Tow Haul Button

[sdelam]

Caught my brain fart, I was confusing GVWR and curb weight, silly me.

[hotrodnrv]

I Use tow haul every time. Allows transmission to downshift and use engine for compression braking. saving your brakes. A big plus on hills. Try it with and without you can tell.

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[Crusadernoob]

ABSOLUTELY! With our duramax these things will pull just about anything, but with it in T/H mode the transmission shift points change, up shift takes longer and down shift comes quicker, huge benefits and we only tow 10k, I was also able to hook up the factory exhaust brake and that will stay engaged down to 20 MPH, so we feel very comfortable with our set up. Hardly ever use the brakes!

[fx2]

I have a 2012 F150 with the EcoBoost and if any trailer is hooked up I have tow/haul engaged. With the 3.7 I strongly suggest you have it on when towing your TT

[DrippingDuo]

I leave it on when towing unless I hit a long flat stretch. Especially helpful when going down hills as it will automatically downshift for you.

[dretired]

Had tow/haul mode on my 2010 F150.5.4...and..have it on My 2012 F250 6.7... I ALWAYS use it when towing

[mjones12]

Even towing on a long, flat stretch, I leave my tow-haul on. And mine DOES allow it to go into overdrive under those conditions, judging by the RPM's I'm seeing. Could be due to the weight on my trailer, which I tow at about 5,300 pounds.

[OKI Marine]

Leave it on when towing. Saves the brakes and helps cool the transmission

[LKicklight]

Our tow vehicle is a 2001 Silverado 2500HD, Gas, Ext. Cab. The owners manuals tells us that, towing in tow/haul should be used in hilly or rolling Taren as it cuts down on the downshift occurrences, on flat level ground, tow/haul is not necessary as downshifts are rare. Gas mileage is better when operating under the latter conditions. We have also discovered that when in cruise control and tow/haul engaged, the transmission on flat and level ground is much more sensitive and annoying.
Our coach is a Crusader 270RET Fifth Wheel, dry weight 7740, with 2740 additional gross weight allowed. The tow vehicle is rated at 12,500 GW.

[zs325RES]

In the majority of cases it's a good feature to use.

However - as long as the highway grade is minimal or flat, I'm in O/D. My 6L gasser pulls the 5er great in overdrive at 2,000rpm at 65 mph, and my trans temp never gets above 175F.

[dretired]

Forgot to mention the "exhaust braking" on the 6.7....really nice ..when exiting the freeway for stopping

[jimmyt11664]

I am a transmission tech for a Ford dealer. Tow haul has several benefits for a torque shift 6 transmission. 1. Increases line pressure so when the clutch packs apply it reduces wear on clutches.
2. Modifying shift timing to increase fuel economy and promote hp and torque for optimal towing efficiency
3. Allows for engine braking when going down a grade to help decrease brake lining wear
4. Activation of trailer sway control
I have a 2014 F350, very satisfied with the performance. I haven't seen any internal issues except for solenoid issues and a tcm. Very reliable power train.

[cbconway]

Always use Tow/Haul when towing TT, regardless of terrain. Computerized transmission keeps the engine revs right in the maximum torque band and greatly increases exhaust brake effectiveness.

[4mula1fan]

I use tow mode and manually lock out o/d when it starts "hunting" for a gear. My tranny temp stays steady.

[mark0224]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

Here's what my 2009 Silverado's Owners Manual says:

Tow/Haul is designed to be most effective when the

vehicle and trailer combined weight is at least 75 percent

of the vehicle’s Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR).

See “Weight of the Trailer” later in the section. Tow/Haul

is most useful under the following driving conditions:

•

When pulling a heavy trailer or a large or heavy load through rolling terrain.

•

When pulling a heavy trailer or a large or heavy load in stop and go traffic.

•

When pulling a heavy trailer or a large or heavy load in busy parking lots where improved low speed control of the vehicle is desired.

Operating the vehicle in Tow/Haul when lightly loaded

or with no trailer at all will not cause damage. However,

there is no benefit to the selection of Tow/Haul when

the vehicle is unloaded. Such a selection when unloaded

may result in unpleasant engine and transmission

driving characteristics and reduced fuel economy.

Tow/Haul is recommended only when pulling a heavy

trailer or a large or heavy load.

So part of the answer is how heavy your trailer is with respect to you towing capability.

My 2011 Chevy Traverse's Manual says the Tow/Haul mode will also increase the alternator output to charge the trailers battery. It also increases the number of blinks the turn signals will make on a brief tap of the lever from 3 blinks to 6 blinks. This doesn't seem to apply to the Silverado, at least not my year..

Have similar manual, I use it full time if the truck starts to shift because of the hills or when in traffic gets backed. On nice level roads my trucks rpms are the same towing as not so the truck isn't working harder than normal and therefore I leave it off. This was how the mechanic told me to do it when I asked and I get a couple of extra mpg on a trip this way. Have your tranny serviced on schedule and ask if you need to have it done more often if you are towing a lot.

[Frank-VA]

I use my tow haul all the time when towing.
I have a http://www.scangauge.com/products/scangaugeii/ so I can see the engine oil temp, coolant temp and trans temp.

[LandJ]

My truck is still new to me, but I noticed that I can turn it off while cruising. I only have about 200 miles towing with it, but I noticed it acts like there is no load on it once up to speed. I turned it off and the tranny shifted to OD and stayed there. If it starts shifting back and forth, I put it back in tow/haul mode. You really have to "listen" and just find the happy place for your vehicle, IMO.

I should add that it's a '14 Ecodiesel with the 8 speed tranny... all those gears prob make a difference.

[GASPEDDLER]

Love mine, I especially like the added braking. I'm amazed at how well it holds 6th gear at highway speed in hills and overpasses. It says a lot about that 6.7 Diesel engine.

[techntrek]

Somewhere recently I read that on the Chevys another change is it increases the number of times the turn signal flashes from 3 to 6, when you just tap it. Tested mine the other day and sure enough that is true.

[rockfordroo]

Somewhere recently I read that on the Chevys another change is it increases the number of times the turn signal flashes from 3 to 6, when you just tap it. Tested mine the other day and sure enough that is true.

I always seem to get dumped on when I suggest people should take a couple of hours and read their owner manuals; who knows what else is in there that they don't know (but SHOULD)?

Here's the response I just got on the Traverse Forum when making the same suggestion to a guy who couldn't figure out how to get his dome lights to turn on when his door opened:

Yeah, I could spend "a couple hours" reading the owner's manual or I could spend 30 seconds searching the internet. It took me less time to get the answer from here than it would have taken me to walk out to the car and get the manual. Thanks for the suggestion though.

From my Silverado Owner's Manual:

Raise or lower the lever for less than one second
until the arrow starts to flash to signal a lane change.
This causes the turn signals to automatically flash
three times. It will flash six times if tow-haul mode is
active. Holding the turn signal lever for more than
one second will cause the turn signals to flash until
you release the lever.