Im just wondering how many of you use the manual gear selector on the shifter? I use mine when driving in town or the city, but is it good for the transmission?

 

I definately use mine when towing - I think it removes OVER DRIVE (OD) which is a NO-NO when towing... My TRUCK has the OEM INSTALLED TOWING PACKAGE so the dash indicator says "TOWING". The other trucks probably say "OVER DRIVE"

 

2010 does not have gear range select. Tow Haul mode for 2009+ does not prevent overdrive from being used. Overdrive can be used when towing in the speed/load conditions allow the torque converter to remain locked up.

 

OP,

Manual shifting does not hurt anything. A common complaint of the 2009-2010 6-spd was the lack of control, especially when towing. You can lock into 1,2,or 3, but not anything higher. Many people found even in tow/haul mode, the transmission would shift into a taller gear, not be able to hold it, then downshift, rinse, repeat. 2011 offers both manual shifting to hold any gear, as well as range select which allows the transmission to shift into any gear you chose and below.

 

2011 - Tow/Haul only changes how the engine shifts and you still have the OD. I haven't played around with this yet, but from what I understand I should be able to hear the different rpm revs and when the shifting occurs... especially when towing something.
Manual allows you to stay in one gear at higher rpm if you wish. Not sure if I'll even use this.

 

No need to listen for revs - just watch the gear indicator on the right-hand side of the screen. It tells you what gear you're in at all times, even in full auto mode.

To the o/p, what's the benefit of manually shifting the transmission in the city, unless you're looking for more performance off the line?

 

I like to get to the next street light as fast as I can