[Ivan Boris]

Hello,

I'm new to the forum. I have a 01 sienna LE with 134.000mi. I am planning to tow 2500lbs - 3500lbs for 6.000mi - 10.000mi miles with it.
Mechanically sound has a new radiator and I'm going to install a transmission cooler and temp gauges for transmission and water. I am planning on getting new rear shocks and the Air Lift 1000 bags but I'm thinking about the brakes as I'm trying to be as safe as possible. The van will be loaded with about 600lbs also the interior is gutted to save weight/space.
Any tips about towing and upgrades will help.

Appreciate all responses.

 

[22Ranger]

Hello,

I'm new to the forum. I have a 01 sienna LE with 134.000mi. I am planning to tow 2500lbs - 3500lbs for 6.000mi - 10.000mi miles with it.
Mechanically sound has a new radiator and I'm going to install a transmission cooler and temp gauges for transmission and water. I am planning on getting new rear shocks and the Air Lift 1000 bags but I'm thinking about the brakes as I'm trying to be as safe as possible. The van will be loaded with about 600lbs also the interior is gutted to save weight/space.
Any tips about towing and upgrades will help.

Appreciate all responses.

Sounds like you have most of the concerns pretty well covered.

Here is a post I made on towing with a second gen 06’ and a third gen
16’.

Baby Got Back-Coil Spring Specialist Rear Lift

This weekend I installed new custom rear coil springs on my 16’ FWD XLE from Coil Spring Specialists (CSS). I consulted with Kevin Crane and he spec’d our several different options for me. Why? I tow a trailer/bike rack combo with a 400 lb tongue weight. I continued to have major scrapping...

www.siennachat.com

 

[Ivan Boris]

Sounds like you have most of the concerns pretty well covered.

Here is a post I made on towing with a second gen 06’ and a third gen
16’.

Baby Got Back-Coil Spring Specialist Rear Lift

This weekend I installed new custom rear coil springs on my 16’ FWD XLE from Coil Spring Specialists (CSS). I consulted with Kevin Crane and he spec’d our several different options for me. Why? I tow a trailer/bike rack combo with a 400 lb tongue weight. I continued to have major scrapping...

www.siennachat.com

Hello,

Thanks for the reply. I took a look at coil spring specialist (CSS) but looks like their site is down for now. My main worries are the brakes as I read on other forums the brakes are not that strong for towing and I could not find a rear drum to disc conversion kit. I found a company that has brakes hear is the link
( Toyota YSR Big Brake Kit - Front 330mm X 32MM DISC 6 POT (YSCPF6B) ). The coils for the rear are still an issue but I found some on eBay but not sure if that it will fit and the rear shocks I am thinking of get some cheep ones that will use just for towing than after that put the OEM shocks back.

Any tips will help.

Appreciate all responses.

 

[22Ranger]

Hello,

Thanks for the reply. I took a look at coil spring specialist (CSS) but looks like their site is down for now. My main worries are the brakes as I read on other forums the brakes are not that strong for towing and I could not find a rear drum to disc conversion kit. I found a company that has brakes hear is the link
( Toyota YSR Big Brake Kit - Front 330mm X 32MM DISC 6 POT (YSCPF6B) ). The coils for the rear are still an issue but I found some on eBay but not sure if that it will fit and the rear shocks I am thinking of get some cheep ones that will use just for towing than after that put the OEM shocks back.

Any tips will help.

Appreciate all responses.

Yea, the rear drums could leaving you wanting. Any chance you can setup the the trailer with brakes?

I never had a 1st gen Sienna, but I feel like some folks have used Odyssey springs on them. It jacks it up pretty high, but I think the spring rate is increased too.

The CSS springs have been great, too bad the site is down. Did you find a phone number for them? They run about $350 for a custom set.

 

[Ivan Boris]

Yea, the rear drums could leaving you wanting. Any chance you can setup the the trailer with brakes?

I never had a 1st gen Sienna, but I feel like some folks have used Odyssey springs on them. It jacks it up pretty high, but I think the spring rate is increased too.

The CSS springs have been great, too bad the site is down. Did you find a phone number for them? They run about $350 for a custom set.

Hi,

The trailers I'm looking at is either a 5x10 flat bed max 2500lbs or a 5x8 enclosed max 3600lbs and each have 1 axle no brakes and I am going to be towing on a lot hills. I think the 1st gen sienna is similar to the 2nd gen. The early 2nd gen 04-05 have the 3mz-fe which is just a bored out 1mz-fe but the rear suspension I don't know about that so I will have to do some looking around and the odyssey rear springs are an idea but I will need to measure the spring first before I look in to getting some of those but my other concern is the alignment.
I will try to call CSS on Monday and see if they can get me some springs and I might just end up doing the brakes on all 4 corners. Pads, slotted and drilled rotors, steel or iron drums, shoes, hardware etc.

Thanks for the reply.

Any tips will help.

Appreciate all responses.

