Automatic transmission in snow

Hell, you'll have a bunch more wheels under you than I did today. Snow is fun.

 

Why do people want to use jake brake in slippery conditions or cruise control?? You don't, so stop using them and with auto-shift transmission your turn them off also. Then try driving like you normal would without them. You shouldn't have to much trouble. The auto-shift won't do anything crazy if you turn jake brake and cruise control off.

 

When going downhill you use you brakes all of them no jake brake. You just go downhill like you don't have a jake brake. You go downhill slower that all

 

Truth is, you are still a "manual transmission driver" that really isn't an automatic trans in the true sense of the word, with that said, you can do anything with that tranny that you can do with a stick,,,,Except, miss a gear.

 

On the newer engines, they recommend high rpm's on the jake for maximum braking power. The International Maxxfarce's maximum brake horse power is 1800-2000 rpm (per the Maxxfarce engine manual) which is why many people thought the Maxxfarce had a crappy Jake. The Detroit uses a dual turbo as well, but one is driven off the bull gear instead of exhaust...I would imagine the Detroits need the high rev's as well.

 

All this assumes you have full manual mode available. I had one you could shift manually but would not stay in manual. Ot all depends on how your company has it programmed

 

Yeah, the Freightliner will stay in manual if you want it to. Keep off the Jake's, run in manual and go easy. Most of those sensor trucks will freak out over nothing, and that can really puts dent in your fender if the sensor freaks out over ice.

As stated above, Jake's are all but useless until you get into really high R's.

The road isn't where you'll have big issues. I got stuck pulling out of a fuel island and couldn't rock it free. That was a waste of 3 hours of my life ice breaking with an e-tool. After 200k Back to a manual I went. Happily. Blissfully.

I don't envy you driver, but you'll come out okay. Good luck!