F150 dangerous tow haul mode
07-21-2019, 07:43 PM
#11
Senior Member
Well, apparently there is or your truck wouldn't have slowed to 25 when it downshifted.
Not that you don't have a problem. It is supposed to downshift, but not that aggressively. But until it is corrected I'd drive in manual mode instead of tow/haul mode. I don't mind my 2014 in tow/haul mode on level ground, but as soon as I get into mountains use manual mode all the time anyway. Loaded or not. Last month we were visiting CO. I filled up in South Fork, drove 460+ miles on a tank. We drove to Lake City, back to South Fork, then across Wolf Creel Pass into Pagosa Springs then Durango, Silverton, Ouray, Ridgeway and finally filled up in Gunnison. Stayed in manual mode the whole way, never got over 4th gear and got the best fuel mileage of the trip, 21+mpg.
Not that you don't have a problem. It is supposed to downshift, but not that aggressively. But until it is corrected I'd drive in manual mode instead of tow/haul mode. I don't mind my 2014 in tow/haul mode on level ground, but as soon as I get into mountains use manual mode all the time anyway. Loaded or not. Last month we were visiting CO. I filled up in South Fork, drove 460+ miles on a tank. We drove to Lake City, back to South Fork, then across Wolf Creel Pass into Pagosa Springs then Durango, Silverton, Ouray, Ridgeway and finally filled up in Gunnison. Stayed in manual mode the whole way, never got over 4th gear and got the best fuel mileage of the trip, 21+mpg.
07-22-2019, 12:40 AM
#12
The engine braking works just fine if you aren't towing too heavy. I tow almost 8000 regularly in the Ozarks and no issues. IMO, HDPP or not, you will always have trouble towing a 5th wheel camper with a half ton truck.
07-22-2019, 05:56 AM
#13
Senior Member
I don't have trouble towing, never implied I did, it's pulls and handles the load just fine. This is much, much better than pulling the Flagstaff I had previous ( not to mention all the other benefits packed in a TT the same length.). The truck was handling the inclines like a champ and the declines like a pro. The rest is laid out in post #2. Of course you can have your opinion but I say it's flawed
Last edited by Wicked ace; 07-22-2019 at 06:02 AM.
The following users liked this post:
Meathead (07-22-2019)
07-22-2019, 06:41 AM
#15
Senior Member
My apologies to the OP, because of my responses this thread went way off track. I hope others look past the nonsense and offer their experience with the transmission downshifting. There are work-arounds, some apparent, some not so but it could be better.
07-22-2019, 07:07 AM
#16
Senile member
I never had this issue, and I will say that my engine braking is just about nil.
OP: were you using brakes coupled with the engine braking?
As for 'not using tow/haul mode with travel trailers'....that's one of the dumber things i've heard come from a service manager. But your complaint is the first I've heard of this happening.
07-22-2019, 08:46 AM
#17
Just did 1500+ miles with a 7k TT in the Smokies. Declines reached 5%. I found the engine braking was directly proportionate to my braking(speed decrease) and worked well. The more braking I did to reduce speed, the further the engine downshifted. I dont remember it ever getting the engine above about 4500RPM, and that was only once or twice. I believe 4th was the lowest gear it dropped to. It felt like it worked as designed and saved me a lot of time riding the brakes. The tranny temps never went above 206. I have a 17 with a 10spd 3.5EB. I did have the transmission reflashed for 1-3 hard shift. Not sure if there was something else in the program.
07-22-2019, 09:07 AM
#18
Senior Member
If you are in the same or similar situation as the OP, would turning T/H mode off work to reduce the RPM's back down to more reasonable level, and using the +/- button to lock out some gears???
The following 2 users liked this post by chimmike:
John Arnold (12-20-2022),
tareed94 (08-01-2019)
07-22-2019, 09:39 AM
#20
Senior Member
My 2018 F150 SCrew 3.5 turbo, max tow pkg tows a loaded 7000 lbs FRiver Surveyor 251RKS. Heading north on I25 in CO, I had the truck in tow haul mode. I topped a mountain and started going downhill. The truck downshifted, the tack was at 5800 and the trucked slowed to 25 mph on the Interstate. I tried tapping the accelerator and I could not get the truck out of low gear. At 25 mph the truck got out of low gear and I could speed up to the flow of traffic. Going 25 mph downhill on a Interstate is dangerous.I could have been rear ended or damaged engine at 6000 tack.
i talked to a Ford service advisor and he said don’t use tow haul mode to tow a travel trailer. Filed a complaint with Ford and they referred me back to service advisor. Something is not right hear. Comments?
i talked to a Ford service advisor and he said don’t use tow haul mode to tow a travel trailer. Filed a complaint with Ford and they referred me back to service advisor. Something is not right hear. Comments?
I don't use tow haul most of the time, way to much slip allowed and the braking is erratic with the aggressive down shifts. I don't need the torque multiplication so lock the TC up sooner and back the engine braking down a hair and it might be useable.