BTW - if you want to increase your mileage, drive as if there was an egg between your foot and the gas pedal, and you don't want to break it. This really works.

 

the lady that takes my money at wal-mart tells me "that they gas burns faster"............and i must bust a-lot of eggs - This debate will never end - yeah, my 96 w/5.8 and 10" rims w/32"er's gets 11 most of the time. I use OD when pullin light loads on level ground such as the pop-up camper, not the bogg truck on the trailer.

Did i mention my '79s avg 10

and yes, i could not tow around excess pounds, then again i woodn't drive a bronco if that was the case.......

jbronco - you're on ta something.....you rock

 

you say if i tow in OD, i should keep up enough rpms. well what is that rpm i should try ot keep it at? when i drive in OD i'm at only 1700rpms going 6500mph. and 1850 going 70mph. so i am not sure if thats enough rpms to be pulling.

in california i can't tow faster than 55mph anyways. if i were to use OD at 55mph, i'll only be turning 1500rpms or so. that enough rpms? i would assume now. if i had OD off, it would be 2050rpms going 55rpms.

as soon as i hit nevada and utah, they don't have trailer towing limits. so i guess 1700rpms is enough to turn then i'll tow in OD only when i can.

however, i'd still have to control the distance cuz the dolly won't have brakes. i maybe be able to use dad's at his work with drum brakes though.

 

It's not really a set number of RPM's, you just want to avoid lugging the motor. For example, suppose you are towing a trailer and taking off from a dead stop. If you were using the OD, you would not want to pull out really slow, with your foot barely on the gas, because when you hit OD your revs would be too low and you would be lugging the truck. You would pull off nice and strong and then when you got up to speed the truck could drop comfortably into OD and you would be fine.

Like I said, I have done it many times and had no trouble. If you do it right, and are towing semi-light loads like 2,000-2,500 pounds, then you will be fine. But just recall that most of the manufacturers, and most of the people that you talk to will tell you NEVER to tow in OD. So if you are not sure of yourself, don't do it. But if you feel comfortable with it, and don't feel like driving 2,500 miles with the OD off (especially with today's fuel prices) then you can consider that I have been doing it for over twenty years and have not burned up a transmission yet, or had a dangerous towing situation caused by towing in OD. Just don't do it unless you are a capable enough driver to know when you can be in OD and when you should not be in OD; whether towing or not.

 

when towing you want the motor to be operating in its power range. anything below 2000rpms will be below its power range causing the motor to work harder to maintain speed thus using more fuel. if your towing good rpm range is 2200-2600 for optimal power/mpg. towing 2000lbs is not much weight at all. most cars by themselves weight over 3000 then figure weight of dolly which is probably between 500-1000lbs. for an AOD tranny towing in OD is bad, with an E4OD its Marginal but if the tranny does go an e4od will cost 2k + to have rebuilt. so like jbronco said use your best judgement. also remember that running tires larger then 31's on stock gearing will increase the stress on the drivetrain unless rpms are kept up.

 

Yup use your judgement, if it feels right do it, if it don't, then don't! When I am towing in OD it's more like just coasting, there is no strain on the engine at all, and I probably even have it in cruise control. And like the man just said as well, 2,000-2,500 lbs is not a lot. Were I pulling 5,000-5,5000 then I doubt that I would be able to hold it on OD, and it could be harmful to even try. If I thought for even a second that the OD towing for the U-Haul trailers was causing any harm at all, I would not do it. But I think that 20+ years of doing this without a hitch (pun intended) bears me out, at least for U-Haul-type trailers.

 

well i'll be pulling roughly 4500lbs. think i should use it? i'm going to try it going down hills and completely flat terrian. if not, i'll be going 55mph most of the time.

 

To the original question, I always go by the "M-M-O" rule with my 95 5.8. My 3 guages should have needles sitting on the M, the M, and the temp guage stays on the "O". I can honestly say I have never seen them drift from these spots once I've reached normal running temp.

 

4500 Wont be a prob.

 

so i should be ok using OD towing 4500lbs if i'm careful?

 

You will be fine at 4500....just remember to stay out of OD if you are changing terrain....but on flat and downhill you should be OK.

 

great, i'll going to give her a try very soon. however in california, i can only go 55mph, i am at 1500rpms in OD, i hope that'll be enough rpms to be cooling that tranny.

 

YOu get better mileage than I do....I have a custom grind mild cam...roller rockers, Edelbrock heads, ported intake, JBA headers and Bassani Y pipe with the flowmaster exh....I did however see a 1.2 mile per gallon increase with the combo when taking it easy as compared to the stock setup.

Exhaust and air filter really help.

measurements are an average after a year of calcs.