Re: Downhill Driving Reply #25 – December 16, 2020, 09:55:29 pm Thanks for everyone’s answers, much appreciated! For my first trip down our hill, I started out slow and in 2nd gear (essentially what Ken F. suggested) as the first part is very steep with three twisty turns. Then I put it in 4th and engaged the Tow Haul. I must say the TH worked pretty well. It slowed the LD down too slow at times but it sounds like if I hit the gas with it engaged it will upshift, correct? I’ll keep playing around with the best method but now I have confidence that I can stay in control of the descent. As Joel said, I should be an expert after a few more trips! 👍 2 Likes
Re: Downhill Driving Reply #26 – December 16, 2020, 10:13:43 pm Fun to learn new stuff. Keeps you young. 1 Likes
Re: Downhill Driving Reply #27 – December 16, 2020, 11:15:30 pm Greg,Sounds as if you are getting to know your LD quite well. Where the Tow Haul is concerned, it is my understanding that once the transmission is taken out of drive, the TH is no longer engaged.When a selected gear is engaged, the transmission will remain there until shifted into an alternate gear. Tow Haul will not be available until DRIVE is selected and the TH button is depressed.While going downhill and TH is engaged, to select a lower gear you depress the brake pedal until the lower gear is engaged. This is handy while coming to a red light, on the freeway in heavy traffic or coming to a stop sign. Eventually you will need disengage the TH to upshift otherwise the rpms will be difficult to be achieved to upshift. Interesting feature. If others here disagree with this input please correct me, otherwise this has been my experience.Enjoy your LD. Kent 1 Likes
Re: Downhill Driving Reply #28 – December 17, 2020, 09:14:09 am Kent, you are spot on. Personally, I find I do not need to disengage TH to upshift. Once it has downshifted, it is slower to upshift, but it will do so.Ken F in NM
Re: Downhill Driving Reply #29 – December 17, 2020, 09:19:11 am Quote from: Larry W - December 16, 2020, 08:04:32 pmNo, it's not a California thing, your favorite state to hate, they are usually prohibited by local ordinance that prohibits "Engine Brakes". AFAIK, no state outlaws them statewide.LarryTruly sorry if I offended you Larry. When you said jake brakes had been outlawed I thought maybe California actually did that. Among OTR drivers it is considered a truck unfriendly state due to the 55 mph speed limit and limited truck stops so a jake brake law there wouldn't surprise me. Cost of fuel and traffic is not something drivers enjoy either. NYC and Jersey are worse though but at least most OTR companies pay a bonus for driving into that mess. Merry Christmas
Re: Downhill Driving Reply #30 – December 17, 2020, 09:33:33 am Thanks, Kent! I was able to engage TH from 4th gear in Bossa Nova. The difference may be the 6-speed transmission. The shift column in the 2017 is kind of weird. The gears are D421. What happened to 3?
Re: Downhill Driving Reply #31 – December 17, 2020, 03:05:55 pm A curious note about my tow haul (06 TK). I used to avoid using it as, when descending, it would never just shift down the desired one gear upon applying the brakes (gently). It would leap down at least two gears with a ferocious roar and an alarming leap of rpms (to somewhere in the mid-4,000s) which would alarm the heck out of me. I know Larry says the V-10 loves to rev, but the suddenness and violence of the downshift was worrisome. It got so that I was reluctant to use it. Recently, I had the rig into Ford for service (new rear brakes) and, among other things, they advised a new starting battery to replace my 8-yr old Costco one (it had been cranking faultlessly, but it was at the end of its warranty, so what the heck). The very first time after the replacement that I went to use the TH, I immediately noticed a dramatic difference. It performed like it was supposed to, gently shifting down to the next lower gear without any violence, and holding there until I applied additional braking. Why the difference? Two things may be in play. New brakes somehow changing things? I don’t think so. The old brakes weren’t grabby or anything, and my roaring downshift pattern had been the norm ever since the rig was new. The battery? Hmmm. My understanding is that on many vehicles, disconnecting the battery might result in all sorts of vehicle “memories “ being lost, with the transmission being one of those. Essentially, it needs to “relearn” your driving patterns for a number of miles before it resets. Whatever the cause, I am delighted to be able to have the TH operate as intended, and I gave it a good workout on our recent outing, grinning all the while. Guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. Just zap its brain! — Jon 7 Likes
Re: Downhill Driving Reply #32 – December 17, 2020, 03:20:27 pm "Guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. Just zap its brain!"----Will that work for me, Jon?
