hey all, was wondering what the consensus is on towing with cruise, do or dont. i have a 05 excursion v10 , tow a 27ft tt weighs approx 6k loaded. any fedback is much appreciated.

jeff

 

I tow a 29' Spingdale, weighs about 8K. I prefer to tow with cruise off most of the time. I find that cruise works somewhat ok on the flats, but on any hills doesn't work worth a d*mn. Mileage drops and it doesn't anticipate the next hill. Instead of rolling down and building acceleration near the bottom to roll into the next climb, it maintains speed on the way down and then powers its way up the next climb. I prefer to use the weight and momentum to my advantage. If I'm smart about it, I can usually do better than 12 or 13 mpg while pulling.

 

What conger said, true dat!

 

I can tow with cruise on and in OD without causing the tranny to shift all the time. I think that is the key. Don't want it hunting for the right gear all the time.

 

I prefer to leave it off in the mountains as stated above, just works better for me.

 

The problem with the diesels, if the cruise is left on, you can overboost when the truck downshifts. I have a 2005 F-350 with a PSD and TQshift tranny.

I was pulling a fiver (12,000 lbs.) on a pass. Well I left the cruise on, the truck down shifted and my boost shot over 40 psi. I never did it again, now I only use cruise if I'm on flat surface.

 

I'm of the opinion that if the tranny is hunting for the right gear with the cruise control (CC) on, it's time to turn off the CC. Your foot is much better at "anticipating" terrain changes. The CC only "responds" to terrain changes.

When the road ahead is mostly flat, let CC do its thing so you can relax a bit. When you're in the mountains, CC should most likely be off.

FWIW...that's an opinion from an ID to CA traveler.

 

Agreed ..... cruise on the flats.

I've got a vacuum gauge installed that shows me pretty much whats going on with the throttle. Not a bad addition if you're at all into monitoring what's going on with your vehicle.

With the cruise on the gauge varies more, bigger swings faster, than when I'm manually running the throttle. I can anticipate hills ... it can't, I can make use of downhill runs to either lighten up to save a little fuel or build up speed for the next hill ... it can't, on a hill I can make the decision to lose speed and not kick in the secondaries (carb'd engine equivalent of "put your foot into it") .. cruise can't.

On the other hand, when the terrain is relatively flat and the right leg is a little tired the cruise is a REAL asset.

FWIW...that's an opinion from an MN to S. CO traveler. (good tag line MooseMan)

 

Jeff,

These guys have given you great advice...

I'll just add a little bit from an Excursion standpoint.

The Ex has a 2V V10 with a 4R100 trans...which complicates us a little bit over our 3V V10 and 5R110 cousins...

For the load you are hauling with that Ex...in OD with cruise on at ~65mph...you will NOT be able to pull a hill with cruise without a downshift...you 'may' be able to pull that same hill in OD with your foot controlling the pedal...you can feather the throttle...the cruise is basically a switch...on or off...

For the load you are hauling...I think if you locked out OD and set cruise to ~65mph you may find most hills will be pulled in 3rd gear with cruise on without a downshift...that is with 3.73's. If you have 4.30's...you are that much more assured of NO downshift from 3rd.

The engine/trans combo with 3.73's in 3rd gear with stock tires puts you in a great power band location at ~65mph. With OD on and 3.73's at ~65mph is a tad on the low side for RPMs and the power band for the 2V V10...now with 4.30's at ~65mph with OD on you have a 'shot' at no downshift with cruise but it is still a crap shoot...

If you want to pull with cruise on...shut OD off would be my advice in your Ex and you will be pleasantly surprised.

If you want to try and pull in OD...and you have 3.73's...even on small hills like interstate overpass grades...keep cruise OFF or you will downshift on darn near every grade. Your foot however will let you modulate the throttle in OD to avoid some downshifts...

But best advice...lock out OD and stay in 3rd gear wtih 3.73's and you will grin most every hill.

Good luck,
Joe.