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Engine & DrivetrainDiscussions about the engine and drivetrain of your vehicle.
This is a discussion thread titled "Use overdrive when towing?", within the Engine & Drivetrain forum, part of the Technical & Vehicle Assistance Forums category.
I have a 2003 Tundra V8 with an automatic transmission and expect to tow a 3500 lb trailer quite a bit. I had a t-100 V6 and the manual said to take it out of overdrive when towing. I checked the Tundra manual and couldn't find any recommendation to do the same. I would think the mileage would be better if it went into overdrive but don't want to harm the engine or transmission. Any ideas?
I tow WAY more weight than that with my Sequoia, and I usually leave it in OD. According to my on board computer, the milage drops by 1 or 2 mpg when running in the lower gear. If I'm around many hills, I'll kick it off.
I pull a 6,000 plus lb. Travel Trailer. When on flat ground and no headwind I can pull in OD. More often though I pull without OD to keep the engine closer to the power band. My guess is the trailer is too high and creating significant drag.
Typically, while in OD, the truck will accelerate fine. As I approach speed and ease off the throttle it will drop into OD. When this happens I have to give it more gas to maintain speed, pushing it back out of OD. This constant in/out is what kills a tranny. If you can pull without it hunting like that then you will be fine.
btw, I averaged 7 mpg on our first long tow (750 miles) from Michigan to North Carolina through the Smoky Mountains. Normal average is 14 mpg, mostly city miles.
__________________ White 2000 Limited Access Cab, V8, 4WD, TRD with 223,040 miles
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Too often when I try OD-on, it's switching between 4th with the torque converter locked to 4th with the tc unlocked--this is about a 200 rpm jump. Operating with the tc unlocked generates a lot of heat in the transmission. The frequent shifting between 4th/locked, 4th/unlocked, and 3rd creates a lot of transmission wear as well as heat.
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Use overdrive when towing?
Linear Mode
