Cruise control while towing

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Read your manual. Mine says not to use cruise control when towing. It's also not recommended in the rain. I don't why, since I only use it briefly, to relieve a cramp in my leg.

The reason for not using cruise in the rain is because of skidding possibilities. If you skid then the cruise takes longer to shut down and get control. My vehicles say not to use cruise in the rain even when not towing. Towing with trailer I can use cruise if it doesn't shift back and forth.

[squish]

You have to make your own judgement about what is safe and practical.

Cruise control has its place, but it can also be over used.

I don’t see anything wrong with a well maintained tow vehicle and trailer being driven on open roads with the cruise control on. In traffic, on curvey roads, in hills... those are totally different things.

[Perryb67]

Originally Posted by ThomasC

Gee if it wasn't for cruise control I wouldn't toe long distances. Generally I'm in CC as soon as I am on the highway. I set it to 65 or less and just get in the right lane and go. I hardly ever find anyone going slower than me so there is very little passing.

My 2016 F-150 had a 6000# tow capacity and that was not enough. It also had a 6 speed and there was a lot of shifting and engine revving on grades. The truck had a tow package with a 3.73 rear axle and it just wasn't enough.

The 2019 F-150 has max tow and max haul but the most important thing is the new 10 transmission. It is darn near magical. My BigFoot is about 50% of my tow capacity and I think that is about right.

We also go 65 max on highways and usually pass one or two others in a six hour stretch. Keep up with everyone else and driving becomes hectic.

Didn't like CC on our 2015 F150 with six speed. Also found it shifted too much.

Our 2019 with ten speed is wonderful and the CC is great. There is still too much downshifting in TOW HAUL mode, but have found it's easier to tow in ECO mode. It will let the truck speed up by about 8 mph before downshifting.

Enjoy,

Perry

[ThomasC]

I'll try that next time I go out.

BTW I have been meaning to ask you about your Avatar. I have a couple of electric trikes. A KMX now retired for an Hpvelo Scorpion. I will have to scrounge up a picture of it.

[Cliff Hotchkiss]

Use cruise control all the time in good weather. It works great on my 2016 F150 hauling my Escape 5.0 TA. I wish it had adaptive like my wife’s Subaru Forester has, that really works well.

[Len S]

Follow the manual . Pretty simple . If you can't read, go back to school. They don't publish the info if there wasn't a reason and there are many.

[jerrybob]

Another CC user here. On open highway roads.....I have used CC for thosands of miles. I pull our Casita and a car trailer.....my last truck went 200K+ miles....most of it towing.....CC used frequently. It was a Chevey 2500. Current Ram 1500 tows extremely well in CC mode as well. In hills....don't use it. Open highway.....highly recommended.

[Eggcentric]

Biggest thing for the transmission is to take it out of overdrive while towing.
We use CC all the time, unless I feel that I can do a better job of managing the shifting, usually only on long slow hills with corners.
If your vehicle keeps shifting, knock it down a gear and take it out of CC.
Used to drive a logging truck with two sticks and 20 gears, now will do anything to take the work out of driving. Looking forward to having a car that will take me there when I tell it to.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Eggcentric

Biggest thing for the transmission is to take it out of overdrive while towing.

The towing section of my owner's manual says to disable overdrive on hills, not on flats. It's a 5-speed, and the top 2 gears are overdrive ratios. D3 at 65 mph on a flat stretch of interstate would be turning 4000+ RPMs.

The old days of "never overdrive when towing" have been rendered obsolete by modern electronically-controlled multi-speed transmissions. Last vehicle I had that said that was a 2000 Toyota Sienna with a 4-speed automatic. Many newer transmissions don't require any intervention at all.

In any case, Len is right. Start with the manual. Read both the towing section and the transmission section.

[Flyrod1]

I use CC on flat road but your RPMs will tell you whether to use it or not.

If you are frequently going over hills (or for some people even overpasses) and your RPMs rapidly escalate that is not good for your tow vehicle.

CC will make make vehicles RPM rapidly escalate faster/further than driving without the CC.

[damueller]

Originally Posted by ThomasC

Gee if it wasn't for cruise control I wouldn't toe long distances. Generally I'm in CC as soon as I am on the highway. I set it to 65 or less and just get in the right lane and go. I hardly ever find anyone going slower than me so there is very little passing.

My 2016 F-150 had a 6000# tow capacity and that was not enough. It also had a 6 speed and there was a lot of shifting and engine revving on grades. The truck had a tow package with a 3.73 rear axle and it just wasn't enough.

The 2019 F-150 has max tow and max haul but the most important thing is the new 10 transmission. It is darn near magical. My BigFoot is about 50% of my tow capacity and I think that is about right.

I, too, have a F150 with max tow, 2015 3.5 EB, and ordered for towing and got the reactive cruise control. And tow a Bigfoot 25RQ. I use it all the time it is safe. It is great for interstate driving, especially when a state requires me to run with the trucks. I just pick one and draft it and cruise control keeps me safe. If I want to run faster, it keeps me from getting out of control speedwise, because this pickup will just keep going.

I wouldn't leave home without reactive cruise control. Regular cruise does not slow me down if traffic all of a sudden slows quickly or stops.

I have 55,000 miles on the 6 speed and it performs like the day it was new.

If you aren't capable or feel insecure using cruise, then don't do it. But, I find reactive a great tool. I feel much more relaxed at the end of the day and it takes a lot of stress off the driving.

[Eggcentric]

Yep, newer vehicles take care of you much better than the old timers that I drive. My motor coach is a 1967, and my Boler tower is a 2001.

[LarryB.]

