Towing MPG Without Traction/Stability Control
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More Turbo
Joined: Apr 2017
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Towing MPG Without Traction/Stability Control
Has anyone tried towing with the traction/stability control disengaged, and compared fuel mileage with it engaged ?? I did a short trip to and from my dealer, and I (think) got better mileage than usual with the functions disengaged.
I will experiment more this summer with a trip out west.
I will experiment more this summer with a trip out west.
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Has anyone tried towing with the traction/stability control disengaged, and compared fuel mileage with it engaged ?? I did a short trip to and from my dealer, and I (think) got better mileage than usual with the functions disengaged.
I will experiment more this summer with a trip out west.
I will experiment more this summer with a trip out west.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 906
Likes: 107
From: Seattle area
Neither function will affect fuel mileage during “normal” truck operations. If you turn it off and lay ten miles of burnt rubber it will probably use more fuel than if you had traction control on and the tires weren’t slipping for that ten miles.
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More Turbo
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Stability control works by applying the brakes to 1 or more of the wheels. I have been wondering that with pulling a trailer the stability control is set off by a trailer pushing the truck every which way just enough to cause the stability control to apply the brakes. Couldn’t the almost constant brake application affect fuel mileage ?? Just speculating here.
Turning off the traction control with a single quick push of the button also reduces the sensitivity of the traction control, but does not eliminate it completely, and also does not negate the roll stability control.
Turning off the traction control with a single quick push of the button also reduces the sensitivity of the traction control, but does not eliminate it completely, and also does not negate the roll stability control.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2015
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From: Wyoming
I could see the truck's electronic sway control affecting MPG a small amount, but you would have to have a ton of sway going on and you would likely fry your trailer's brakes. Traction control shouldn't come into play at all unless you're trying to burn rubber with a trailer attached (I accidentally proved that it was possible to do just that with the 6.7L engine by the way).
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Postmaster
Joined: Jan 2005
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From: BC Canada
I always tow with traction control on, in tow/haul, with engine brake on full. I would agree with above comments, competent negligible effects on fuel mileage. Straight driving I would bet very little application for sway or traction control, and even if it was activated it would be for very short bursts during certain events, hard cornering for example. Bulk of driving would be steady state towing at highway speeds with no application of these systems.
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Lead Driver
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A light does appear in the dash in a tire spin event when traction control comes into play.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Dec 2005
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From: Seattle area
Cut and pasting my response from a different thread about sway control:
The truck’s sway control is not an active feature rolling down the road - it does nothing to stop reasonable sway in the steady state. If it senses sway outside of normal travel limits, it selectively applies the brakes to slow the vehicle and return to stable travel. It doesn’t steer the truck (by steering wheel). You can kind of think of it like ABS. Yes, the system is “on” the whole time, but it (ABS) only activates if you are braking so hard that your tires depart normal travel and start sliding. Thus, disabling trailer sway control (incorrectly understanding how it works) will do nothing to the steady state ride, yet reduces the chances of recovering from a severe departure from stability. If you are loading your trailer such that you have routine extreme departures from stability, low fuel economy is the least of your worries. My bet is that the truck’s trailer sway control has never activated while you were towing, and it is a issue of “confirmation bias” that gives the perception of a difference.
The truck’s sway control is not an active feature rolling down the road - it does nothing to stop reasonable sway in the steady state. If it senses sway outside of normal travel limits, it selectively applies the brakes to slow the vehicle and return to stable travel. It doesn’t steer the truck (by steering wheel). You can kind of think of it like ABS. Yes, the system is “on” the whole time, but it (ABS) only activates if you are braking so hard that your tires depart normal travel and start sliding. Thus, disabling trailer sway control (incorrectly understanding how it works) will do nothing to the steady state ride, yet reduces the chances of recovering from a severe departure from stability. If you are loading your trailer such that you have routine extreme departures from stability, low fuel economy is the least of your worries. My bet is that the truck’s trailer sway control has never activated while you were towing, and it is a issue of “confirmation bias” that gives the perception of a difference.
Cargo Master
Joined: Jan 2001
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The magazine reviewers hate it.
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