Towing and "Overdrive"

[shavedhead2]

I have a 2003 Toyota 4Runner, V8.

Almost every auto/truck manual says that while towing, you should shift from Drive (5th) to 4th gear (or turn the overdrive button off).

My question is what is the "harm" in driving in the highest gear while towing?

I plan to tow a light trailer (1,000lbs) and the towing capacity of the 4Runner is around 5,000 lbs. Is driving in 5th gear going to put that much strain on my transmission and my V8?

Please Advise.

Eddie Fenton
[email protected]

 

[jj8111]

I tow a 1500 pound trailer and it doesn't have brakes.

On the highway I usually have it in 5th. When exiting the highway or slowing 4th and on local streets 3rd.

I dont have a problem pulling the trailer but I do notice that the brakes can get overheated. Lots of fade if you leave it in 5th in stop and go traffic.

I believe the reason that the owners manual tells you to keep it in 4th is for engine braking. Keeping the trans in 3rd reduces my stopping distance a lot. If I had brakes on the trailer I would only downshift to 4th.

 

[leftyrb]

I used to tow a 2,000 lb trailer and now tow a 3,000 lb unit. On level ground, OD is fine, but it the transmission starts to 'hunt' (changing gear very frequently due to a grade, I manually shift down). The 5 speed is excellent for braking and use it for slowing down rather than the brakes, where appropriate.

 

[NoDak]

i think i read somewhere here in a thread, that leaving it in OD and letting it shift in/out of OD to 4th will burn out the torque converter faster. hence the reason you leave it in 4th and out of OD.