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Old 05-03-2013, 07:13 AM   #1
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2013 Ram 5.7

I tried asking this on the"other" forum and I got the usual crap. Story is that I have a X23b, I towed it with a ram with the 4.7 that struggled badly on hills so I upgraded.
How do you other Ram owners use this transmission? Manual is clear as mud. Do I just use tow/haul or do I manually lock out 6th? For the time being most of my towing will be in NY gently, rolling terrain with short but steep hills.
It will be a couple of weeks before I tow in order to get the 1k miles for differential wear in.
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Old 05-03-2013, 11:26 AM   #2
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I hear your pain!! I had a hard time finding out. Although we don't have the same transmission, mine is 5 speed on the 2010 Ram Hemi, I was told to just push tow/haul and "forgetaboutit"
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Old 05-03-2013, 11:51 AM   #3
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I would suggest that you engage the "tow/haul" mode whenever you are towing something. All it does is change the shift points up a bit to allow you to maintain torque while accelerating. You might also have an overdrive lockout button, as least we do on our GMC which will lock out the overdrive gear.
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Old 05-03-2013, 11:55 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by Pitch1 View Post
I tried asking this on the"other" forum and I got the usual crap. Story is that I have a X23b, I towed it with a ram with the 4.7 that struggled badly on hills so I upgraded.
How do you other Ram owners use this transmission? Manual is clear as mud. Do I just use tow/haul or do I manually lock out 6th? For the time being most of my towing will be in NY gently, rolling terrain with short but steep hills.
It will be a couple of weeks before I tow in order to get the 1k miles for differential wear in.
I do both depending on the driving conditions. Always use tow/haul, lock out overdrive gears as needed.
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Old 05-07-2013, 07:56 AM   #5
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Trial and error is all you can do. In my 2003 Ram, I don't have tow/haul but I do get an O/D off button so I run in 3rd 1:1 gear. This kills my mileage a little but the truck pulls. Now with yours being the 6 speed and having a manual option, you will have to make sure the tranny isn't hunting for gears all the time. If it is shifting, it is slipping creating heat. If you find a comfortable gear to run it in where it isn't shifting, use it even if the engine revs are up. My Hemi runs all day long at 2700 - 3000 rpms towing and the tranny stays nice an cool. These Hemi's like RPM's!
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Old 05-07-2013, 09:43 AM   #6
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Just took a trip to the mountains last weekend and pulled over some steep passes with out issue. Kept it in tow/haul mode all the time.
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Old 05-07-2013, 11:36 PM   #7
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Use tow/haul for sure. I find with our diesel that towing in 5th gets us better fuel mileage and lower transmission temperatures.
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Old 05-11-2013, 11:42 AM   #8
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I have a 2012 Ram 1500 with the 6 speed 5.7 Hemi I tow a 26Bh and have found that my truck prefers 4 th gear all the time i put it in tow haul and drop it to fourth, it gets better fuel economy in fourth then it does in fifth whiel towing.
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Old 05-11-2013, 01:46 PM   #9
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Local Dodge tech who also pulls with 1500/5.7 suggested I engage TOW if transmission was shifting a lot or pulling in obvious TOW/on situations. Did about a 350 mile trip one way to Nashville area from Central Ill. and probably used TOW 25% of trip. Watched RPM's and don't think I was ever over 2200 RPM except a couple of times in TOW just west of Nashville. I did play some with the gear override selection with TOW off and RPM's were about 200 higher in 5th than 6th. Truck auto shifted to 5th climbing overpasses and just kept on trucking along. I may be crazy but it seems to me like everything seems to be easier and smoother after about 20-30 of travel time. I have only made 4 trips with it and am still playing to try to find when/if Tow or manual gear selection is needed. I will just try to do what is needed to prevent truck from lugging and get to a point where I can make a selection proactively. Camper max is 6500 lb. and probably running at around 5500 with 200 in back of truck and 2 passengers. Have been Happy so far. I am going to try 4th on next trip as suggested to check MPG.

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Old 05-11-2013, 02:48 PM   #10
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I pulled 8000 lbs with a Tundra 5.7L, basically the same specs and was not a fan of T/H. For no reason I could understand, the truck would take on a life of it's own starting up a hill and I would find myself running 4000 RPM. I just gave up on it and locked out 6th gear and had no issues at all. The truck would run all day long 60MPH @2000 RPM in 5th gear. I now have a new F250 with the 6.2L and T/H seems to work like it's supposed to. The more I use it and the more I read about it, the better I like it. The advantage of T/H is that it also helps braking when the truck senses you are going downhill. I think that saves wear on your braking system. Now that I've seen all of this, I would use T/H, let the truck think for itself and see how it does. if it seem sluggish or does a lot of shifting on the grades you can always lock out 6th gear. I think running in 6th helps with fuel economy a little, but that's personal opinion and I have no numbers to substantiate that.
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Old 05-11-2013, 05:46 PM   #11
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Re: 2013 Ram 5.7

