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timjet · 10-26-2019, 05:53 AM

I set the cruise control at 62 mph towing our '14 Honda CR-V. I have hit 70 going down hills but this is rare.

The manual say's 65 max when towing. I honor that,

except going down hills.

docj · 10-26-2019, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timjet

I set the cruise control at 62 mph towing our '14 Honda CR-V. I have hit 70 going down hills but this is rare.

The manual say's 65 max when towing. I honor that,

except going down hills.

I basically take the same approach. My MH shifts into 6th gear at about 63mph which makes for the best cruising speed. Occasionally, on downhill stretches I have let the speed gets a bit higher but I engage the compression brake to ensure that it stays in the 65-70 range.

txcpl · 10-26-2019, 08:19 AM

I cruise at 65 mph with our 2013 CRV being the RV. Going down hills it gets to 68 mph, but I watch it. No problems so far. And I have a difficult time believing that at 66 mph, the transmission will automatically self destruct. Does anyone know the history for the maximum tow speed of 65 mph?

aether_one · 10-26-2019, 08:38 AM

Most tow speed restrictions are based on heat dissipation at a steady speed in the worst ambient conditions. Unlike when the engine is running the fluid is not pumped as it normally is through the transmission cooler in the radiator.

But the "rated speed" has to take into account margins of safety and speedometer accuracy so if you assume 5 mph in each case then you could be good to 10 mph over the rated speed for steady state conditions. Towing with ambient temperature in the 40s gives you a better safety margin than crossing the dessert at 110 degrees.

So bottom line is: exceeding the rated speed for short periods of time is like safe to do (I do it frequently) but to cruise above the rated speed is likely not a good idea.