Driving an automatic on icy roads and taking off on hills?

Left home (Okanagan) this morning at 6am. Bare/dry roads thru the Rockies (hwy 1). Has been a while since over the Roger’s pass…pretty tame compared to the Hwy 24 descent! When possible travel at 95km/h (1475rpm) as is the sweet spot for the gearing of this truck with C12 (4.33). 24.5 tires.

 

I've done it once. Coming around a corner on what was mostly dry road. Except for that corner which had ice.

Black ice pops up out of nowhere.

 

Would terrify me for sure! Impressive…

 

In marginal traction, you're best to be in a gear that keeps your rpm close to the governed engine speed, especially if you haven't done it much. That way, if you break loose, the governor will keep the tires from really spinning up. Torque tends to be a bit lower up there as well, so they don't accelerate as hard when they do break loose. Makes it much easier to get your footing back than if the tires are spinning at twice road speed.

 

Thanks, really appreciate that info!

 

These are the ones that would get me. Coming back after unloading at Salmon headed to Missoula to get particle board. If you could coast or at least maintain some speed around the first one then the second one was usually fine. But if you spun in the first one you had to feather the throttle to try and get some speed back for the second one.

 

I have tried doing it that way before as well, but there is no need for it with modern trucks... the engine brakes in these new trucks are so powerful I can get down most mountain passes in high range and still be slowing down on high setting...

why burn up ur brakes

 

That feeling when u feel them tires slip, sure gets the heart racing for a second.. lol

No coffee needed after that, I'm awake !

 

I got some pictures somewhere on this dang forum of coming down 93 in full on snow running barefoot..
only to be sunny and dry at the bottom of the hill