Towing in the mountains with a gasser????
I recently upgraded from a pop up to a travel trailer that is 5000 pounds dry. Also got a new truck...2012 Toyota Tundra. Today i towed through some pretty steep mountains. I locked out ovrrdri...
Forum Discussion
Check the RPM's at which the Toyota engine provide maximum torque. That is where you want to keep the engine by shifting gears on steep grades.
With the 2014 Tundra trucks there are 3 engines available and tow/haul mode with the largest the 5.7L engine
With the 5.7L engine and towing a 5,000 lb. trailer it is best to have tow/haul mode engaged going up and down steep grades. It is designed to minimize slippage and heat build up in the transmission.
The 5.7L produces maxium torque at 3600 RPM and this is where the truck's computers should be keeping the engine with tow/haul mode engaged and in Auto with the transmission. Quite different for the smallest V-8 the 4.0L which peaks at 4400 RPM and would be a poor choice for hauling a heavy trailer.
The devil is in the details and hopefully you bought the Tundra with the 5.7L engine and tow/haul. Another detail that is usually overlooked is the gearing provided and the average truck on the dealers' lots have the highest possible gears and are the worst choice for towing. This is one area where stock Toyotas are a safer bet as they have avoided this practice designed to boost EPA fleet average ecomomy numbers at the expense of their trucks' owners.
Toyota was also the first truck manufacturer to adopt the SAE J2807 standards which they did several years ago. GM and Ram have only done this starting in 2015 and Ford will need to follow along. This is entirely to do with using real world situations with towing actual loads on actual grades in generating test results. This should be done for all vehicles and not just trucks but that is a lot to expect from these companies and their far from ethical executives.
http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/162176-15-silveradosierra-1500-towing-capacity-lower-with-j2807-standard/
With the 2014 Tundra trucks there are 3 engines available and tow/haul mode with the largest the 5.7L engine
With the 5.7L engine and towing a 5,000 lb. trailer it is best to have tow/haul mode engaged going up and down steep grades. It is designed to minimize slippage and heat build up in the transmission.
The 5.7L produces maxium torque at 3600 RPM and this is where the truck's computers should be keeping the engine with tow/haul mode engaged and in Auto with the transmission. Quite different for the smallest V-8 the 4.0L which peaks at 4400 RPM and would be a poor choice for hauling a heavy trailer.
The devil is in the details and hopefully you bought the Tundra with the 5.7L engine and tow/haul. Another detail that is usually overlooked is the gearing provided and the average truck on the dealers' lots have the highest possible gears and are the worst choice for towing. This is one area where stock Toyotas are a safer bet as they have avoided this practice designed to boost EPA fleet average ecomomy numbers at the expense of their trucks' owners.
Toyota was also the first truck manufacturer to adopt the SAE J2807 standards which they did several years ago. GM and Ram have only done this starting in 2015 and Ford will need to follow along. This is entirely to do with using real world situations with towing actual loads on actual grades in generating test results. This should be done for all vehicles and not just trucks but that is a lot to expect from these companies and their far from ethical executives.
http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/162176-15-silveradosierra-1500-towing-capacity-lower-with-j2807-standard/
