Tow/Haul or not Tow/haul..

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tomstehr

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I have a 2007 Silverado 1500 with the Z71 package and a factory towing kit. I pull my 96 Javelin 379 FS with it and noticed when i use the push button tow/haul mode, it seems to wind high between shifts and generally just use more fuel. Am I over using this feature, or am I asking for trouble by opting not to use it?
 
oldjeep

oldjeep

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Re: Tow/Haul or not Tow/haul..

All depends on the behavior of the truck. If mine starts hunting for gears then I use my tow haul. Most of the time it is happy to stay in OD towing 5K lbs.
 
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tomstehr

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Re: Tow/Haul or not Tow/haul..

Thanks! Going to and from the lake near my house, its pretty flat and I guess I will have to give it a try. I am pretty sure when I head towards my favorite camping spot the mountains will give it a work out and I may use it then.
 
coolbri70

coolbri70

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Re: Tow/Haul or not Tow/haul..

the tow/haul feature keeps it out of overdrive, in overdrive the ratio is normaly 1 to 1 or more, basically turning a big wheel with a small gear, very stressful on that little gear not to mention the internal bands, not recommened, when the fluid turns black and smells of burnt friction material, they come to mee and i make buckss:D
 
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chris.j.marshall

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Re: Tow/Haul or not Tow/haul..

I've towed a 5x10ft enclosed trailer and my 17ft boat both with and without tow haul mode on in my Tundra. I've never noticed much of a difference in fuel mileage either way.
 
kenmyfam

kenmyfam

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Re: Tow/Haul or not Tow/haul..

No towing weight mentioned ???
Can't really comment without that info.
 
90stingray

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Re: Tow/Haul or not Tow/haul..

coolbri70 said:
the tow/haul feature keeps it out of overdrive, in overdrive the ratio is normaly 1 to 1 or more, basically turning a big wheel with a small gear, very stressful on that little gear not to mention the internal bands, not recommened, when the fluid turns black and smells of burnt friction material, they come to mee and i make buckss:D
Click to expand...

Pretty sure it still goes into OD... just raises line pressures to help get engine into rpm range to tow better. Holds shifts longer so it wont hunt for gears. It's there for when you are towing... thus the name tow/haul.

Op, i would use it.
 
spdracr39

spdracr39

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Re: Tow/Haul or not Tow/haul..

Takes a long time to burn 2500.00 worth of extra gas and thats what a transmission will cost eventually.
 
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jeffnick

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Re: Tow/Haul or not Tow/haul..

I use Tow/Haul(***) to keep tranny from hunting, and for compression braking in traffic/town...otherwise I don'tvuse it.
 
oldjeep

oldjeep

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Re: Tow/Haul or not Tow/haul..

90stingray said:
Pretty sure it still goes into OD... just raises line pressures to help get engine into rpm range to tow better. Holds shifts longer so it wont hunt for gears. It's there for when you are towing... thus the name tow/haul.

Op, i would use it.
Click to expand...

Tow haul eliminates OD on every truck I've ever owned. In addition it changes the shift points on some trucks
 
coolbri70

coolbri70

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Re: Tow/Haul or not Tow/haul..

Mr. Goodwrench here, people do it all the time, i make a living replacing those, true story
 
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tomstehr

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Re: Tow/Haul or not Tow/haul..

Thanks for all the responses! Got somethin to think about now. And I know who's shop to stay away from if I ever do have issues with my Chevy..
 
kenmyfam

kenmyfam

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Re: Tow/Haul or not Tow/haul..

coolbri70 said:
Mr. Goodwrench here, people do it all the time, i make a living replacing those, true story
Click to expand...

I can believe that. Do you have an opinion on additional tranny coolers ???
 
Silvertip

Silvertip

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Re: Tow/Haul or not Tow/haul..

coolbri70 said:
the tow/haul feature keeps it out of overdrive, in overdrive the ratio is normaly 1 to 1 or more, basically turning a big wheel with a small gear, very stressful on that little gear not to mention the internal bands, not recommened, when the fluid turns black and smells of burnt friction material, they come to mee and i make buckss:D
Click to expand...

That is not true. It keeps it out of overdrive until you reach a higher speed. However if manifold vacuum remains low when towing OD will not engage. Manifold vacuum is the engine managements way of determining engine load. My Yukon will not go into overdrive until 60 - 65 MPH when tow-haul is engaged whereas it will go into OD as low as 30 - 45 MPH with the feature disengaged. Tow-haul raises the shift points and line pressures in the tranny to firm up shifting. You are towing so you will use more fuel.
 
Silvertip

Silvertip

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Re: Tow/Haul or not Tow/haul..

oldjeep said:
Tow haul eliminates OD on every truck I've ever owned. In addition it changes the shift points on some trucks
Click to expand...

You haven't apparently seen them all. Come look at mine.
 
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tomstehr

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Re: Tow/Haul or not Tow/haul..

Ok. So I researched this a bit to find out what exactly that button does to or for MY truck. For the 2007 Silverado Z71 I drive, the tow/haul button changes the shift charecteristics by increasing line pressure on the clutch plate packs, and increasing the engine speed at which the transmission shifts. It also allows for a faster shift, thus reducing slippage of components and preventing exsessive wear. It does not eliminate overdrive, which is any gear greater than a 1 to 1 ratio, but may cause the converter to not lock or lock at a higher speed. One of the recommendations was to use the tow haul to get up to speed, or when entering the highway, or of course in mountains and hills. Turning the tow/haul off during higway operation would allow the converter to lock and the transmission to run cooler. Hope this helps my fellow Chevy and GMC drivers out! Thanks everybody for your replies, and any additional comments or suggestions are always welcome.
 
coolbri70

coolbri70

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Re: Tow/Haul or not Tow/haul..

just trying to help, just had one out back of the shop drove all the way from Canada in OD, made it all the way to WV, just hauled off to be wholesaled the fellow who was driving bought a new truck after being quoted a price for repairs, but to be honest my tow vehicle is not even recommended for towing, but i do anyways, course it only takes me 20 minutes and $120 to replace my clutch, a risk im willing to take to get to the water
 
coolbri70

coolbri70

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Re: Tow/Haul or not Tow/haul..

tomstehr said:
Thanks for all the responses! Got somethin to think about now. And I know who's shop to stay away from if I ever do have issues with my Chevy..
Click to expand...

i would tell any friend of mine to stay away from my shop, they double the price for parts and add a percentage on top of that, $1200 for a set of tires that could have been had elsewhere for $500
 
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tomstehr

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Re: Tow/Haul or not Tow/haul..

I am thinkin my total boat and trailer is under 2000lbs. Not sure this is much of a load for my truck. I understand Goin over the mountain an such will cause a lot of undo stress on the whole drivetrain. I surely wouldn't attempt a trans continental voyage with boat in tow without considering using the tow haul. I like my truck and the fact that it will be paid off by the end of the summer. Not really intrested in sinkin a few grand into a tranny or going out to buy a new one. I want to own the truck, not be a slave to its payments! Also from what I have read about the new style converters is they have a TCC(Torque Converte Clutch) that locks in and provides a mechanical connect with the driveline versus the fluid connect of the typical converter. This is supposed to drop temps and improve milage.
 
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