6 Speed Towing

I have done quite a bit of towing but never with a standard tranny. I will be towing an empty 7 x 14 v-nose enclosed trailer with my 2008 6 speed. I looked at the towing bible, the owners manual and did a search and couldn't find any info. Should I refrain from towing in 6th gear? I would assume this is like overdrive in an automatic.

 

I should refrain from staring at your avatar!

I don't know much at all, but I would say 5th gear would be just fine. But then again, I don't tow. Just my .02.

 

here u go...

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/towing/18202-advice-towing-6spd.html

 

Thanks mjonags. I had found this thread before but it doesn't talk about what gear to pull in.

 

I'd say there isn't a set gear- if you are towing and 5th is running good not getting too high in the revs....Use that...if you start to creep up towards 3-3.5K....Think about a shift. It's about what speed and rpms you are trying to maintain.

 

Use a gear that will let the engine work properly. Don't worry about which one it is as long as the engine is happy.

 

Tow in 5th maximum. 5th is a direct drive (ie 1:1). NEVER tow in 6th, as it is an overdrive. At safe towing speeds, the rpms will never be too high as to hurt the engine. Towing in overdrive causes heat, and in a manual transmission, there is no heat exchanger (cooler) of any sort, so it is even more detrimental. Also, any damage that is caused is undetectable, as driveablility stay the same until it craters (unlike an automatic, which will slip or shift irregularily when damaged). At 60mph it's only 500 or 600 rpm to stay in 5th...that fuel sacrifice is a LOT cheaper than a new transmission.

 

Let the truck tell you. THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS ONLY APPLY TO MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS. There is absolutely nothing wrong with towing in overdrive, which in your case is 6th. I tow in 6th on the highway when it is flat, when the ground pitches up or down begin your downshifting. When you need to downshift, you'll feel the engine begin to bog down, you'll see the RPMs on the tach begin to drop, then you downshift. The 7x14 v-nose that you are asking about presents much less frontal area and drag than my RV does, so you will likely be just fine in 6th on the highways.

The reason that you are supposed to stay out of overdrive in an automatic is because of the transmission hunting, ie: jumping back and forth between direct and OD. An automatic shifts gears by moving fluid through various valves. This process builds heat, heat breaks down transmission fluid, broken down transmission fluid does not lubricate correctly, lack of lubrication leads to transmission problems. These things are not a factor in a manual transmission as you manually engage the selected gear ratios by way of the shifter. This does not build heat. This is why there is no trans cooler on manual transmissions either.

You'll be fine, shift when the truck tells you to shift just like you would when driving the truck by itself, and feel free to use all 6 gears plus reverse.

Regards,

Adam

 

x2

 

^X3

 

I tow in 6th all the time. The gear ratio between 5th and 6th is pretty close and is no where near as big a difference as it is in the automatic transmission. Think about it, if Toyota was building a truck with a manual transmission and offers a factory tow package...that doesn't void the warranty, then don't you believe the engineers have designed the truck to handle towing in 6th. Otherwise, there would be all sorts of warranty disclaimers for towing in 6th. As already advised, your terrain, load weight and RPMs should guide your choice of gears.

 

Thanks guy's. I took your advise and it pulled it just fine in 6th. A few times I downshifted on hills and the strong head wind.

 

How much weight will a 2013 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 v6 manual transmission double cab comfortable pull

 

Comfortable is a relative term. For some, it could be comfortable at 12,000# (yes, way over the limits). For others, it isn't comfortable to do walk outside in the daylight.
I generally suggest working your way up.
Also note that weight is only a small part of comfort. Balance and aerodynamics play a much bigger role.