General Mountain Driving

[DaringfaithREK]

Flat lander here. I occasionally drive the hills in central Texas but not mountains. Headed to CO in late July.

Is there a general guide to help smarten me up on the subject?

Drive a 2500 Ram 4x4, w 5er 35 foot.

Pretty open question but I’d like any practical advice Or reference to documents.

Pore I ate the help, you guys always deliver!

[babock]

I drive in the mountains all the time. One thing I have heard people say is make sure you drive down the mountain slower than the speed you drove up the mountain. The truth is, I always drive slower than I think I should down any mountain and if I am using the brakes much at all, I slow down and shift into a lower gear. Mountain grades that I am familiar with, I end up driving a bit faster than the first time I did it but I am always at a safe speed.


When driving up the mountain, watch both your engine temps and transmission temps. If either get higher than comfortable, slow down and/or shift into a lower gear. More RPMs means a cooler engine and transmission. My transmission runs at 209 on level and can easily get up to 225-230 when going up a mountain. Newer transmissions with newer ATF types can go way higher than that. If I hit 240 on the ATF I slow down.


BTW, there is a chart floating around on the internet that people post all the time that would say 240 and up is too hot. That chart is around 15 years old and not representative of the newer fluids.

[Lins]

what year truck and trans? I have the 68RFE in ours and will lock out 6th to keep the engine in its power band going up. Exhaust brake shines going down hill if your truck is new enough. Other than that it can be tough to choose a reasonable speed - either we’re crawling behind the 18 wheelers or doing freeway speeds in the left lane, sometimes can’t choose a reasonable speed. Make sure your trailer brakes are all working correctly.

[DaringfaithREK]

2020 6.4 Hemi; 8 speed 3.73 axle

Appreciate the response

[DaringfaithREK]

Appreciate the info.

[CHICKDOE]

i think going up is far easier than going down. downshift in both cases. going up you may be going slow but the engine will be working just fine. as stated watch the temperatures but you'll make it to the top. going down the secret is to not get going fast enough that you have to keep using your brakes. downshift and let the engine help slow you down. i think we actually go down slower than we went up. do not get going fast enough that you can't control yourself going around curves. we have been to the hill country many times and they are very pretty, but they don't have 6 or 7 percent grades for many miles.

[Lins]

I assumed diesel but with the 8 speed going up it should be better at choosing the right gear than the 6 speed. As Chickdoe said be more careful going down. You don’t have the exhaust brake so try a lower gear if the trans doesn’t do it for you. Try not to ride the brakes - it’s easy to do if you’re not careful. What I’ll do is use the brakes to slow down a bit then back off to let them cool. With a lower gear that should work well for you. I’ll mention it again, make sure your trailer brakes are in tip top shape. Enjoy it. I love the mountain scenery.

[moose074]

Tow haul mode is great re ad your manual on how yours works. The one I had on my Tundra was good the one on my 350 6.7 mixed reviews. I will let you know how the Ram 3500 6.7 does headed to Colorado on Friday. I went to Pikes Peak last year Ram did ok coming down but obviously no trailer.

My memory is rusty but learning to drive in Oregon my dad sad going down hill let the truck get up to speed limit then slow 10 mph underneath the limit. Repeat until all the ay down.

[GoneSouth10]

'nuff said . . .

[67L48]

Just be aware of the massively varying speeds. Even when not towing, this can be tricky. For example, I-70 is a 2-lane road up the steep grades. Speeds vary between 15 and 65 mph. Those are large swings and people can get themselves into trouble. When you're going 50 and coming up on a truck going 20, the gap closes really fast.

Same goes when towing, except that lane changes and evasive action is, obviously, more difficult. But, that's always one of the most challenging things about the CO mountain passes to me -- just tons of traffic going wildly different speeds.

Going up can be slow and frustrating. Going down can be dangerous. Just gear down and be mindful of how much you're riding your brakes.

You'll be fine. Enjoy the trip.

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by 67L48

For example, I-70 is a 2-lane road up the steep grades.

And I-70 is a 2 lane road where?

[67L48]

Originally Posted by bubbles

And I-70 is a 2 lane road where?

I assumed it was obvious I was speaking about in one direction. Most interstate freeways in busy areas are at least 3 lanes (in each direction). I70 is quite busy an only 2 lanes in many sections.

[AlaskaErik]

Originally Posted by babock

When driving up the mountain, watch both your engine temps and transmission temps. If either get higher than comfortable, slow down and/or shift into a lower gear. More RPMs means a cooler engine and transmission. My transmission runs at 209 on level and can easily get up to 225-230 when going up a mountain. Newer transmissions with newer ATF types can go way higher than that. If I hit 240 on the ATF I slow down.


BTW, there is a chart floating around on the internet that people post all the time that would say 240 and up is too hot. That chart is around 15 years old and not representative of the newer fluids.

My 2016 6 speed will go over 200° going up hills, but my 2019 10 speed will stay in the 140s going up or down hills.

[corocky1998]

We went from driving small popups around Colorado to driving a 30' fifth wheel about 4 years ago, steep learning curve. We do most of our camping up in the mountains along I-70 and 285. We have been out in all conditions from sweltering heat to blizzards.

My 3 pieces of advice are: 1. Take it slow, an extra 20 mph slower down hill may take 10 minutes longer, but you will get to the bottom in one piece.
2. Don't let the crazy Colorado traffic make you go faster than you want, they will pass you.
3. And this depends on your vehicle, but use your manual override trailer braking to slow you down going down the steep hills along with your transmission, don't ride them, just apply for 5-10 seconds at a time so they don't over heat.

Most of the passes going west on I-70 are not that bad, the worst is coming back to Denver down Floyd Hill from Evergreen to Morrison, it is steep, long and everyone around you is driving like maniacs because they are almost home. I just stay in the right lane doing maybe 45-50 mph at most.

Also, make sure you bring your trailer to a reputable shop and have them check and adjust your brakes and grease the bearings before you go, unless you do it yourself.

Couple of more things, make sure to check the CDOT website or the cotrip app for any road closures for construction etc and don't follow Google maps blindly, many semi's and I'm sure RVs get stuck on some of the smaller passes because they just followed Google maps, Independence Pass to from Leadville to Aspen is a good example. Have fun, good luck and enjoy!

[babock]

Originally Posted by AlaskaErik

but my 2019 10 speed will stay in the 140s going up or down hills.

That's kinda interesting. You and I have the same transmission(joint Ford GM venture) and it has a thermostat in it to make sure the transmission gets up to 200 degrees