Towing ? what RPM

[Phaeton]

I am running 373's with 35" Toyo's. When towing the boat approx 7000# in tow/haul mode the truck runs at 2250 rpm at 55 which is off because of the tires. I think that's around 62 mph. Is this a good rpm range to tow in? Fuel mileage according to the computer sucks (between 9-10) Any recommendations?

 

[klaybus]

RPM's while towing

I am running 373's with 35" Toyo's. When towing the boat approx 7000# in tow/haul mode the truck runs at 2250 rpm at 55 which is off because of the tires. I think that's around 62 mph. Is this a good rpm range to tow in? Fuel mileage according to the computer sucks (between 9-10) Any recommendations?

I frequently tow at 2250 with my 24 valve 2nd gen. I run 3. 5 gears & 285's with an auto & tow #8000 + and am consistantly at 2250+...

I think your computer would be affected with the larger tires but I typically get approx. 12 mpg while towing FWIW.



Clay

 

[Scrappy]

add 10 percent to that 9-10 since your speedo is off. might not be a bad idea to turn the tow/haul off and let it go into overdrive. it should be all right with the amount of weight you are towing in O/D as long as rpm's are above 1600 rpms. if it starts hunting(shifting back and forth between 3rd and 4th) then reengage the tow haul.

 

[Tim]

Tow haul doesn't lock out overdrive, it changes shift points and such.



Any RPM range that isn't lugging is fine for towing.

 

[driverno8]

I tow that much all the time. RPM's seem normal to me. Except I see those numbers with tow/haul off, so it's in overdrive. 4:10's on 35"s When I get to a really big hill I'll actually back out of the trottle to get my RPMs down then put tow/haul on to bring the RPMs back up, bring boost up, bringing temps down. That's really the only time I use tow/haul off. That and to help slow down.

 

[CLAYTON]

Tow haul doesn't lock out overdrive, it changes shift points and such.



Any RPM range that isn't lugging is fine for towing.

On his 04. 5 it should lock out overdrive. On the 05 I think they switched it up a bit. It locks it out on my 03.

 

[Tim]

On his 04. 5 it should lock out overdrive. On the 05 I think they switched it up a bit. It locks it out on my 03.

Then it's not tow/haul. It's OD lockout.



I wouldn't know for sure anyway, I row my own.

 

[RKerner]

I am running 373's with 35" Toyo's. When towing the boat approx 7000# in tow/haul mode the truck runs at 2250 rpm at 55 which is off because of the tires. I think that's around 62 mph. Is this a good rpm range to tow in? Fuel mileage according to the computer sucks (between 9-10) Any recommendations?

You can let it run down to 1600rpm with that load and it won't shift out of OD until just on the other side of Denver. :-laf OTOH, your mileage may not go up more than 1 mpg if you stick to the same speed. I get around 10-11mpg at 64-75mph with 7500lbs. How many miles on your truck and what's the heaviest you tow? It seems the more miles I log (just under 30K now) and the heavier I tow, the mileage keeps ratcheting up on lighter loads.

 

[Phaeton]

Tow/Haul locks out overdrive on my truck.



We just hit 7000 miles and the boat is the heaviest thing we have towed so far. Last weekend was the second time we have towed the boat. Supid weather around here has sucked so we have not made it out to the lake much.



Thanks for the info guy's.

 

[jwduke]

Then it's not tow/haul. It's OD lockout.



I wouldn't know for sure anyway, I row my own.

Humm... ..... Lets see here Tim, I have the Tow/Haul button on my shifter, and id I push it in, this little light in the dash comes on that says "Tow/Haul". And my transmission DOES NOT EVER lock into overdrive! Humm...

 

[mberry]

Anything 1600 and over is fine for towing. I would let it go into OD on the flats.

 

[Bertram65]

I would stay above 2000rpm if possible, easier on the transmission and lower EGTs.

 

[Tim]

Humm... ..... Lets see here Tim, I have the Tow/Haul button on my shifter, and id I push it in, this little light in the dash comes on that says "Tow/Haul". And my transmission DOES NOT EVER lock into overdrive! Humm...

Fine with me. I don't care what your slushbox does. Like I said, I row my own.

 

[ECappleman]

Fine with me. I don't care what your slushbox does. Like I said, I row my own.

Then why reply?

 

[BILLUA]

Then why reply?

NO kidding...

 

[BHolm]

Tow haul doesn't lock out overdrive, it changes shift points and such.



Any RPM range that isn't lugging is fine for towing.

He didn't say it locked out overdrive. It was running in third because T/H changed the shift point, just like you said it does. Shutting the T/H off would change the shift point down the rpm range and let it shift to OD. I know this can get a little complex for you "row your own" guys :-laf

 

[klenger]

New rules for transmission threads: You can only respond if you actually own the transmission discussed in the thread. :-{}

 

[Cattletrkr]

Well I'm gonna respond anyway.



2250 is a little high for good mileage, but won't hurt anything. Get your computer reworked for the tires. Overhead will look much better. Towing a whopping 7K, let it go into O/D whenever is feels like it. Maybe get a transmission temp gauge.