useing tow haul

[jwhite]

I just got back from a trip this weekend and before I left I had all the air checked in my tires and added the max in the rear tires and I thought the trailer pulled better than on the last trip.
a friend said I should use tow haul because it is better on the transmission? He said he burned out his transmission on a long trip because he did not use the tow haul?
so I used it and I thought I used less gas but when I ran the numbers I got 8 miles to the gallon?
I thought I was getting more like 10 mpg, so I don't know if the tow haul uses more gas or that I was driving faster because I was running 65-75 on the interstate.
I have 1600 mile round trip I am taking in a few weeks so I will have a better chance to check my milage so I will try a few things like driving slower to see what the mpg will be driving 55-60?

[asianflava]

I have it on my truck, but I don't use it. Maybe I would if I was towing something with a lot of frontal area.

[GPW]

Before I started serious towing , I installed a transmission cooler ... works super ... no problems , even towing my big TT "parachute" (lots of frontal area ) ..

Slowing down towing not only increases mileage , but substantially reduces Drag ... and on vacation , I'm never in a hurry ...

[pete42]

My f150 in overdrive with out any trailer gets 16-17 mpg.

pulling my 23 foot travel trailer it got 9 mpg out of overdrive.

my TT was big and heavy compared to a CT or TD but I would still not use overdrive pulling a CT

now a TD thats another unanswered question I don't have an answer for.

when it comes to trailer towing I would go by the owners manual and not what I say.

pete

[DavidInPalmetto]

I have a 08 Sierra with the V6 and I haven't used the Tow/Haul mode either. I'm embarrassed to say I forgot I have that feature. And I work at a GM dealership.
When I first towed the CT the motor worked hard and so did I. When I made the return trip I kept the trans in 3rd, drove a steady 65 and it was much more enjoyable and I actually got better mileage.
Next time though I'm gonna give the Tow/Haul mode a try.

[8ball_99]

Use tow haul mode when pulling.. Yes it will hurt you gas milage a little, but its a lot better on the motor/transmission.. It changes the shift points which gives you more power so less strain on the motor.. In town it will also keep the transmission from shifting so much..

Going faster can reduce the gas milage quite a bit.. Also locking down the cruise control can hurt you in some cases.. I'll set cruise, but I'll speed up going down hills. I'll also speed up before a hill.. If the hill is larger I'll take cruise off so the truck doesn't rev to hard trying to maintain my set speed.. We aren't in a huge hurry, but I almost always run speed limit or 5 over.. So interstate we tend to run 70-75..