Reduced Mileage while Towing

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amr40509
Posts: 210
Joined: Tue Jun 27, 2006 3:35 pm

Postby amr40509 » Wed May 06, 2009 10:37 am

I have an '06 v6 and tow a boat that is about 4000lbs on a light day, more if loaded up for camping. We also often have a lot of people/gear in the truck.

I find the WORST MPG for me is when in 4th gear at about 60-65mpg. Here in Kentucky we have hills, and every hill will unlock the torque converter in 4th with that much weight (you can see this as a rise in RPM while staying in the same gear, but not going any faster). If I bump it up to about 72-75 I run higher RPMs all the time, but the converter stays locked and I pick up about 2-3mpg. A slipping torque converter makes tons of heat and should be avoided.


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markspath
Posts: 139
Joined: Mon Jun 02, 2008 10:19 pm
Location: Rockaway, NJ

Re: Reduced Mileage while Towing

Postby markspath » Thu May 07, 2009 9:45 am

trapper_luke wrote:Im new to this forum and have an '08 V6 pathfinder as well as a 4300 travel trailer.
Welcome, Luke!
trapper_luke wrote:I've noticed that my fuel mileage while not towing is approx 14 litres/100 KMs (16.8 miles/gallon) -- however, when towing the trailer, it goes to approx 25 litres/100 kms (9.4 miles/gallon).

Does this sound about right or is something wrong?
I have an '07 V6 and have pretty-much identical experience that you report when pulling my Rockwood Roo 21ss travel trailer (about 5,000 loaded) from New Jersey to Utah and back.
trapper_luke wrote:in addition, people keep asking if there's a button to press for towing - I don't believe there is - is there?
The button they are likely referring to is the Overdrive Disable that can be found on the left side of the transmission selection lever's knob. Press this button to prevent the Pathfinder from going into Overdrive (5th gear) while towing. This is recommended to avoid extra wear-and-tear possible from more frequent shifting and extended low-RPM torque.

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AZ_Path
Posts: 420
Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:03 pm
Location: Phoenix, AZ

Postby AZ_Path » Thu May 07, 2009 9:48 am

amr40509 wrote:I find the WORST MPG for me is when in 4th gear at about 60-65mpg. Here in Kentucky we have hills, and every hill will unlock the torque converter in 4th with that much weight (you can see this as a rise in RPM while staying in the same gear, but not going any faster). If I bump it up to about 72-75 I run higher RPMs all the time, but the converter stays locked and I pick up about 2-3mpg.
So you are using 4th gear at 72-75? What if you need to slow down to 60-65 due to traffic or rain etc; are you using 5th gear then or do you just avoid that speed as much as possible? Are you climbing the hills at 72-75? I would expect the RPM's to get pretty high during hill climbs.


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