Hi since the first time I pulled our 18' bowrider (3-3200lbs) I have allways pulled it in 4th gear. It seemed that if I tried to pull it in 5th gear it was allways shifting up and down. With 4 dollar a gallon gas I'm woundering if I have to or should pull in 4th gear. What do you guys do? Thanks for the help!
4.0 guys: do you tow in 4th gear only???
- Thread starter 8086bruce
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
cheesyjalapenos
New member
Usually i just leave it in "drive" and let the 4runner do its thing. but if the shifting up and down is bothering you, you could try driving at a different speed. And if that doesnt work out; i would suggest putting it in 3rd or 4th gear because they're the median gears that would probably use the least amount of gas when towing. Truly it depends on if you're going to be doing more stopping and accelerating or maintaining your speed.
message
Member
Anytime the transmission is hunting it's best to put it down a gear since hunting will cause extra heat and wear.
I know on GM/Ford/Dodge most have a tow/haul button on their shifter which is basically an overdrive on/off button and the general rule of them on them is if you have anything you are towing or hauling you should use it. GM was notorious for burning out transmissions prior to this tow/haul button.
I know on GM/Ford/Dodge most have a tow/haul button on their shifter which is basically an overdrive on/off button and the general rule of them on them is if you have anything you are towing or hauling you should use it. GM was notorious for burning out transmissions prior to this tow/haul button.
techmen17
New member
I agree
I tow in 4th only, except when I get on flat highway. My boat is about the same length/weight as yours and I found that between 60-65 is about the perfect speed so that your not hunting for gears. Just play around with the speed
03_4x4Runner
Senior Member
The reason to leave it in 4th is so that the torque convertor remains locked up. It is not about saving gas it is about saving the transmission. When the trans is hunting it is not good, it is telling you to put it in 4th. What you usually hear is it shifting from 5th to 4th but the convertor locking and unlocking usually is not heard. The cluthes in the torque convertor do not like a lot of abuse and will constatly be locking and unlocking when in 5th.
jetboy1975
New member
You'll find that leaving it in 4th will actually save you gas. Higher rpms but less strain and wear and tear, not to mention it is better in the power curve at higher rpm and doesn't get bogged down. I experimented with my trailer and found I got 1-2mpg better in 4th at highway speeds compared to leaving it in "D".
empty403
New member
I drive mine like it has a manual transmission. When I see a hill, decent coming up or I have to accelerate I will shift down before I gently accelerate so the torque converter doesn't have to think. But when I stick to the same throttle position #(Scan Gauge), I leave it in D. Put it in 4th, if you drive like how the Cruise control works by keeping the same speed even if the road goes up and down, when using the Cruise Control or when you cause the transmission to constantly shift.
klennop
New member
I was wondering about the MPG, even thought the motor is revving higher, there is less strain on it. I guess it depends on how heavy the load, wind, speed, etc. I was going to experiment with this on the 13th. I am pulling 3 bikes on my aluminum trailer, 4 full size adults with gear from WI to Tenn. I will most likely do a writeup with pictures, mpg, etc.
What do you usually get for MPG when you are pulling with the V8?
jetboy1975
New member
I towed my 3800lb 20' hybrid with an '03 V6 and averaged 8mpg in 4th gear and 9-10mpg in 3rd. I now tow a 5500lb 26' trailer with my '04 V8 and get about the same mileage, 10mpg in 4th gear, slightly worse in 5th. The big difference is in comfort. Although the engine is revving higher (around 2800rpm@ 60mph), it feels less strained, has lots of power to pass or climb hills without down shifting, and doesn't hunt gears.
4RunnerFan
New member
The owner's manual for our '08 4.0L says to keep it in 4th gear when towing. We haul a 17.5' 2,800 lb boat and trailer. I've always been impressed with the gas mileage (16.5 mpg), but I don't tow faster than 60mph. That's pretty common in our state where there are tons of boats on the road. Folks just know to give boat-towers a wide berth.
edit: IIRC, I think the owner's manual also said not to tow faster than 40mph!
edit: IIRC, I think the owner's manual also said not to tow faster than 40mph!
Our boats are all most the same size and I do the same speed when towing it. Man I don't get 16 mpg though thats great! I'm also here in MN and every one for the most part is very used people towing boats and give ya a little extra room.
4RunnerFan
New member
One of the little tricks to get good gas mileage is something I picked up from a Volkswagon owner's manual many years ago. When going down a hill I'll pick up a little speed so that when going up the other side I don't have to accelerate, or at least not very much. On a trip last year (not towing) we managed 25.6 mpg at 68-69 mph on a tankful where I practiced the technique, but it was kind of a hassle having to get in and out of cruise control. The rest of the time we got just over 24 w/cruise.
jpless
New member
can somebody clarify the "leave it in 4th" statement? I tow a 19ft Grady White bow rider and although I never tow it more than 2 miles at a time, I'd like to do it the proper way. What i've ended up doing is treating it like a manual tranny and drive in 1st until the rpms kick up really high and shift to second, then back down to first when I come to a stop. Since I'm only going a short distance, i never get far enough to put it in 4th. Would the recommendation be to go from stopped in 4th and never shift out?
JB.
New member
Yes, put it in 4th and leave it in 4th.
You don't want to prevent the transmission from shifting to 4th unless it's for a specific, short term reason. The torque converter won't lock in 1,2, or 3. If you leave it in one of those too long, you're creating unecessary heat although it's hard to do anything too wrong when towing only a couple of miles.
