5thGenRams Forums

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

2019 Limited with 5.7 No E-Torque Towing 7800# Travel Trailer

George Bednar

Active Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2018
Messages
191
Reaction score
77
Location
Central Illinois
I have recently purchased a new travel trailer as described above. My 2019 Limited seems to have way more power than is needed to pull it as I have towed it multiple time totaling over 200 miles. My question is while even in tow mode I am turning 2500 RPM's consistently, but with a little playing around with accelerating then letting off it will shift gears and only be turning around 2000 RPM. This subtle change seems to really affect the gas mileage in a positive manner. Is there an easier way to get the transmission to shift? It is really flat here in Illinois and the road grade does not seem to be causing the issue. Thanks for all and any help you can offer.
 

jdefoe0424

Ram Guru
Joined
Aug 2, 2019
Messages
555
Reaction score
297
Location
Illinois
Yup...I play that game with our trailer in tow too. And I hate using cruise as it is overly aggressive on these trucks.
Might be able to go out of tow/haul and it will shift using the standard econo shift maps. I'm used to it enough to get it to shift to 7th so I never investigated anything else.
 

bhurst10

Active Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2019
Messages
39
Reaction score
45
Interested towed my car and a trailer weight combined about 6500 lbs my truck in 8th gear I was say 95% of my whole trip i was really surprised. 2019 LIMITED 5.7 NonEtorque 392 gears.
2e12a3c261e291e4c9111631a8fe753b.jpg


Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk
 

jdefoe0424

Ram Guru
Joined
Aug 2, 2019
Messages
555
Reaction score
297
Location
Illinois
Interested towed my car and a trailer weight combined about 6500 lbs my truck in 8th gear I was say 95% of my whole trip i was really surprised. 2019 LIMITED 5.7 NonEtorque 392 gears.
2e12a3c261e291e4c9111631a8fe753b.jpg


Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk
Big difference in drag between a travel trailer and a car on a trailer

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
 

bhurst10

Active Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2019
Messages
39
Reaction score
45
Big difference in drag between a travel trailer and a car on a trailer

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
Gotca I didn't even thing about that the amount of drag with a travel trailer.

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk
 

George Bednar

Active Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2018
Messages
191
Reaction score
77
Location
Central Illinois
Yup...I play that game with our trailer in tow too. And I hate using cruise as it is overly aggressive on these trucks.
Might be able to go out of tow/haul and it will shift using the standard econo shift maps. I'm used to it enough to get it to shift to 7th so I never investigated anything else.
I should have mentioned I have the 3.22 gears. I thought about getting out of tow/haul once up to speed, but wasn't sure if that was a good idea or not.
 

jdefoe0424

Ram Guru
Joined
Aug 2, 2019
Messages
555
Reaction score
297
Location
Illinois
I should have mentioned I have the 3.22 gears. I thought about getting out of tow/haul once up to speed, but wasn't sure if that was a good idea or not.
Tow/haul doesn't really do much other than change the shift points, I'm sure it might do some other stuff to modify the shifts in a way where they are smoother or something too. But overall you won't hurt anything by not using it.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
 

George Bednar

Active Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2018
Messages
191
Reaction score
77
Location
Central Illinois
Tow/haul doesn't really do much other than change the shift points, I'm sure it might do some other stuff to modify the shifts in a way where they are smoother or something too. But overall you won't hurt anything by not using it.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
Thanks JDefoe. I will try this during my next trip in 2 weeks.
 

should_have

Active Member
Joined
May 2, 2019
Messages
50
Reaction score
21
Tow/haul doesn't really do much other than change the shift points, I'm sure it might do some other stuff to modify the shifts in a way where they are smoother or something too. But overall you won't hurt anything by not using it.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
Not sure, but I thought while in Tow/Haul Mode the transmission was limited to 7 Gear? But once to select the gear limit on the steering wheel the truck will go into 8gear while in the Tow Haul Mode !
 

jdefoe0424

Ram Guru
Joined
Aug 2, 2019
Messages
555
Reaction score
297
Location
Illinois
Not sure, but I thought while in Tow/Haul Mode the transmission was limited to 7 Gear? But once to select the gear limit on the steering wheel the truck will go into 8gear while in the Tow Haul Mode !

