Towing Caravan with Hilux Automatic - overdrive at all?
Phil P said
12:50 PM Nov 16, 2020
Hi all,
Im new to towing a caravan. I have a 2014 Hilux with the 3.0L TD engine and Auto transmission. I have had a transmission cooler installed and am towing a 1900kg Jayco Freedom caravan. The Hilux is heavily accessorized and Im just under GVM (with the tow ball weight) and under the GCW, just wondering if others are ever using the overdrive gear for towing?
thanks
Phil P
Radar said
01:14 PM Nov 16, 2020
Hi Phil P.
From my own experience, I am not a automatic mechanic, talk with a automatic mechanic near you face to face, we were told not to tow our caravan in overdrive and even thou we drive fairly steady on our tours we were assured the gearbox was dropping into overdrive, causing damage by heating the oil up.
To top it off the automatic specialist from Nissan quoted "its in the drivers hand book", when towing use sports mode.
So even thou your car is a Toyota, my guess would be a big no to allowing your gearbox to fall into overdrive.
That silly letter S on the gear select consul should be a real big W for work when you are towing and working the car.
Hope this helps.
outlaw40 said
02:36 PM Nov 16, 2020
there will be a section in the manual about towing , have you read it ? most if not all manufacturers will advise against towing in overdrive , suggesting to tow in sports mode or manual mode or power mode whatever that particular manufacturer chooses to call it .
Craig1 said
03:53 PM Nov 16, 2020
x3 for outlaw and radar
travelyounger said
08:05 PM Nov 16, 2020
Not sure on Toyota trans but I always tow with my dmax in 4th except on big downhill or with a gale behind me its a 6 speed auto. Cheers
BAZZA44 said
09:58 AM Nov 17, 2020
My automatic transmission specialist said to never tow in overdrive with an automatic transmission. It will overheat the box, leading to repairs.
Barry
littledick said
12:16 PM Nov 17, 2020
travelyounger wrote:
Not sure on Toyota trans but I always tow with my dmax in 4th except on big downhill or with a gale behind me its a 6 speed auto. Cheers
Same here with the Ranger.
Dick.
Bobdown said
02:49 PM Nov 17, 2020
outlaw40 wrote:
there will be a section in the manual about towing , have you read it ? most if not all manufacturers will advise against towing in overdrive , suggesting to tow in sports mode or manual mode or power mode whatever that particular manufacturer chooses to call it .
I have read with interest some of these posts as I have always chucked it in 'D' and set off. Just a stock standard LC200 2015 TD, and on places like the Nullarbor, it sits on 1780 rpm at 100 kmh in 6th gear, on cruise control as well.
It will always seek it's on level and drop back accordingly to 4th at 2300 rpm for instance. On my last trip I used 'S' and 4th gear for most of the way and I got better fuel economy even though it was revving higher, as it was windy.
I think you can use either, depending on the conditions, 'S' would be better for hills and headwinds, where 'D' is ok on the flat ground, IMHO.
Stand to be corrected.
Cheers Bob
Radar said
03:20 PM Nov 17, 2020
Bobdown wrote:
outlaw40 wrote:
there will be a section in the manual about towing , have you read it ? most if not all manufacturers will advise against towing in overdrive , suggesting to tow in sports mode or manual mode or power mode whatever that particular manufacturer chooses to call it .
I have read with interest some of these posts as I have always chucked it in 'D' and set off. Just a stock standard LC200 2015 TD, and on places like the Nullarbor, it sits on 1780 rpm at 100 kmh in 6th gear, on cruise control as well.
It will always seek it's on level and drop back accordingly to 4th at 2300 rpm for instance. On my last trip I used 'S' and 4th gear for most of the way and I got better fuel economy even though it was revving higher, as it was windy.
I think you can use either, depending on the conditions, 'S' would be better for hills and headwinds, where 'D' is ok on the flat ground, IMHO.
Stand to be corrected.
