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Tow..Haul Mode...who Knew...?

S

Steve

Charter Member
Full Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2002
Messages
94
Location
Maine
I find myself using the Tow-Haul mode when running with no load, because evidently the mode changes the shifting points. When I stand on it in the TH mode, it really gets up and goes, because it seems to be shifting about 400 rpm higher than in regular mode.

Did I miss something about this along the way-I don't recall it having been mentioned.Oh yeah-will this bring out the best in my about to be installed Flowmaster 40?

Steve in Maine
 
I found this hint in a post a long time ago....one morning on the way home from work I dinged it in tow/haul all the way home.....couldn't stop smiling......this thing really wakes up big time......wait till you put the exhaust on there....now you won't only feel the difference but hear it too......rpm's are my friend.... ;D
 
There have been a few posts about this and this has come up in other posts as well. This is THE way to drive your Av. Better response and a firmer shifting tranny. You will find it drops your MPG though. But the drop won't offset the smile on your face ;D due to the improved ride!

Jamie
 
SO is there any long term risk in running it in tow/hual mode on a permenant basis?

Going to have to try thius afterwork. Last time I used it I was going up a steep hill on the highway and gave it a little juice and bam!!! 5000rpms and stayed there. Scared the $hit out of me :eek:
 
This sounds like a fun experiment.

If it does stand up and get going faster in T/H mode... hmmm... al this time I have been walking away from Fords at the light and it was stock in regular? I can't wait to see what happens in T/H mode. >:D
 
I checked the owners manual and it said no problem, just lower gas milage. I think it is really the Haul-Ass Mode!

Steve in Maine
 
If it weren't for CAFE requirements, the tow/haul mode would be the normal mode for Chevy trucks. If anything, the firmer shifts and reduced shifting should be easier on the Av than the 'normal' mode of operation - depending on how hard you romp it of course ;D

Flame on . . . Government regs, promoted by liberal weenies have sure driven a lot of stupid decisons on the part of automakers (and it's only going to get worse!) . . . Flame off . . . Ahh I feel better now!
 
So the million dollar question is who is going to come up with the "hack" to make it the default mode when turning the AV on? ;D
 
Funny you mentioned this. I just tried mine with tow/haul mode on while going to work this morning. It seems to stay in the torque band much better. I had been considering an HP III, but after trying this out I'll wait awhile.
 
I tried this also last night after work and while it seemed a LITTLE peppier off the line nd rev'd higgher before shifting. The shifting was still as soft and slow as ever. I didn't notice much a gain over running it without tow/haul mode engaged. :6:

Maybe I was just expecting too much from this. I will still invest in a PPIII eventually to try and get some pep in this beast.

Damn GM and their torque management. :8:

 
I haven't noticed that it shifts any firmer but it does stay into the torque band much longer which still puts a smile on my face. Now,just need it to shift firm and "bark" second! :B:
 
I have been doing this for a while now. But in WOT the shifts come much sooner/ lower rpm.
 
flynhigh, I wonder if you are having some transmission issues. My wife knows when I have it in T/H as it shifts so firmly. Firmly enough that you can clearly feel the snap when it shifts. In fact, she now asks "why do you like driving it like that?" to which I respond "because that's the way it was meant to be."

She can also tell by the revs. Driving down our residential street, it never gets out of second. Even with stock exhaust, you can hear plenty of intake/exhaust noise at about 2750 RPMs.

Jamie
 
Flynhigh,

If you didn't notice much difference, then either you have a power train issue, or you are too light on the accelerator! Keep that foot depressed until the AV shifts!

Pedal down with constant pressure should give a 'sit up and take notice' result.

Steve in Maine
 
I've had tow/haul for 4 years on my pickup now and I think you'll get tired of driving around and wasting the gas all the time. I switch it on for a couple of minutes every so often. Other than that, I use it for its intended purpose.

If you really want to feel a shift, ( I can chirp 2nd in my Ex cab Z71 with 33" BFGs) Put the HPP3 on and use T/H.


BTW it will shift into 4th with T/H, at about 65-70 mph.
 
It is my understanding that T/H just uses a different shift point matrix in the PCM, doesn't harden the shifts - you need an HPP3 for that, or better yet a Transgo Performance Kit -now that really gets rid of the granny shifts full time and allows you to hold the tranny in any gear to redline. >:D
 
With T/H on I got my rev's to 5k before tranny shifted. The "hardness" of the shift was as Gan-xx said about normal.

 
For you guys runnig in TH mode, if you get the HPP3 and stiffen up your shift points you will notice a it being a little firmer, but when you put it in TH mode it will revert back to factory settings and shift out at a lower RPM, mine set at 5900 rpm and with the TH mode it shifts out at the factory settings even when the HPP3 is installed.
zeeya!
 
Yeah, I hear T/H and what the PP3 touches are different maps.

T/H on my truck absolutely, without a doubt, gives much firmer shifts.

The truck in general reminds me of my uncles F350 SupeDuty / Diesel when in T/H mode. ?The engine will slowly wind out with light throttle, hold it a second or two, bump up a gear, and immediately start pulling again.

My only little tiff with it, is it's downshift thing. ?If you're going less than 15mph, it'll jump down to first and put you up around 2K on the tach. (it's a weird feeling, like the tranny just slipped on you.) ?For third to hold you must be above 35. ?It's 70mph on the highway for fourth.

EDIT: or is it 60mph for fourth? I forget, it's been a little while...

 
:eek: whoa, ya horsie, i mean avy...!!! :eek:

after reading this post, i decided yesterday to ride home from work with the t/h button on. i definitely feel a difference in that it keeps the tranny in gear longer, thus more torque, thus more ;D ;D ;D.

i also noticed a huge decrease in MPG!!! might've been cause i was having too much fun >:D hehe

how grand life would be to be able to chirp an av in 2nd gear shifts...one can only dream, or in this case S/C >:D >:D >:D
 
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