3.6L WITH 8 SPEED... TOWING SUCKS!!

[droopie85gt]

My 2 cents. I wouldn't have bought my 2017 3.6 CC 2wd if I was going to tow regularly. That being said my brother has a 1999 2500 Suburban, 4x4 with 454. His son is about 150 miles away in college and had to borrow that while my brother fixed the son's 2000 5.9 Ram oil leak. The 454 must have broken the fuel pressure regulator or an injector because it keeps hydraulicing a cylinder filling it with gas. So my brother asked if I would follow him back up there, get a U-haul tow dolly and tow the dually back.

1st off, a Suburban is really too wide for the tow dolly, but with 2 extra ratcheting straps we made it work. We didn't travel on the interstate and just came the 2 lane backroads, so it was pretty much 60mph and under. My impression towing the 6000lb or so Suburban (yes it's over the tow rating for the 3.21 gear) is that it actually pulls it well. Tow dollies don't have trailer brakes, and I could tell there was 6000lbs pushing when I had to stop.

On the DIC it showed anywhere between 9 and 11 most of the way on flat ground between 55 and 60. Accelerating would show 2mpg lol. It pretty much stayed in 5th or 6th. Trans temps never got above 184, coolant never above 225 and engine oil either 222 or 227. It was right around the water temp.

Even if we had taken the interstate, I would not have wanted to go over 60-65 anyway. I don't know how much better a 3.6 with the 3.5 gear would have done really.

But even over capacity the 3.6 pulled it just fine but like I said it's only 130-150 miles. We stopped a couple of times to check the straps and the tow dolly tires.

 

[GsRAM]

My 2 cents. I wouldn't have bought my 2017 3.6 CC 2wd if I was going to tow regularly. That being said my brother has a 1999 2500 Suburban, 4x4 with 454. His son is about 150 miles away in college and had to borrow that while my brother fixed the son's 2000 5.9 Ram oil leak. The 454 must have broken the fuel pressure regulator or an injector because it keeps hydraulicing a cylinder filling it with gas. So my brother asked if I would follow him back up there, get a U-haul tow dolly and tow the dually back.

1st off, a Suburban is really too wide for the tow dolly, but with 2 extra ratcheting straps we made it work. We didn't travel on the interstate and just came the 2 lane backroads, so it was pretty much 60mph and under. My impression towing the 6000lb or so Suburban (yes it's over the tow rating for the 3.21 gear) is that it actually pulls it well. Tow dollies don't have trailer brakes, and I could tell there was 6000lbs pushing when I had to stop.

On the DIC it showed anywhere between 9 and 11 most of the way on flat ground between 55 and 60. Accelerating would show 2mpg lol. It pretty much stayed in 5th or 6th. Trans temps never got above 184, coolant never above 225 and engine oil either 222 or 227. It was right around the water temp.

Even if we had taken the interstate, I would not have wanted to go over 60-65 anyway. I don't know how much better a 3.6 with the 3.5 gear would have done really.

But even over capacity the 3.6 pulled it just fine but like I said it's only 130-150 miles. We stopped a couple of times to check the straps and the tow dolly tires.

Just goes to show it's all about perception and personal opinion. Not to say either is wrong. Just different. Glad your truck performed well. 6k is what my tt weighs. I have more wind drag, but still. 6k is no joke. Good deal.

 

[Kozmo2]

I feel your pain

 

[kltk1]

let me be be clearer. for everyones sake..

i am not asking too much from the 3.6L. if the truck will tow 7600LBS why should it be struggling at 2000-5000LBS? its not something i tow with everyday and if i did, i know better than to purchase a v6 3.6L to tow with. id opt out for a 2500 or 3500 if towing was what i did. its a once in a blue moon thing.

Respectfully, while it may be true you’re not “asking” too much from the Pentastar, your expectations are too high. At 2500lbs the truck is barely breaking a sweat. Again, I’ve towed a 3800lb travel trailer all day, on several occasions and up some pretty steep mountains and the truck never faltered. Gas mileage drops off dramatically but the truck does it easily.


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[Gero]

Give the OP a break. I think maybe there was a misunderstanding with what he was expecting. Gas engines when towing will rev and they need to rev to make power. Some people might not be used to hearing 5000rpm up a grade but its perfectly normal and it needs to rev that high to make maximum power. This is especially true with lower displacement engines.

 

[droopie85gt]

There is no replacement for displacement.

