I did a search on this subject and did not get much of an answer. So I am asking you folks who probably know more about the subject than any other place on the Internet. Here goes..... When I got my Ford E-450 based Class C. The dealer told me when I asked to keep the vehicle in Tow Haul as he thinks it improves gas mileage. Well I have been running that way, not knowing REALLY what the feature is supposed to do. I have read that it changes the shifting control and allows for better control in some situations. OK but what is really happening? On our last trip I had it in the Tow Haul condition and when I went down a sharp hill, the MH went into some kind of condition with a lot of noise and it seemed to have shifted the transmission or engine into another gear. Kind of like when you hit the passing gear on your car. At the end of the hill all went back to normal. On the way home on the same hill the same thing happened this time going up the hill. If I am not towing anything do I need to have it in this mode? Does it really make for better mileage? Seems to me that it revved up everything and sounded more stressful on the transmission and engine and I don't want to do that if it is not necessary. Any thoughts?

With a Moho you are HAULING all the time.Put it in TH and ferget it!It delays and sharpens the upshifts, locks the converter earlier and helps with trans temps.It WILL downshift on grades to offer you some engine braking.Assuming you have a V10, that motor is designed to rev. Your computer will make sure it doesn't over-rev.It will NOT improve fuel economy - there will be no measurable difference.

If you are running light, as in well under your GVWR you can get better mileage on the flats and slight down hill grades by leaving Tow Haul off. I'm not sure E-450's ever fit that description. :BOn any significant grade and often on slight extended grades engaging TH will dramatically lower your trans fluid temps. I use my Scan Gauge to monitor this critical function. If you don't have a Scan Gauge or some other device to monitor your engine functions above and beyond the idiot lights Ford supplies, you need one. On steep downhills you always want to be in TH. I can engage TH and descend a 12 mile 6 - 8% grade and never touch the brakes and best of all won't burn a drop of fuel all the way to the bottom. Don't be concerned about the the V-10 revving as that is what it is designed to do. A lot of folks just keep things simple by running in TH all the time and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. You will burn a tad more fuel but your trans will stay cooler and gas is a lot cheaper than a new transmission. :C

Contrary to popular opinion, my suggestion is to keep if off tow haul unless you are climbing or going down hill. On a flat road, there is not need for Tow Haul, which would be like driving in low gear. I have tow haul on my e450, and I only use it during those conditions. Do not, I repeat, engage Tow Haul at high speeds, because it will be like putting it into low gear at 50 miles per hour and you will get a very abrupt slow down.

cgmartine wrote:Contrary to popular opinion, my suggestion is to keep if off tow haul unless you are climbing or going down hill. On a flat road, there is not need for Tow Haul, which would be like driving in low gear. I have tow haul on my e450, and I only use it during those conditions. Do not, I repeat, engage Tow Haul at high speeds, because it will be like putting it into low gear at 50 miles per hour and you will get a very abrupt slow down.If putting your trans into TH at 50mph results in a rapid slow down, you have a transmission problem!If you have an E450 Motorhome, you are already well loaded before you add ANYTHING. Sorry, but I disagree with you. What does your Owner's Manual say?

If worried about it, and the rig isn't in warranty, hit a place like Five Star Tuning, and get a tuner, which will help with shift points and gear use. I've read good things about those devices, but personally have not used one.

Tow Haul | Good Sam Community

tpi
Explorer
Jul 03, 2015
It is certainly fine to shift in and out of tow haul on the fly. Sure it can drop to 2nd gear inappropriately, but tow haul can do that anyway. Tap the brakes on a downhill and watch the revs soar. You love 5000 RPM for no reason, you'll love tow haul mode!

I'm on the lighter end of E450 and personally only use it for downhill compression braking. It simply cannot read the road and be more useful than applying it manually when needed.

I'd much rather have paddle shifters.

I can see nothing about tow haul which would improve fuel economy-quite the opposite. For compression braking on as needed basis it is fine. For uphills if it selects a better gear for climbing it may be fine too. But to leave it on all the time....eewwww lol.
fortytwo
Explorer
Jul 03, 2015
I like the Tow Haul feature, compared to my old 4 speed tranny on a 2000 F53. The downhill engine braking is the best feature. F53 chassis had great brakes, but you really needed them with the 4 speed.

I would not use it all the time. I find the tranny upshifts 2-300 yards later at the top of a hill in Tow Haul (cruise control on). Same on a start from a stop. I maunally switch out to eliminate that extended time in a lower gear. If you have a ScanGuage you can see the difference in fuel use. Anything that reduces transmission heat in city or hill driving is a plus.
w3ozwizard
Explorer
Jul 02, 2015
Thank You everyone for your efforts. I am not sure I really know the answer as there seems to be a big difference of opinion on the topic. But at least I know the sounds and symptoms I had experienced going down and up a hill with Tow Haul on was pretty much normal and nothing apparently to worry about. The E-450 runs great and is very quiet so when it went into those gyrations it kind of set me back and as it is a used MH every squeak and noise makes me a little worried. Someone posted from the manual that if it is in TH that it will return to normal when you start up the next time. Maybe that is on a new rig. Mine stays in TH until I press the button on the shiftier to shut it off. But thanks for the information anyway it was helpful.
NWboondocker
Explorer
Jul 02, 2015
cgmartine wrote:
Desert Captain, if that is so, go ahead and shift it into Tow Haul while you are doing 55 mph and come back and tells us how your engine reacted. At that speed, it is no different than if you dropped it into 2nd gear. And that is all I have to say about that!!!

