Towing 4 or D

By shifting to 4th you are limiting the tranny to 4th as the highest gear....everything else works the same as if you were in drive....simply making a 5 speed auto into a 4speed auto...and no question is dumb if it is something you need an answer for.

 

I'll be honest I've never pulled anything before and this past weekend I purchased a camper from a member here and I drove it home in 4th because that's what I had seen here but didn't know exactly what I was doing. And in two weeks I'm pulling it 300+ miles to a wheeling trip we're going on.

 

like stated if you can hold 5th lockup, then you can run in D... if not then put her in 4th.

 

Drive or 4th....your choice...pic is from another users post, but as they say...a picture is worth a thousand words...

 

x2

 

pretty sure that picture is from a blown rear diff and had nothing to do with being in 4th or 5th.

 

What's that pic supposed to prove ?

 

I have a question...are they're any issues with running in 4th for long periods of time? Obviously, the engine is turning higher RPMs, but other than the extra gas...is there really any issue in doing that...I guess I'm asking why would you NOT shift to 4th?

BTW...mine is a 2.7L, 4-cylinder, 4 speed auto w/OD...I know the weights are different, but the principle is the same.

 

I towed in 4th when I had an auto. Mainly because I tow in 1:1 gear in all my manuals of the past if it is heavy. Not only is it generally a stronger gear I tend to get better MPG and the engine is happier.

I tow in 5th with a goo load on my 6spd it tows great.

 

I would run 3rd in the 4spd auto.

No issues, I towed many of thousands of miles with my 2008 4cyl 5spd way over the rated capacity. I always ran 3rd and 4th, 3rd for power and 4th for cruising 1:1. Don't drive so fast that you are at redline but 4-5k rpm is safe when the power is needed and cruising around 4k is not a problem with a good load.

The engine is spinning faster but the wear on the engine from spinning faster is not as bad as from lugging it down.. Within reason.

I bet the 4cyl auto will hate towing anything over about 4k.

The 3500 lb tow rating is horse shit. Its made up to sell more v6 trucks. The truck is not going to be fast.. Actually dog ass slow but it will be fine up to about 5500.

 

above all just take your time. Run 1:1 for your trans with a heavy or moderate load for cruising to reduce wear and you will not have issues.

You won't break shit until you decide to run 85 at max load or use the rev limiter as cruise control in a low gear.. These trucks tow very well for what they are rated.

 

Maybe a dumb question...what do you mean "cruising 1:1"?

 

Lots of information here - some fact and some fiction. For a manual transmission, running in a lower gear, ie 5th in a 6 speed, usually gets you a 1:1 input/output ratio, is a "stronger" gear, and usually runs a little cooler. Most of the info on OD is correct, lock it out when converter is locking/unlocking or when trans is shifting back and forth to a lower gear. Also I would recommend to NOT use cruise control when towing anything over 1000 pounds to reduce throttle openings and downshifts on hills, even as small a change in elevation as an overpass over another road. With an automatic, goal is to keep converter locked up as much as possible, reducing heat in the transmission.

An old rule of thumb is if you give it more gas and speed does NOT increase (or it downshifts right away with an automatic), you're probably need to manually downshift 1 gear.

Another item on towing - consider what your pulling, not just weight but height/frontal area - a 2500# tall travel trailer can be a lot tougher to pull than a 3500# open utility trailer.
Max torque on a V6 Tacoma is at 4000 rpm, consider that a max for normal cruising with a medium/heavy trailer, higher rpm only for uphill.

 

Not a dumb question, I am happy to help

Meaning when I am cruising down the highway with a constant load and speed like flat ish ground @ 55 or whatever with the trailer.

1:1 is the gear ratio for 4th gear in the 5spd on the Tacoma.
1-3 are under driven gears (trans input turns more than output) and 5th is overdrive (trans input turns less than output)

5th gear in a 6spd Tacoma is 1:1
3rd gear in the 4spd auto is 1:1
4th gear in the 5 speed auto is 1:1

Not all transmissions are one gear down for 1:1 some have no overdrive making the top gear 1:1 and some have a double overdrive where the 3rd gear down is 1:1. But for Toyota pickups they are 1 gear down Unless you get an 80's 4speed manual, some of those did not have overdrive gear.

 

Thanks all...really good information!