Should this worry me?

**PSNissanFleetMgr** · 04-25-2008, 09:38 PM

Pulling a 22' TT 350 miles to Pismo in August with my 2006 XE 4x2 C/C w/o BT. Yes, I'll have the trailer brakes equipped. This is going to be a family outing (small vacation) and I wanna make sure my Titan is up to the task. Of course, before leaving I'll be purchasing BT mirrors and possibly a trans cooler.

Do you think it'd be a wise decision to invest in a tranny temp gauge?

I should have my spindle lift on by then also, total of 6.5" of lift up front and 4" out back with a Deaver add-a-leaf and probably Bilstiens. Do you think I'll also need airbags? FWIW, I'll be using a weight distributing hitch.

I just need to know what I will be looking at for this trip. My wife (125lbs), me (235lbs) and my two babies will be in the truck with me, along with perhaps a quad (350lbs) in the bed.

Do I worry, or do I not? Also, should I use the trans' Tow/Haul mode? And lastly, what kind of gas mileage can I expect? I am thinking at BEST 10mpg highway. Thoughts?

**HudsonValleyTitan** · 04-25-2008, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSNissanFleetMgr

Pulling a 22' TT 350 miles to Pismo in August with my 2006 XE 4x2 C/C w/o BT. Yes, I'll have the trailer brakes equipped. This is going to be a family outing (small vacation) and I wanna make sure my Titan is up to the task. Of course, before leaving I'll be purchasing BT mirrors and possibly a trans cooler.

Do you think it'd be a wise decision to invest in a tranny temp gauge?

I should have my spindle lift on by then also, total of 6.5" of lift up front and 4" out back with a Deaver add-a-leaf and probably Bilstiens. Do you think I'll also need airbags? FWIW, I'll be using a weight distributing hitch.

I just need to know what I will be looking at for this trip. My wife (125lbs), me (235lbs) and my two babies will be in the truck with me, along with perhaps a quad (350lbs) in the bed.

Do I worry, or do I not? Also, should I use the trans' Tow/Haul mode? And lastly, what kind of gas mileage can I expect? I am thinking at BEST 10mpg highway. Thoughts?

Every Titan comes equipped with a tranny cooler so....you're ok there. I have no idea how a lift changes the towing abilities of the truck though. Keep it in TOW MODE and tow in 4th. I'd say you can try 5th but with no guage, you won't know when it's getting hot. You should average between 9 and 11 MPG.

**loufish** · 04-25-2008, 10:06 PM

If you're driving in the sand:
Tips for towing in the sand

Keep it in 4th and don't be afraid to grab 3rd up the hills...no problems running 3500-3700 rpm even up long grades.

Load as much stuff as possible in the trailer to keep the truck weight down...

Lifting the truck doesn't cause issues BUT installing taller tires does, and with non-tow you can't afford to lose any more gear ratio...

**PSNissanFleetMgr** · 04-26-2008, 07:29 AM

Thanks for the tips guys. I will be putting the PRG mini lift + 33" tires on the truck I think. It seems to be more cost effective, with not quite the same gear ratio loss as a the ful 6.5" spindle lift. I haven't decided yet though. The tires I have now are 31.6" and the one I'd be getting if I got the PRG mini lift are 32.7". So no big difference there.

Also, I will be driving on the sand but not towing the trailer. I'll tow it out there, and since I'm 2WD my buddy will hook it up to his Duramax and tow it out to the camp spot.

I am looking forward to the trip.

**Nissan Mike** · 04-26-2008, 07:51 AM

Sounds like you should be fine with what you're hauling.You might want to think about the air bags though.I'm using Ride Rites and have nothing but great things to say about them.My towing is primarily for boats,never exceeding probably 5,000 LBS.
Don't forget about our resident Toy Hauler/Towing/Pismo expert we have here on staff "Derwud" if any doubts send him a PM.
If it's been towed with a Titan,he's probably already been there.....

bgbdwlf2500 · 04-26-2008, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSNissanFleetMgr

Thanks for the tips guys. I will be putting the PRG mini lift + 33" tires on the truck I think. It seems to be more cost effective, with not quite the same gear ratio loss as a the ful 6.5" spindle lift. I haven't decided yet though. The tires I have now are 31.6" and the one I'd be getting if I got the PRG mini lift are 32.7". So no big difference there.

Also, I will be driving on the sand but not towing the trailer. I'll tow it out there, and since I'm 2WD my buddy will hook it up to his Duramax and tow it out to the camp spot.

I am looking forward to the trip.

not talking smack not trying to be an ahole, you dont have enough truck...seems you already know the answer (in red)...

what i mean by this is i had a 2500 Dmax and with a 16' landscape trailer when the trailer swayed i KNEW it was back there...thats an unloaded trailer.....add the weight distributing hitch and i guarantee if the trailer decides it doesnt want to stay on the road, youll be a passenger to the trailer. the THEORY with a weight distributing hitch is great but they are very dangerous...of course the right situation has to show its ugly head...

