I'm visiting California this week and realized that I'm completely unprepared for this type of terrain, lol. We tried to take a quick side trip to seqouia, didn't realize how high it was, or how long it takes to get to Sherman....
When we got up top, I smelled a sweetish odor and my booster pump was still running after I shut the engine off. I had the OD off for the climb and tried to stay of the brakes. On the descent, I put it in 1st gear and coasted down.
Anyone have any driving tips for when I hit Yosemite Wednesday?
Take yer time, go slow enjoy the scenery, stay off the brakes, look up and look ahead, let others pass on their own time.
Check the fluids often, do not be in a rush. We have heavy older SUVs, NOT race cars!!
Went up Pikes Peak this March on our spring break trip and even tho it was absolutely beautiful and chilly, there were at least 6 vehicles on the side of the road with overheated brakes. 2 had their hoods up on the summit with puddles underneath!!
Be intelligent and thoughtful. Better to take 10 more minutes in a trip than to be stranded on the side of the road!
I'm sure you will get differing opinions on this, but my opinion is that no it won't. Now sudden downshifting where speed is being changed dramatically might, but for simply setting it in a low gear and rolling down the hill I think not. I've done this technique in many vehicles and never had an issue.
As others have said, use low gear and go slow. Engine braking is your friend and won't hurt it or the transmission. Keep a close eye on the gauges and fluid levels, if you have a leak or issue get it sorted out before "pushing onward".
I Don't think that climbing is what anyone was talking about in terms of low gear, but rather using the engine braking from low on the descent rather than having to ride the brakes. If it's steep your truck will select low on its own on the climbs, I suspect.
Climbing just depends, usually D is fine but if you find the transmission constantly hunting for the right gear its easier just to put it in a lower gear and leave it there. The ECU(s) are constantly taking into account the load on the engine, accelerator position, speed, air density, etc... and doing the best they can to keep the truck in the correct gear for the condition. With all of that happening sometimes it shifts around too much or tries to stay in a higher gear than it should (it can't see the steep section you are approaching).
I drive in the mountains all the time and the best tip I can give is stay in the right lane and don't feel like you need to keep up with traffic. You drive a 2.5 ton vehicle, not a sports car.
I usually drive with the PWR button engaged for the raise shift points and if I come up to a very steep grade, I'll drop it into 2nd.
When I descend, If I'm cruising at highway speeds, I usually take OD off to have the engine hold me back, but sometimes if its slower speeds or a steeper descent, I'll drop into 2nd to have the engine hold me back even more. Then I'll feather the brakes for turns or for a little more reduction in speed if needed.
The reason I was thinking of climbing in lower gear, was because climbing to General Sherman is when my brake booster started scaring me, lol. It was a bunch of switchbacks and I guess I was on the brakes more than I thought.
Climbing out of Vegas and out of the Mojave, I was just hitting the OD lockout button. That's good enough, right? Automatic overdrives are part magic to me.
98 LX 4-speed here. When driving in Colorado passes that are highways, I turn off overdrive, stay in the right lane and maintain steady throttle uphill and coast/engine brake when going downhill. On those passes that are not highways (i.e. county roads or fire roads), I often drop into 2 only for the downhills and use the engine braking. Based on my gearing, staying in 2 tops out around 35 mph when coasting on steeper slopes.
When I'm off-roading, I generally leave the vehicle in 2 and drive up and down like that in 4-Hi for the most part. On slippy or treacherous downhills, I may even drop into 4-Lo. If you have a 98 or 99 LX/LC, you may have to do the pin-7 mod in order to disable the automatic center dif lock when in 4-Lo (not fun trying to turn a switchback with a differential locked).
We drove up and then down Pikes Peak in a 6500 lb LX. At the mid-way point down from the peak, rangers stop all vehicles and check the brake temperatures. Several vehicles in front of us rode their brakes most of the way (my wife and I could smell the burning brakes in the air). They all were forced to pull over and park for 30 minutes to let the brakes cool. We were allowed to continue on because we use engine braking. I have never, in nearly 30 years of driving, seen proper engine braking accelerate wear and damage an engine. But, I've seen plenty of people warp rotors, burn/glaze brake pads and even once seen a hub catch fire because the driver rode the brakes like crazy.
Thanks for all of the replies. The turns were so sharp and steep, that I was coasting down in first gear. Completely different than central Texas driving!
Thanks for all of the replies. The turns were so sharp and steep, that I was coasting down in first gear. Completely different than central Texas driving!
Yup, we don't have anything here approaching those types of roads. Our hills here in Austin and out west may be steep, but they are typically straight and no more than a mile in length. There were some in Colorado that went on for several twisty miles.
Yup, we don't have anything here approaching those types of roads. Our hills here in Austin and out west may be steep, but they are typically straight and no more than a mile in length. There were some in Colorado that went on for several twisty miles.
Back home now, but I got a ton of use out of that OD button and manually shifting gears. I got to the point where I was using the OD button as a sort of sport mode in traffic, haha.
