Help in Driving Motorhome over Colorado Continental Divide

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by CedarCreekWoody

Scott, did it take you long to move Raton Pass from the Colorado border over to Arizona? Lol

Ah, now that is funny! If my brain and fingers ever getted synched up, I might be dangerous

[robo44]

Originally Posted by getzold

USE THE TOW/HAUL!! Shift down if you need to.

X2

[UT_Grandpa]

If you apply the brakes because you are going faster than you want, stay on the brakes until you have slowed 10-15 miles per hour SLOWER than you were travelling. This will allow for more time to let the brakes cool.

If you don't do this you will be on the brakes a lot more by losing 5 mph, gaining 5 mph and repeating until you lose your brakes. Where I live to get to where we camp I first have to climb 4000 feet and then down a thousand feet and back up again, etc. The interstate has stretches of 8-10 miles of 6-8% grades so mountain driving is unavoidable.

Remember the speed limit sign is the MAXIMUM speed

[phillyg]

Keep your speed down from the beginning of the downhill. Stay in tow/haul and manually shift down to slow the RV as necessary rather than using the brakes, but when you do brake, do it momentarily. Do not "ride" the brakes.

[KNMIB]

Maybe I am missing something here. I have been down many steep mountains on interstate and 2 lane roads all over the country not towing with a 28 ft motorhome. I press the tow/haul button and as we start going down I tap the brake and it down shifts and keeps us at a comfortable speed, if it starts going faster then i am comfortable with I tap it again. I never shift and when its time to pick up speed I accelerate.
that works for me but if that's wrong someone let me know.

[doanshop]

Went up wolf creek pass with 32' trailer Chevy 3500k 7.4 it struggled a little at the very top but made it at 38 mph going up when I head down hill or mountains I shift down let motor and tranny handle most of load only use brakes if starting to go to fast sometimes drop 2 gears yes auto trans key is to shift down before speed gets up or start of down hill not middle of down cline .the key is to use your brakes as little as possible to stop break fade . Take your time you will be OK stay in the right lane at all times if it starts to over heat drop down a gear . trailer was 4300 lbs. Now pulling 7200 lb. RV 34'. I still get there just a little slower LOL.

[Jim-LP240FS]

I have a 24' Leprechaun on the 6 speed Chevy 4500 Chassis and tow a Suzuki Sidekick 4 down toad. Both the Tow/Haul Brake Assist mode and Cruise Control Grade Braking work very well in controlling my speed on long steep grades without over use of the brakes. Expect up to 5000 RMP on very steep slopes which will not damage your engine. The transmission will automatically select a higher gear to prevent engine overspeed which will then require the use of brakes to further reduce your speed. To use these functions, the gear shift lever must be in the "D" position. If you manually select a lower gear, both of these Brake Assist modes are disabled. For more information, read the sections on "Tow/Haul Mode" and "Cruise Control" in the "Driving and Operating" section of the Chevy 4500 Express Owner's Manual.

[JimV]

I have a 25 ft Sunseeker and have driven in the mountains out west many times. When going down hills I set the cruise control on the speed limit or a little below and never have to use the brakes under normal conditions, the cruise control will down shift to keep your vehicle at the speed you set.

[doanshop]

I have never tried cruise control in the mountains will give it a try next time . Thanks for info .I have a 1997 K3500 I don't know if it has all those bells and whistles .

[sherman12]

The OP should practice on smaller hills as part of normal driving using his engine/transmission and his brakes as a team.

In my prior gas motor home, I manually downshifted even coming up to traffic lights trying to save a little wear on the brakes.

There is an old adage used by truckers simply saying that "the gear you go up the hill with is the gear you should be in going down the hill". Navigating several 9% grades around Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills in So. Dakota, that was the rule I followed while towing my DW's 4K-pound Kia on a dolly. I manually downshifted to the gear that gave me the speed I was most comfortable with during the descent. Also, when braking during a long descent, again working in concert with what the engine/tranny is already doing, you should "stab" your brakes somewhat hard (don't slam them on or lock them up!) for a quick decrease in speed. This is a different approach to braking than the typical "pumping" the brakes most of use in our daily use.

[doanshop]

Originally Posted by sherman12

The OP should practice on smaller hills as part of normal driving using his engine/transmission and his brakes as a team.

In my prior gas motor home, I manually downshifted even coming up to traffic lights trying to save a little wear on the brakes.

There is an old adage used by truckers simply saying that "the gear you go up the hill with is the gear you should be in going down the hill". Navigating several 9% grades around Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills in So. Dakota, that was the rule I followed while towing my DW's 4K-pound Kia on a dolly. I manually downshifted to the gear that gave me the speed I was most comfortable with during the descent. Also, when braking during a long descent, again working in concert with what the engine/tranny is already doing, you should "stab" your brakes somewhat hard (don't slam them on or lock them up!) for a quick decrease in speed. This is a different approach to braking than the typical "pumping" the brakes most of use in our daily use.

