Towing 4 or D

I have a S/C 4L 2012 Tacoma due to the increased HP and Torque I was curious if there is any advice on the gear setting for towing. Before the S/C install I towed in gear 4 as per the manual. Is it possible to tow in D now?

 

4.

 

Thanks, I'll give it a try.

 

This.

 

Pretty sure due to how the transmission works you'll still want to tow in 4 not D so you don't blow it up. However I'll let someone with more knowledge confirm or deny how full of shit I am regarding this.

 

what/how heavy are you towing?

 

2500Lb Jayco Trailer

 

This. If you can't stay in 5th lockup (its constantly unlocking and locking the torque converter) or shifting down to 4th. Just put it in 4th. But if you can hold 5th lockup then your good.

 

5th gear is the weakest gear and I think you will cause damage towing in drive. If it were mine I would leave it in fourth.

 

I always tow in 4th.

Heck, if I've got anything over 200 lbs in the bed I'm usually in 4th.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/towing/4031-tacoma-towing-bible.html#post35019

From post #5

Automatic transmissions are destroyed when the fluid inside them breaks down and stops lubricating things correctly and stops allowing the valve bodies inside to stop functioning correctly which prevents the truck from being in the correct gear. The fluid breaks down when it is heated to beyond its tolerance. The transmission generated heat when it repeatedly shifts up and down under load. This is called hunting, and when the transmission hunts it builds heat. Take away its ability to hunt by locking it out of overdrive, and you’ll not only preserve the life of your transmission, but you’ll enjoy the towing experience more.

 

This question comes up all the time and all depends on what you are towing .There are all kinds of variables that come into play before any vehicle manufacturer will tell you its safe to tow in overdrive .To this day , I don't believe there is any manufacturer indicating its safe to tow in OD .
I looked through a bunch of Tacoma owners manuals and there is Zero information regarding what gear to tow in .
With this said , play it safe and use direct drive (4th gear )
Are you watching your transmission temp with a suitable gauge ?
Do you have a transmission cooler ?
What is the rated tow-able allowance for your truck and are you carrying anything in the trailer to add to the total weight ?
Even wind speed has an effect on towing .
As mentioned above , the torque converter is going to lock and unlock considerably more when towing in OD which in turn creates twice as much heat within the transmission .
The 5 speed A750 series transmission also utilizes the torque converter lock up feature during deceleration . I hope you have trailer brakes rather than killing the converter clutch early.
There are modifications that can be done to the transmission that assist in protecting the transmission from failure due to towing in overdrive .
Considering you have the supercharger , It may be worthwhile looking into some extra protection .

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/te...hift-kit-shift-recalibration-kit-2nd-gen.html

 

4th for anything above 1000 lb

On 2gen Tacoma 4th is Tow mode. (instead of button that says tow)
Transmission changes shift pattern when you are in 4th So you should be towing in 4th.

 

Thanks gearcruncher for your advice. I tow a 2500 lb Jayco, and have a transmission cooler. I also have electric trailer brakes which do help. I currently run in 4 and will continue to do so after reading threads. As a side note really like the additional HP and torque the S/C provides! A completely different truck.

 

lawls no.... it simply does not allow the transmission into 5th. The transmission changes shift patterns based on load mainly, throttle input and rpms.

ITS FINE TO TOW IN DRIVE, SO LONG AS THE TRANS IS NOT NOT CONSTANTLY LOCKING AND UNLOCKING the lockup clutch, or constantly downshifting to 4th.

Trans temps will be almost identical in 5th lockup at cruising speeds compared to 4th lockup at cruising speeds. And almost identical in temps if the torque converter is locked up while towing or not towing (as the torque converter is the main source of heat generation.... if its locked up and not "slipping" there is no additional heat being generated). The slightly higher temps you might see when towing at cruising speeds when locked up while towing is due to the slightly higher engine coolant temps of which the trans cooler lines run through.

The auto trans will utilize the lockup clutch in 4th and 5th. Below 4th it does not utilize the lockup clutch (IE, you cant put the trans in 3rd and have the torque converter lockup regardless of speed or throttle input)

The auto trans will play with downshifting and partial locking of the torque converter when breaking downhill.... this is not nearly as hard on the trans compared to on power shifting / locking / unlocking.... and not something to be worried about in regards to needing trailer brakes.

What you do have to worry about trailer brakes is simply the weight you have to stop.... which sounds like its more than the truck.... YOU NEED TRAILER BRAKES!

FYI I have no problem in my truck towing our small boat n trailer (probably 2500lbs with gear) and camping gear in the bed (another 300-500lbs) in drive on the flats. It holds 5th lockup no problems and temps like stated in every aspect are nearly identical to the truck unloaded. As soon as she would pop out of 5th lockup or go for 4th i would simply reach over move it to 4th, the trans then goes "ok looks like im staying in 4th" and then locks up the torque converter .... then once it flattened back out, i pop her back in D and no issues. That stated, once the auto trans gets a feel for what you are towing it usually does a good job not to hunt much, it goes ok... i got more load, im going to stick in 4th lockup rather than try for 5th as i know im going to be back into 4th. But manual control over the auto is usually best

 

I'll quietly (mouse like) tip-toe in here. Although I've towed once per year since 2007 in Drive while pulling an 18foot boat loaded with gear, 4-guys and their gear, 1200 miles, and had no problems with my tranny it doesn't mean I wasn't wrong. I've just always downshifted to 4 when the tranny seems to be searching. With that said I swear I've got a "gear" in-between 4th and Drive. I can hear it shifting ever so slightly up when in 4. What is that feeling? Anyone know what I'm speaking of or should I just sign into the closest nursing home?

 

You're probably feeling the torque converter locking or unlocking in 4th.

 

You are feeling your converter locking and ulocking
You can read about it here
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/te...hift-kit-shift-recalibration-kit-2nd-gen.html

 

Forget just Tacomas.....pretty much all of the OD Transmissions should be in a non-overdrive gear when towing....the OD gears are simply not built for the loads generated when towing...it's not about if you will puke the tranny, but when (I was lucky, Toyota bought me a new tranny for my Tundra at just under warranty expiration...dealers comment, lots of metal stuff in the pan that shouldn't be there). As to mpg, at least with my Tundra, it actually gets better mpg in Drive (1-1 third gear) than it gets in OD (4th gear)....for Taco's that would be tow in 4th, non tow in Drive (up to 5th). If you search this forum, you will see some pics of a very nice example of what towing in OD can do to the very small OD Gear. But, it be your truck, so drive it how ever you are comfortable.....

 

^^^

 

This will probably be the dumbest thing I ask in this thread but.... when you're starting out are you all starting in 4th or going low 2 3 4