Originally Posted by floyd

Many new trucks have adaptive cruise control, lane keeping, automatic emergency braking, vectoring, stability control, tow mode, even automatic sway control and speed sensitive steering effort, heck it will even warn you when you need coffee.
You're lucky if the thing will LET you control the speed with the throttle... Which BTW is no longer connected to the engine and is computer controlled anyway.

Not sure where is head might have been at the time but Henry Ford missed the mark when he didn't provide reclining seats, power steering, power windows, automatic transmission, radio, cigarette lighter jack, anti-lock breakes, telescoping steering wheels, airbags, USB jacks, remote keyless entry, not to mention the stuff that floyd listed above.


I had cruise control on my commuter car before I retired. It was great for long trips from SW Ohio to NY but little else. I planned on adding it to my TV but, after two years without it, it's fallen off my to-do list.

After trading in my nine year old commuter car for my TV, my biggest challenge is trying to understand the icons on my dash.....

[Eggcentric]

Originally Posted by Flyrod1

I use CC on flat road but your RPMs will tell you whether to use it or not.

CC will make make vehicles RPM rapidly escalate faster/further than driving without the CC.

Disagree, Letting the engine run free, makes the engine not work as hard, the lower gear is easier on the drive train and the vehicle is happier.

You do need to watch that the engine does not over rev on the down hills.

Down hill in a higher gear on CC can lead to an unnoticed overspeed, knock 'er down a gear to keep the brakes cool.

[Lynn S]

I use cruise control all the time. I turn it off if the engine revs to much, the transmission starts hunting or the road is slippery. There is no reason for it to be hard on the transmission as long as it is not hunting too much. I have never experienced trailer sway, but if I am in conditions that I think could initiate trailer sway, I will turn the cruise control off.

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by Eggcentric

Disagree, Letting the engine run free, makes the engine not work as hard, the lower gear is easier on the drive train and the vehicle is happier.

Every engine has its happy zone of good torque, driveability and efficiency. So higher RPM is not always better, just as lower doesn't always give better mileage. Higher RPM means more internal friction too. And it means a higher manifold vacuum, which can be interpreted as hurting mileage. The U joints and differential don't see anything different with different engine speeds. The trans should not be allowed to hunt for gears and the torque converter should remain locked unless a shift is in progress. I agree that most modern vehicles are geared too high and I have re-geared three of mine with lower ratios to improve the driveabilty and usefulness of the transmission. All without noticing any mileage penalty.

Probably the biggest mileage gains have come from variable valve timing and direct injection. Direct injection also allows smaller, lighter engines and that helps even more.

The cam makes breathing the most efficient at certain engine speeds, so staying in the torque is important. Sometimes drivability is more important than absolute best mileage. Emissions setting are different at low RPM and can cause engines to actually be less efficient down low. Diesels are inherently more efficient down low, but emissions tuning on modern ones reduces low end torque and forces a lot of shifting.

Sometimes it's better to keep the revs up a bit and sometimes not. I often lock out the top gear in the hills for less shifting and better engine breaking. But on long flat sections, I let it idle along. Diesels generally love that, especially ones with electronic fuel injection and somewhat advanced timing.

[Eggcentric]

Originally Posted by Lynn S

I use cruise control all the time. I turn it off if the . There is no reason for it to be hard on the transmission as long as it is not hunting too much. I have never experienced trailer sway, but if I am in conditions that I think could initiate trailer sway, I will turn the cruise control off.

If I run my coach in top gear on a long upgrade, the automatic transmission temperature guage reading goes up with no shifting. Means the tranny is working too hard.

As one who has driven 50 tons of logs down an ice covered mountain road, can assure you that trailers sway for few reasons, usually oversteering or improper trailer brake use. If the tow vehicle brakes are used with insufficient trailer braking, trailers can swing, especially if you wave the steering wheel around like a waving a flag on July the fourth.

I do not like it that the trailer brake controller is often mounted in a hard to reach position, Back in the 50's & 60's they were often mounted on the steering column, with a lever, so you could easily apply trailer brakes and hit the gas pedal, to get everything lined up straight once again.

I do not think CC will ever contribute to trailer sway.

PS I love CC, and use it as often as possible even in town.

[Marv Watson]

Our 2013 Subaru Outback (4cl) has continuously variable transmission (CVT). I like it so much better for towing our Trillium 1300 than our previous Outback without it. This transmission finds just the right gear ratio for the highway grade. I use CC (65mph max), but keep an eye on RPM's and go no CC and manual in unusual situations, like stop and go through big towns and steep grades. With CVT I never experience upshifts and downshifts with or without CC.

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by Eggcentric

If I run my coach in top gear on a long upgrade, the automatic transmission temperature guage reading goes up with no shifting. Means the tranny is working too hard.

The vast majority of transmission heat is caused by an unlocked torque converter. When unlocked under high torque it is slipping and generating a lot of heat. Modern TC strategy is to lock it all the time except when shifting. Even letting up on the throttle can unlock it in some vehicles. Always select a throttle position and gear that keeps it locked, if possible. I find mine, even with around 900 ft lbs of torque going through it, runs cooler than the engine coolant or engine oil temp, because it stays locked.

[Cliff Hotchkiss]

Originally Posted by ThomasC

Gee if it wasn't for cruise control I wouldn't toe long distances. Generally I'm in CC as soon as I am on the highway. I set it to 65 or less and just get in the right lane and go. I hardly ever find anyone going slower than me so there is very little passing.

My 2016 F-150 had a 6000# tow capacity and that was not enough. It also had a 6 speed and there was a lot of shifting and engine revving on grades. The truck had a tow package with a 3.73 rear axle and it just wasn't enough.

The 2019 F-150 has max tow and max haul but the most important thing is the new 10 transmission. It is darn near magical. My BigFoot is about 50% of my tow capacity and I think that is about right.

What motor did the 2016 F150 have?