Using cruise control

[captderrick]

Have 2012 Tundra max crew, 5.7 v8, 6speed auto. tow mode, full tow pkg, rated up pulling 9k. Towing 25' Passport UltraLite fully loaded never over 6500 lbs. I suffer from gout and artiritis in feet and knees. Can I use cruise control ?

[IdahoSRT10]

Have 2012 Tundra max crew, 5.7 v8, 6speed auto. tow mode, full tow pkg, rated up pulling 9k. Towing 25' Passport UltraLite fully loaded never over 6500 lbs. I suffer from gout and artiritis in feet and knees. Can I use cruise control ?

Yes.....the only reason to not use it is on icy/wet road conditions. Climbing steep hills may be another reason to not use it if the transmission is searching for the right gear.

[Bob Landry]

You can use it, but it's not going to be an enjoyable drive. The truck is going to downshift at every rise in the road. Been there, done that.

[IdahoSRT10]

You can use it, but it's not going to be an enjoyable drive. The truck is going to downshift at every rise in the road. Been there, done that.

That won't happen in Tow/Haul mode. What brand/year truck do you own?

[ktmracer]

No reason not to. Give it a try. I use it quite often when we tow. On windy roads I often don't because of the constant speed changes for corrners. But on steady speed roads it's CC all the time.

[Bob Landry]

That won't happen in Tow/Haul mode. What brand/year truck do you own?

Tow/Haul only raises the shift points of the transmission. It doesn't do anything relative to the function of cruise control. The TV is going to sense every hill and increase accordingly.

I tow with a 2011 Tundra/5.7L

[Bob Landry]

No reason not to. Give it a try. I use it quite often when we tow. On windy roads I often don't because of the constant speed changes for corrners. But on steady speed roads it's CC all the time.

I can agree with that on a flat open road, it will probably do OK, but in any kind of uneven terrain, the cruise is going to be a PITA when pulling a heavy load.

[IdahoSRT10]

Tow/Haul only raises the shift points of the transmission. It doesn't do anything relative to the function of cruise control. The TV is going to sense every hill and increase accordingly.

I tow with a 2011 Tundra/5.7L

OK....maybe thats the way it affects a Toyota's truck shifting patterns when you are maxed out in towing weight. He will have to jam the throttle with his foot without the cruise set anyways.

[hankpage]

I use it all the time but I get better fuel mileage without it. Cruise does not anticipate hills like your foot does. :rolleyes: If you accelerate a little just before the hill the cruise may take over when you reach the set speed and not have to down shift as often. One good thing is that it helps control your downhill speed somewhat without braking. JM2¢, Hank

[B&T]

If you accelerate a little just before the hill the cruise may take over when you reach the set speed and not have to down shift as often.

Never thought of trying that. Will give it a shot next trip -- Thanks!

[davidjsimons]

I use it all the time but I get better fuel mileage without it. Cruise does not anticipate hills like your foot does. :rolleyes: If you accelerate a little just before the hill the cruise may take over when you reach the set speed and not have to down shift as often. One good thing is that it helps control your downhill speed somewhat without braking. JM2¢, Hank

X2. Now it's worth about 4 cents.


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[66ken]

If I couldn't use my cruise, I would buy a larger tow vehicle. I have only had a couple times on very long grades that my truck has shifted out of overdrive.

[mhs4771]

I use it all the time and don't have to worry about creeping up in speed. And with the new GMs they have a cruise braking feature. When desending a grade it will let you get a couple MPH above the cruise setting, then will start down shifting to get more benifit from the exhaust brake. We travel south through the Blue Ridge Mt and never use the foot brake except to stop for fuel and potty breaks.

[chris199]

I have a 2012 Tundra 5.7L....owner's manual clearly states not to use cruise control while towing. It doesn't explain.....that's good enough for me......

Have never towed with cruise control with my Tundra.........

[Jim W]

I have a 2012 Tundra 5.7L....owner's manual clearly states not to use cruise control while towing. It doesn't explain.....that's good enough for me......

Have never towed with cruise control with my Tundra.........

Follow your owners’ manual they tested and wrote this information for a reason. Just like my RAM’s owner manual states do not use the EXHAUST BRAKE on ICE ROADS there is a reason for this.
Jim W.

