Hello... I have a 110 V8... but this is a general question applies to all models. When towing a significant load... like a boat... what vehicle settings are you all using to deal with the added weight?? Specifically I'm talking about Terrain response settings, Dynamic vs comfort? There doesn't see to be a dedicated "Tow" mode. Also the transmission setting do you use S or D? or just manually shift gears?

Thanks!
Pete

 

Comfort mode and sometimes I'll pop it into lo range if taking off on a hill.
The gearing always seems right for towing in comfort. I've never felt the need to manually shift gears but on more steep gradient downslope it could make sense. Engine braking is always useful.

 

I’ve towed my Oliver travel trailer (dry weight ~5600lb) across north america and back (including both US and Canadian rockies) twice now with my wife’s P400.

I dont change a single setting. No need, no weight distribution hitch. Just hook up and go.

 

Boat is the easiest to tow unless it's super big.

 

I can tell you what not to try - eco mode. While it pulls just fine, it will do a poor job of engine braking. I've found that if you want dynamic engine braking you need to keep it in comfort or auto mode.

 

For me - Comfort Mode, S on the transmission when I towed a couple trailers in the past few years.

I've never tried Low Range but the reason I never tried it was because I was worried I couldn't then get up to speed. But anyway, I just learned that you can pop it in neutral and shift OUT of low range into high range while actually moving ... up to around 30-35 or so mph seems to work fine. But -- to get it back into low range, you do have to be stopped (0 mph). Thanks to @GavinC for said excellent knowledge which I then tested this weekend.

 

My boat isn't maxing out towing capacity, but I just pulled it through Snoqualmie Pass on I90 and up to Chelan on 2 lane highways. Ran 70-75 on the interstate, and 60-70 on 2 lane (whatever traffic in front of me would allow). Similar experience with my car hauler at 4500#.

No fancy Sport or Comfort settings on my P300. I just put it in drive and went. I forget the thing has manual, shifting; there's no need. I can't imagine any on road, non snow covered terrain that would justify low range for towing.

 

Low range is useful when positioning a trailer especially if backing up a grade. I wouldn’t recommend it for normal driving (any time you expect to go over about 15mph).

In the mountains I find sport to be useful because it is less quick to run to the highest possible gear then turn around and need to downshift again due to the extra weight.

Of course everyone should be using the manual shifting going downhill with a trailer. If you’re using brakes frequently let alone consistently going downhill in the mountains it will hurt you eventually—hopefully it’s just some burnt brakes or fluid and not killing someone from loss of control.

 

Thanks for the feedback!! Yes Comfort mode seems to dampen the bumps better and less jolting on the trailer. I guess I've used either S-mode on the gear switch or S and then use the paddle shifters to manually select gears. Low range mode is very useful for pulling a 6000 lb boat out of the water on a boat ramp.... then just shift back to high range once on level ground.

I'm surprised that the Defender doesn't have a dedicated "Tow" mode in Terrain response as a lot of other trucks have. I wonder if it can just sense that you have a trailer hooked up and maybe it remaps the transmission and throttle automatically.

 

Like it or not, your P300 has comfort mode (default driving mode) and a sport mode (whack the gear stick to the left) should you feel the need to use it.

Starting on a steep grade with 6000lbs plus, Lo-range to get you going is plenty useful. Granted it's rare to need it but if in stop start traffic on a steep grade or the like it's no bad thing. Pop in in Lo, get going and then back into hi-range on the fly. Less stress on the drive line and transmission. Is it needed? No. Is it useful? Yes.