Towing break-in

Have a new 2019 and was wondering about towing. First what gear should I tow in? Second is there some break in for towing? Thank you in advance for your help.
Blessings
Papahooto

 

Regarding what gear to tow in , need to know if auto or manual tranny. This is covered in your owners manual so you need to read that first.
As far as towing break in , this is probably covered in the manual also, I haven’t checked. For most vehicles there use to be a break in period before towing of 500 or 1000 miles. I do not know if that still apples but again I’m sure the om will provide this info.

 

The big deal is don't overuse the brakes. Hence why the owners manual says don't do hard braking even without a trailer.

Brake pads have to be bedded in, I think a lot of people don't do that properly. That's why you see so many threads about "my rotors are warped with only 1k miles on them."

 

The highest at which it will hold speed, unless you enjoy spending money on gas, in which case, go with 2nd.

For the truck? Or for YOU? If you've never towed anything before, don't go jumping straight in to the biggest and heaviest trailer you can find. Work up to it. Get used to how it responds to different trailer configurations. Nothing is more dangerous than getting in too deep with something that you aren't skilled to handle.

Some pointers:
- The shorter the trailer (with respect to height), the more fun it will be to pull. Less aerodynamic drag, more stable.
- The longer the trailer, the easier it is to back up, the more stable it will be, BUT, the wider you must take turns to avoid running over children on the sidewalk.
- Aerodynamics play a BIGGER factor than weight. Given the choice between pulling something that weighs 2x what the truck is rated to pull, but is compact and aerodynamic, and something that weighs HALF of what the truck is rated to pull, but is 12 feet tall and 8 feet wide, I'll go with the one that is 2x weight without a moment's hesitation (all else being equal of course, and, of course, both properly outfitted with brakes and, as necessary, weight distribution).
- No abrupt moves, leave LOTS of space ahead of and around you. When in doubt, SLOW DOWN, and don't worry about any angry gestures from kids with primer colored Honda's. You keeping safe is much more important than anything. Remember Sir Isaac Newton.

 

I would argue that if you've got the pedal against the firewall to hold speed, it's time to downshift. I tow in the gear below overdrive unless I'm going down hill, and get good milage doing it.

 

If you have the pedal pushed all the way, then its probably not holding speed.
But if it is holding it, then no need to shift, because its doing its job.

 

It might be doing its job, but it'll be doing it better at a higher rpm. The thing to optimize here is engine load, not minimizing rpm. If you're forcing it along in OD you're basically maximizing the load on the engine, and keeping it of its power band. And if you're maximizing the load, then you're dragging down the efficiency of the engine, which generally peaks around 75% load. Dropping a gear brings the engine rpm up to where it can make more power, and reduces the load on the engine, increasing efficiency.

 

I just noticed that your profile is tagged with model year 2000. You're probably right, for yours, but not for the VVT engines (2005+), which will have diminished efficiency if downshifted.

 

Ah, I'm not familiar with vvt. How does that change the equation?

 

It alters the valve timing based on complex proprietary equations using several inputs; engine RPM, throttle position, transmission ratio, etc., in order to optimize both efficiency and torque. The end result is a linear power band that essentially mimics a diesel -- it increases the torque both under and over what previously would have been the peak. Or to put it another way, the "power band" now spans the entire range from under 1500 to 5500 (red line) rpm.

 

I like it. I need to sit down and read up on it, sounds interesting.