[audio1der]

Not familiar with the Toyota; can you manually select which gear you're in? If so you could force it to stay in top gear while in CC, and just pop in out and take on hills yourself. I can't see why towing flat, long sections would cause any issue if your tranny temp is safe.
Normally I stick to the owners manual but its uncomfortable for you to drive extended periods then let the truck do some of the work. I'd make sure the trucks fluids are synthetic and in great shape :)

[JRTJH]

Chris199, When you made your statement about the Tundra owner's manual saying not to use cruise when towing, I thought that's strange, wonder why???

I downloaded the Tundra OM, read through it and the only reference to not towing with cruise control is in the "Caution Box" in the cruise control operation section. Also in that box are the standard cautions about using cruise on wet roads, slick roads, icy roads, on curves, and on long downhill runs where the engine may overspeed.

Pretty much, what I saw was just the "lawyer-ese" to keep them from being sued if you run off the road while using cruise control.

Did you see anything else about cruise control operation while towing? If so, where in the OM is it? I couldn't find other references to towing with cruise.

Ultimately, it's your choice whether you use cruise or not, I wouldn't question your decision, I'm just trying to find a logical "limitation" on the Toyota cruise equipment that makes it unreliable to use or that would cause equipment damage to the vehicle. It seems rather strange that the other vehicle manufacturers provide equipment that is "usable" while towing and Toyota can't (or won't) use similar equipment. In this competitive world we live in, that's just about unheard of.

[Bob Landry]

OK....maybe thats the way it affects a Toyota's truck shifting patterns when you are maxed out in towing weight. He will have to jam the throttle with his foot without the cruise set anyways.

No, at around 8,000lbs I'm not maxed out and my truck tows it all day at 60mph/2000RPM with no struggle at all. I can adjust easily with the accelerator, but with cruise control, it will very often downshift when it feels the increased load instead of merely accelerating. BTW, what is your experience with Toyota trucks?

[chris199]

Page 226.....situations unsuitable for cruise control....when your vehicle is towing a trailer.

I think there's another reference in the towing section as well...will check later today and post findings. The statement above is pretty clear.

I wish I could use cruise...my heel hurts on long drives....have to loosen my sneaker and wear two socks as a cushion.

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[chris199]

Also...on page 292 of the 2012 Tundra Owner's Manual clearly says...Do not use cruise control while towing......



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[JRTJH]

Chris199,

I would certainly not suggest to you that you should change your regimen for driving and towing. That is strictly your call, however, both of the references I found (the same as the ones you identified) in the Toyota owner's manual are found in "caution" boxes. They are safety suggestions, not mechanical limitations of your Tundra. Ford makes the same statement on page 267 of the F150 owner's manual and also on page 260 of the 2012 F350 owners manual.

If you are having as much discomfort from towing without cruise, having to wear special shoes and 2 socks to cushion your heel from pain, I'd urge you to talk to your service manager and get his take on using the cruise control.

Many of us who own Ford trucks routinely use cruise (or as Ford likes to call it, Speed Control) when towing. All of our owner's manuals have essentially the same statement as your manual.

Don't think that I'm suggesting that you disregard your manual, rather, I'm trying to say that the references to not using cruise are contained in clearly marked boxes related to "safety" not to operation of the mechanical system. Those statements, I believe, are put there to keep lawyers out of Toyota's pocket in the event someone falls asleep while towing with the cruise control engaged. They aren't there because something bad will happen to your truck if you push that button while the trailer is connected.

Check with your service manager, see what he says, I'm betting you'll be pleasantly suprised. :)

[chris199]

I'll do it! There have been many times when not in heavy traffic that cruise would have come in handy!

[JRTJH]

Keep us posted, I'd really like to know what he says....

[LittleJoe]

Cruise will cost you 1-2mpg on anything but level ground when towing.Cruise does not anticipate hills, and applies too much throttle , too late, then doesn't back off at the top.

[JRTJH]

Cruise will cost you 1-2mpg on anything but level ground when towing.Cruise does not anticipate hills, and applies too much throttle , too late, then doesn't back off at the top.

I agree with you about not being able to anticipate hills, but the newer cruise control programs do "back off at the top". In fact, in Tow/Haul mode, my F150 not only backs off at the top, it downshifts the transmission to use the engine decelleration as a brake to prevent overspeed on the downhill side. The computer program does that automatically as a part of the cruise control without any intervention from the driver.

