Upgrade 2K Tow Package to 4K Tow Package?

[Darryl]

To help your truck out is following manufacturers scheduled maintenance and following manufacturers guidelines.

I agree with this! The Best thing you could do is to stay within the 2,000 lb limit and service the Truck according to the severe service intervals when you do any towing. Adding a trailer brake controller with a 7 pin connector seems to be the only reasonable upgrade if your trailer has brakes. But still remain within the 2,000 lb limit. Even adding a way to read trans temp may simply lead to unnecessary worry without knowing the acceptable operating temp. It's probably higher than you realize. If I'm not mistaken, the transmission fluid is supposed to be close to 200 degrees when you CHECK it. These transmissions that use ULV synthetic fluid run hotter than most of us are used to in the past.

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[Mavster Mechanic]

I agree with this! The Best thing you could do is to stay within the 2,000 lb limit and service the Truck according to the severe service intervals when you do any towing. Adding a trailer brake controller with a 7 pin connector seems to be the only reasonable upgrade if your trailer has brakes. But still remain within the 2,000 lb limit. Even adding a way to read trans temp may simply lead to unnecessary worry without knowing the acceptable operating temp. It's probably higher than you realize. If I'm not mistaken, the transmission fluid is supposed to be close to 200 degrees when you CHECK it. These transmissions that use ULV synthetic fluid run hotter than most of us are used to in the past.

What is different about the fluid the hybrid uses?

On a normal day mine never gets above 145°F. I may go MONTHS without surpassing 145°F even though I'm driving it on the highway 5 days a week. I'd say most people with a hybrid don't regularly exceed 150°F.

 

[Darryl]

What is different about the fluid the hybrid uses?

On a normal day mine never gets above 145°F. I may go MONTHS without surpassing 145°F even though I'm driving it on the highway 5 days a week. I'd say most people with a hybrid don't regularly exceed 150°F.

Use the same fluid (ULV) . The difference is that the transmission design is completely different. In the 8-speed and most other automatics , the fluid is not only lubricating the transmission, it is actually doing part of the work such as engaging the clutches, and propelling the vehicle by way of the torque converter. That is where most of the heat is produced. In the ecvt, the fluid mainly just lubricates . It does cool the electric motors and the planetary gear and the differential years that are housed inside the transmission. But they produce less heat than the torque converter in which the fluid actually propels the vehicle.. so again in the conventional automatic the fluid is actually working in addition to having to lubricate and cool. In the ecvt it is simply lubricating and cooling

 

[Mavster Mechanic]

Bingo.

 

[TJ2023]

Trade yours in for a different mav with 4k from factory.

 

[FischAutoTechGarten]

MY2025... the lower final drive ration of the 4KTow package was adopted for all EB, whether it had 4K Tow or not. So, that's not an issue.

It's unfortunate you didn't get 4K Tow, but if you bought it off of the dealer's lot, well you got what they had in stock... but if you ordered it... man opportunity missed.

the extra capacity of the raditor with 4K Tow is almost not worth mentioning... so no need to duplicate that... The extra radiator fan, 7 pin connector, and aux trans cooler would get you there... you already have the lower final drive ration...

 

[Maverick2022XL]

The other thing to keep in mind is the rear suspension system. I don't know about the newer models but the 22-23 models used different suspension setups depending if they were 2WD or AWD. That was one of the reasons they didn't offer a 4k option without AWD. As far as the final drive gearing ratio if one is mechanically inclined you can open up the differential housing and change the gear. The service manual shows how to do it and what size and amount of teeth need to be on the gear for various final drive ratios besides what they build them with.

 

[whitsoneric48]

The other thing to keep in mind is the rear suspension system. I don't know about the newer models but the 22-23 models used different suspension setups depending if they were 2WD or AWD. That was one of the reasons they didn't offer a 4k option without AWD. As far as the final drive gearing ratio if one is mechanically inclined you can open up the differential housing and change the gear. The service manual shows how to do it and what size and amount of teeth need to be on the gear for various final drive ratios besides what they build them with.

