Do you select drive or 3rd when towing.

[Hammer H]

For my last trip I've upgraded the trailer from a standard single axle which I think is rated 450kg to a heavy duty Trailer with a atm of 1750 and Tare of 390kg.

I could move the old Trailer loaded by hand but no chance with the new one. Moving the new trailer empty is equivalent to moving the old trailer full. Mind you we pack absolutely everything in there, winter or summer and it's used to store all the camping gear at home.

The new trailer is a lot more noticeable to tow behind the 4.6, and struggles a bit more to hold gear, I'm not sure it's good for the gearbox to keep it in drive so at times climbing hills etc I held it in third. Third seems to rev a bit hight though as it cuts out fourth and lock up so it seems to be like dropping two gears.

Just wonder what others do and recommend? I think I'd be towing 1500 kg.

Cheers Paul

[JohnnyB]

I use the shift lever and treat it like a manual. Like you I am towing a heavy trailer and the old girl in loaded to the gunwales.

[redandy3575]

My camper trailer tips the scale of a little over a ton when fully loaded. I tend to leave it in drive but with the power mode on. The 4.6 does struggle a bit, but then again they're not a high performance motor, more like a work horse engine. Funny my VS commodore v6 towed it better than the Rangie.

[JohnnyB]

So how much difference will a less restrictive exhaust, a retuned ECM and a TorqueMax cam make do you reckon.

[Hammer H]

I got the custom 3 inch exhaust😀

33s don't help though.

[Pedro_The_Swift]

I try very hard not to let it use 3rd in an unlocked state.
This would cause gearbox troubl? over time, or maybe straight away depends on the boxes condition....
Even a gen hp24 doesnt like hot fluid 😉. If you tow regularly a cooler will help.
Any rv8 will benfit from a new cam, due to wear and tear if nothing else,:p

[TheTree]

My Bushranger country has a GVM of around a tonne and I tow it just using normal gearing and occasionally dripping it back to 3rd manually when needed.

With the right tyre pressure and shock settings I barely notice the trailer except of course when I hit a long hill :D

I have ACT performance intake trumpets and a Tornado chip fitted to my 4.6 as well, but no exhaust mods (yet !)

Steve

[TheTree]

I try very hard not to let it use 3rd in an unlocked state.
This would cause gearbox troubl? over time, or maybe straight away depends on the boxes condition....
Even a gen hp24 doesnt like hot fluid 😉. If you tow regularly a cooler will help.
Any rv8 will benfit from a new cam, due to wear and tear if nothing else,:p

The P38 already has a transmission oil cooler fitted :p

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Me googles act trumpets-------
Thermal plate?
How long can you go inside the chamber?

[Keithy P38]

Worth mentioning too, the ECU will still lock the torque converter in 3rd gear as it would 4th.

When I tow the camper trailer of around 1600kg, I leave my P38 in Drive. Any more weight and I would lock it in 3rd. Towing extremely heavy loads in overdrive is not recommended as it kills gears. I class up to around the 1500kg mark as a "light load", any more and you're getting heavy and wouldn't want the heat and load on 4th for very long.

Cheers
Keithy

[benji]

When towing cars I leave it in drive with sports mode on, though on the longer up and down hills I'll manually change it.

It doesn't take a lot of throttle to change back to third.

They'll comfortably hold 110kph towing 3.5 ton in 4th, on a nice road.



Sent from my SM-G900I using AULRO mobile app

[Pedro_The_Swift]

The P38 already has a transmission oil cooler fitted :p
Sorry, maybe i should have said second,,:angel:
Lots of us plebs in the d2 forum run two coolers....

[Fluids]

I'd be one of those plebs ... We tow about 1.5T and on anything more than a gentle slope it's back to 3rd and let the torque converter lockup ... it's only 2.5L ... not 4.6 !

Really wish it would lockup in 2nd as well.

Sent by iPhone using two tin cans and Forum Runner

[Hammer H]

When in third can you tell when it locks up?

When I put it in drive from 3rd at speed it seems to go from 4rth to a next gear (well it feels like a gear) straight away, is that it locking up?

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Locked up=Increase in revs equals increase in road speed
Unlocked=steady revs and increase in road speed, hopefully.
Unlocked=increase in auto fluid temp, abuse this at your peril

[Keithy P38]

As Pedro said! When it's locked up it will react like a manual in the sense that the engine revs and road speed will mimic each other, rather than the engine "stalling up" and your road speed gradually increasing.

[Hammer H]

Towed the trailer 500 kms today without a problem. I just replaced my coil packs and this has fixed my towing issue.

I noticed it was much more willing to hold drive.

Due to the lack of power before I had to drop gears more often and rev it harder, no surprise.

[Hammer H]

Ps fuel economy is much better, 23L/per 100ks towing 1500 kg 500ks with km2 33s, and my CB reception interference seems to have gone😀