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
There is an underlying theme that some fear running in lower gears/high rpm for extended periods is bad. That is not true.
There is also a misconception that the sooner they get their truck back into overdrive the better the mpgs will be. This is also not true.
In my own experience this summer, I crossed the Smokies, both up and down the mountains, without using T/H or any manual shifting. The return trip was done with
T/H on and locking out gears when needed. My transmission temps were approximately 7-10 degrees cooler on the return trip, and my fuel mileage was about 10 miles more on the trip back.
Running down the road under 2k rpm in high gear may feel a little more comforting to some, but your taking HP away from the drivetrain, which will try and compensate with more fuel.
There is also a misconception that the sooner they get their truck back into overdrive the better the mpgs will be. This is also not true.
In my own experience this summer, I crossed the Smokies, both up and down the mountains, without using T/H or any manual shifting. The return trip was done with
T/H on and locking out gears when needed. My transmission temps were approximately 7-10 degrees cooler on the return trip, and my fuel mileage was about 10 miles more on the trip back.
Running down the road under 2k rpm in high gear may feel a little more comforting to some, but your taking HP away from the drivetrain, which will try and compensate with more fuel.