Re: Downhill Driving Reply #33 – December 17, 2020, 03:25:08 pm My LD is a 2003, so I don't have tow-haul (or a tach), but it was necessary to re-set the Scan Gauge after installing a new engine battery.
Re: Downhill Driving Reply #34 – December 17, 2020, 03:33:08 pm Quote from: Joan - December 17, 2020, 03:25:08 pmMy LD is a 2003, so I don't have tow-haul (or a tach), but it was necessary to re-set the Scan Gauge after installing a new engine battery.That's weird, my 2000 has a button on the end of the gear shift lever (not sure that it is what is called "Tow Haul" but it does work like described in this thread....
Re: Downhill Driving Reply #35 – December 17, 2020, 03:41:49 pm "my 2000 has a button on the end of the gear shift lever (not sure that it is what is called "Tow Haul" but it does work like described in this thread."That button disables overdrive. It is not the same as tow/haul. 1 Likes
Re: Downhill Driving Reply #36 – December 17, 2020, 05:09:33 pm Quote from: Jerry - December 17, 2020, 03:33:08 pmThat's weird, my 2000 has a button on the end of the gear shift lever (not sure that it is what is called "Tow Haul" but it does work like described in this thread.... That’s what my 97 had and it worked very well on hills both up and down. TH is relatively new and supposedly is easier on the tranny under heavy loads but I question if it isn’t just a bit of a gimmick. I could be wrong though and maybe it does extend tranny life.My pickup has it and I do use it hauling trailers but it seems like in a class C RV they should just have a lower geared transmission with overdrive instead of TH. It’s not like you can take the house off and run around empty. 1 Likes
Re: Downhill Driving Reply #37 – December 17, 2020, 11:14:41 pm "...my 2000 has a button on the end of the gear shift lever..."JerryAs Andy said, that button only locks the tranny into 'Drive', good for accomplishing a bit of engine compression, as on a mild downhill grade (or up hill for that matter). Then, if needed, you can continue to down shift further. When back on the flats don't forget to push the button again which will reactivate overdrive. 1 Likes
Re: Downhill Driving Reply #38 – December 18, 2020, 01:39:25 pm Quote from: Lazy Bones - December 17, 2020, 11:14:41 pm"...my 2000 has a button on the end of the gear shift lever..."As Andy said, that button only locks the tranny into 'Drive', good for accomplishing a bit of engine compression, as on a mild downhill grade (or up hill for that matter). Then, if needed, you can continue to downshift further. When back on the flats don't forget to push the button again which will reactivate overdrive. After so many miles, my right hand automatically uses the overdrive button or shifts into second, my version of TH, it's a reflex. Can't say I miss not having TH, the same thing can be done manually and is not a disadvantage. After 50+ years of driving, this action is hardwired.Downshifting is very necessary when towing a Jeep, needing to stay on top of things when the road heads downhill. So far, so good. Larry 2 Likes
Re: Downhill Driving Reply #39 – December 18, 2020, 02:42:38 pm "my right hand automatically uses the overdrive button or shifts into second, my version of TH, it's a reflex."---Ditto. (But, I also still stab my left foot where the clutch used to be and reach for the floor stick.) I won't say how long I've been driving.... 8 Likes
Topic: Downhill Driving (Read 862 times)
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Topic: Downhill Driving (Read 862 times)
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