Bass3006

I tow a trailer no more than 1,000 miles a year that weighs in total about 2,000 lbs. The trailer has no brakes on it. When im going down long or steep hills I some times turn OD off or even drop it into 2nd so I dont need to ride my brakes. BTW, Ive got and 08 w/ 5.4 and tow package.
My question is, is this damaging my tranny at all? I make sure to change the gear so my RPMs dont jump much beyond approx 3,000. I forget about the digital tranny temp gauge until im on the road. Thanks

SkiSmuggs

The Max Tow package does that a lot. It is always a shock when it downshifts to 2nd at 45 and the RPMs jump to 4500 rpm or so. I doubt it hurts the engine at all, but I'm sure there is some extra wear on the transmission. However, think about losing your brakes on a long mountain grade. What is the cost of that?

Bass3006

I figured it really didnt matter with the truck that have tow/haul mode, but mine doesnt. I didnt know if the trans was set up any different. And i agree with the cost of losing the brakes. My next trip im going keep an eye on the trans temp while im down a gear.

Twisty

Depending on the road and traffic -
I like to mash the brakes and slow to 25 mph or so and shift down to 2nd. Let off the brakes and they begin to cool. 2nd will keep speeds down for some distance and the brakes will cool off.
At 45 or 50 mph, mash the brakes again to slow...
repeat as necessary.

frieed

My truck sees higher rpm's while engine braking going down grade than it ever sees towing up the grade...