Hey I’m considering buying a 2014 or 15 Toyota Tacoma V6 for both a daily driver and a hobby truck. I will need to use whatever truck I decide to buy to tow 3500 lb cars on a dual axle trailer. Will a long bed double cab v6 Tacoma be up to the job? Does the long bed give a towing advantage over the short bed variant? If not would a v6 Tundra long bed doublecab do better? Thank you in advance
you are tryting to tow at the limit and it is not a good thing for a long run. Get one with the tow package.
The length of the bed and cab have no bearing on towing capacity. The truck's engine, transmission, final drive ratio and ultimately the frame are the key factors in towing capacity. The one you have the most control over is the final drive.
A "taller" final drive can multiply the engine's torque to a higher degree than "shorter" final drives. Torque is what you want to tow, not necessarily horsepower.
As an example, my 1999 Off-Road Ranger has a 4.10:1 final drive. That means the drive shaft is spinning 4.1 times for every revolution of the wheel, the more the drive shaft spins per revolution of the wheel, the more pulling power (torque) you have. The caveat here is MPG. More drive shaft revolutions per wheel rotation means more gas consumption per mile. The Rangers not meant for offroading have 3.55:1 or 3.73:1 final drives. They have less pulling power. From the 4.10 to the 3.55, a Ranger with my engine will lose around 108 pound-feet of torque on a 3.55 final drive vs the 4.10. They will get better gas mileage on the highway, but the engine will work harder to pull weight.
Most manufacturers offer multiple final drive ratios for trucks, so you can pick from several options to suit your needs. Generally the off-road models will have the most aggressive final drive ratios.
i would think a V8 would be a better choice in the long run. you can't beat the extra hp. and torque.
I have the same Tacoma, only 2005 V6. I tow a 2700lb boat with no issues, I can barely feel it back there. The Tacoma is fine for your needs
