Towing with Trucks???

Question

What are the effects of towing on Engine Oil and Transmission Fluid? I have always heard that is EXTEMELY important to change your transmission fluid after towing heavy loads for a while, is this true? If I use a synethtic transmission fluid, instead of conventional is it safer (healthier) for the transmission and will I still have to change it as often? Will using synthetic ATF and synthetic Oil at the same time give me better towing performance?

Answer 1

SYNTHETIC FLUID ARE JUST MORE RESISTANT TO THERMAL BREAKDOWN ( HIGH HEAT). THE BIGGEST KILLER OF AUTO TRANSMISSIONS IS HEAT.TOWING CREATES ALOT MORE HEAT THAN NORMAL DRIVING.A GOOD TRANSMISSION COOLER IS A MUST. SYNTHETICS DO NOT STAY CLEANER THAN CONVENTIONAL OILS THEREFORE A FILTER CHANGE AT REGULAR INTERVALS IS STILL NEEDED. YOU MAY HAVE A LONGER INTERVAL ON ACTUAL OIL AND FLUID CHANGES BECAUSE NEITHER ONE WILL BE AS LIKELY TO BREAKDOWN DURING THIS EXTREME USE BUT CHANGE THE FILTER.

Answer 2

Automotive oils lose their molecular cohesion and structure after repeated use. The constant grinding, friction and heat breaks down long molecules into shorter and shorter ones. In addition, your oil will accumulate blow-by contamination over time including carbon, sulfur and water which can form acids inside the engine. Towing, racing and other heavy use accelerates this process so oil should be changed more often. These things will be outlined in your car's owner's manual.

Synthetic oil is more resistant to breakdown, but it still happens.

The differences between synthetic and mineral oils are not readily apparent while driving a vehicle. That is you probably won't notice any difference in engine or transmission behavior. However your engine and transmission should last longer with synth and you won't need to change the fluids as often.

If you're going to be towing a heavy load over long distances, it's probably a good idea to change both your trans fluid & filter and engine oil & filter before the trip.

Answer 3

Whether you tow or not you should have the tranny fluid changed per the manufcturers spec. Look in your owners manual. They should give a recommendation based on mileage and usage. If towing go by the schedule for heavy use. A couple of years ago Consumers did an oil test with NY City Taxis. They used everything from generic to synthetic oils and tried different change intervals on each brand. Started with new engines, tore them down at 75,000 miles and weighed the bearings on gram scales to see how much had worn off. Their results showed no significant differences between brands or between standard and synthetic oils. Their recommendation was buy by price, change at the manufacturers stated interval and make sure the oil had the seal showing it meets SAE standard for gas (or diesel if that's what your running) engines. Hard to find a more difficult running test than in a Taxi fleet.

Answer 4

Unless you have been towing the maximum allowable weight for your truck for long periods in extreme conditions such as in the mountains, in very hot weather, or a combination of both, you should not have to change either engine oil or transmission fluid until you reach the regular service intervals recommended in your trucks service handbook. Synthetics will extend service intervals but will not give a noticeable difference in towing performance. It's a matter of choice but using the recommended oils and fluids and following the service schedule should give you satisfactory results.

Answer 5

a larger one. I observed an F something 50 attempting to tow an 18-wheeler out of a gap. I pronounced, "Can it try this?" after we left the 18 wheeler became into nonetheless there however the truck became into long gone. curiously, it could no longer. I requested what occurs now and became into advised that there are effectual and intensely high priced. I even have in no way seen a momma tow truck yet I discern it somewhat is like those vast outsized Tonka autos you spot happening an interstate. i contemplate whether there are photographs of those momma tow autos.

Answer 6

If you have a trans temp gauge keep an eye on it...heat kills transmissions so a good trans cooler would be worth the money. If you have a tow mode setting use it. As for fluid options, I just use whats recommended for my truck, and follow the recommended service schedule.

Answer 7

synthtetic oil and tranny oil will give a longer life to to motor and tranny , a tranny cooler will help also, you will not have to change oils as much but that also depens on how hard and how much weight you are pulling over the veh . weight you are suppose to, eg 1 ton pulling 3 or 4 tons all the time you will surpass all life expectacy of all oils

Answer 8

It depends on what you are using as your base unit of course, and what model. Read, and follow the recommended maintenance schedules for heavy duty usage.