Driving down steep hill? 2nd gear or ride brakes?

Another vote here for down-shifting.

Learned this one well by toasting a set of brakes in/around Yellowstone and having to pay $300 for what would have only cost $50 and some beer at home.

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X2. Trucking, I used the same gear downhill as I would need to get up that hill. Now days you will get runover. I slow down at the top and let the vehicle run to my max speed, brake down 20 mph or so, repeat. I don't use much brake in a light vehicle when not towing....James

I have always been a compression driver... let the motor be your brakes every chance you get. My Yvonne on the other hand is replacing brake pads... and rotors about every three or four months.

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I'm surprised that no one mentioned the loss of steering control when going downhill on muddy or snow & ice covered hills when using your brakes hard. Using engine braking (I'm thinking rear wheel drive) or emergency brakes lets you slow down and still have some steering control.

would be somewhat diff answers for diff road conditions-transmissions........if it is mud-snow-or ice you could get hurt.............

And another thing to think of is speed choice. The faster you're going down the hill, the more energy you have to dissipate per unit of time. This means more braking or over-reving the engine. If you've driven in the mountains, thats why they have speed limits down around 45mph or less for the big trucks. The engine can only slow you down so much. If you're going down the hill faster than that, you'll just accelerate. If you hit the top of the hill doing 70mph, your going to use a lot of brakes to keep your speed down. If you start at a more reasonable speed, you have a chance to let the engine slow you down.

As for using more clutch while using the engine, as long as you don't slip the clutch, it uses no more than a simple up shift. Depending on the automatic transmission, most will rev the engine if they're put in 1 or 2.

Michael

Thanks everyone - We would be using an automatic car. Both are older suburbans. We want to drive slowly since most of the time the boys will be pulling a trailer with tools. The road is a typical Western NC curving and winding around steep road. No problem getting up it - the concern is: How to properly drive coming down hill in order to try and not burn up the brakes or burn up the transmission.

We are not worried about ice and snow right now. Will save that for next winter. For now, the worry is whether to drive it in 1st or 2nd gear or just burn up the brakes. Yesterday, we tried just using the brakes and that was really making a burning smell.

Now, having read all the tips and advice above, next time we will shift to 2nd gear and give that a try.

Thank you everyone.

Thanks to cause well I needed the leason.

Having spent twenty five years pulling people out of escape roads on Exmoor England, I know how quickly brake fluid boils, especially if the fluid hasn't been changed for a year or two. When that happens, it's a very frightening experience. Depending on the gradient and the speed you start at, the fluid can boil in as little as 100yds.
Set your transmission in 2nd and move down the hill at a steady speed. Cadence your brakes to control your speed. Don't just press and hold.

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I seldom see many grades steep and long enough to need to downshift with just the weight of a car. Cars just aren't heavy enough to cause a problem in most normal circumstances. Now when heavily loaded or pulling a trailer that's a whole different story. You should always be downshifting when towing large amounts of weight. Ask any truck driver.

My two cents. I live at the top of hill that climbs about 1000 feet in two miles- the road has no shoulders and 200 ft drops on both sides.
I have replaced both a transmission and brakes. The brakes are cheaper.
I do both- I keep in in a lower gear until it seems that it is straining. Then I brake for a few seconds and let it build back up.
There have been a few times when I practiced rounding curves (did I mention the hair pin curves?) at the edge of good sense. But I was fortunate enough to survive long enough to see that the thrill is gone.
Do both.

Here's one not far from you where you'll see and smell cars with burning brakes. I-68 in western MD heading towards Morgantown, 5 and 6% grades. I'm not saying you can't do it with just brakes, just that the wear and tear of brakes only isn't worth it.

We have to go back to the house with the steep drive and road next week. Will give the 2nd gear a try and also go slower and try to use the brakes as little of possible.

Thank you everyone.

I've run acrossed the 68 Cumberland Hwy in a fully loaded semi with no engine brake so yes I'm familar with the hill. It's a mighty big challenge for a heavy big rig but still not really that hard for a car. I'm not saying it hurts to downshift an auto just not really a neccesity. Now if I hadn't downshifted the truck I wouldn't have lived to see the next hill.