Cheers Bob
How many kilometres has your car got on the speedp?
How many kilometres have you towed your caravan?
Our car has 140 000 ks, more then half that towing, unknown to us we possibly have shorten the life of the automatic gearbox by driving in "D" and not "S" for sport, should be "W" for work.
Trouble is its not until the car gets few ks on it that you find out when it limps to the side of the road with flashing lights
Our friends own a LC200 auto, 200 000ks, bogged the ride on mower and went down to tow it out, lights flashed on the console $5000 later but I never use 4wd. Well he should of just for practise.
Bobdown said
05:16 PM Nov 17, 2020
Hi Ralph,
This Cruiser has done 90,000 k, 80 k of that towing, always in 4WD on the gravel. That's all its used for basically, I have an old Rodeo ute for bashing around in at home, the Missus has her Rav 4.
Previous 100 series V8 petrol, did 260k about half of that towing, but expensive on the juice, but powerful.
I think there are times when you can drive in 'D' and Cruise control.
cheers Bob
dabbler said
05:47 PM Nov 17, 2020
2013 4sp D4D auto Hilux still low km at 70k, fitted with tran cooler usually heavily loaded and towing about 1500kg. Stock size tyres 265/65R17. Rarely hits the road unless towing. On major busy highways I travel close to posted speed limits and quieter roads closer to 80-90 (not esp for fuel saving but to take in the journey). Advice from local tranny shop where it's serviced every 15k or so, is towing in D(rive) is okay for my driving style and towing wt is as long as I watch engine revs and road terrain as an indicator of whether to drop back to 3rd. The extra wt behind the OP (and 5sp auto) might vary the decision. 7th gen Hilux doesn't have sports mode.
Warren-Pat_01 said
06:09 PM Nov 17, 2020
Hi,
When I had the last two Patrols, I always towed in 5th gear (both were 4.2L diesel manuals, one normally aspirated, one turbo). However as soon as I came to a rise, I was always back in 4th (or less).
I know the rule that states "Thou shalt not tow in 5th" but with the weight & strength of those gear boxes, I had no troubles. The GQ had 430,000kms on the clock when I sold it, the GU had nearly 500,000kms. I towed a tent trailer, a Jayco Camper & last our pop top. None of these were the heavy weights that some members here tow.
Our new car, a D-max auto? The dealer said to put it in "D" & forget it. Yes, I do that a few times but I watch the speed, revs. Occasionally it drops into 6th on slight down hill stretches but I drop it back to either 5th or 4th depending on the slope. On the flat, it seems to go "ok" in 5th. I bought a scan gauge in Toowoomba to install. The recommended dealer of the gauge turned out to be useless - sold them but knew nothing! And my health crashed so I didn't get to fit it. Am planning on getting a cooler added soon.
The only time I use cruise control is if the road ahead is dead flat. The manual GQ was a far better car to use cruise control with. If I didn't have a weight issue, I might have still had that car (but then I'd probably still be in hospital in Toowoomba!!)
Noelpolar said
07:30 PM Nov 18, 2020
Generally, with autos, when towing heavy it is a question of will the torque converter lock up when cruising in the chosen gear..... some autos are not good at this when left in "D"..... like the 200 series..... the safe way is to go into S mode and select the direct drive gear (ie 4th in a 200 series.... not 5th... not 6th and not D).
Another thing to keep in mind is that.... slightly higher revs in a "locked" lower gear will be better all round then one gear higher with a slipping TQ. Higher revs means more air going through the motor so you get lower exhaust gas temperatures (good) and a slipping TQ uses more energy and heats up the auto box.
Phil P said
08:52 PM Nov 26, 2020
I had a good read of the owners manual and it actually mentioned Not using Drive. Im just not used to the engine running at 2400rpm whilst doing 90-95klmh.
