I will confess right upfront that I do not know all there is to know about engine brakes. I had a '99 W9 ( 475 Cat, 18 speed, 3.55 rears and 24.5 rubber). When I sold the truck it had 728,000 miles on it. The last I knew of the truck it had 940,000 some miles on it. The engine, trans., and rears had not been touched other than the usual repairs. No major repairs in other words. This is how I drove it: I did not wait until I was at a stop sign or turn to begin slowing down. I used the engine brake and dropped down a few gears. When I was under 30 mph I would also apply the brakes lightly because that would be all I needed. I put brakes on the truck only because I thought it was not slowing down the way I thought it should. This was at 672,000 miles. I did not replace the drums because they didn't show heat stress or a lot of wear. I drive this way because the engine brake was originally designed to do just that. The heavy log trucks in the woods of the Pacific Northwest needed more than service brakes to maintain a safe speed going down steep grades. If you think I have just dished out a load of crap you can help yourselves by researching engine brakes and learning how to use them properly. This goes for the rookies and those who have been driving a long time. I am not going to waste my time to refute the erroneous statements in the thread that brought you here. Read up on it before you make any more comments on engine brakes. If I can learn something I am all for it. I may be an old dog but I still like learning. Let the comments begin. Geez. I just had a terrible thought: what if I am the one who is all wrong.
Using an engine brake
Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by bigguns, Jan 29, 2015.
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