It doesn't lock out the top gear, it is just very hard to get to it with much of a trailer behind you. I have had mine go into 8th on long downhills
 

Ram92131

Active Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2018
Messages
179
Reaction score
163
Has anyone compared tow/haul mode vs. regular mode? I've been towing a lot over the summer but always used tow/haul. I think it decreases mileage but improves drivability since the shift points are higher and delayed. I'm interested in guys' real-world experience with tow/haul engaged vs. without. How different is mileage, hauling up a steep grade, et al?
 

Drewster

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2020
Messages
268
Reaction score
258
Has anyone compared tow/haul mode vs. regular mode? I've been towing a lot over the summer but always used tow/haul. I think it decreases mileage but improves drivability since the shift points are higher and delayed. I'm interested in guys' real-world experience with tow/haul engaged vs. without. How different is mileage, hauling up a steep grade, et al?

Tow/ Haul changes shift points, disables start/ stop, and seems to do a much better job engine braking going down hills. Hauling my car through Colorado last month I had to use the gear select button to engine brake effectively, but tow/ haul kept speed consistent even without cruise control.

I've noticed a ~1-2 MPG improvement by leaving tow/haul off, but I'll usually turn it on through mountains, etc. where the trans actually needs to do a lot of shifting.
 

Bassinb

Active Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2020
Messages
56
Reaction score
33
Location
Wisconsin
Does tow/haul lock the torque converter? That always was a noticeable difference in my old chevy truck, especially around town.
 

jdefoe0424

Ram Guru
Joined
Aug 2, 2019
Messages
555
Reaction score
297
Location
Illinois
Does tow/haul lock the torque converter? That always was a noticeable difference in my old chevy truck, especially around town.
Nowadays, torque converters are pretty much always locked in once moving. Usually somewhere around 1500rpm.
Part of the efficiency gain as no loss due to the slippage

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
 

Drewster

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2020
Messages
268
Reaction score
258
Does tow/haul lock the torque converter? That always was a noticeable difference in my old chevy truck, especially around town.
On a modern automatic transmission, the computer will usually lock up the torque converter as soon as possible. Tow/ Haul mode is likely engaged just as often as regular mode
 

Renegade3

Active Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2020
Messages
68
Reaction score
53
Location
Northern VA
I regularly two a 7500lb travel trailer and as mentioned above, it holds the gear longer and uses engine braking better. That's the biggest difference I've noticed
 

bucolic

Active Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2020
Messages
164
Reaction score
215
Location
New York Upstate Not the City!
I towed a 4800 lb trailer with my 2019 Laramie 5.7, no eTourqe also, 8100 miles this summer. I did about 7800 of those miles in August on a trip from NY to Monterey CA and back. I definitely would have not wanted to be towing anything heavier. I felt under trucked the entire trip. The biggest thing was the wind. Sometimes with a good wind blowing, I had all I could do to keep the truck at 50 mph without having my foot in the floor and the engine screaming in 3rd. To maintain 60 mph it pretty much is at 2500 RPMs or higher 90% of the time. Gas mileage was right about 10MPG. Some days on flat smooth roads with no wind I did hit 11 to 12 but rarely. My truck is rated to tow 7500 lbs but there is no way it is towing a 7500lb camper comfortably. I do think it could tow 7500 lbs if it was towing something that wasn't subject to drag like a camper. But that huge sail a camper effectively creates is a game-changer.

Just bouncing around 100-200 miles each weekend it's fine. But try doing seven, 500-600 mile days in a row, and you'll be ready to leave the camper on the side of the road with the title taped to the window :) I was!

If anyone was going to tow any distance and regularly you need bigger than the 1/2 ton to be completely comfortable. I am curious to how different the diesel in the 1/2 ton would perform?

As for tow mode, it is a must when descending steep grades. That worked surprisingly well and I was concerned about how the rig would handle on the many many mountain passes I went through but turns out downhill grades were the least problematic. Many times in tow mode I barely had to touch the brakes.I think maybe coming down Tioga pass was the one time I smelt some brakes at the bottom on the truck. Most all other hills the tow mode did a great job of sensing I was braking and assisting with that. My experience was it did prevent the tranny from going in 8th gear. I don't recall ever seeing it in 8th when engaged. As for towing with it, I didn't notice much difference in shift patterns though I am sure there was. But downhill grades worked pretty darn well!


tioga-pass.jpg
TIOGA PASS

somehwere in nevada.jpg
SOMEWHERE IN NEVADA

trip.png
ROUGH TRIP OVERVIEW FROM GOOGLE MAPS
 

Trimanjoe

Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2019
Messages
22
Reaction score
53
Location
Central Texas
W-I-N-D. Aerodynamics.

