BlackBeauty

Anyone Towed with their 2007 Tahoe yet?

I did this past weekend, I used the tow/haul button and the drive gear and got horrible mileage. On the way back I used tow/haul button and 3rd gear and got better gas mileage.. I went a total of 80 miles round trip, and went through 3/4 tank of gas...

Are you supposed to tow in 3rd?

MEVtopsail

I have two boats and a car trailier that i tow pretty often with mine....i always put it in tow haul mode mostly just to keep it from jumpin in and out of gear. As for mileage i usually average around 7mpg towing....but it is pretty flat around here and 90% of the time when i am towing either a boat or my z06 i am on the highway.

ZX1100F1

Tow in "D" with Tow/Haul on.
The first 4-speed auto transmissions were weak and if used to tow in overdrive gear (4th) the transmission would overheat and fail.
These new transmissions are far more reliable and have much more advanced computer controls that are designed to tow in 4th.

Now depending on the size, shape and weight of your trailer 4th gear may not be optimum, and you have discovered how to check to see however some times there are other outside contributing factors that can give you a false finding, things such as wind speed and direction and also terrain (are you climing more one direction than the other) etc.


I pull a 5,000lb boat w/trailer, round trip to the lake is about 130 miles (steep uphill climb much of the way up), my Tahoe has about 3/4 tank of fuel left (indicated) when I return, when I do the math it gets 12 - 12.5 mpg towing.

BlackBeauty

While I was towing in "D" the engine would rev when towing up a slight incline, on the way back over the same incline in "3" it did not rev the engine, it was smoothe sailing...Im not a mechanic, but I know if an engine is reving up and increasing rpms, it does more wear on the engine, and uses more gas...thus the reason to switch to 3rd on the way back to see if any improvement was made...

biglg

Black Beauty,

It seems maybe your were driving up hill on your way there, and downhill on your way home while in 3rd! , JK!

sjenkinzz

I used D while in tow mode on my '01 Tahoe when pulling my camper to the beach. Very flat. Used 3 and tow mode when towing to the mountains. I am getting ready to do the beach thing again at the end of the month and will tow the same way as I did the '01. As far as mileage, I don't really know. Just know it's not good, but then again, it's only twice a year pulling the travel trailer.

BlackBeauty

On the contrary, going to the lake Im actually going down in elevation, where as coming back Im going up elevation. I forgot to check the mileage going but on the way back in 3rd I was getting about 11.5mpg, which going was less then that!

biglg

LOL. I was just kidding. I dont know of to many lakes that require uphill travel to get too! However I know nothing about the towing feature since I havent towed anything!

biglg

LOL. I was just kidding. I dont know of to many lakes that require uphill travel to get too! However I know nothing about the towing feature since I havent towed anything!

ZX1100F1

Here is a little more info regarding towing:

The new transmissions are designed to tow in 4th gear without being damaged, they also have programming that does a fairly good job at regulating shifting most of the time.
There are many variables when towing and 4th gear may not be the best gear but Tow/Haul Mode should always be engaged, here's how to tell if you should be in 3rd or 4th:

When hooked up to your trailer and heading down the road on a flat spot with your speed stabilized and the cruise control “off”, shift the vehicle back and forth between 3rd and 4th (not in rapid succession mind you) and notice the amount of pressure required on the throttle to maintain the same constant speed, if you shift into 3rd and you can relax some pressure on the throttle then leave it in 3rd while towing, if not then 4th is the correct gear.