight around 5,125 lbs..

meitzler

What speed do you feel confortable with toeing with your GX? Do you toe in 4th gear?

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Check out the thread on adding the transmission cooler too. This would be very beneficial for heavy towing IMO.

meitzler

Thanks. I have the brake controller already installed, the factory hitch, and the factory air cooled transmission cooler. The parameters are within LEXUS toeing specs at 6500 lbs with weight distribution hitch and 650 lbs tongue weight. The trailer is actual 6000 GVW. I am still trying to find someone to determine it they always toe in 4th and what toeing speed is comfortable.