Hybrid Ike Gauntlet max towing

Pretty much as expected. You dont need 400 hp to tow half ton weight, you just need to consistently make the needed power. A 400 hp NA V8 would have been making peak 280 hp at the top of the pass, and thats if the transmission can land it at the right RPM. The TTV6 is making 280 hp at probably 3000 rpm

I am really excited to see them tow a similar load with the LZ0 Duramax.

 

Fuel mileage sucks , I get as good if not better average mileage around town as I do on highway . I will say my cruising speed on highway is 82-85 mph.

 

My gmc denali 6.2 got 19 on highway at same speeds compared to 16.3 on hybrid. Around town denali was 13.5 vs hybrid 16-16.8mpg

 

Looks like the forgot to put it in tow+ for the climb. Can clearly see it on for the downhill, then complains that it doesn't automatically turn back on at 9min in the video, then it clearly isn't on for the shots of the gauges during the climb. Not sure it makes a difference for the video but wonder if it would have shifted differently or kept oil temps from rising a bit as they seemed to by same look at the gauges for decent vs ascent.

 

Doesn’t tell us much in comparison to the regular iForce since the trailer load is heavier and a different shape.

TFLTruck used to be pretty good but lately is pretty useless for anything but clickbait bullshit. Tug of war videos and their obsession with unobtainable EV’s like the Hummer are making their channel pointless and stupid.

 

I didnt see the “Max” active on the display except for maybe the initial acceleration from 35-60. Its not gunna provide sustained output for 8 minutes, it just cant.

And it didnt seem to do much on the regen side either.

 

Yeah it’s programmed for assisting acceleration. Not much regen. Just like the PowerBoost.

Still I was hoping to see a direct apples to apples comparison with the same trailer, to see how much if any affect the extra hybrid weight has on overall fuel economy, engine load needs (RPM), and get some instrumented times on acceleration with the same load vs the standard iForce. At a minimum.

If TFL wanted to be a bit more useful they could run in the middle of the night in low traffic and test things like decelerating on the hill and timing a truck say from 45 back up to 60, we might find some trucks probably couldn’t regain 60 for example.

Instead they’re not even controlling the most basic variable they can, and that makes the results basically meaningless in comparison to other data.

 

I did find it odd that they used this trailer and skid steer. They have never used that setup before.

 

Agreed.

Just breaking down the numbers going on claims the iForce makes peak torque from 2400 RPM to 3600 RPM, at 3000 RPM it should be making around 274 HP. Since the iForceMax is really only kicking in it seems during acceleration the prime mover TTV6 is just chugging along on its own once up to speed.

During the run they also hit just at or below 4000 RPM which shouldn’t be too far off peak torque. Probably somewhere in the nominal 330-350 HP range to keep that load moving at 60-61 MPH on the tougher parts of the hill.

I suspect once more data is out there from users the iForceMax is going to be most beneficial for towing vs the standard iForce when:

1.) Accelerating onto the highway, might make on ramps less stressful with a heavy trailer. *cough… get a bigger truck*

2.) Passing slower moving vehicles on two lane highways. Probably rare to do with a trailer on, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve passed another vehicle going near the speed limit while towing.

3.) Towing on roads with undulating short hills where the electric motor has enough capacity to briefly kick in and help out for short bursts of extra torque.

 

My 2014 F150 is 365hp and 420 ft-lbs at 2500 rpm. I only tow a 5500 lb trailer, but its a travel trailer so the aero drag is pretty high. I will say that I never have really wished I had more acceleration power(although I wouldn't say no to more), but what I can appreciate is more torque in the 1800-2500 rpm range. Where my Ecoboost gets clobbered is towing into a substantial headwind with my high aero drag trailer. Trying to tow the trailer at 60-65 mph into a 30+ mph headwind requires a tremendous amount of HP and there have been times where I had to run a 3000+ RPM continuously, even on flat ground. And thats not even adding in grades.

Thats where the hybrids(powerboost and iforce max) are not going to do anything and why I am not particularly interested in them for towing purposes. The advantage of the Powerboost for me is that I can hook my trailer up to it when I get to my destination and charge the batteries or run the AC. If I ever buy a Tundra, it will most likely be a regular iForce simply to save the weight, complexity and upfront cost since they don't offer the generator capability.

One thing I noticed in the video is that the MAX abruptly turns off when the truck hits 50mph during the initial acceleration. He is still WOT(boost is still at 13 psi or so), but it just shuts off. Because of this, I wonder if the MAX would help at all during scenario 2 or 3 unless its a slower road(<=50mph)

 

I'd like to see them doing Ike and Vail in snow. The logistics to do that would be hell though. Vail is nasty in winter, many ice patches and bridges and a long way from Boulder. Ike is a good comparison test with a dry road. Can't do 60mph in snow with a trailer hooked up. They do good comparison tests in varied conditions, and that's all it is, comparison tests. Make of it what you want

 

They would be good comparison tests if they at least controlled the trailer and weight variable for pick up class ranges.

