pnthrsprwl
North Carolina
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Brought home our new Keystone Passport 238ml today. I am towing with an 04 Dodge Dakota Quad cab with the 4.7 V8 engine.
I drove home with the overdrive off. 60mph @ 2500 rpm
What do you recommend for an rpm sweet spot / range? Moving from pop up to travel trailer so very new to pulling this kind of weight. Weight distribution and sway bars work great though!
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donn0128
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Sweet spot depends on too many factors to give you any recomendations. Look up the motors peak hp/torque numbers. Aim for between them and you will be close.
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ata3001
Niagara Falls, NY
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Surprised you can lockout OD. I had an 05 Dakota V8 & you couldn't lockout OD. All you could do was put it in tow/haul mode which only modified the shift points.
Ron & BJ
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goducks10
Keizer OR
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2500's not all that bad really. Your sweet spot is usualy the peak TQ rpm. But unless you have a diesel or a Ford 3.5 Ecoboost it's usually up around 35-4000rpms. It's best to have a gas tow vehicle not lugging, so running out of OD is okay. My 2010 F150 has no way to turn the OD off, just a tow/haul mode. It goes into any gear that the tranny deams neccessary. It lugs and revs all day long. I guess thats what a warranty is for. That TT is going to be a pretty good load for your Dakota, probably around 5000lbs loaded. Tongue weight around 600+lbs. How does it tow now?
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Jerrybo66
AZ
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No matter whether a Dodge, Ford or GMC. the manufacturers don't know if the buyer of their equipment knows a truck from a litter box so advises in the owners manual accordingly. Consider the terrain, up hill, level, down hill, the sound of the motor, how much "pedal" you need, etc. If you can travel on level with 1/3rd pedal in OD it's a waste to not use it. Listen to your motor and pay attention hoe much "pedal" you need to maintain a speed. I seldom take my truck out of OD but most of my travels are in AZ level country..Most other shifts are out of OD on a hill when the tach drops below 2500...IMO..
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skipnchar
Topeka or somewhere else
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YOu can drive yourself crazy trying to drive by the tach. Leave it in drive (if it's an automatic) and the transmission will do what it needs to do.
Good luck / Skip
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smkettner
Southern California
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2500 is the low end and probably 3100-3300 the high end for cruising down the road. ~4000 as needed climbing the hills.
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Terryallan
Foothills NC
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Jerrybo66 wrote:No matter whether a Dodge, Ford or GMC. the manufacturers don't know if the buyer of their equipment knows a truck from a litter box so advises in the owners manual accordingly. Consider the terrain, up hill, level, down hill, the sound of the motor, how much "pedal" you need, etc. If you can travel on level with 1/3rd pedal in OD it's a waste to not use it. Listen to your motor and pay attention hoe much "pedal" you need to maintain a speed. I seldom take my truck out of OD but most of my travels are in AZ level country..Most other shifts are out of OD on a hill when the tach drops below 2500...IMO..
I prolly misunderstood. But mine never sees 2500 RPM unless pulling up hill. Even with OD off. 60 MPH will only get me 2100.
BTW. My engine like od off a lot better than it does od on, while towing.
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Jerry9n
SE Michigan
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All depends on gearing where you end up. The 4.7 develops 230 hp @ 4800 rpm and 295 lb ft @3200 so you aren't at max torque yet. These little engines will run at 2500 or better without a problem.
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jacksand5
Southeast MI
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ata3001 wrote:Surprised you can lockout OD. I had an 05 Dakota V8 & you couldn't lockout OD. All you could do was put it in tow/haul mode which only modified the shift points.
Agreed.
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