I bought the 3.6 for commuting gas mileage and being able to haul stuff in the bed and tow in a pinch. First trip I took it on, when it would kick down into 5 or even 4th trying to maintain 80mph (South Texas speed limit) going up small hills, I knew it could use more torque.

 

[Random_Walk]

Respectfully, while it may be true you’re not “asking” too much from the Pentastar, your expectations are too high. At 2500lbs the truck is barely breaking a sweat. Again, I’ve towed a 3800lb travel trailer all day, on several occasions and up some pretty steep mountains and the truck never faltered. Gas mileage drops off dramatically but the truck does it easily.


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I can second this. A 2-horse trailer with two grown std. sized horses in it (roughly 3500-ish lbs of horse-flesh, tack, and of course the trailer) does fine on the mountain roads around where I live, and tows perfectly on flatter terrain (and I only have 3.21 gearing on my six-banger!) Can't speak for anything too much bigger - that's the most I have to deal with (unless you toss a few bales of hay and a saddle or two into the bed, which puts me at just over 4k lbs or so?)

The caveats are these:

1) You have to get used to seeing higher RPMs. You won't even get the full 305hp until you're waaaay up there (which is normal for gas engines. Like others have said - want lower RPMs? Get a diesel engine.)

2) Got a Tow/Haul button? Use it. It helps nicely.

3) Fuel mileage? LOL! Not when you're towing. Unless you get a diesel truck (of any brand), fuel mileage while towing is likely to suck (to varying degrees, depending on engine, gearing, etc).

4) Don't expect to be doing 75mph when you're towing. You'll be lucky to do 55-60 on flat road, but be prepared to lean on the gas pedal a bit more than usual. Should take a bit slow anyway (especially if you're dragging livestock.)

5) If you're really worried about what gear you're in, force the issue by taking it out of Tow/Haul and using the Gear +/- buttons (if you have them), but be prepared for disappointment if you're stingy with the gas pedal.

6) I hope you hadn't done this, but if you're sporting 35" (or so) tires, you're going to have a harder time towing much of anything with a six-banger. Can't recall all the details as to why, but big meats tend to suck power all by themselves.

 

[Quyonmob]

I’m quite happy with the way mine tows, had a 4300lb travel trailer on it. It was working hard but temps were all in line and holding 70mph was no issue.

Was it revving? Yep. But I run boats a lot at work. 3+hrs at 80-100% of redline is the norm, so I hardly notice. Same thing, built to get the job done in the peak of the power band.

I used to own V8’s, small blocks and big blocks. Engine and trans has come along way.

 

[pacofortacos]

I too wish the +/- could up and down shift and that is with the hemi and 3.92 gears with the 8 speed.

My wife's little Mazda 3 allows that function and it works quite well, it will allow shifts to happen within reason and then lock it into that gear until a drastic speed loss has occurred.

Many times towing my boat there is no need to be in 7th as it will cruise just fine in 8th gear. Most times I just speed up a bit and then let it coast back down to cruise speed and it goes into 8th then, but would still be nice to do it manually.

 

[Ratket]

My 2010 F150 work truck with the V6” which is over loaded to death- doesn’t even move untill 4K rpm and won’t shift until 7k. I **** you not.. I was on a steep incline once in 4hi, had to crawl over a culvert ran across the road. The truck would not move.. had to get it into 4 low to continue up. The technology in these little v6”s is pretty neat- but from my experience they got to scream to move lol

 

[Quyonmob]

My 2010 F150 work truck with the V6” which is over loaded to death- doesn’t even move untill 4K rpm and won’t shift until 7k. I **** you not.. I was on a steep incline once in 4hi, had to crawl over a culvert ran across the road. The truck would not move.. had to get it into 4 low to continue up. The technology in these little v6”s is pretty neat- but from my experience they got to scream to move lol

Sounds like a torque converter spec issue, rather than the motor. If an auto won’t move, but rpm is increasing, the torque converter is slipping (be it intentional or unintentional by the PCM/TCM).

I have noticed this in my 3.6/8spd. Reverse sucks for TC slippage, likely programmed into the TCM. It’s really annoying.

 

[Ratket]

Nope- Rpm wouldn’t move. The v6 didn’t make enough horsepower to move the truck from a stand still on that steep ass incline, and the truck is heavy.. I’d put it in the 9-10k range.. extremly weighed down lol.
And when I say it doesn’t move untill 4K I mean it’s moving but you can tell the motor isn’t really generating much horsepower untill then.

 

[Quyonmob]

I guess you **** me with your first statement then then...