Member - DickyBeach replied:

John,
Think outside the square and look at this way:
A new gearbox would cost, say, $5000 (I have no idea but that'll do for the illustration).
Suppose by towing in overdrive your average MPG improves from say 4 K/L to 5 K/L and that for the sake of mathematics petrol costs $1.00 per litre; thus a 1km trip would use 5 cents less petrol @ 5K/L than at 4 K/L.
$5,000 divided by 5 cents = 100,000 kms.
If one assumes that towing a BT in overdrive will eventually damage the gearbox you'd have to tow it for 100,000 kms to save enough (cost of) petrol to be able to buy a new gearbox. If a new gearbox costs $10,000 then 200,000kms of towing.
Me? I'd be towing in Drive and not overdrive and to hell with the cost of the extra petrol.
DB

Col (wa) replied:

Hi Grumpy,

My mate has a BT 21' it wieghts in at over 3.5t fully loaded. He tows it with t/d 100 fitted with Dtronic chip ,he only towes in 4th (it is a 5 spd auto) and gets around 20 L/per 100k's. I know you wanted petrol info but hope it helps

regards
Col

Exploder replied:

Look in the oners manuel that should tell ya if not give toyota a ring.

Power mode when on holds back gear changers giveing better accaleration but when towing heavy equipment like a caravan you r ment to have it off as this alowes the gearbox to run cooler.In some Auto's enyway not sure about 100 Series but i would use power to overtake.

motherhen replied:

Well said DB. The cost, without the added cost and inconvience of being stranded somewhere, would be only the start. General advice is not to tow in overdrive (except occasionally on an easy flat or downhill incline) in either toyota or nissan. Similarly with manuals, 5th only for the downhill run. Some people get away with it, but I prefer not to take the risk. The fuel will cost you a mint whatever gear you choose, the bit extra in the lower gear will be small compared to the cost of your rig. Take it easy, and enjoy you travels.

flappa replied:

In overdrive , doing it easy in flat country.

Dont see a problem.

The problems start when the motor runs out of puff , and starts to labour , putting stress on things.

You might find you are dropping out of Overdrive quite often , and in some cases , probably never get into it.

muzzgit (WA) replied:

Yes the motor and transmission will be spinning faster but in overdrive you will be labouring the engine all the time which can cause overheating. Also, the transmission will overheat if towing a heavy weight in overdrive.

Both Toyota and Nissan will tell you if you ask them..... DO NOT tow in overdrive, be it manual or auto !

And lastly, it is very easy to speed when pushing it in overdrive, in fact it becomes necesarry, to keep the revs up. Which firstly puts you on the wrong side of Mr plod, but makes emergency braking so much harder when a big furry 2 or 4 legged animal walks out in front of you !

I prefer to sit on about 95 to 97 klm, save fuel, and stay safe.

Cheers,

Muzz

F233 replied:

Hi John,

i currently have a V8 Sahara ( my second in 3 years ) and its strictly for towing. I tow boats that average about 3300Kgs and i average about 15,000 Klms per year to favourite fishing destinations.

Towing around town i average 19-21 litres per hundred Klms on the highways i average 24-26 Litres per hundred Klms and i never use overdrive whilst towing as fuel consumption rises significantly.

Hope this helps
cheers
Ric

Redback replied:

God what a bunch of fuss pots if the bloody Landcruiser is supposed to be as good as everyone craps on about why the hell should you worry about what gear is good for towing, should be able to tow in any gear without worrying about fuel and any future gearbox problems, well shouldn't you.

Baz.

ianmc replied:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>NO<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Grumblebum and Dragon (WA) replied:

Thanks to you all who posted - there seems to be general agreement... use o/drive with caution - except for Baz.. it obviously does'nt give a chit.. one wonders why he even bother to post!

Thanks again

John