No such thing happens, unless going downhill and braking @55, in which case it gently downshifts to assist in braking. Hardly the slamming it into 2nd gear behavior you're describing, unless you have something seriously wrong.
Desert_Captain
Explorer III
Jul 02, 2015
cgmartine wrote:
Desert Captain, if that is so, go ahead and shift it into Tow Haul while you are doing 55 mph and come back and tells us how your engine reacted. At that speed, it is no different than if you dropped it into 2nd gear. And that is all I have to say about that!!!

Sorry, but you could not be more wrong. I go in and out of TH all the time and have never experienced what you describe. It will go from 5th to 4th with a barely discernible, very smooth increase in rpm and that is exactly what it is suppose to do. Clearly you have something seriously wrong with your trans if it behaves as you described.

:C
derh20
Explorer
Jul 02, 2015
Here are my experiences and thoughts. I don't place much value on the manual as it is probably written for the majority of uses for the E-450. Being much heavier, I consider a MH much different. I engage T/H when driving in cities where there is a lot of stop and go or I am exiting a freeway and need to slow down. On straight aways, I disengage it. I do use T/H going up and down mountain areas. I do have a problem on some long, steep downhills where a slight press of the break brings the MH to a too low of a gear. If I see this as a potential, I take it our of T/H and downshift manually. Any thoughts or comments are welcome.
DocP
Explorer
Jul 02, 2015
Taken directly from the Ford 2015 E-Series Owner’s Manual:

Tow/haul delays upshifts to reduce frequency of transmission shifting. Tow/haul also provides engine braking in all forward gears when the transmission is in the D (Overdrive) position; this engine braking will slow the vehicle and assist the driver in controlling the vehicle when descending a grade. Depending on driving conditions and load conditions, the transmission may downshift, slow the vehicle and control the vehicle speed when descending a hill, without the accelerator pedal being pressed. The amount of downshift braking provided will vary based upon the amount the brake pedal is depressed.

To deactivate the tow/haul feature and return to normal driving mode, press the button on the end of the gearshift lever. The TOW HAUL light will no longer be illuminated.

When you shut-off and restart the engine, the transmission will automatically return to normal D (Overdrive) mode (Tow/Haul OFF).
cgmartine
Explorer
Jul 02, 2015
Desert Captain, if that is so, go ahead and shift it into Tow Haul while you are doing 55 mph and come back and tells us how your engine reacted. At that speed, it is no different than if you dropped it into 2nd gear. And that is all I have to say about that!!!
klutchdust
Explorer II
Jul 02, 2015
Ray & June wrote:
klutchdust wrote:
mlts22 wrote:
If worried about it, and the rig isn't in warranty, hit a place like Five Star Tuning, and get a tuner, which will help with shift points and gear use. I've read good things about those devices, but personally have not used one.

Be careful using a tuner. Enough engineering went into this engine/transmission combination . I don't see where a tuner will benefit anyone but the seller of said product.

The engineering that goes into vehicles today by the manufacturers is designed to be cheap for them to build, last through the warranty period, and appeal to the majority of the drivers.

Not all drivers fit that majority class. I don't and maybe mlts22 doesn't either.

If there wasn't a need for special tuning, why have places like: Shelby, Hooker, K&N, Brembo, Lingenfelter, Ruff, Cobb, and dozens of others made a wonderful living and a joyous experience for their customers.

I bought a new class A on a F53 chassis and was horribly disapointed in the shift points of the transmission. It would shift from TCLU (overdrive) down to third gear when approaching a overpass on the freeway. Skipped fifth and fourth altogether.

After attending the "5 star tuning" seminar at the good sam rally, I ordered their chip. What a huge difference. I would strongly recommend them to someone who is unhappy with their Ford transmission.

As an aside; the Ford manual says the "normal" mode of driving is with the "tow-haul" off. I think if they wanted you to drive in "tow-haul" all the time, it wouldn't be optional.

Take your rig in for warranty work and see what they say if you have engine or transmission problems and have a chip or tuner.
Ray___June
Explorer
Jul 02, 2015
klutchdust wrote:
mlts22 wrote:
If worried about it, and the rig isn't in warranty, hit a place like Five Star Tuning, and get a tuner, which will help with shift points and gear use. I've read good things about those devices, but personally have not used one.

Be careful using a tuner. Enough engineering went into this engine/transmission combination . I don't see where a tuner will benefit anyone but the seller of said product.

The engineering that goes into vehicles today by the manufacturers is designed to be cheap for them to build, last through the warranty period, and appeal to the majority of the drivers.

Not all drivers fit that majority class. I don't and maybe mlts22 doesn't either.

If there wasn't a need for special tuning, why have places like: Shelby, Hooker, K&N, Brembo, Lingenfelter, Ruff, Cobb, and dozens of others made a wonderful living and a joyous experience for their customers.

I bought a new class A on a F53 chassis and was horribly disapointed in the shift points of the transmission. It would shift from TCLU (overdrive) down to third gear when approaching a overpass on the freeway. Skipped fifth and fourth altogether.

After attending the "5 star tuning" seminar at the good sam rally, I ordered their chip. What a huge difference. I would strongly recommend them to someone who is unhappy with their Ford transmission.

As an aside; the Ford manual says the "normal" mode of driving is with the "tow-haul" off. I think if they wanted you to drive in "tow-haul" all the time, it wouldn't be optional.

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