Good points. My goal that I don't think I did a good job explaining is I should have what would it take to add a transmission cooler to my truck for extra cooling for what I have and when I do tow to help keep my transmission in better shape even staying at 2K or under.

 

[Maverick2022XL]

Good points. My goal that I don't think I did a good job explaining is I should have what would it take to add a transmission cooler to my truck for extra cooling for what I have and when I do tow to help keep my transmission in better shape even staying at 2K or under.

It all depends how much towing you plan to do. You certainly can fit in an aftermarket auxiliary transmission cooler on these trucks but if you don't tow often or work the truck under load regularly the benefits of having a cooler won't be realized. That is longer fluid life because of the lower temps which you won't exceed for the cooler to be beneficial.

Keeping on top of monitoring the condition of the transmission fluid and flushing it as soon as it looks off is your best bet. Once you know how many miles the first change is needed you can use that as an the estimate for when to do it next assuming the same conditions.

 

[whitsoneric48]

It all depends how much towing you plan to do. You certainly can fit in an aftermarket auxiliary transmission cooler on these trucks but if you don't tow often or work the truck under load regularly the benefits of having a cooler won't be realized. That is longer fluid life because of the lower temps which you won't exceed for the cooler to be beneficial.

Thanks, that makes a ton of since to be sure that will very much figure into what I do.

 

[Ranko Kohime]

Use the same fluid (ULV) . The difference is that the transmission design is completely different. In the 8-speed and most other automatics , the fluid is not only lubricating the transmission, it is actually doing part of the work such as engaging the clutches, and propelling the vehicle by way of the torque converter. That is where most of the heat is produced. In the ecvt, the fluid mainly just lubricates . It does cool the electric motors and the planetary gear and the differential years that are housed inside the transmission. But they produce less heat than the torque converter in which the fluid actually propels the vehicle.. so again in the conventional automatic the fluid is actually working in addition to having to lubricate and cool. In the ecvt it is simply lubricating and cooling

I would expect a modern automatic to not need extra cooling when towing, as the modern automatics I have experience with, (granted, limited to a 2019 Ranger), are hyper aggressive about engaging the TC lockup. I haven't experienced one while it was towing, but I would assume it holds lockup as much as possible, reducing overall heat.

Anyone monitored their 8F35 temps while towing? I'm kinda curious.

 

[Maverick2022XL]

Thanks, that makes a ton of since to be sure that will very much figure into what I do.

If you do add one make sure to place it where it has good air flow and/or has a cooling fan attached with a temp sensor to automatically turn on and off the fan.

 

[Maverick2022XL]

A little trick I know that works at least on the AWD models because of the rear suspension system to increase the payload capacity to 1 ton is to add air bags to the suspension system. Just make sure the ones you use are rated for at least 5000 lbs. The other consideration is the tires make sure the can handle the extra weight.

 

[Darryl]

I would expect a modern automatic to not need extra cooling when towing, as the modern automatics I have experience with, (granted, limited to a 2019 Ranger), are hyper aggressive about engaging the TC lockup. I haven't experienced one while it was towing, but I would assume it holds lockup as much as possible, reducing overall heat.

Anyone monitored their 8F35 temps while towing? I'm kinda curious.

If a vehicle is being operated within the manufacturer specified limits and is maintained accordingly, it should be fine. It's when it's doing something it's not designed to do where trouble ensues. An exception is when there's something amiss from the factory. An example is some early 6F35 in some applications that had software issues that allowed fluid to overheat and cause torque converter damage in some vehicles. Ford came out with a recall that had the customer to bring the vehicle in for a software update. But those were exceptions rather than the rule. But the main point is to not demand the vehicle do what it's not intended to do from the factory. If you do, then do so at your own risk. It might be ok. Or it might be inviting trouble. If exceeding limits, then it's probably a good idea to monitor things more closely. If not, just drive and use common sense

 

[Frenchy]

Trade yours in for a different mav with 4k from factory.

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