Using the Trans for Engine Braking?

[FirstFord]

I live in a pretty hilly area, and a few of them are fairly steep. It was a very common practice for me to drop it down into low gear before descending these steeper hills to help save my brakes by utilizing engine braking.

Then I read this article - something like "The Quickest Way to Ruin Your Transmission" - written by some transmission expert, who made the claim that engine braking is very old-school way of thinking, and "modern" transmissions shouldn't be put through that. The author insinuated that "modern" transmissions aren't as rugged and beefy as the transmissions of yesteryear and they aren't built to handle that kind strain. He further implied that using a "modern" transmission for engine braking is abusing the transmission. So, after reading that, I have temporarily halted this practice.

I will fully acknowledgethat he may be correct, yet I'm a little skeptical of that point of view. Anyone out there in the transmission field who has a comment on this? I'd really be interested in hearing your thoughts.

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[HammaMan]

The 10r80 quickly locks up the TC in every gear and is also made to do engine braking. In tow/haul it's always using it.

 

[Lricaud81]

Honestly don't have any input to this but curious myself as I do take trips to hilly and mountainous places. Haven't in this truck yet but will in the future.

 

[Tall Tail]

I am not an expert on the topic, but i know breaks are easier to replace than a transmission.

 

[Deleted member 15247]

Boy this is one I’m not gonna argue with. I downshift all the time when I’m in the mountains and we have some gnarly downhill grades here. I’ve actually never heard this before but I too would be genuinely interested.

If I were to use common sense I’d piece together that our trucks were designed for towing and a heavier operation than a regular car or even SUV. They put the buttons to change the gears manually on the gearshift and lock-out gears. But I’m no mechanic so who the hell knows.

 

[Henfield]

I discovered the engine braking ability of Tow/Haul purely by accident as I took an exit of an interstate while towing and using Tow/Haul. Its very effective.

Sure brakes are cheaper than transmissions, but try tow/haul for a few days and see what you prefer.

 

[PaulGrun]

I believe the owners manual suggests using manual mode on long descents particularly when towing. There are some long mountain grades (Colorado, Blue Mts in eastern Oregon) that I would be very worried about brake failure while towing a trailer without using engine braking.

 

[FirstFord]

I'm starting to feel a little better about this. I have always used the transmission for engine braking when towing, and as @Henfield mentioned, it is sort of built-in, to a certain degree, in the Tow/Haul mode. But because of some of the steep grades around here, I was doing it as a matter of regular practice, towing/hauling or not. Maybe that author I originally referred to was generically referring to ordinary automobiles; then again, maybe he had no idea what he was talking about; and then again, maybe he did. That's why I put a pause to the practice, but remained skeptical. You guys are talking me down off the ledge...

 

[Snakebitten]

It's a truck and I expect it to behave like one, albeit a light duty version compared to an F350 PowerStroke.

If Tow/Haul 10r80 engine braking is beyond its design capabilities, there will be a warranty claim or truck swap promptly.

By the way, there are many thousands of these trucks traveling downhill in the Rockies. Have been for decades. I'm not buying the fear mongering.

 

[Babbage]

The 10r80 quickly locks up the TC in every gear and is also made to do engine braking. In tow/haul it's always using it.

Agree, have noticed it when I have cruise control on and then descend a longer hill with some grade the trans will downshift and provide a good amount of engine braking. Older cars with cruise simply stop the throttle and you will run up to a much higher speed.

 

[ks54703]

I'd be much more worried about over downshifting and losing the rear end in a slide before losing a transmission in any vehicle.

Use tow haul let of the gas pedal and start to enjoy the commute.

 

[HammaMan]

I was at a family members up in the smokeys and at points I had 6-10 locked out, and on the final roads, I locked out 5 too. Speeds would vary 40-60, until it was 25 max at a point. Lots of ups and downs. The truck was all over the place shifting, no doubt locking out gears, reducing shifting was much easier on the trans. With it locked up both braking and accelerating aren't doing anything special. clutches and TC is locked up. I went more aggressive on down shifting leaving and gained additional mileage. Though I was slowly dropping in altitude, the twists and turns as well as up an downs weren't a nice steady up or down. It was up and down and up and down continuously.

In other extended downhill tests I've found that in the PB at least, once the battery is full, the engine will still come back on for no other purpose than to provide engine braking. Not in tow/haul, just normal driving. Engine braking is built into the truck's logic, regardless of drive mode.

 

[FirstFord]

Good information, all the way around.

I had 6-10 locked out

"Locked out" - Is that to say that you manually put it into 5th gear, and just left it there, thereby in effect "locking out" the higher gears?

 

[HammaMan]

Good information, all the way around.



"Locked out" - Is that to say that you manually put it into 5th gear, and just left it there, thereby in effect "locking out" the higher gears?

When you press the minus key, it removes gears the truck can you use. It's not manual mode, it's just removing gears it can use. I have a raptor wheel so it's easier than using the shifter.

 

[Snakebitten]

Edit: HammaMan beat me to it


"locked out" means removing those ratios from being available.

Use the +- buttons on the shifter to remove/add a ratio from availability.

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