engine brake while towing?

ShinerBock wrote:

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I am not going to tell you how to run your truck, but towing without tow/haul mode is asking for premature transmission failure. Contrary to most peoples beliefs, a buttery smooth shift is harder on a transmission than a firm one because the smooth shifts allow the clutches to slip causing heat and clutch wear. In tow/haul mode, the transmissions line pressure is increased which makes for a quicker firmer shift and reduces clutch slippage which means less heat. It also holds gears longer because a constant shifting transmission creates more heat. You can run your truck as you wish, but I just thought you should know if you don't.

I think that "buttery smooth" shift referred to has a lot to do with how long and how often the torque converter is unlocked. When unlocked it generates heat which is the #1 tranny killer AFAIK, and the main issue here.

With T/H activated, the torque converter spends a lot more time locked up, keeping the tranny cooler. It's still unlocked in first gear and when shifting between gears, but I think the rest of the time in T/H it's locked in.

Pulling up hill with the TC unlocked is clearly a no-no. There would be a lot of engine torque being converted to heat. I would always have the T/H on when going up.

But I'm not so sure about going downhill without T/H. Especially when manually forcing the tranny to downshift. I suspect the TC is locked anyway when you do that, but don't really know?

Doesn't the EB only work when the TC is locked up? If so, you should find out pretty fast if the TC is locked or not when going down. If locked, even without T/H on, I can't see a problem.