Towing for first time - Questions

I'm going to be towing a 6' x 12' uhaul closed trailer about 250 miles this weekend.

I am running the 1.04 91 OVtune.

The trailer will mostly be filled with small furniture and boxes from my father n law's estate (he passed away 2 weeks ago). Thinking maybe 1-2k lbs if that.

I want to make sure I have my bases covered and not burn up my truck's transmission by having it in the wrong mode.

What is the best gear shifter position to tow in since i'm tuned. S5 or S4 or just D? ECT on or off? Can I use Cruise Control?

Stock I believe S5 and ECT on is considered the best but since tuned I'm not sure if the same rules apply.

The roads are mostly flat with 75mph speed limit. It gets hilly towards my city about 100 miles out so I'm thinking I might need S4 w/ ECT.

What should my target speed be? 65 or can I push it to 70? My concern is getting ran up on by a lot of faster traffic and semis.

@OVTune - if you could possibly chime in I'd appreciate it.


Thanks!

 

I’m runnng 1.04 87 and we just did a lengthy trip pulling our camper a couple of weeks ago. S5 with ECT worked really well for us....even on state highways doing 55-60. The truck downshifted when appropriate. Interstate towing at 70ish mph worked great. The load was roughly 2500 lbs and not tall (it’s a popup camper). If what you are towing is heavier or taller and the truck is downshifting a lot, just drop it down into S4, but I doubt you’ll need to.

Technically, you shouldn’t tow past the rating of your trailer tires (which is typically 65 for most camper tires). Not sure what that rating is for uhaul, but I remember seeing “55mph” plastered all over their trailers (probably for liability). 55 on the interstate is ridiculous. I typically tow at around 70 and feel totally confident/comfortable doing so with what I tow.

 

Did you use cruise control at all?

 

I typically don’t use cruise in this truck at all just out of habit.....I know the tune improved it, but it still tends to shift more than I like in cruise. You can anticipate hills and passing semis, etc with your foot better and avoid unneeded downshifting.