Re: RC: Auto vs. manual for towing

["Carolyn Burgess" <carolyn_burgess@hotmail.com>]

Why don't you learn to drive a standard?  It's not that hard.

Carolyn Burgess


>From: "Truman Prevatt, PhD" <truman.prevatt@netsrq.com>
>Reply-To: truman.prevatt@netsrq.com
>To: "ridecamp@endurance.net" <ridecamp@endurance.net>
>Subject: RC:   Auto vs. manual for towing
>Date: Sat, 19 May 2001 07:43:52 -0400
>
>Most dealers will tell you that an automatic is better designed for towing. 
>  Their argument is the automatic will absorb the motion of the trailer 
>with less long term wear than a manual. I know more than one person that 
>has burned out a clutch and a manual transmission towing. Of course I know 
>more than one person that has smoked an automatic towing - yours truly 
>being one.
>
>The real problem seems that pickups now come with high torque diesel 
>engines in front of transmission that were originally designed for gas 
>engines.  GM probably has solved that problem by going to someone who makes 
>heavy duty automatic transmission to design one for their new HD pickup.
>
>Ford claims that theirs is better than it used to be, but it is still made 
>by Ford and Ford goes out and buys transmissions from real transmission 
>people for their commercial trucks. Do do I believe Ford when the promise 
>that their "new" transmission can really pull as much weight as they say. 
>Hmmmmmm... probably not.
>
>So after a lot of talk with a mechanical engineer friend, I have come the 
>the following conclusion. If you have an automatic, put a oversized (after 
>market) pan on it. Get the biggest you can - say one that holds a couple 
>gallons more transmission fluid. Next put in a temp sensor on the 
>transmission fluid. This is easy since there is already a port there and 
>these sensors are
>available at most good after market places. That way you will know when the 
>transmission is running hot and can back off before you boil all the fluid 
>away and cook the transmission.
>
>Standard transmissions can also overheat so it wouldn't hurt to have a 
>sensor on them.
>
>By the way, the Allison in the GM has comes with a huge pan and a temp 
>sensor build in.
>
>So I don't know if automatic or manual is best. The thing I keep thinking 
>about with a standard is one ride I'm going to come up lame 10 hours away 
>from home and not be able to drive a standard. It's happened and will 
>probably happen again. That's why I lean toward the automatic.
>
>Truman
>
>
> >
>
>--
>Vertex Engineering, Inc.
>Innovative Solutions
>Superior Support
>
>
>
>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
>Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp
>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com