That is pretty much what I also do good post .

[mtnlvr]

I have driven that route in my class c Solera. I live in and drive mountains all the time. YES, you do need to put in manual mode. I usually am in 3rd or 4th gear up/ downhill, depending on severity of grade. Extreme downhill grade of 11% or so may require 2nd gear as to stay off the brakes, watch your rpm’s; getting too low@ 2500 - downshift.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by mtnlvr

I have driven that route in my class c Solera. I live in and drive mountains all the time. YES, you do need to put in manual mode. I usually am in 3rd or 4th gear up/ downhill, depending on severity of grade. Extreme downhill grade of 11% or so may require 2nd gear as to stay off the brakes, watch your rpm’s; getting too low@ 2500 - downshift.

Won't find those on he Interstates. I think the steepest on the Interstates is 7% and that's on the West side of the Eisenhower approach.

Max grade allowed is 6% with exceptions for mountain areas. There are a lot of LONG grades but few on the interstate over 6%.

Here's a list of grades you'll encounter in Colorado on their mountain passes.

https://www.codot.gov/travel/maximum...in-passes.html

Grade alone doesn't really tell the full story. Combine grade with the length of grade, width of road, number of curves, and tightness of curves, that's what puts the white in your knuckles and heat in your brakes.

[S101]

Drove a 2004 Lexington 25ft motor home with Ford E-450 chassis and 4 speed transmission from Chicago to Park City via I-80. Also drove down to / back from SLC (5-6% grades).

Never down shifted. Just did what I do in our Lincoln Navigator as suggested in another post. Let speed get a little high (5 mph) then brake firmly down 10-15mph below target and let vehicle coast up to the higher speed again while brakes cool. Hot brakes are the enemy. Surprisingly limited amount of braking required.

You could downshift but as a professional race driver explained during a track session, brake pads are your cheapest device for slowing. Transmissions and engines are expensive. So unless you need more than the brakes, go the cheap route.

[happy5thwheeler]

Keep the transmission in lower gears. We run a lot of calls (Summit Fire & EMS) for brake fires/overheated brakes on both semi's and RV's on the West side of the Johnson/Eisenhower tunnels. It is approx. 9 miles down from exiting the tunnel to Silverthorne. By letting the transmission and motor do the work for you, you will be able to enjoy your trip. Even tapping the brakes occasionally can overheat them. Just take it slow. The area is beautiful.

Vail pass on the West side is not as steep, but the same idea works there too.
Have a great trip.

[Lou Mudd]

A motor home shouldn’t be any problem. I drove 80,000# loads over I-70 & Monarch Pass (Hwy 50) weekly. You’ll be able to slow much easier than a heavy load.

Rule of Thumb I ALWAYs went by is to start downhill in the same gear it took to get up the mountain. That kept me at a safe speed. When it was flatter or I felt comfortable I’d shift up a gear.

You’ll be fine.

[jaudet71]

Use your tow/haul as you are hauling a load of a motor home. Save your brakes. I use tow/haul to slow on steep hills on my Silverado when not even hauling anything.
I use it selectively on my MH.

[Denver Dan]

If you're planning on driving from Lincoln to Moab in a single day my main advice would be to get a really, really early start. Driving down the passes doesn't bother me at all (I just returned to Denver from Moab towing my Jeep behind my 25-foot Prism) but driving through the mountains in the dark is a different matter altogether. When it's dark it's difficult to see the wildlife that sometimes wanders onto the roadway and it's easy to roll up quickly on the tail of an 18-wheeler that's creeping along down one of the steeper grades.

I would aim to get as far as Rifle - or, better still, Grand Junction - while you still have some daylight.

[Treedoc]

Have made quite a few runs between Northern California and Eastern Colorado. Both in a Georgetown 270 with a TOAD, and a Dodge 3500 Dully, towing a loaded flatbed trailer. Always take I-80 between Salt Lake City and Cheyenne, WY. Not worth the risk just to see scenery.

[ArkRVHog]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

Peddler...TowHaul is NOT just for towing. It is also for Hauling a big load on board the chassis...and for using engine braking to keep you going slow downhill without hitting the brakes so much. It is a most appreciated feature for negotiating I70 downhills safely!

So I have a 30 foot Forester MH on a Ford E450 chassis towing a Honda CRV. I've traveled these mountains before but never turned on my Tow/Haul option. The factory tune on the Ford tranny seemed to recognize the descents and downshifted accordingly keeping me off my brakes for the most part.

I guess the Tow/Haul option should be used if you're not happy with how the tranny is responding to the hills, right? Is it important to turn it off immediately after getting through the grades? Want to be sure I'm using this correctly on our next trip!