hill climbing fast vs slow

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by shatteredsquare, Jul 11, 2021.

  1. shatteredsquare

    shatteredsquare Road Train Member

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    full throttle at 45 mph with hazards on burns the same amount of fuel (or more, because not assisted by any momentum) as full throttle at 70 mph. if you hit the hill at 75 you can get to the top at 60 lickety split. if you hit the hill at 65 or lower, you're at 45 halfway up and takes twice as long to get over. given full throttle in low gear burns the same (or more!) fuel as full throttle in top gear, where climbing slow takes twice as long...climbing slow burns more fuel in hill county than hauling az and throwing it over the top :bounce:
     
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  3. Autocarjockey

    Autocarjockey Bobtail Member

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    One method might get you a ticket and one won't lol
     
  4. LoboSolo

    LoboSolo Heavy Load Member

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    I think it depends on what you've got under that hood, and how big the hill is.
     
  5. Bean Jr.

    Bean Jr. Road Train Member

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    Really more, at least per mile. Let's say at full throttle you burn a gallon every 6 minutes. At 75 mph, you would have burned 10 gallons in an hour, 7.5 mpg. At 45 mph, you still would have burned 10 gallons, but only having gone 45 miles, your mpg is 4.5.

    All of course academic as there is no 45 mile long climb, as far as I know. But still....
     
  6. Six9GS

    Six9GS Road Train Member

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    I'm out West, so very commonly do grades. Also, my normal gross is around 78k. In those conditions, not sure it matters much about fuel consumption. It's gonna take lots of fuel to get up those grades.
     
  7. slow.rider

    slow.rider Road Train Member

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    Yeah when the mountains is 5 miles high then you're gonna test the truck no matter what. But you can still get a running start which should help a little bit. In Appalachia they're steeper but not so tall, so the running start is often enough to get you over the hump without a downshift. I kick up my speed in Appalachia on the theory that it'll deliver better mpg, or at least less wear on the truck.
     
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  8. Bean Jr.

    Bean Jr. Road Train Member

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    Exactly! About 1/2 mile into a long pull, you're in the gear you're going to be in, no matter how good a run you get at it.
     
  9. snowwy

    snowwy Road Train Member

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    You burn more fuel as your taking longer at full throttle to climb the hill.
     
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  10. uncleal13

    uncleal13 Road Train Member

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    If the hill is steep enough and long enough you’ll crest it at the same speed even if you start at zero.
     
  11. craig_sez

    craig_sez Road Train Member

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    Gotta find the right gear and sweet spot rpm....Gunning it and keepin it higher rpm all the way to the top dont make it better or any real faster..
    If it climbs at a steady pace in say 10th at 1300 and your pyro aint maxed out with boost maxed out you will do just fine..Actually you will save a few pennys here and there and at yrs end,it equals dollas in your pocket..
     
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