We plan on renting a 26 ft travel trailer for a week and going up to Yellow Stone. Is it best to leave the over drive off, or turn it off when I am hitting hills or should I even worry about? Thx in advance for the help.

 

I have an '02 V10 3:73 gears towing a 28 foot Sunnybrook. I can tow in OD and it will stay there unless going up a large hill. I have to feather the gas pedal to keep it from downshifting, but overall towing, it can be done. Now, do I tow in OD, Not! After a 6000 mile trip and testing various situations of OD/cruise on, off, OD off/cruise on, off, I found that at 67MPH, 2750 RPM, OD off, cruise on is the overall best for me. I am more relaxed (comfortable while driving) and refreshed at the end of a 500 mile day this way. I have tried all of them, never uncomfortable just more tired from constantly pushing the gas pedal when cruise was off. I still anticipate hills and give it a little more gas prior to coming up on one and make like a trucker going up/down hills, just seems to make sense to do it this way. Milage is calculated (not obtained from trip console) by hand and always winds up around 8.8 to 9.7 MPG depending on how many hills and how high the hills. I make lots of trips from the east coast into Tennessee and back, milage is always a good 1 MPG better on the return trip back to the east coast. Milage results with OD on and cruise off was always almost the same, from a low of 8.4 to a high of 10 MPG. Around town empty I get a solid 12.5-13 MPG and on the highway OD on/cruise on I get 15-16 at 70-75 MPH. Mine is stock completely and I run 5w20 Motorcraft with no problems either. Have put 33000 miles on it in just over 17 months no complaints. Love the X, just wish Ford would still make them after the '04 model year.