 

[davmac61]

You can add electric brakes to the trailer. See etrailer for kits or talk to the dealer where you are purchasing the trailer.
Personally I would confirm your van brakes are in good shape and inspect along the trip. You know you will wear the brakes much faster due to the additional trailer weight. Slotted and drilled rotors add nothing. Trailer brakes are a better place to spend your money.

 

[mtdelvecchio]

I have a Gen 2 with 196K. We tow a popup camper, 2100 lbs. My first input would be keep you total weight as close to the 2500 lbs not 3500. After that I would agree with your focus on the brakes. My gen 2 has 4 wheel disc brakes, but it still can get dicey in the mountains, and really an issue without trailer brakes, which we now have. As another reply suggested, I would strongly suggest you get a trailer with brakes. You will need to have a brake controller. But I would not do what you are going to do without trailer brakes.
Good idea regarding the new radiator and trans cooler, both of which I have done.
Air lifts will help keep you level, and I really like them, but they do not add to your payload amount.
I did, recenlty, install new coil springs, was fairly easy to do. And yes, I keep up with my struts and shocks.

 

[circus]

If you don't own a trailer yet and you plan to haul that much weight, consider only trailers with brakes. When I towed heavy weights with my Axxess (tiny minivan) I'd carry as much as possible, as forward as possible, inside the van for better control.

 

[Ivan Boris]

You can add electric brakes to the trailer. See etrailer for kits or talk to the dealer where you are purchasing the trailer.
Personally I would confirm your van brakes are in good shape and inspect along the trip. You know you will wear the brakes much faster due to the additional trailer weight. Slotted and drilled rotors add nothing. Trailer brakes are a better place to spend your money.

Hello.

Thanks for the reply. I will look into trailer brakes and see what I can do about getting a trailer that already has brakes.
My vans front brakes were done about 10.000mi ago and I will have to check the rear brakes also I might just do the brake fluid due to its color.

 

[Ivan Boris]

I have a Gen 2 with 196K. We tow a popup camper, 2100 lbs. My first input would be keep you total weight as close to the 2500 lbs not 3500. After that I would agree with your focus on the brakes. My gen 2 has 4 wheel disc brakes, but it still can get dicey in the mountains, and really an issue without trailer brakes, which we now have. As another reply suggested, I would strongly suggest you get a trailer with brakes. You will need to have a brake controller. But I would not do what you are going to do without trailer brakes.
Good idea regarding the new radiator and trans cooler, both of which I have done.
Air lifts will help keep you level, and I really like them, but they do not add to your payload amount.
I did, recenlty, install new coil springs, was fairly easy to do. And yes, I keep up with my struts and shocks.

If you don't own a trailer yet and you plan to haul that much weight, consider only trailers with brakes. When I towed heavy weights with my Axxess (tiny minivan) I'd carry as much as possible, as forward as possible, inside the van for better control.

Thanks for the reply mtdelvecchio. It would be nice if I only had to tow 2500 lbs. but my trip takes 4 days to get there and 4 days back so I want to take as much as possible. I will get trailer brakes and a brake controller and I will somehow upgrade the rear suspension.

Thanks for the reply circus. I do not have a trailer yet and yes I want to tow as much as possible. The heavy weights inside the van will be about in the center of the van.


I had a guy who was towing for me and he towed 5000lbs for 500mi with a different 1st gen 03 sienna XLE with most of the factory options no tow package and put more than 1000 lbs. on the roof rack. He still drives it but the transmission makes some noise and shifts a bit hard.
I would never do what he did with my van.

Any tips will help.

Appreciate all responses.

 

[circus]

Thanks for the reply. I will look into trailer brakes and see what I can do about getting a trailer that already has brakes.

You never know. Twenty five years ago my mother blew a head gasket a hundred miles from home. Planned to swap cars using my 1 ton and a rented car dolly but didn't like the dolly's condition. Chose a trailer with surge brakes. Tooling along on the belt line cresting a knoll at 60. Traffic jamb!!! Standing on the brakes stopping just short.

 

[Ivan Boris]

You never know. Twenty five years ago my mother blew a head gasket a hundred miles from home. Planned to swap cars using my 1 ton and a rented car dolly but didn't like the dolly's condition. Chose a trailer with surge brakes. Tooling along on the belt line cresting a knoll at 60. Traffic jamb!!! Standing on the brakes stopping just short.

I might just end up getting a pickup truck as it is just a better idea also safer and might be less costly than to use a vehicle that was never intended to tow a trailer and long distance at that so I will use my van as a daily driver but the truck I wat something small not a full size like a 1st gen Tundra, 1st gen RAM 1st gen Chevy/GMC 1500, or 7th-10th gen F-150
but I want close to full size performance something like the 98-04 Nissan Frontier, Toyota T100 Or the
late 1st gen Dodge Dakota.

If you all got any tips it will be appreciate.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[circus]

I might just end up getting a pickup.....If you all got any tips it will be appreciate.

Can't advise you, don't have a clue what you have in mind. Haven't used my 1 ton in ten years. Can't justify the insurance, crappy gas mileage, etc for the few miles driven. Using a trailer, the few times needed, is good enough for me.