towing out West

carl2591 wrote:
what kinda MPG you guys/gals getting with the 5.7L tundra pulling in the "hills" out west..

We did a 4,700 round-trip from eastern Iowa to northern California in August via I80 to Winnemucca, NV, north and west through southern OR to CA, then north on the OR coast highway 1/2-way, then interstate to Portland, across the Columbia River Gorge back to Salt Lake, then home. Trailer was an Outback 250RS rated 6K dry, loaded right about at about 7K.
Total average trip mileage was 9.43 or 9.47, most "mountain climb time" it ran 7.5 to 8.0. Usual speed range was 62-65 MPH even climbing the hills.

Tow/Haul is not operative in "S" mode. Check your manual. You can press the button and the light comes on, but it does nothing.

Yes and no. S mode negates the shift logic function of the transmission but does not cancel the rest such as the throttle timing mapping.

citiznmikem wrote:
I have a tow/haul switch, but am appreciative of the advice to use the S shifter and tow/haul combination. Keep it in 4th on the grades with tow switch on. Thanks again to all.

Tow/Haul is not operative in "S" mode. Check your manual. You can press the button and the light comes on, but it does nothing.

I find that T/H will not shift low enough when descending grades so I nearly always use S mode and select the gear that lets me maintain the speed I want with minimal use of the brakes.

Jim,

Who had them monster 150-170 hp motors?!?!?! I seem to recall my first NEW truck having a whopping 105HP in an 81 GMC 2500 with a 292I6, and a muncie 4 spd.....slower than a slug up a freeway grade. But could out pull the 454/th400/4.10 1 ton dully at slow speeds up twice as steep a grade. The one ton was stalled out buying th400's every 25K miles, meanwhile the 292 would go thru a clutch every 70-80K miles.........

Marty

What will be important is the quality of the brake controller setup for your rig. There are steep grades in the 6-8 percent range but you can route your travels to avoid them to a large extent.

The interstates are one option as taxpayers pay a great deal to subsidize the trucking industry with their creation. The interstates are designed to minimize elevation changes and save trucker's fuel. Mountains have been leveled and valleys filled with dirt to "fix" highways for truckers in California.

Just get the trailer's brakes and wheel bearings and tires checked out before you leave.

The trucker models of GPS units will also recommend routes that minimize elevation changes though you may miss scenic areas if you let them dictate your route all the time. The Garmin is the favored unit by truckers.

Just remember thousands have went before you when all we had was 283ci chevy trucks with a powerglide tranny or a 292 Ford 1/2 ton with whoppin' 150-175 hp pulling 5k-7k trailers. Your worrying over nothing. Its gonna' be a fun trip. Enjoy the fantastic scenery.

what kinda MPG you guys/gals getting with the 5.7L tundra pulling in the "hills" out west..

Transmission and tire failure are the most common issues when towing in the heat out west.

I have a tow/haul switch, but am appreciative of the advice to use the S shifter and tow/haul combination. Keep it in 4th on the grades with tow switch on.

I keep it in S5 when towing, shouldn't need 4th unless it is very hilly up and down causing it to shift back and forth between gears. In S5 it will lock out 6th (overdrive) but still shift normally between 1st and 5th. Use tow mode and let the computer do its job to shift for optimal performance.

As for the down hills, the Tundra has sensors built in to downshift and engine brake as needed. It works pretty good to hold speed but on some steeper hills you may need to manually drop another gear.

Thanks to all for the info. I did formerly have a 27 foot Wilderness, but after taking it through Missouri's rolling hlls, it seemed to work a bit more than I thought it would. I always suspected I had more trailer than I needed so I downsized and am very happy with the Aerolite. I have a tow/haul switch, but am appreciative of the advice to use the S shifter and tow/haul combination. Keep it in 4th on the grades with tow switch on. Thanks again to all.