Tow/haul vs. Overdrive
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From: socal
Tow/haul vs. Overdrive
Anyone want to explain the differences between Tow/Haul mode and Overdrive?
Should I be using Tow/Haul mode like I used to use Overdrive for going up/down hills or is it truely only for Towing/Hauling?
Should I be using Tow/Haul mode like I used to use Overdrive for going up/down hills or is it truely only for Towing/Hauling?
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Tow/Haul, per the owner's manual, when engaged, will cause lesser gear shifting and keep the rpm higher in each gear before shifting to the next higher one.
If you are running without load, I suggest running OD for better fuel economy.
If you are running without load, I suggest running OD for better fuel economy.
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From: Austin
According to the manual, Tow/Haul offers all gears including the two overdrive gears that the new 6 speed offers. Both 5th and 6th gears are O/D gears in the new truck.
http://www.pickuptrucks.com/html/new...announced.html
From what I understand (someone correct me if I am wrong) With Tow Haul mode in the new trucks, the truck will stay in a lower gear longer allowing more RPM from the engine... on the old trucks, turning O/D off would prevent you from shifting into a gear that spun the tires faster than the engine was spinning (O/D gears). This would allow the same effect (higher RPM from the engine at same speeds.... higher RPM = higher torque = less need for gear searching/shifting.
http://www.pickuptrucks.com/html/new...announced.html
From what I understand (someone correct me if I am wrong) With Tow Haul mode in the new trucks, the truck will stay in a lower gear longer allowing more RPM from the engine... on the old trucks, turning O/D off would prevent you from shifting into a gear that spun the tires faster than the engine was spinning (O/D gears). This would allow the same effect (higher RPM from the engine at same speeds.... higher RPM = higher torque = less need for gear searching/shifting.
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From: Prince George, BC Canada
Just a hunch, but I suspect with OD off it won't even shift into the OD gears. In tow/haul mode I suspect it could still shift into the OD gears, albeit at a higher than normal RPM. I thought the point of the tow/haul mode was mainly to change the shift points to allow for better performance while towing and less gear hunting meaning that it may hold a gear longer.
The other REALLY AWESOME thing I noticed when I test drove the 09 was that while in tow/haul mode, a quick tap on the brake would engage a downshift. I think you could do this two times so in effect you could apply engine braking with one or two quick taps of the brake depending on how much braking you needed. This would be awesome when decending a hill with a load.
The other REALLY AWESOME thing I noticed when I test drove the 09 was that while in tow/haul mode, a quick tap on the brake would engage a downshift. I think you could do this two times so in effect you could apply engine braking with one or two quick taps of the brake depending on how much braking you needed. This would be awesome when decending a hill with a load.