How's it tow/ what have you towed?

No.

No wonder you got 9.1mpg lol

 

If I remember correctly you're not supposed to tow outside of S mode as 5th and 6th are overdrive and you shouldn't be towing in overdrive.

@gearcruncher has it in his sig of what can happen.

 

It's all about the terrain. If It's flat you can tow 2500 lbs all day long and get 15 mpg. In the hills it's a whole new story, low speed and high rpm's. The lack of torque kills it in the hills.

 

That makes sense. Good to know. Thanks for the tip.

 

Just got home from a 585 mile trip towing my wife's car that was a hit and run victim. I also had a big block V8 in the bed. It's not my Cummings Dodge but at least I got a manual transmission. About 12 mpg average.

 

@jmaxwel8 The engine definitely works harder towing a load. In an uphill situation without a load you may hit 3,000 RPM, with a 5,000 lbs. load I'll see 4,000 RPM and the engine is making quite a bit more noise. I'd be a lot more worried if I was hitting 6,000+ RPM. I certainly wouldn't want to tow a heavy load on I-24 over Monteagle Mountain.

 

I have the same weight in my travel trailer and drive it to FL and back, TN and back, TX and back, etc etc chasing NASCAR around the country (probably 5k-7k miles of towing a year). I get about 11 mpg at 70 mph too and no trouble in mountains or hills. I'm probably holding around 3000-3500 rpms while in hills though. I don't have to use ECT really, not a discernable amount of difference in mpg, only acceleration.

 

This is similar to what I'm getting setup to tow now. I backed in last night and hitched it up to see where it sat and with a 2inch drop hitch the trailer was to low and the ass of the truck dropped 1.5 inches. looked like \/

I'm about to order sumosprings this afternoon and I'm figuring with that and flipping the 2inch drop over for a 3/4 raise it should be level.

Your experience?

 

I tow a 2700 pound boat. Power wise it's did just fine over rolling hills at 60-65mph. I used the ECT mode, most of the time it stayed in 4th. On really flat sections it would go into 5th. On a 6% hill I needed 3rd to keep 60mph. Taco really needs more shock damping in the rear.

Incidentally, same boat towed by an Acura 2007 MDX. Night and day. Hands down the MDX is the better tow vehicle for this trailer. Doesn't even break a sweat.

 

Do you have a weight distribution hitch?

 

Not the best picture, but I tow a 28' box trailer with the 2 RZRz in it plus gas and other stuff. Completely stock w/ tow package, weight distributing hitch and trailer brake controller. Tows with no problems just a little slow going up steep grades.

 

There was some fellas talking the merits of the air bags system and I have to be honest , to me It made the most sense . Maintain stock ride when not towing and adjust to any load perfectly . Seems like a win win to me . I always used an add a leaf on my last 2 trucks and just dealt with the harsh ride when not towing .
I wont do it to this new truck as I like the comfort these trucks provide . I will go airbag system when I get around to it .

Good luck whichever system you go with .

MM

 

MDX soccer mom car tows better than our 3rd gens.

 

I do not, I have used them in the past but when I downsized trailers last year towing with a Bronco it wasn't needed on this A-Frame and with THAT vehicle it towed fine but also dropped the ass down. All I did yesterday was hook it up to see where it sat and I'm ordering the sumosprings as we speak. I think with that, trailer brakes, and a sub 3k lb load I should be fine without the weight distribution hitch.

 

Towed a 6x12 enclosed, tandom axle U-Haul trailer with all my worldly belongings (pretty much listed in order of importance) - firearms, shop tools, stereo & speakers, golf clubs, ice chests, and an entire apartment-full of stuff less furniture - from SoCal to Montana. I figured ~4500 lbs with trailer. I have the tow package, a brake regulator, and a standard hitch. Made sure the Taco was in tip-top shape and it accomplished the trip without a hiccup. Darn tough to get over 14 mpg, though.

 

My 13 Limited toes just fine smitty. Cheers!

 

Just going off what this guy said in post 29

 

Lol just a dig Smitty.

 

Get you a soccer mom car then.

 

You know he muted you right?