[Chieflikalotapus]

Just wanted to know if there was anything wrong with cruising with tow mode on all the time. This tranny seem like it always has to search for the gears and with me switching it to sport mode and leaving it on 6 and tow mode on has helped quite a bit. Less searching tranny feels smoother in between shifts as well.


Anybody else have experience like this?

 

[cookiedough1]

Won't hurt a thing just suck more gas is all extending the shift points with higher rpms in gears as well holding the gears longer between shifts. I use it only when I tow even say 1500 lbs. I like it for towing vs. normal daily driving really don't need it but see you have a lift and bigger tires so leaving it in tow mode may help with constant gear hunting more so than stock.

 

[2010]

Yep, you will use more fuel and likely not see any benefit...

 

[Chieflikalotapus]

Wouldn't it use less fuel in my case. I mean I see what they are saying as far as using more fuel in tow/haul mode as to say your "actually" doing it. But in my case I'm not towing or hauling anything. It holds the gear longer yes, but it seems as if my tranny is always at a low rpm wouldn't that help with milage rather then hurt it seeing how it's not always bouncing up and down due to the constant change in gears.

 

[Farkleboy]

Instead of shifting at 2500 rpm it would shift at 3200 for example. More revs equals more gas burnt. I tried it. Same driving style, one tank with it off got 16.5, next tank on all the time, got 12. It was more fun, but yep.

 

[Chieflikalotapus]

Instead of shifting at 2500 rpm it would shift at 3200 for example. More revs equals more gas burnt. I tried it. Same driving style, one tank with it off got 16.5, next tank on all the time, got 12. It was more fun, but yep.

Dam that sux to hear. Just hate the fact that the tranny is always searching for gears. Even on the slightest touch of the gas pedal it downshifts or even an a slight grade it also downshifts. Seems like it's to much going on in there.

 

[Turtle9343]

Instead of shifting at 2500 rpm it would shift at 3200 for example. More revs equals more gas burnt. I tried it. Same driving style, one tank with it off got 16.5, next tank on all the time, got 12. It was more fun, but yep.

That's oversimplified. If you lug the motor, I can promise you won't get better fuel economy. Also, one tank is not even close to determine a real result. To get an accurate assessment, you would have to drive with it on for like 40 tank fulls, then drive with it off for 40. It's impossible to determine if a change did anything just from a 400 mile test. There are too many variables.

 

[luxury4play]

best bet is to change your gears for the constant gear hunting, and down shifting.

 

[Dragos28]

whenever i feel like racing around i'll put it in the tow/haul mode... also kill the nannies for even more fun...



who cares about MPG? what did someone buy the tundra for it stellar MPG ratings???
jk...
after the first few weeks of getting 5mpg i cut back also.. that gets expensive fast.... lol.

 

[Farkleboy]

That's oversimplified. If you lug the motor, I can promise you won't get better fuel economy. Also, one tank is not even close to determine a real result. To get an accurate assessment, you would have to drive with it on for like 40 tank fulls, then drive with it off for 40. It's impossible to determine if a change did anything just from a 400 mile test. There are too many variables.

I'm a simple guy. :fou:Besides, you can't lug the motor with the transmission in our trucks. It won't let you, hence the hunting for gears. :drive:

I do know that if I'm on the hwy, let off the gas to coast a little, then push on the gas just enough to maintain the new speed, it will unlock the converter, stabilize the speed, then lock it up again. Sounds very much like a downshift but it really isn't. I believe hyper tech makes a box that minimizes this. Could be someone else, can't recall. :dunno:

My ADD won't let me do an assessment that take 40 tanks, much less 2.:hyper: So, I'll let someone else with more patience do that for me. It was good enough for me. :yesnod:

Besides, there's no wayI'd ever get 400 miles a tank anyway:lmao:

 

[tgard5050]

Good answer on the converter. I wondered why it did this.

 

[cookiedough1]

It is not that much difference using the tow haul mode though my estimates are about 1 mpg less is all.

As far as hunting for gears, that is what we get for having a 6 speed tranny. Can you imagine what this will do in a few years when the tundra will get an 8 speed tranny. I remember when I had a 1/2 ton chevy silverado 5.3L with the awesome 4.10 rear axle ratio (not very common most were 3.73 at the time) and only a 4 speed tranny. It NEVER hunted for gears even on an incline and always revved/maintained about 2000 rpms on the hwy. vs. around 1600-1700 rpms. Believe it or not, since I live in hilly country roads, that was the BEST avg mpg for hwy. use I ever received on any chevy and the dealers at chevy can suck it since they push the wimpy 3.08 or 3.42 rear axle ratio for better gas mileage which is NOT true.

That said, I still feel the tundra could easily get 1 more mpg on the hwy. if we had a 3.90 rear axle ratio vs. the 4.30 as standard with tow pkg. 4.30 is very beefy and NO other 1/2 ton truck on the market has anything close to that with most 3.42 thru 3.73 as standard. I feel rear axle ratio makes a HUGE difference in mpg and power on hills/towing having driven 1/2 ton trucks from 3.08 (total dog), 3.42 (still a dog), 3.73 (adequate at best) and 4.10 and 4.30.

 

[cmb]

best bet is to change your gears for the constant gear hunting, and down shifting.

Yep,luxury4play and I have Sequential Shifters in our trucks.We don't have to settle for "gear-hunting" or "too many shifts". Just a simple push to the left on the shifter and we're in 4th gear,then we just decide from there as to which gear is best for a given situation,speed,road condition or load.