Tundra downshifting towing travel trailer

[Big Tool]

Even a Diesel with an auto transmission will shift a little while going those speeds pulling a 7k lb load.

Like other have said it is perfectly normal.

You are traveling at a nice slower pace so I would probably put it in S mode and go to 5th or 4th gear. It won't hurt anything to let the eninge rev alittle in 4th.

I drove my dads 2010 tundra about 22hrs pulling a trailer going 58mph in 3rd gear running about 3,500rpm. Transmission was messed up and wouldn't go into the higher gears. 3,500rpm isn't anything for these engines. It was smooth as butter.

[Coal Dragger]

This is normal behavior. Look at where peak torque is, and that is where the transmission is going to try to allow the engine to go when encountering a grade.

[Only Toyota for me]

Originally Posted by Big Tool

Even a Diesel with an auto transmission will shift a little while going those speeds pulling a 7k lb load.

Like other have said it is perfectly normal.

You are traveling at a nice slower pace so I would probably put it in S mode and go to 5th or 4th gear. It won't hurt anything to let the eninge rev alittle in 4th.

I drove my dads 2010 tundra about 22hrs pulling a trailer going 58mph in 3rd gear running about 3,500rpm. Transmission was messed up and wouldn't go into the higher gears. 3,500rpm isn't anything for these engines. It was smooth as butter.

I prefer S mode most of the time; and when i'm just towing the 7500lb fiver, S-5 seems to do the trick just dandy. Sometimes when i go tandom with the boat or the atv's behind, i'll go to S-4 so it don't shift as much. I don't particularly like S-4 as you lose the TC lock-unlock feature which is nice when towing. You have it in S-5 or S-6, but not S-4 for some reason.

To the OP: Folks are claiming 10 mpg towing in S-4 at 65mph. So you won't get any worse MPG by doing it. When i'm in S-4 and come to a hill, i'll just bump it up to S-5 to gain the TC unlock feature thus gaining me about 250-300 rpm's. A lot of times it keeps the truck from shifting to 3rd.

[music]

Originally Posted by Only Toyota for me

I don't particularly like S-4 as you lose the TC lock-unlock feature which is nice when towing. You have it in S-5 or S-6, but not S-4 for some reason.

Could you clarify that a little? If I understood correctly, the TC stays unlocked in 3rd?