In another life I was a competitive cyclist and triathlete. One of the biggest arguments amongst cyclists is: does weight or aerodynamics impact more the ability to sustain power on a bicycle? Of course, the desire to lessen the weight or become more aerodynamic with one's equipment was often an excuse for out-of-shape people with too much money to justify spending thousands of dollars procuring the latest lightweight and/or aerodynamic equipment.

Bottom line: I learned that at lower speeds, weight was a more significant factor than aerodynamics; however, at higher speeds (20 mph+ on a bike) aerodynamics was a more significant factor.

Fast forward to my life as an RV'er: from a pop-up towed behind a Plymouth Voyager Minivan (circa 1986) to a Class C (with a Chevy V-8) to a Class A (with a Ford Triton V-10) one thing that remained constant was that at highway speeds -aerodynamics will influence the power usage of your vehicle more than weight. Once you're at highway speed, more aerodynamic = less power required.

I now tow a 23' Airstream International with a GCVW of 6,000 lbs and a tongue weight of 475 lbs. On my last trip from Central Texas to Southern CA and back, I averaged 12.1 mpg, and saw as high as 16.2 mpg between fill-ups under ideal conditions.

My truck is rated to tow 8,600 lbs, so the weight I'm towing should not be an issue; however, if my trailer was less aerodynamic (flat-sided), it would absolutely feel like I was towing much more weight than I am, and I'm certain my engine would work harder fighting the wind, and fuel economy would suffer accordingly.

I understand that there are many considerations when choosing a travel trailer, and Airstream may not meet the needs of everyone, but they do tow exceptionally well!

From an interesting article in RVLife on the subject:

"While the final determination of fuel efficiency must, of course, be a combination of many factors, it would appear that aerodynamics plays a more significant role in fuel efficiency at highway speeds than the weight of the trailer alone. Most vehicles that are going to have enough power to pull the trailer through the air are going to have enough power to get the weight moving, and once you reach touring speed, the energy required to maintain the speed on level terrain is reduced."

Complete article here: https://rvlifemag.com/andy-thomson-canam-rv-hitch-hints/

Finally, one last quote from https://www.tripsavvy.com/airstream-travel-trailer-501086:

"Aerodynamic: Airstreams were built to be aerodynamic from the get-go, long before fuel efficiency and the environment were concerned. Airstream's aerodynamic design results in far better fuel mileage than box-style and 5th wheel trailers, with an estimated 10 to 20 percent fuel savings per trip over competitors. This aerodynamic design stabilizes the trailer helping it glide smoothly with no buffeting from headwinds. Even in high side winds about the only thing that you'll feel is a slight jolt and a little sway when passing 18-wheelers." IMG_1819.jpeg
2019 Lone Star 4 x 4. 3.21 rear end, Hellwig Sway Bar, EAZ-lift WDH with sway control towing an Airstream International 23FB @ 6,000 GVWR and fully loaded hitch weight of 630 lbs. Always use tow/haul mode.
 

FL-Ram

Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2020
Messages
9
Reaction score
4
I have recently purchased a new travel trailer as described above. My 2019 Limited seems to have way more power than is needed to pull it as I have towed it multiple time totaling over 200 miles. My question is while even in tow mode I am turning 2500 RPM's consistently, but with a little playing around with accelerating then letting off it will shift gears and only be turning around 2000 RPM. This subtle change seems to really affect the gas mileage in a positive manner. Is there an easier way to get the transmission to shift? It is really flat here in Illinois and the road grade does not seem to be causing the issue. Thanks for all and any help you can offer.
I had a 2019 limited Hemi pulling 9k TT. Don’t use ACC when in hills as it causes down shifting way too many RPMs. Just let truck slow down and keep speed as best you can. Be sure tow/haul is engaged and turn off slip. Be sure you have a good WDH
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top