I'm at Yuma now and many people are taking off and going back home. Several wait till after dark. I asked others about this and was told "its 20 degrees cooler". Mid 90's to 70's. OK, I understand 90 versus 70. Others have said "its easier on your equipment". Others have said it is "more comfortable" for them to drive in cooler weather.When I came here when it was already sort of hot. Went thru Las Vegas and it was hot. All my gauges were right where they usually are. Tire temps were normal on the shaded side of RV and not that much higher on the sunny side.Some of the hills getting into Las Vegas started my cooling fan. But all gauges were normal.I must be missing something? What am I missing?

When it's approaching 100F my truck air struggles, and those 5er tires get very hot.

I don't get excited about the 90s in temperature. Well within the design considerations. Some summer days can crack 115-120, and I'll consider driving at night during those times. Even though I haven't had immediate issue with that either. But I have had what I thought to be too many alternator failures in vehicles routinely exposed to very high heat. It is pushing the fluids and seals to territory at the margins. All in all the 70s are ideal temperatures for the equipment and if someone's schedule is flexible enough to drive in this- great..

I don't have truck or trailer issues with heat, either. I do like making miles at night, though. There is less traffic and less demand from passengers. I know a few snowbirds that start the trip back at night so that they reach their destination at a certain time. Different strokes...

But all gauges were normal.Oh and this...Lot of vehicles these days have dumb gauges that appear steady but reality is they just don't move from either one position (Ford oil pressure), or they have a huge dead spot around normal range (Ford coolant temperature). Note I'm singling out Ford, but there are others.

tpi wrote: But all gauges were normal.Oh and this...Lot of vehicles these days have dumb gauges that appear steady but reality is they just don't move from either one position (Ford oil pressure), or they have a huge dead spot around normal range (Ford coolant temperature). Note I'm singling out Ford, but there are others.I hooked up a scan gage to my 2005 F-250 and the readings really surprised me. My factory temperature gage is running around the middle of the gage, but the scan gage tells me the coolant temperature is at 220 degrees and the oil temp is around 250.

Towing at night in hot weather | Good Sam Community

2oldman
Explorer II
Mar 24, 2015
When it's approaching 100F my truck air struggles, and those 5er tires get very hot.
tpi
Explorer
Mar 24, 2015
I don't get excited about the 90s in temperature. Well within the design considerations. Some summer days can crack 115-120, and I'll consider driving at night during those times. Even though I haven't had immediate issue with that either. But I have had what I thought to be too many alternator failures in vehicles routinely exposed to very high heat. It is pushing the fluids and seals to territory at the margins.

All in all the 70s are ideal temperatures for the equipment and if someone's schedule is flexible enough to drive in this- great..
westend
Explorer
Mar 24, 2015
I don't have truck or trailer issues with heat, either. I do like making miles at night, though. There is less traffic and less demand from passengers.
I know a few snowbirds that start the trip back at night so that they reach their destination at a certain time. Different strokes...
tpi
Explorer
Mar 24, 2015
But all gauges were normal.

Oh and this...

Lot of vehicles these days have dumb gauges that appear steady but reality is they just don't move from either one position (Ford oil pressure), or they have a huge dead spot around normal range (Ford coolant temperature). Note I'm singling out Ford, but there are others.
mabynack
Explorer II
Mar 24, 2015
tpi wrote:
But all gauges were normal.

Oh and this...

Lot of vehicles these days have dumb gauges that appear steady but reality is they just don't move from either one position (Ford oil pressure), or they have a huge dead spot around normal range (Ford coolant temperature). Note I'm singling out Ford, but there are others.

I hooked up a scan gage to my 2005 F-250 and the readings really surprised me. My factory temperature gage is running around the middle of the gage, but the scan gage tells me the coolant temperature is at 220 degrees and the oil temp is around 250.
Homer1
Explorer
Mar 24, 2015
I have hooked up test gauges to my system to double check the on board gauges. I was really surprised by the difference in water temp and the oil pressure between the test gauges and the on board gauges. On board were showing normal range, test gauges showed substantial difference on the negative side.
RAS43
Explorer III
Mar 24, 2015
All of the manufacturers will use accurate gauges when doing their testing and then install dash gauges as you describe. Is that bad? I don't think so as most people are not as mechanically inclined and don't need a highly accurate gauge just one that points out a problem.
As for driving at night "because it's cooler", I may have done it a time or two but I don't like driving at night for a number of reasons. And today's vehicle should be up to the task of running in hot weather.
Road_Runners
Explorer
Mar 24, 2015
I have an Edge Scangauge mounted on my dash to tell me the coolant temperatures and mounted on the pillar are gauges to tell me fuel pressure, transmission and exhaust gas temperatures. I have found I had to back off climbing mountains in hot weather or I would have exceeded operation temperatures on either the transmission or exhaust gas. The coolant temperatures were always OK.

https://edgeproducts.com/
the_bear_II
Explorer
Mar 24, 2015
I don't like to tow at night.

If my trip will be in 90 plus heat or a big climb I will leave just before dawn when it's cool and try to reach my destination by noon to avoid the hottest part of the day.

For several years in September (average 80 plus degree daytime temps) we would head for a campground in the western Sierra Mountains of California. The trip included a climb from 500ft sea level to over 5000 ft on a 6 to 10% grade. 21 miles of switchbacks to get to the top of the grade. It would take about an hour in first gear. A real strain on the truck. We would hit the hill just as the sun was coming up (60 degree heat).
amandasgramma
Explorer
Mar 24, 2015
We have a gauge on our diesel pickup, hot weather DOES cause the motor to run hotter. And as others said, the 5er gets hot. We have 2 cats that ride back there. (I know, put them in the pickup is not an option --- ever smelled cat puke in a hot pickup????) We don't drive at night (bad eyes for both of us!)...so we leave earlier.

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