Abilene Motor Express....A New Place To Call Home

My truck doesn't have any kind of "M" mode, mountain or manual. Nothing like descending a rain slick mountain where your truck insists the best way down is in eco-roll "neutral".

 

Ahhh, sorry. I didn't know that either. Just be safe... put your helmet on if it gets too bad

 

If you put the jake on does it stay in gear?

 

Yes, the problem is you may not want engine braking in slippery conditions, especially when the truck will suddenly downshift if it decides the speed you are going requires a lower gear than you want.

The only way I have found to keep it in a selected gear without the engine brake on is to lightly ride the brake pedal.

 

I'm not sure about the Volvos here, and its been a couple years since I drove one, but I once had a Volvo (2014?) with the Eco Roll and you could switch it off through the dash menus.

 

Have I mentioned how much I hate cold weather? Well, now my brakes are frozen and I don't have the huzpah to beat them hard enough to release. Plus I'm sitting on a hill so... I think if I ever get back to Richmond, I'm just going home. There's been too much bad happening to me in the past month (some of which y'all know and some you don't) and I'm having a hard time dealing with it. Maybe after a good long break it'll work itself out and I'll be back. Maybe not. But right now I'm just not in the frame of mind to be out here.

 

Crazy!!! And if I remember correctly, you have talked to someone about that too right?

It's just crazy to have that option removed.

 

None of them (Volvos) have a "Mountain Mode". What they have is an Economy and Performance mode. (Located on the sifter). However, the Performance mode is disabled which is why no matter what conditions you're facing, (heavy/light load, Hills or flat), when in Auto mode, it will always shift inside the "green zone" (Economy) on the tachometer. Extremely frustrating (and inefficient in both time and fuel economy) when pulling heavy thru mountains. Auto mode is great for 95 runs to Florida or similar "flat" runs but not much use anywhere else. This is why my truck stays in manual mode 80% to 95% of the time. I'll take care of the shifting thank you.

As far as free rolling down hill, It's not actually in neutral, it stays in 12th (watch your tach) but that's just about the same thing at 65 or 70. My truck (in full auto) won't downshift into 11th until I drop to 60 with my foot on the break. Again, why I shift manually.

I will use my Jake (when it works ... currently NOT ... lol) In all conditions as each set of variables allows. Yes, even in rain and snow. Many factors such as weight, distribution of that weight, speed, hills, turns and others come into play when determining both IF and what level of Jake to use.

These Automatics are nice for no clutch and all but, I'm sorry, contrary to what they'd try to have us believe, they are NOT smarter than we are.

Simple truth is, no matter how close they try to make them, we'll never be able to drive a "truck" like a car. Just my 2 cents.

 

He is not driving a Volvo.
His truck is a Frieghtliner.

 

Well frick. I missed that part, though I would hope he might still have the same recourse.