 

There's not so much difference that you can't make your own decision. In fact, the various tows they do should give you a good idea of what you can do with the vehicle of your choice.

 

Fortunately, I don't need their "help" to make a choice of my own. Normally if you set up a business of "testing", you set the route, the fuel, the trailer, and how it's loaded to create the fewest number of variables possible. These guys could do all of that, but those advertising dollars for the trailer dealer are far too valuable.

I know you are a TFL fan, and I absolutely am not. We've beaten heads before, so we don't need to indulge each other any further.

 

But then we would all be wondering why they didnt put a full-time T-case in it.

 

They set up test routes in Colorado all the time. Not only Ike but a loop on I25. I won't make a buying decision on their tests alone but I do like to see that a TTV6 barely gets better mpg over Ike than a 5.7l Sequoia.

 

You might be right. The electric motor ceasing to aid in acceleration past 50 MPH could also explain the nearly identical trap speed in the 1/4 mile between the iForce and iForceMax.

Kind of lame programming, but Toyota loves their nanny programming to manage/limit torque and otherwise kill any hint of performance or responsiveness. It’s the most infuriating thing about an otherwise usually excellent product.

I notice it in my mom’s 2021 Lexus RX350, she lives with us now and I drive that damned thing on a regular basis. What an utterly infuriating engine and transmission, both programmed to seemingly tell the driver to piss off anytime acceleration is called for. Meanwhile our 2015 SS with the cave man LS3 and 6L80E is always looking for an excuse to surge forward, drop a gear or two and get rowdy.

 

Between Toyota’s idea of ECU/TCU programming aimed at telling the driver to sit in the corner and color, and the lack of availability I am strongly considering looking elsewhere for my next truck.

I want to like the new Tundra, and I can’t ignore how good my 2007 has been, but I also can’t ignore how current Toyota products are programmed to stymie me as the driver.

 

My GX is the same way. I put a pedal commander on it, and it helps, but only in that it causes the downshift to occur with less throw of the pedal, but its still waiting until the engine has nothing left to give before it considers downshifting

 

I love videos by Mr. Truck and Andre. They are really a pleasure to watch and listen too.

I tow heavy (for a tundra) but have not done much elevation. I tow 10k often and these new tundras work really well. I have not had time to play much down the mountains, but in Feb I am towing from Chicago to Atlanta. It’s no Rocky Mountains…but I’ll do a review.

These tundras with rear air suspension and crew cab + long bed are stable and handle some weight very well.

 

2 lane passing is a game changer with the iforce max. Definitely notice it kicking in a lot during driving on the highway, but the battery need to be charged up to do so. Downhill you see it working at 80mph+ if your not buried on the pedal.

 

At this point I have no idea where I will end up. I don’t tow often or haul heavy, and really do not need a 3/4 ton. A 1/2 ton is more than I need capabilities wise on payload and towing, but the midsize trucks are too small inside.

That said I might look at a 3/4 ton anyway if for no other reason than my RR vendor discount, and the realization that with my mom in residence my next truck won’t be parked in the garage anyway so there’s no size limitations that would have made a 3/4 ton crew cab with a 6.75’ bed really really tight (possible but not really practical).

 

I haul the typical homeowner stuff with some frequency: large objects going to the dump, yard waste, furniture, appliances, building materials for home improvement projects and things of that nature. I also used to hunt, so dead animals were back there too albeit deer and antelope don’t take up much space. I’m getting the itch to start hunting again so next year I’ll probably apply for tags.

Towing is rare for me, I don’t own a boat, I don’t own (or want) a camper, and I don’t have livestock, or power sports toys to haul around. I have on occasion borrowed a flatbed two axle trailer a friend owns to tow cars with, or pickup building materials but that’s been a few years ago.

I work on call and live in the Black Hills, so I frequently end up driving to or from work on snow covered roads that haven’t been plowed at all. So ground clearance, and all weather capabilities are mandatory.

A 1/2 ton comfortably covers my actual needs, and provides more space inside for the family than a smaller truck.

 

Your use case screams 2.7L Ecoboost to me. Or I guess the GM 2.7 but I dont know much about them. Cheap, efficiency, still very potent and the Ford 2.7 has been a solid motor. You can get a rear locker in the ford with minimal effort as its a standalone option.

 

I donate 4WD tow vehicles to https://www.souldog.org/. I won't give them a POS that can't do Wolf Creek in winter. All of those passes you listed are hell in winter and they have to do them to make commitments for spay/neuter/vaccination clinics monthly. Denver to Durango and back is tough because there's only a few routes and all of them go over 10k+ ft passes multiple times.

I shill for them like TFL does for OnX. Any of you that donate I'll match it.