Power Hungry Performance Forum  

Go Back   Power Hungry Performance Forum > General Vehicle Related Topics > Towing

Towing This forum is specifically for questions, comments, or ideas about towing with your vehicle.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old Thu, December 3rd, 2009, 11:25 AM
champ2675 champ2675 is offline
Whopper Junior
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Calgary Alberta
Posts: 3
champ2675 is on a distinguished road
First time towing with Gryphon

Hey Fellas

I'm going to be towing a 6x12 uhaul cargo trailer this weekend from Calgary to Saskatoon about 700km (435 miles) not sure what the final weight will be til I get to the weigh station. I was wondering what would be the best parameters to put on the display and what upper limits to look for. I would assume TFT and TSS/OSS, Load and LPD might be the ones to watch? Hoping some of you more experienced towers out there could help me out.

'06 FX4,the only mods I'm running are a MRBP catback and 285/65/18 BFG All terrain ta.
haven't got custom tunes yet so I'll be using the canned tow tune with 89 octane gas.
the temp up her in Alberta is hovering around -10c (14f) so overheating probably won't be much of an issue.

Thanks
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old Thu, December 3rd, 2009, 02:14 PM
88Racing's Avatar
88Racing 88Racing is offline
SENIOR MODERATOR
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Somewhere ....
Posts: 5,818
88Racing is a glorious beacon of light88Racing is a glorious beacon of light88Racing is a glorious beacon of light88Racing is a glorious beacon of light88Racing is a glorious beacon of light88Racing is a glorious beacon of light
Default

When towing I usually monitor:
TFT
CHT
LOAD
COM GEAR
If the tranny starts to shift a lot due to hills and/or head wind I usually turn the od off.
At some points I have followed what Jack has done and just put it in second.
When pulling big trailers and loads I try to keep it at 65mph or lower depending on the speed limit. Just safer that way. 75mph is the speed limit here on the interstate and if the trailer gets outa control you really have shortened up the time needed to react.
__________________
SENIOR MODERATOR--PTLA

God doesn't have a Facebook but he's my friend.
God doesn't have a twitter, but I follow him.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old Thu, December 3rd, 2009, 02:20 PM
Jackpine's Avatar
Jackpine Jackpine is online now
PHP Groupie
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Among Elk, Deer and Javalinas on the Mogollon Rim in Aridzona
Posts: 4,328
Jackpine is a name known to allJackpine is a name known to allJackpine is a name known to allJackpine is a name known to allJackpine is a name known to allJackpine is a name known to all
Default

You might be surprised regarding temperature, even if the ambient temp is pretty cold.

I monitor the TFT and CHT, because I want to know how hot the engine is getting as well as the transmission since everything is under load.

Because I have two batteries in my trailer and a refrigerator that's running off DC, I monitor the charging voltage.

Finally, I monitor Comm Gear, because I like to have a visual confirmation of how much the transmission is shifting and if the torque converter is unlocking.

I personally don't see the value of monitoring TSS and OSS. They're only equal in 3rd gear with the TC locked.

If I'm on level ground, the TFT stays pretty cool, around 155-165. The CHT stays around 200. If I'm hill climbing, like a 7+% grade for 8-10 miles at highway speeds, I've seen the TFT get up around 216. The CHT rises a bit too, to around 214-216.

As long as everything is OK, I'm used to seeing the charging voltage stay around 13.6-13.7. Once though, I noticed it was holding in the 13.8-14.0 range and sure enough, the trailer battery charging fuse had blown. So, monitoring voltage gives me early warning of possible trailer electrical failure.

I try to keep the transmission activity at a minimum, so if I see the TC unlocking a lot or the transmission doing a lot of shifting, I drop out of overdrive. On long hill climbs, I lock it in 2nd gear.

And, I'm going to move this into the towing section, since we have a forum for that subject.

Edit: I'll add to what Lars posted just before me - we were writing at the same time. Most trailer tires are speed rated to no more than 65MPH. I would not tow faster than that. Heat destroys them very quickly - they're built differently than vehicle tires.

- Jack
__________________

2014 F150 Platinum SCrew 3.5L EcoBoost 4x4 with SCT programmer
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:04 PM.


All Contents Copyright 2008-2020, Power Hungry Performance