Towing ... keep it in 4 from a stop?

Probably a dumb question ... but better safe than sorry. I tow a 2200lb AS with a Sequoia. In this case, I simply press the Tow Haul button that, from my limited understanding, keeps it out of overdrive. I can't even really tell it's back there.

I very occasionally will be towing this with my '05 tacoma v6 with the towing package, but the truck doesn't have an overdrive button. In this case, do I simply put the truck into 4 and drive this way? Or do I manually downshift to 3,2, etc. and from a dead stop work my way up to 4? Or do I simply leave it in 4, basically telling the trans to not go further trusting that the trans will deal with the lower gears as necessary?

Thanks in advance!
Dave

 

Put it in 4 and leave it in 4. If you are climbing in the mountains Or on a long steep grade and the tranny starts hunting gears then put it in 3 until over the grade or through the steep part of the mountains. But mostly put in 4 and leave it there.

 

Correct. Quite literally, you're just telling it the limit of gears, not selecting "4th gear." So if you put it into "S4" (assuming it's called that in Gen 2 Tacomas as well), you'll still start from 1st gear from a stop.

 

thanks to both of you for the responses. In my ‘05 I just see 4, 3, 2, L as options. All clear now! I’m going to check this weekend to see if I can easily swap the brake controller in the sequoia into the Tacoma.

 

Your V6 Tacoma shouldn't have much trouble with a 2200 lb trailer. I dont know, could you try limiting it to 5th as long as there's no excessive downshifting? Or does 5th gear let the torque converter slip?

 

The owners manual tells you to tow in 4. I tow a 3500lb boat and when I’m on a long straight flat portion of highway I often leave it in D. Been towing with my Taco 11 years and no problems. But I think in general I think it probably best to follow the owners manual and tow in 4.

 

Yeah when I tow my 2000 lb utility trailer, I keep it in D. The truck doesn't really handle any differently than normal. On the other hand when I haul my 4000 lb travel trailer with my Taco, I normally keep it in S4 or 5. Not all trailers are created equal.

 

Keep it in 4th

 

2200 pounds isn't much for the V6 to drag behind you, but use 4th. The tranny will continually shift in and out of OD lockup and from OD to 4th, depending on hills and speed, and will heat up. I run a Scangauge with T1 and T2 temp sensing, and you can watch it happen. Keeping it in 4th when towing helps keep the trans temp more stable and a bit lower. 70 mph in 4th is just under 3000 rpm, so no big deal with the engine revs, and your gas mileage is going to suck regardless. I tow a 5x8 enclosed trailer, weighs generally around 1800-2000 when full, and I also tow a flatbed with a tractor and that can weigh as much as 5500 pounds. Run in 4th and no worries, drop into 3rd on extended hills.

 

I have an auto and tow a 19' #4500 Airstream.
From S mode I manually shift through 1 to 4 to get my rig up to speed on my terms and then keep it in 4th with ETC on.

 

With a light trailer or higher speeds I tend to leave it in D so long as the transmission isn't hunting around. You can feel/hear/see a 'gear' between the actual 4th and 5th gear which is the torque converter unlocking and creating excess heat. So long as you are actually going fast enough or are light enough that you are in 5th gear and locked it'll be ok. Slower speeds or heavier trailers and you're gonna be in 4th anyway most of the time and forcing 4th gear just keeps the hunting to a minimum.

 

If there is any doubt just use 4th gear. With light loads and on level ground it may be OK to put it in Drive but you have to read the road. If you start up even a slight incline shift back to 4th gear until you're over the crest. If you're not willing to manually do that just leave it in 4th gear.

And of course you need to down shift to 3rd, or 2nd gear on downhill sections to use engine braking to slow you down. In some cases even 1st gear.