Towing with a Toyota Sequoia

JohnG4706 wrote:
Thanks for your comments. Today I tried the "Tow Haul" mode, it seemed a little smoother. Same types of hills today and only went to 3900rpm once or twice.

Again, thanks.

Why wouldn't you have Tow/haul on in the first place? It's for towing and hauling...:h

oops

I tow with a 2010 Sequoia. That 5.7L isn't straining...not even a little. Its a beast, and like all but the newest turbo motors, gas engines make all their power at higher RPM's. So seeing 4k RPM is perfectly normal.

There is a common misconception that when towing with a gas engine, high RPM's is bad and the engine is working hard. Well, its working hard, but not straining. It is working as designed.

Use the tow/haul mode and let the vehicle do what it needs to do. Toss it in S mode if you want to hold gears or have more control over gear shifts.

I also use cruise control very often on long trips. I'd say 70% of all my trip miles is with cruise on. There is no reason not to.

Thanks for your comments. Today I tried the "Tow Haul" mode, it seemed a little smoother. Same types of hills today and only went to 3900rpm once or twice.

Again, thanks.

I have a Tundra, so same drive train you have. At 60 to 65 with cruise on I would expect that RPM on hills. I almost never use cruise control since we have very few flat roads.

On longer hills I don't like to push it too much so I keep it at 50-55 and around 3500 RPM. That is peak torque for that motor. Max horsepower is at 5600 although I have never tried that.

Those engine speeds seem normal to me. Peak torque is in the 4000rpm range and redline is well over 5000rpm. Personally, I would limit the trans to not use the top gear when towing a high walled RV. My combo can hold 5th gear 2200-2500rpm in the 65-70mph range.

You will get differing opinions on this, but when pulling my 22' TT with my 5.2L
I take it out of overdrive, Flat surface or not. When inclines occur I maintain the RPM at 3200, which is maximum torque & down shift if needed to keep it there.