I thought engine braking was just a myth until I drove through the Rockies last week

I always figured people talking about saving their brakes by downshifting on hills were just wasting gas. But last week I took my truck down a 6 mile stretch on I-70 near Vail and my brake pedal started feeling soft after just 2 miles. I dropped into 3rd gear and the truck held steady at 55 mph without me touching the brakes once. That moment saved me from what could have been a real scary situation. Has anyone else had a close call that changed their mind about something they used to dismiss?

3 comments

3 Comments

nelson.wren15d ago

Did you know that some of the older diesel trucks even came with exhaust brakes built in for exactly this reason? I read an article once about a guy who drove a semi through the same stretch of I-70 and said he never touched his service brakes for the whole descent. It really changed how I think about using lower gears on steep hills, especially with a heavy vehicle. That bit about the soft brake pedal is exactly what they warn about with brake fade.

charles_coleman14d agoMost Upvoted

Are you sure that's always the best approach though? I've seen plenty of guys burning up their exhaust brakes on those long grades because they thought they could just rely on them and never tap the service brakes. The problem is, if that system fails or you get a little too confident, you're suddenly going way too fast with no way to slow down except standing on a pedal that's already hot. Plus, those older systems weren't exactly maintenance-free, a stuck valve or a leaky line can leave you with nothing but gears and gravity. I'd rather use a combination of both, keeping the engine brake for most of the work but still feathering the service brakes now and then to keep them cool and working right. It's like having two tools, you use the hammer mostly but you still check the wrench is there if things go sideways.

sammartinez14d ago

Yeah man, you're totally right. It's scary how fast that can sneak up on you, I've heard stories about guys who got way too comfortable and paid the price for it. Nothing wrong with using both tools to keep things safe, right?