Tow/Haul Switch?

[Skh25]

If I'm pulling a travel trailer down the interstate do I need my tow/haul button on? I usually put it on driving on regular roads and heavy traffic, but I'm about to take my 1st trip of 4-5 hundred miles and was thinking it may save a little fuel with it off running a constant 60-65 mph. Thanks in advance for your opinions.

 

[bcbouy]

If I'm pulling a travel trailer down the interstate do I need my tow/haul button on? I usually put it on driving on regular roads and heavy traffic, but I'm about to take my 1st trip of 4-5 hundred miles and was thinking it may save a little fuel with it off running a constant 60-65 mph. Thanks in advance for your opinions.

depends how heavy your trailer is.also the terrain you're travelling down.once you're at speed your trans won't be shifting much anyway,so i leave mine on.

 

[Skh25]

Ok. I will be going through Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin, South East Minnesota. Pretty flat for the most part. Truck and trailer loaded is about 12200 lbs. The empty truck is 5900. In a 2017 Ram 1500. Round trip is a little over 900 miles

 

[jvbuttex]

i put mine on when i leave , and never shut off. I just have to remember when we stop for fuel to turn back on.

 

[Skh25]

That is what I've been doing. It was just suggested to me by someone to turn it off over long relatively flat long stretches to use overdrive more and increase mileage. I have never done that, and taking a longer trip I thought I'd ask what everyone else did.

 

[crash68]

If I'm pulling a travel trailer down the interstate do I need my tow/haul button on?

With pulling your +6K lbs trailer, turn the Tow/Haul mode on and leave it on. It will keep the engine in the torque band better reducing lugging. It will also help with engine braking keeping the torque converter locked up, using the cruise control helps with this also.
Don't freak out about the engine turning higher RPMs as there is only three options if you want lower rpms while towing: drive slower, buy a diesel, or just don't tow.
Turning the T/H mode off to save fuel might result a couple of tenths mpg but that will be quickly diminished when the engine pulls timing due to the engine lugging which lowers the power output. To compensate for this you'll step on the accelerator more so where is the fuel savings?

 

[Skh25]

Ok thanks to all. I will continue to use it. Just needed to get more knowledge than what I had. Thanks again! I'm learning.

 

[RoadRamblerNJ]

You might very well get better mpg with it on. You will also keep the trans cooler. That's a BIG plus. I towed my little 19 ft Toy Hauler (4,800 lbs +/-) 400 miles last week with it on 100% of the time. Trans temp is usually 172 degrees F. when not towing anything. Looked at it all day while towing in E. TN and It got up to.......wait for it.....172 degrees F.

T/H mode is for exactly what you're doing.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[2003F350]

With pulling your +6K lbs trailer, turn the Tow/Haul mode on and leave it on. It will keep the engine in the torque band better reducing lugging. It will also help with engine braking keeping the torque converter locked up, using the cruise control helps with this also.
Don't freak out about the engine turning higher RPMs as there is only three options if you want lower rpms while towing: drive slower, buy a diesel, or just don't tow.
Turning the T/H mode off to save fuel might result a couple of tenths mpg but that will be quickly diminished when the engine pulls timing due to the engine lugging which lowers the power output. To compensate for this you'll step on the accelerator more so where is the fuel savings?

This. I have found that, while my PW will pull our 7k-ish travel trailer just fine with tow/haul off, I actually end up with worse mileage and it shifts more often. The programming for tow/haul mode keeps you in lower gears and actually improves mileage just a bit for most of the reasons crash points out above.

Now, when I'm pulling the flatbed with just quads on it, I do get better mileage with tow/haul off. But then again, it's a flatbed, and even with a load has a much lower profile than the camper, so it's not nearly the drag that the camper is. That said, I find myself out of habit turning tow/haul on anyway, because there's a trailer back there.

 

[wgreggking]

Also use it whenever I'm driving in mountain/ hilly terrain not towing. Holds gear on descents , less braking.

 

[JF19Longhorn]

I just push the T/H button and forget about it.