Best way to tow with a 4.7
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2006
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Best way to tow with a 4.7
Have a 2k 2wd 4.7 CC Sport Auto with the tow package and want to tow a travel trailer with it. We haven't purchased the trailer as of yet so I am asking for ideas and tips on what tows well with this model and how to get the best milage while towing. Right now my Dakota gets 19 mpg can gal combine city hiway. I will be towing it primarily in hilly country. Any towing tips and ideas would be great.
DC
DC
Champion
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 4,186
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From: Reno, NV
RE: Best way to tow with a 4.7
3.55 is good for about 4500 #'s if you go for any more than that make sure to upgrade to the 3.93 or higher to tow really well. Also you may want to make the standard upgradesby doing apower steering cooler, tranny cooler, and a brake controller.
Champion
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 3,710
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From: Skagit County, WA
RE: Best way to tow with a 4.7
You may already have those items if you've got the factory tow pkg. Get a trailer brake controller, and imho with the 4.7 I'd keep it under 4500 pounds either way, travel trailers have a lot of frontal area.
Champion
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,313
Likes: 8
RE: Best way to tow with a 4.7
Tow slower than you gut tells you could get away with during the first 10,000 miles.
Don't make the mistake of thinking that power is what is important for towing...Braking is what is critical. Try to practice 'Panic Braking' with the trailer in an empty parking lot before going on the road. Google search for the words ' Trailer Jack Knifing' and learn how/when it happens.
Tow with overdrive off. The reason for this is that the ATF pump needs more rpms to pump fluid to the cooler/heater in order to keep ATF temperatures below where the ATF begins to quickly go bad. For the same reasons, change ATF more often than the manual calls for.
If you install an ATF temperature gauge on the OUTPUT to the cooler you can consider using overdrive on downhill sections of highway or when the wind is at your back...but the MPG gain is quite small and reasonable people can disagree whether the money saved on fuel is worth the potential money lost on early transmission repair.
You will hear many suggestions to change to 3.91/4.10/4.56/4.88 diff gears.
These will allow you to climb hills in 1.00 ratio fourth gear with the torque converter clutch locked up, but are wrong headed in philosophy. There is nothing wrong with climbing hills with the 2th and 3rd gear ratios put there inside the trans for exactly those purposes if you take it easy and watch the ATF temperatures. Switching to numerically higher diff gears will give your worse MPG during the 90% of the time you are not climbing a steep hill.
Many more fuel economy tips in a LONG read at:
https://dodgeforum.com/m_447500/tm.htm
Pay attention to the aero of your trailer
and consider adding vortex generators or Airtabs to the rear of it.
Don't make the mistake of thinking that power is what is important for towing...Braking is what is critical. Try to practice 'Panic Braking' with the trailer in an empty parking lot before going on the road. Google search for the words ' Trailer Jack Knifing' and learn how/when it happens.
Tow with overdrive off. The reason for this is that the ATF pump needs more rpms to pump fluid to the cooler/heater in order to keep ATF temperatures below where the ATF begins to quickly go bad. For the same reasons, change ATF more often than the manual calls for.
If you install an ATF temperature gauge on the OUTPUT to the cooler you can consider using overdrive on downhill sections of highway or when the wind is at your back...but the MPG gain is quite small and reasonable people can disagree whether the money saved on fuel is worth the potential money lost on early transmission repair.
You will hear many suggestions to change to 3.91/4.10/4.56/4.88 diff gears.
These will allow you to climb hills in 1.00 ratio fourth gear with the torque converter clutch locked up, but are wrong headed in philosophy. There is nothing wrong with climbing hills with the 2th and 3rd gear ratios put there inside the trans for exactly those purposes if you take it easy and watch the ATF temperatures. Switching to numerically higher diff gears will give your worse MPG during the 90% of the time you are not climbing a steep hill.
Many more fuel economy tips in a LONG read at:
https://dodgeforum.com/m_447500/tm.htm
Pay attention to the aero of your trailer
and consider adding vortex generators or Airtabs to the rear of it.
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Champion
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 4,739
Likes: 8
From: ct.
RE: Best way to tow with a 4.7
my 05 4.7 tows like a champ and i do leave a little extra room for braking. the big concern is the back end sagging. have some helper springs or bags will do the trick. if not you will tend to have the frt end wonder on you.