Towing in 3rd gear rpm high?
Hey guys new to the towing a travel trailer and I Have a 1996 Silverado extended cab 4X4 with 5.7 Vortec and factory 3.73 gears and factory size tires 265/75/16 and the truck only has 50K original mil...
Forum Discussion
proxim2020 wrote:
People often think that if they keep the RPMs lower then they're being nice to the motor or do it to save gas. What they are actually doing is hurting the engine by dramatically increasing the engine load. Demanding power at lower RPMs puts incredible stresses on the engine, something that gas motors aren't designed for. It will effectively hammer a motor to death. Gas motors need to rev to make power. The peak HP for that motor comes in at about 4600 RPMs so 2400 is nothing. Keep the revs up and you'll get a lot more use out of your engine.
YES!!!!
Finally someone states it.
I run my 5.3 with 3.42 gears (6 speed) in 4th and under when towing. The engine speed goes up, power is great, fuel consumption is better, and both engine coolant temperature and transmission fluid temperature go down.
When I attempt to use 5th or 6th gear, the temperatures go way up, power to pass or hill climb is gone, and the fuel consumption becomes awful.
