Questions on engine brake use.

Safe and effective rpms depends on the engine in question.

And you can change the level instead of flipping it on and off.

 

If your truck heck yea the engine brake is way better than wearing out your own brakes. Company truck do as you may but using Jake is still a lot better than wearing out shoes and drums faster than necessary. Turning the Jake on and off all the time might wear out a seloniod but not really a big deal

 

New Detroit autos are programmed to try and run between 2,000 and 2,300 on steeper grades or when max braking is requested by the user.

Engine brakes are more efficient (effective) as RPMs increase, up to the maximum safe RPM (about 2,300 rpm)

However in a stick, this is more problematic to run in these higher RPMs since it won't allow those kinds of RPMs in the max-tach setting.

 

Using the Jake properly is also safer too. Brake shoes have a tendency to crystallize with heat and excessive use will cause them to overheat to the point of actually catching fire. Hot brakes are no brakes waiting on a place to happen. Use them as little as possible and hold the speed as much as possible with the Jake. I watched a driver get killed on I 26 coming down Saluda Mtn back in the 90s every wheel looked like it was on fire.

 

And BTW. Engine brakes aren't necessary in parking lots or truck stops contrary to what some super-truckers will try and tell you.

 

Yes they are

 

If you took my engine over 1800 rpm, I'd just punch you.

I don't run much above 1500, and that's in very limited capacity. I'll let it go up to about 1700 max with full jakes on. Mine is an ISX, and has the best jake brakes of any truck I've ever had. And I only run the mountains out west. Most of the really big hills, if you're heavy, you're in 9th anyway. And places where the speed limit is 35 or 40 on those hills, you're in 8th jake on medium, and you'll never touch you're brakes.
That's the game you learn to play, how to make it down without ever touching your brakes, and without over speeding.

Second best truck for engine brake was my Volvo with D13 engine. Worst was DD15.

 

On the really big hills I don’t let it go over 1,900 rpm on the jake.
But usually 1,500 - 1,700 rpm range.

 

I don’t drive yet and haven’t yet read up a whole lot on engine brakes and air brakes so I don’t yet fully know how they work but why would you want to use the engine brake instead of the foot brake in a situation like a truck stop or parking lot?