New Trucks - Are they really better?

yep, I do this all the time when going down steep descents, doesn't matter the vehicle or if I'm towing or not. Let the compression of the engine work for you.

 

Thanks for the info, I'll have to try that out at at slow speed to verify again. Thought I tried it a long time ago and it dropped me into a ridiculously lower gear vs what I expected it to be in. That was in the back of my mind when I was thinking of ways to slow the truck down. Example: you are doing 40 and dropped it into manual mode and it drops you into 1st gear vs let's say 3rd gear. It's a Chevy so I'm sure it's special.

I was in tow haul mode which locks out 6th gear and aggressively keeps engine RPM's up going downhill. Sometimes too much TBH, but I'd rather it keep RPM's up vs dropping down into a higher gear. 6.0 is a pretty tough engine from what I've heard.

 

Sounds like gm tow/haul mode automatically factors in some level of engine braking.
If you were at highway speeds (or anything much over a crawl) with a loaded trailer pushing you, you're not going to see a huge speed reduction from engine braking a 6.0 gas v8 engine...even a Jake on a diesel only helps so much...don't get me wrong, it's not insignificant, but it's not like it replaces regular brakes. Your drivetrain would never take the forces that brakes are capable of.

 

Agreed. I've owned the truck for 13 years and I can say the engine braking doesn't provide near the amount of stopping power the brakes do. Between the truck, trailer, stuff shoved in bed I'd say I'm pushing a GCWR of 15k (rated for 22k). That's a decent amount of weight to get slowed down. IMHO engine braking on a diesel is one of the few advantages that they have in my book.

 

Interesting I am not a truck guy, hey wifes got a Ridgeline, I have noticed same in high compression sports cars, especially from 60s time frame.

 

I'm not sure how it is on the new Fords, but my '09 will downshift by tapping the brakes in tow/haul. It will only do it when you have some weight behind you and going downhill. It's actually pretty slick.

 

our rav4 would do that too. I loved it.

 

Inline’s seem to have better engine braking than V’s. A ford 300-6 has pretty good engine braking. I use it all the time. An engine brake will never have as much braking force as regular brakes, but it doesn’t overheat either. Engine brakes use gearing and compression to control vehicle speed. Lower gears give more braking power. The important part is to not go faster than the speed at which your engine brake works. Sometimes that means running in a very low gear.

My Ford 300 brakes VERY effectively in 3rd gear and below. I could drive without brakes if I had to.

 

That speed on the interstate would probably cause a pileup...I know on I-77 through WV it would! Not sure if that's where OP was or not though...might have been 2 lane?
That's what the truck runaway ramps are for...

 

It was a two lane road. The road is Kentucky 319, it's coincidentally the road where the cemetery for Randall Hatfield from the famous Hatfield McCoy feud is buried at. As you can tell by the map, it's pretty windy at the end. We went to the grave site a couple years ago. We made a left on 1056 to continue onto Matewan where our house was at.

If you're into SXS or ATV riding, there's a place called Bald Knob not too far from Matewan that separates the boys from the men!! It's rutted out way worse now than in this video. I wouldn't attempt it unless I had at least 35" tires, and a full roll cage, and harnesses.

 

That’s what following distance and truck/slow lanes are for. Doing the speed limit is fine on flat ground, but steep downhill grades are a special kind of critter. We have some steep grades here in NW Wisconsin that rival mountain grades. It doesn’t matter how fast you climb a hill, but don’t go barreling over the top because gravity never stops. Going down slow might upset a few people, but going down fast can be deadly.