I've been on both sides of this issue. For a long time I didn't use it, except in the mountains, because I didn't like the shift pattern it created and thought it was probably affecting mileage. Relatively recently I've begun to use it most of the time when towing. I still don't like the shift pattern, but I do like the braking assistance on any/all grades. I've not noticed any appreciable difference in mileage or transmission temps. Guess I'm pretty much in the "use it whenever towing" camp now.