Tow/Haul Mode and manual shifting

[Eric91Z]

Ok, newbie here. Looking for input on those of you using a 1/2 ton truck to tow. Gas engine with tow/haul mode and manual shift option. When you are hooked up and towing your travel trailer, what are you going for tow/haul mode and shifting?

I have a 2016 Chevy Silverado 1500. Every time we are hooked up, I have tow/haul hooked up, but have left shifting up to the ECM. Should I be playing with the shifting myself as well or just let the computer handle it.

What are you guys doing?

[mkirsch]

mooky stinks wrote:

Eric91Z wrote:

mkirsch wrote:
A 2016 Chevy Silverado 1500 has the grade braking feature, so you don't even need to shift manually for that.

Yup, I have seen the message on the DIC and felt it kicking in. Works pretty decent as far as I can tell.

So does my 2015! Although around here, I've only seen it a couple times.:R

To activate it all you have to do is turn on tow/haul mode and hold the brakes for 3-5 seconds.

I use it frequently on downhill grades in speed-limited areas even without a trailer.

[thomas201]

If I do not know the road I use the tow/haul because it is conservative. When I know the road, use the M, I know what I will do next, the computer can only know what it just did.

[fireman41]

The only time I shift manually is when I have my cruise set. It seems like it holds the gear too long before it down shifts and I lose too much speed and then it drops 2 gears.

[gmckenzie]

I'd only shift out of drive if the tranny is changing gears, but be careful with running in M mode as (I think) it turns off grade braking.

Just did 2,750 KM's through Jasper, Banff etc. and left the truck in drive with tow/haul on. Drove brilliantly.

[Drbolasky]

DutchmenSport wrote:
No reason for manually shifting, unless for some reason you want to force the transmission to stay in a specific gear and using the engine to brake for you, like traveling down-hill on a very long grade. Otherwise, let the truck do the shifting for you. That's what it's designed to do.

Same here. While the automatics of today are far superior to those of even a generation ago, they haven't yet invented one that can see down the road. Maybe that's coming, too.

[mooky_stinks]

Eric91Z wrote:

mkirsch wrote:
A 2016 Chevy Silverado 1500 has the grade braking feature, so you don't even need to shift manually for that.

Yup, I have seen the message on the DIC and felt it kicking in. Works pretty decent as far as I can tell.

So does my 2015! Although around here, I've only seen it a couple times.:R

[Eric91Z]

mkirsch wrote:
A 2016 Chevy Silverado 1500 has the grade braking feature, so you don't even need to shift manually for that.

Yup, I have seen the message on the DIC and felt it kicking in. Works pretty decent as far as I can tell.

[GordonThree]

Sometimes I like to play with the gears, like I'm driving a big rig. My Ram has a huge shift lever in the center console, so what the heck.

Just drove a 2016 Outdoorsman, and the shifter is gone. It's just a knob on the dashboard now, with four options as I recall. More disappointing is the lower center storage bin is gone too, replaced by a third seat.

Honestly, I let the computer do the work of knowing when to shift. I start the engine, push tow+haul and put it in drive. I bought an automatic transmission for that reason, not so I could second guess it every time I came to a grade.

[mkirsch]

A 2016 Chevy Silverado 1500 has the grade braking feature, so you don't even need to shift manually for that.

[4x4ord]

The computer is pretty "smart"and unless you think you know better you might as well leave the tow haul engaged and let the computer do its thing. If you know and understand your engine's torque and power curves or have some specific reason for overriding the computer you can manually make shifts within certain parameters that the computer allows. You can't hurt anything by not knowing what you're doing. For instance I have put my truck in reverse while going down the highway at 60 mph to see if the backup camera would come on....it does.

[azdryheat]

The only time I manually shift is in the mountains. Tow/Haul is always on when towing.

[Walaby]

When I had my 1/2 ton gasser, I put it in Tow haul mode, and set tranny to 5th gear max, so it wouldn't go into 6th because it was hunting back and forth. Let the computer handle it after that. Best gas mileage was in 5th gear at 63MPH. Trans ran coolest at that speed and gear as well.

Mike

[Eric91Z]

Perfect! Thanks for the quick replies!

[braindead0]

I put it in tow haul and normally let the computer decide. Downhill when in cruise control it'll downshift to attempt to keep speed steady, if it's not in cruise 2 presses on the brake will make it downshift as well.

Sometimes when towing off road (which we do a lot) I'll 'take over' however very rarely.

As long as your transmission isn't hunting for the correct gear, I'd let the computer to the thinking.