Tundra 2006 V8 4X2-When should one use overdrive off and/or on; when hauling, i.e. dirt bikes, ATV etc; My husband thinks that when hauling, overdrive should be ON.
I'm not tring to be a wise guy but if you do a search here on the site there is lots of threads on towing and over drive. Some are pretty long and it's debated back and forth on just this subject. I can tell you what I do. I tow a double axle cars trailer that has a battery and a winch on the tounge. When I don't have a car on it I use overdrive. Thats is unless I get into a really hilly area then I turn it off. When I have a car on the trailer I turn the overdrive off. I have read many of the threads here on this subject so I went to my dealer and asked the service manager and he said to turn the OD off while towing.
I'm not tring to be a wise guy but if you do a search here on the site there is lots of threads on towing and over drive. Some are pretty long and it's debated back and forth on just this subject. I can tell you what I do. I tow a double axle cars trailer that has a battery and a winch on the tounge. When I don't have a car on it I use overdrive. Thats is unless I get into a really hilly area then I turn it off. When I have a car on the trailer I turn the overdrive off. I have read many of the threads here on this subject so I went to my dealer and asked the service manager and he said to turn the OD off while towing.
Most of the threads with OD issues refer to the pre-2003 MY Tundras. I haven't heard of any major issues with 2003 -> current transmissions despite some isolated cases.
Still, I'm kind of old school with towing. I would RATHER tow without overdrive (unless we're talking Allison here) just to keep it in a better RPM range.
I've found that my 2005 DC tells me when I should use OD or not. When towing the 3,000 lbs pop up camper, it liked overdrive and stayed there without hunting. Pretty much performed as if the trailer wasn't back there. So, I used overdrive.
With the 23' travel trailer, it rarely even gets into overdrive on its own. In high winds on flat terrain, it never makes it. On any grade at all, it downshifts. That's the tranny telling me it would prefer to not be in overdrive.
So, what does your Tundra tell you? I would think that a heavy load in the bed would be an overdrive situation. A heavy trailer with a large frontal area would be a non-overdrive situation. A heavy boat might go either way. I listen to what the truck is trying to tell me and go with that.
Tundra 2006 V8 4X2-When should one use overdrive off and/or on; when hauling, i.e. dirt bikes, ATV etc; My husband thinks that when hauling, overdrive should be ON.
What is the correct use of overdrive?
Look at pages 194 and 397 of your OWNERS MANUAL
Towing = NO O/D used for engine braking to help slow you down
Not Towing = O/D used for best possible fuel mileage
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I just towed a 21 foot boat that weighed in around 3000 lbs (boat and trailer) from FLA to PA. As flat as it is through Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, the truck didn't like overdrive, as it kept hunting for gears. The truck will definitely tell you whether you should be using overdrive or not. Only took a few miles to realize O/D wasn't going to work out and I usually tow with the O/D off anyway. The only downside to being out of overdrive is the gas mileage. At 70 mph with the overdrive off, I was getting between 11 and 12 mpg, which in all honesty, I don't think is all that bad. After all, the motor's turning around 3100 rpms at that speed.
I just towed a 21 foot boat that weighed in around 3000 lbs (boat and trailer) from FLA to PA. As flat as it is through Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, the truck didn't like overdrive, as it kept hunting for gears. The truck will definitely tell you whether you should be using overdrive or not. Only took a few miles to realize O/D wasn't going to work out and I usually tow with the O/D off anyway. The only downside to being out of overdrive is the gas mileage. At 70 mph with the overdrive off, I was getting between 11 and 12 mpg, which in all honesty, I don't think is all that bad. After all, the motor's turning around 3100 rpms at that speed.
That must be average mpg with the OD off, yesterday I towed a Ford Exploder on my trailer from Atlanta to Tuscaloosa and averaged 11.3 mpg.
I never tow with overdrive on. I pull a 6500 Lb travel trailer so the gas mileage sucks, but when we all were shopping for a Tundra did we say "Wow! what a pretty truck, and it's a gas saver too! I think not. Bottom line is, do whatever you have to do "Help" your Tundra tow, ie: Tow with OD off, trailer brakes, weight distribution hitches, etc. That is my .02
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I only turn mine off when pulling heavier loads like 3,500+ lbs. when I am just pulling my atv's around I leave it on and usually can barely tell they are there
Overdrive
Linear Mode