Hi all,
Im new to towing a caravan. I have a 2014 Hilux with the 3.0L TD engine and Auto transmission. I have had a transmission cooler installed and am towing a 1900kg Jayco Freedom caravan. The Hilux is heavily accessorized and Im just under GVM (with the tow ball weight) and under the GCW, just wondering if others are ever using the overdrive gear for towing?
thanks
Phil P
Hi Phil P.
From my own experience, I am not a automatic mechanic, talk with a automatic mechanic near you face to face, we were told not to tow our caravan in overdrive and even thou we drive fairly steady on our tours we were assured the gearbox was dropping into overdrive, causing damage by heating the oil up.
To top it off the automatic specialist from Nissan quoted "its in the drivers hand book", when towing use sports mode.
So even thou your car is a Toyota, my guess would be a big no to allowing your gearbox to fall into overdrive.
That silly letter S on the gear select consul should be a real big W for work when you are towing and working the car.
Hope this helps.
Barry
Same here with the Ranger.
Dick.
I have read with interest some of these posts as I have always chucked it in 'D' and set off. Just a stock standard LC200 2015 TD, and on places like the Nullarbor, it sits on 1780 rpm at 100 kmh in 6th gear, on cruise control as well.
It will always seek it's on level and drop back accordingly to 4th at 2300 rpm for instance. On my last trip I used 'S' and 4th gear for most of the way and I got better fuel economy even though it was revving higher, as it was windy.
I think you can use either, depending on the conditions, 'S' would be better for hills and headwinds, where 'D' is ok on the flat ground, IMHO.
Stand to be corrected.
Cheers Bob
How many kilometres has your car got on the speedp?
How many kilometres have you towed your caravan?
Our car has 140 000 ks, more then half that towing, unknown to us we possibly have shorten the life of the automatic gearbox by driving in "D" and not "S" for sport, should be "W" for work.
Trouble is its not until the car gets few ks on it that you find out when it limps to the side of the road with flashing lights
Our friends own a LC200 auto, 200 000ks, bogged the ride on mower and went down to tow it out, lights flashed on the console $5000 later but I never use 4wd. Well he should of just for practise.
Hi Ralph,
This Cruiser has done 90,000 k, 80 k of that towing, always in 4WD on the gravel. That's all its used for basically, I have an old Rodeo ute for bashing around in at home, the Missus has her Rav 4.
Previous 100 series V8 petrol, did 260k about half of that towing, but expensive on the juice, but powerful.
I think there are times when you can drive in 'D' and Cruise control.
cheers Bob
When I had the last two Patrols, I always towed in 5th gear (both were 4.2L diesel manuals, one normally aspirated, one turbo). However as soon as I came to a rise, I was always back in 4th (or less).
I know the rule that states "Thou shalt not tow in 5th" but with the weight & strength of those gear boxes, I had no troubles. The GQ had 430,000kms on the clock when I sold it, the GU had nearly 500,000kms. I towed a tent trailer, a Jayco Camper & last our pop top. None of these were the heavy weights that some members here tow.
Our new car, a D-max auto? The dealer said to put it in "D" & forget it. Yes, I do that a few times but I watch the speed, revs. Occasionally it drops into 6th on slight down hill stretches but I drop it back to either 5th or 4th depending on the slope. On the flat, it seems to go "ok" in 5th. I bought a scan gauge in Toowoomba to install. The recommended dealer of the gauge turned out to be useless - sold them but knew nothing! And my health crashed so I didn't get to fit it. Am planning on getting a cooler added soon.
The only time I use cruise control is if the road ahead is dead flat. The manual GQ was a far better car to use cruise control with. If I didn't have a weight issue, I might have still had that car (but then I'd probably still be in hospital in Toowoomba!!)
Another thing to keep in mind is that.... slightly higher revs in a "locked" lower gear will be better all round then one gear higher with a slipping TQ. Higher revs means more air going through the motor so you get lower exhaust gas temperatures (good) and a slipping TQ uses more energy and heats up the auto box.