While the cruise control is not "perfect" it has been improved significantly in the past few years. Today's version, at least in Ford vehicles, is nothing like the "push button magic" I had in my 99 Superduty.

Lincoln just came out with a "cruise/guide" feature in some 2013 models that not only anticipates slower traffic in front of you and automatically slows down, it also anticipates when you're too close to the lane edge and uses the steering to move the vehicle back to center lane. No, it's not an autopilot system, but it is approaching being able to anticipate traffic conditions and accomodate those conditions. It's not here yet, but it's only a matter of time before cruise will anticipate hills. Mine already accomodates the downhill side.

As for mileage loss, last summer travelling from Michigan down through Ohio, Illinois, Nebraska and Kansas, (all relatively flat states) there was no appreciable difference in towing with cruise and towing without it. However, because of the crosswinds that sometimes were upwards of 50MPH gusts, I felt uncomfortable using cruise in windy conditions. When the winds were calm, it was a great feature and a "right leg saver."

[chris199]

Here's the verdict....called 2 dealers and got the same feedback....

No reason to not use cruise on my 12 Tundra while towing a TT. One dealer said that there may be some herky/jerky behavior when the truck accelerates when it senses it is going too slow. I don't think I will use it much in traffic...on I-81 in VA, for example.

Will give it a try on the open road this spring and summer and see what happens.

I thank you, my wife thanks you, and my right foot thanks you!



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[JRTJH]

Im glad to hear the verdict you got from Toyota, that's exactly what I thought they would say. My guess is that if there's a million Tundras out there towing, I'm betting all but 1 or 2 are using cruise.... I'm sure that with a little "right foot teasing" you'll even learn to anticipate hills by helping the cruise a little going up and letting the cruise do its thing going down.... Now you've got something to look forward to this spring... besides, you'll have twice as many socks to wear before you have to head home and do the wash <wink> LOL

[chris199]

That's what I get for reading the directions! :)

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[LittleJoe]

JRTH
What I meant by not backing off at top is,,,,,,,,veh comes over crest of hill under heavy throttle from playing catch up on the hill, and doesn't back off as soon as you would if driving by foot for a smooth transition from power application to coasting and or engine breaking going down.

This type of behaviour is worse in rolling type hills that are not too long of climbs.

My BIL has a 2008 F350 that exhibits the same tendencies as above and will throw a overboost code on a fairly regular basis.(pulling 40 TH) If he drives by foot, it never throws the code.( I realize this is neither here nor there so to speak, but just an example)

I will have to check out how my sons new 3500 Denali acts on cruise while pulling his tri axle open range.

Not sayin don't use cruise, just be aware of situations where it is really not fitting the bill.

[JRTJH]

I've never experienced an "overspeed" situation at the crest of a hill with my F150. As soon as the truck starts accellerating (1-2 MPH) the cruise releases the accelleration and the truck maintains the set speed (within the established +/- range). I did keep accellerating on the downhill on a regular basis with my 93 F250 and my 99 Superduty.

For many, the "idea" of using speed control is just to turn it on and forget the throttle. In actuality, driver intervention is still needed, whether it's to tap the brake when approaching a slower vehicle or easing down the accellerator a little in "anticipation" of a hill.

Current cruise control programs don't anticipate hills, nor does mine slow down for traffic. Mine does, however, remove accellerator input at the crest of a hill and engage the transmission to downshift in an effort to help slow the downhill run if it's needed. This only happens in the Tow/Haul mode. That part of the system is disengaged in the conventional transmission mode.

I never had a fault code on my Superduty from the cruise control, so I can't speak to that comment, but I don't have a turbo on my F150 and have seen no behavior such as you describe when cresting a hill. My cruise control program is nothing like the old "ball chain vacuum driven accellerator puller" that used to be on vehicles. The newer computer controlled systems interact with the engine, the speedometer and the transmission much differently than the antiques did. It is a given fact that future systems will interact even more and will anticipate many more driving situations.

I find that since I don't get up and move around the cabin (even with the seatbelt sign off), I'm pretty much held "captive" in the driver's seat. So, when looking out that "big HD window" as Saabdoctor likes to refer to the windshield, when I see a hill ahead, I just ease my foot onto the accellerator and encourage the anticipation of a hill just like I would if the cruise were turned off. Then, the truck acts just like it would if I were not using cruise. It might work with your system as well, but cresting the hill, your system is still most likely "limited" in ability to compensate. Mine isn't.