TallTexan · 04-26-2008, 03:01 PM

I would suggest you take off as slow as you can to keep the load off the axle and springs. These trucks use a spring over axle set up which causes a lot of the axle wrap problems we have. When you lift the truck, you cause more leverage on the springs and you might see a lot of upward pinion angle change. I found that you could take off fast and the rear would start vibrating because of the increased pinion angle. Try to take off slow and you probably will have no problems.

**PSNissanFleetMgr** · 04-26-2008, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bgbdwlf2500

not talking smack not trying to be an ahole, you dont have enough truck...seems you already know the answer (in red)...

what i mean by this is i had a 2500 Dmax and with a 16' landscape trailer when the trailer swayed i KNEW it was back there...thats an unloaded trailer.....add the weight distributing hitch and i guarantee if the trailer decides it doesnt want to stay on the road, youll be a passenger to the trailer. the THEORY with a weight distributing hitch is great but they are very dangerous...of course the right situation has to show its ugly head...

The only reason my buddy would be towing it out to the camp is because he's 4wd. Not because of any other reason. Oh, and his truck is lifted too.

I am sure a Titan can handle roughly 7,000 lbs for a 3 hour drive with electric trailer brakes and the proper tow equipment. I'm really not EXTREMELY worried about it, I just wanted to know if I should invest in some airbags and things of that nature.

Derwud · 04-26-2008, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nissan Mike

Don't forget about our resident Toy Hauler/Towing/Pismo expert we have here on staff "Derwud" if any doubts send him a PM.
If it's been towed with a Titan,he's probably already been there.....

Oh the stories I could tell..

What route are you going to take? For me, 210-5-126-101..

The air bags will help, but with a TT instead of a TH you should be okay..

**HudsonValleyTitan** · 04-26-2008, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bgbdwlf2500

not talking smack not trying to be an ahole, you dont have enough truck...seems you already know the answer (in red)...

what i mean by this is i had a 2500 Dmax and with a 16' landscape trailer when the trailer swayed i KNEW it was back there...thats an unloaded trailer.....add the weight distributing hitch and i guarantee if the trailer decides it doesnt want to stay on the road, youll be a passenger to the trailer. the THEORY with a weight distributing hitch is great but they are very dangerous...of course the right situation has to show its ugly head...

What are you talking about? WDs are dangerous? He doesn't have enough truck? Are you high?

**PSNissanFleetMgr** · 04-26-2008, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Derwud

Oh the stories I could tell..

What route are you going to take? For me, 210-5-126-101..

The air bags will help, but with a TT instead of a TH you should be okay..

Probably 10W-57N-210W-134W-101N. Not sure yet. Might go 10W-210W-134W-101N. They recently completed that connection between the 10 and 210 near Ontario, CA.

bgbdwlf2500 · 04-26-2008, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HudsonValleyTitan

What are you talking about? WDs are dangerous? He doesn't have enough truck? Are you high?

lol maybe the trailer i was pulling is a pos....but i tell you what at 7000lbs i felt a 16ft trailer swaying and it scared me, i couldnt imagine what it would be in a 5000 lb titan.......pull heavy trailers all you want just please hit me when you do....oh and by the way at 26 years old ive never smoked or drank anything illegal, have you?

Derwud · 04-27-2008, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSNissanFleetMgr

Probably 10W-57N-210W-134W-101N. Not sure yet. Might go 10W-210W-134W-101N. They recently completed that connection between the 10 and 210 near Ontario, CA.

Check my Route.. The 101 is a POS with a trailer. You take the 5 to just after Magic Mountain and then hit the 126 and it's piece of cake!!!

**HudsonValleyTitan** · 04-27-2008, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bgbdwlf2500

lol maybe the trailer i was pulling is a pos....but i tell you what at 7000lbs i felt a 16ft trailer swaying and it scared me, i couldnt imagine what it would be in a 5000 lb titan.......pull heavy trailers all you want just please hit me when you do....oh and by the way at 26 years old ive never smoked or drank anything illegal, have you?

Oh man....lol..live a little! I can barely remember 26 so maybe I have more towing experience. But a 7000 LB 16' trailer shouldn't scare anyone. My last Titan was an 04 CC and towed our 8500LB TT, that's twice that length, with no problems. If you're talking about a TT, you're always going to have SOME sort of sway, but not a scary sway....that means your set-up is all wrong. Proper set-up is everything.

bfrank · 04-27-2008, 05:31 PM

I just towed a car trailer with my Jeep weighing in at just over 6,000lbs I have the big tow package and my trans temp gauge never moved. I kept it in tow mode the whole time but left the tranny in D.