Does your tow vehicle take time to 'forget' it is no longer towing?

Submitted: Friday, Dec 24, 2010 at 07:25
ThreadID: 83228 Views:4471 Replies:7 FollowUps:2
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I towed my trailer for just an hour on the weekend and found that the car had adjusted it's gear shifting to suit the additional weight of the trailer. It's now all over the place with very little power now that I'm not towing anything. I've driven it about 1.5 hours since and it is only starting to return to normal.

Is this normal with most tow vehicles? I'm interested to hear what you drive and whether you experience this.
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Reply By: Notso - Friday, Dec 24, 2010 at 08:23

Friday, Dec 24, 2010 at 08:23
I think it would be reasonable to assume that the adaptive systems would take some little time to re adjust to either towing or not towing.

I know my Triton adjusts and fuel economy improves after a short time towing the van. Haven't noticed it affecting it the other way going from towing to not towing though.
AnswerID: 439724

Reply By: Wokwon - Friday, Dec 24, 2010 at 08:25

Friday, Dec 24, 2010 at 08:25
Could happen for cars with more recent autoboxes.

I had a 97 magna that had an adaptive box.

Some of them have tricks to reset the box (e.g. ign on, hold down accel for 10 secs then release and start car) etc. You may be able to google the exact process for your car.

Otherwise, drive aggressively and it will adapt to that. If it has a 'sport' shift pattern, turn that on.
AnswerID: 439726

Reply By: Gronk - Friday, Dec 24, 2010 at 08:26

Friday, Dec 24, 2010 at 08:26
Mine adapts instantly.......its a manual !!!!!!!!!
AnswerID: 439727

Reply By: Baz&Pud (Tassie) - Friday, Dec 24, 2010 at 09:01

Friday, Dec 24, 2010 at 09:01
We recently spent three months on the mainland towing a two+ ton van, when we returned home and detached the van there was a noticeable difference in the performance of the Cruiser, bit more grunt and better fuel economy.
Now been home three months and its going like a train.
Cheers
Baz
Go caravaning, life is so much shorter than death.

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AnswerID: 439730

Follow Up By: Witi Repartee - Friday, Dec 24, 2010 at 10:19

Friday, Dec 24, 2010 at 10:19
Maybe auto manufacturers have followed the trucking industry with adaptive boxes.
I drive a Mack with a 6 speed Allison auto and it monitors loads and driving styles for the first set of 6 changes and adapts accordingly. The best technique when changing from one truck to another in the fleet is to take it up thru the gears hard when fully loaded to "standardise" the auto settings to what you are used to. If you are relieving a driver who has a totally different driving style it can be a bit frustrating while the auto hangs and mucks around until it sorts itself out.
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Follow Up By: _gmd_pps - Saturday, Dec 25, 2010 at 11:52

Saturday, Dec 25, 2010 at 11:52
The Allison has a tow mode electronic input with which it can be switched from low load shifting to high load shifting, especially useful when you drive empty or load/towing. I have an Allison in my 4WD truck and whenever I change the tune I set the transmission to learn. It is pretty quick, only takes a few cycles.
Manufacturers assume correctly that most small SUV drivers are complete idiots and built in those automatic behaviors in modern vehicles. I would hate that when I cannot change that. And I consider an LC or such a "small" SUV.
On top of that I want manual control of my auto gear box because the automatic does not register EGT when shifting, I do.

have fun
gmd
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Reply By: Member - Andrew (WA) - Saturday, Dec 25, 2010 at 00:44

Saturday, Dec 25, 2010 at 00:44
I know a guy who mentioned having the same issue with a new ford ranger...
AnswerID: 439780

Reply By: sassenach.girl - Saturday, Dec 25, 2010 at 10:10

Saturday, Dec 25, 2010 at 10:10
Yep we notice this as well, and you need to find out what 'reset' is for your vehicle. For example, all we need to do in the Saab is to maintain 4000RPM for 30 seconds and that resets the CPU. Or, you can always unhook the battery for a hard reboot!

Sass.
AnswerID: 439798

Reply By: garbage - Monday, Jan 03, 2011 at 23:07

Monday, Jan 03, 2011 at 23:07
Sorry, only just got back to reading this trip as I've been away camping. Thanks for all the replies.

I discovered that a fresh full tank of petrol did the trick and the auto clicked back to normal after this. I used to disconnect the battery after towing, but it looks I won't need to do this any longer. Car is an automatic 06 Subaru Liberty.
AnswerID: 440626

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