Overdrive for Towing (same, same but different)?

Yes, that's an interesting one, a mate just bought a Kia Sorrento, a clone of the Hyundai, and it's the same, although I think fourth is actually an underdrive gear, if that's the correct terminology as it is a bit more that 1 to 1 as opposed to the other way.

Anyhow apparently the hand book doesn't say anything about the issue, he has been towing in 5th, gets great economy and heaps of get up and go.

You might find 6th a bit tall for relaxed towing.

interesting reading, click on "specifications" then "transmissions"

Santa-Fe gear ratios

Maîneÿ . . .

Peter, I think it gets down to the load you are asking the vehicle to tow, the design of the gearbox(strength) and the amount of torque the engine is capable of generating at lower RPM. The other important factor is the drivers ability to "feel" for the wont of a better term, the difference between the car doing the job easily or struggling because too higher gear is being used and the driver just putting the foot down a bit more and taking advantage of the engines torque rather than shifting down a gear. I would think that in the case of a relatively light van such as you have using up to 5th may be ok but downshifting if the car starts to drop revs on a hill or going into a head wind.
It looks like in your case you do not have the luxury of selecting the vehicle(offset of course by the fact that it is being provided) but looking at the ratios I wonder just how suitable the Sante Fe is for towing anything other than a relatively light load. Just as a matter of interest what is the maximum towing allowance for this car???

Hope this helps a bit

Cheers
Pop

Hi fawkesp,

I have taken Roothys advice over the last several years about not towing in overdrive but just occasionally I have gotten curious and slipped the old girl into overdrive. Now my van is a 2 tonner and the tug is a 80 series landcruiser and every time I have used overdrive the rpm slowly decreased for the same accelerator pressure and I could see that fuel economy was suffering over time, and this was on flat going. So I decided that if I was travelling down hill I might occasionally drop it into overdrive but the problem there was that I forgot about it and performance and economy would suffer so I found it best to leave it in 3rd gear all the time, or drive in my, case having an auto box.

Best advice is give it a try and see how it goes. It may be a whole different ball game with your vehicle and towing combo.

As is often said the best rules are no rules. just try it and see.
Cheers Bruce.

Read this thread Long but worthwhile.

http://forum.candm.com.au/showthread.php?t=3900

It is all about keeping the car in its torque range.
A 100 ser at 90kph sits on 2400rpm which is just nice and it sings along no probs.

Put it in 5th and it runs hotter and lugs away and hunts up and down on the auto like mad
Why wear out the box for nothing.

O/D is for cruising the vehicle ON ITS OWN not with double the weight on the transmission.

Incidentally over 50,000k the economy didnt suffer at all by using 4th instead of 5th