IKE Gauntlet: 2025 4Runner Towing Test -- Beats Land Cruiser Again [TLDW Summary]

This rather arbitrary obsession of some Ford owners with insisting on staying in 10th gear at all times is truly baffling, I see it with some superduty owners too, to the point where some people would get 4.30 rear end to tow 3-4k popup trailers just so they can stay in 10th all day with the 7.3 V8s, even if it means spinning at higher than needed RPM when it is not needed. Is it a bravado thing where people consider the motor to be weak if the TCM decides to downshift and use one of the other 9 or 7 or 4 gears?

 

Hmm, interesting approach. I'm sure those trucks aren't at lugging RPMs, but it's gonna be counterproductive in terms of engine stress.

When making the same horsepower (say, going up a specific grade at a specific speed), the engine running at a higher RPM is actually experiencing less stress (more power strokes, with less work and less pressure during each stroke). I get some people don't like to hear their truck revving to 3000+ RPM at times, but it's definitely backwards as far as the engine is concerned.

Again, interesting stuff, and you're right I don't have experience with it. But also, it's silly to compare driving characteristics of a TT 3.5 to a low stress, NA 4.0. I think Turd is right, and you should check out the GX 550 instead.

 

For MPG and emissions purposes most transmissions now are programmed to hold as high of a gear as possible even if it means the engine runs a bit lean or hotter with less fuel to cool the combustion chamber. That's the same reason default throttle mapping on most vehicles feel so lazy and disconnected, and pedal commander is such a popular product.

For cruising at light load it's okay, but those who tow heavy with class 2B and up trucks would know with gas work horse engines are better to let them downshift and work at 3k-4k rpm instead of trying to keep it in top gear and spin at 2-2.5k if you want to run the motors to 300k-400k. There is a reason F250/2500s and up don't use turbo gas motors yet. Ford, GM and Ram all tested turbo 6s and small v8s extensively and don't find them suitable for heavy towing at this time.

 

I certainly don't want it in 10th when towing or when loaded, that's a recipe for disaster. I'll usually put the truck in tow/haul mode when we go on vacations, and it will spend more time in 8th or maybe 9th, very little in 10th.

The GX550 drivetrain is more my speed, but $70k+ for an Overtrail is an eye watering proposition.

 

Great, so I'm going to be the guy on forums in a decade complaining that my vehicle never downshifts when I think it should

 

tundra will only do 10th if above 81 or 85 mph

 

lol someone is going to decide based on tfl videos

 

who else on social media is doing as consistent towing tests of various vehicles?