Hey All,

New to the board, just picked up my 98 F-150 4x4 supercab, 5.4 liter, 3.55 rearend. My question is the manual says to turn the overdrive off for towing up steep hills, do ya'll tow in overdrive?? I'm towing a 19 foot boat with tandem axle and brakes, the whole package comes in around three thousand pounds. Thanks in advance, and so glad I found this site.

 

DC,

I tow a 5100 pound travel trailer in OD after reaching highway speeds, going up hills it comes off. Try a search of the site, there's some really good pointers and info in past posts.

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99 F250XLT Supercab LD
5.4L 3.73 LS
White/Silver
Graphite interior
6 CD changer/Captain's Chairs

 

Transmissions make more heat when gears turn. Overdrive, by definition, is a gearing action (more than 1.4+ revolutions out for every 1 revolution in for a 0.7 od).

Transmission clutches wear more when they shift (yeah, Duhhhh) -- and when you're also adding lotsa torque to the shift -- well you get the picture.

So the recommendation to use direct negates those two concerns.

If your vehicle can take a grade without needing to downshift to direct (3rd), then you're probably not generating enough hp/torque to cause heat, etc. -- so it's your call.

(I never tow in overdrive)

Jim

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"00" XLT SC 5.4 7700 4x4 SB repeat buyer