My '09 has the 5 speed tranny.... I only use the T/H mode when it feels like it is hunting for gears. I also use a Superchips Flashpaq set to max tow which I found really helps. Not sure if they are available for the newer RAMs but definitely worth a look. :-)
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Old 05-11-2013, 07:04 PM   #12
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I engage T/H every time I'm towing my TT, under all road conditions. The fact that my T/H just raises the shift points of all the gears by approximately 500 rpms means that my TV drivetrain is making better use of it's designed in power torque curve when under added load (TT in tow). In my case the T/H has nothing to do with locking out any gear (overdrive, etc.) or changing the drive RPM once in a gear.., it just allows the drivetrain to work easier up-shifting/down-shifting when under load.

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Old 05-11-2013, 07:10 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by Rustic Eagle View Post
I engage T/H every time I'm towing my TT, under all road conditions. The fact that my T/H just raises the shift points of all the gears by approximately 500 rpms means that my TV drivetrain is making better use of it's designed in power torque curve when under added load (TT in tow). In my case the T/H has nothing to do with locking out any gear (overdrive, etc.) or changing the drive RPM once in a gear.., it just allows the drivetrain to work easier up-shifting/down-shifting when under load.




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X2

Both my trucks work the same way, and OD will still engage in T/H when conditions permit.
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Old 11-17-2013, 12:36 AM   #14
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The tow/ haul mode shift patterns are designed to better utilize your power curve for your drivetrain. Shift points will be delayed a bit to keep the RPM and torque up a bit as well as prevent too much "hunting" for the proper gear and your torque converter will lock quicker to minimize the slippage which causes wear and heat. The higher RPM that you run in also allows the fluid to circulate quicker in turn enhancing the cooling and keeping it within the operating range (provided you have a transmission cooler- which you should if you have a trailer package). Tow/haul also enhances the engine braking by shifting down during steady braking to take a bit of the load off of your service brakes.
What is the best way to use it? In all honesty- it is a bit of trial and error. Personally, the only times I have ever used a gear lockout is when going down a steep grade- and I do that to help with the engine braking. Odd times- I will lock out certain gears to keep my RPMs in the sweet spot if I am really climbing too. I don't try to keep a set speed on grades- I keep the RPMs in a happy place for the engine so it doesn't try to eat itself. Truthfully, except for the situations I listed, I can't see any reason not to engage Tow/Haul and set the speed control. The computers in these trucks are way smarter and faster than we are, and they are designed to run within their optimal ranges and they know better than we do what they should be doing. I used to prefer the feeling of a clutch and a manual trans to control everything I did. Now, I can't imagine anything other than letting the machine do all the work for me
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Old 11-17-2013, 09:01 PM   #15
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Most engines function better running a few more RPM's. The reason the factory includes a Tow Haul mode is to keep your transmission from shifting a lot and slipping which causes premature wear. The transmission operates on fluid pressure. Low RPM's equal low pressure and possible slipping of the clutches. I totally agree with Rustic Eagle's response.
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Old 11-18-2013, 07:39 PM   #16
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2013 Ram 5.7

on my 2013 ram 5.7 i use t/h whenever towing. If pulling some weight (6k plus or so), might have to lock out gears in the mountains. The hemi likes to make its power 3k-4k...dont be afraid to let her rev (and watch the fuel drop like a rock...1mpg going up some of the hills in west va)
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Old 12-07-2013, 07:36 PM   #17
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Some guys with Rams, drive with the Tow/Haul on, all the time. They just like the way it shifts better. It also forces the transmission to actually downshift as you are slowing, rather than coasting in a higher gear. I would suggest, ( and I do also) use the T/H any time your towing. I have a 2500, Cummins, I use the manual shift to hold the transmission from up shifting, as well. On Rams, when you go to manual, the transmission will shift up and down, to whatever gear you select.
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Old 12-07-2013, 08:45 PM   #18
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Tow/Haul mode also disables the ECO mode multi displacement system, which drops out four cylinders for better fuel economy.

I love my 2011 Hemi Ram. It's pulled my 26BH from Kansas, to south Texas, southern Arizona, Seattle (several routes- north to 1-80 and 1-90, and I-70 over the high passes in Colorado). It always performed perfectly.

On the highway I keep it in tow/haul and drop the gearing down to 4th. At my speed the rpm's hover around 2200, and mpg's have averaged around 11 pulling the trailer. Going over the passes I slow down and drop it into 2nd.
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