Towing on a hot day

This is where theory hits the cold light of reality. I left Indiana in a February ice storm. A week later I was pulling across the OK and TX panhandle in 80 to 90 degree temps. Next we hit the Rocky mountains and 4 inches of snow in Albuquerque NM and Flagstaff AZ then back to the 80 in Phoenix AZ.

The TT tire pressure when up and down like a Yo-yo, the mountains and winds were a bit of a challenge but the engine temp never varied. We did see some swings in the transmission temp but nothing even remotely close to "hot".

The cooling setup on my 2010 F-150 with it's 6 speed transmission in "tow haul" has never been an issue. Mileage varied from 8 to 11 mpg depending on the conditions but the engine temp was never an issue, even though my rig is at the truck's max cargo capacity.

We drove all over the AZ desert for a month, cold nights and hot days. the truck/trailer combo did what it was supposed to do.

The truck is my daily driver. Six moths ago we had below zero temps and it has been in 90's for the last few days. No issue what so ever with engine temp.

I have never overheated. Temps are always in the normal range. I need to go up Black Mountain on Wednesday. I plan to run about 45 MPH up the mountain at about 3000 RPMs. Should be fine. My Suburban is an older one but very well maintained. I just replaced all the belts. Transmission serviced about 4 months ago. Fresh oil change. Hoses look good. Tires in good shape. Rear end rebuilt about 16 months ago. Fresh brakes. Just adjusted those GM parking brakes, lubed.. It's in as good of shape as I know how to make it. Since this is the first time we have climbed the mountain with it I'm a bit nervous. The 5.3 Burb isn't the strongest. I will have to keep the RPMs up. My brother tows up Black Mountain all the time with his Tundra and says there's nothing to it. His trailer is a shade lighter and he has the iforce 5.7 liter. I'm 5800 dry and my tanks will be empty. My tow weight limit is 7200. I have the tow package and I added additional transmission cooling which seems to work really well.

Speed and under inflation are the “real” heat enemies of TT tires.

Yes, but it depends:
* How close is your TV normally to overheating?
* How fast to you drive? In the southwest you see a lot more TTs with blown tires on hot days when people are towing too fast.
* How close are your tires to their weight limits?

Cooler weather is always better, but if you're not pushing everything to the limits, you should be fine.

Bill

falconbrother wrote:
Does the outside temperature matter that much when towing? Leaving on Wednesday for the mountains and it's supposed to be 97 and humid.

Going up the mountains will definitely raise engine and transmission temps. If you have a towing option on your tow vehicle, they usually include additional cooling capacity. If the tow vehicle is well maintained, should not be a problem. Use you tow haul function and down push the vehicle hard.

Hot air means less oxygen. Less oxygen means less performance unless turbo/supercharged. Engine will work harder. Engine will get hotter. Slow it down going up steep grades