Question on towing

Given that's pretty much the opposite of what ECT is intended for, I'm going to throw my hat into the skeptic ring as well. ECT is for when you want to prioritize power over economy. All it does is change the shift points to higher engine loads (higher RPM and throttle angle) to prevent you from downshifting constantly - having that come on automatically makes no sense and I think from all the hunting issues people bitch about, it's obviously not.

 

D is programmed to make driving comfortable and efficient. A trailer requires a transmission to do neither of those things. Sport mode tightens up shifts to reduce wear with gear changes and typically makes the transmission more sensitive to throttle inputs - i.e. it will hold a gear if you hold throttle on a hill but if you tip in, it will downshift more readily. S mode will also keep you out of deep overdrive (so no 6th) which is really hard on a powertrain while towing larger loads. It will typically also allow the transmission to shift on downhills to offer some sort of engine braking like you'd get with a manual trans instead of just going into the highest gear at 1k RPMs like cars did 10+ years ago. That's fantastic for holding speed as a trailer is going to push you faster than you'll normally coast downhill.

So if towing more than an empty trailer, use S with ECT on.

 

S is just Selector mode. ECT affects shifting. They would be mutually exclusive. There is no Sport mode.

From the manual.

When the shift lever is in the S position, the shift lever can be operated as follows: Upshifting Downshifting

 

So these trucks are selector mode only? Many/most vehicles will go into a more aggressive sport mode if you move into S but don't try to manually go up or down. If that's not the case, I'm curious why the manual would suggest not using D unless it's only pointing that out specifically regarding engine braking and not towing in general... makes sense why they were confused about it because that's worded poorly.

 

My Civic had an S on the shifter for sport, so I understand completely. Manual is not 100% crystal clear. I have had success just using ECT while towing my 3500# tent trailer. I use S and downshifting for engine braking as well, which I think is what the manual is trying to say.

 

ECT on. Transmission is S4.

Also, check out the towing section. A lot of good stuff and advice over there.

 

If you put the truck in D while towing. The transmission will try to get to the highest gear. The truck has 2 overdrive gears. Using overdrive while towing can cause the transmission to shift more often then it should and higher transmission temps could result. Use S4 and ECT for better throttle response and higher shifts points from the transmission.