Eastern KY to Williamsburg VA - MOUNTAINS?

I left one post on the route to take from Ashland, Ky to Williamsburg. I just want to further say, you will have no problem going across WV on the interstate. Just don't get in a habit of riding your brakes. If you need to keep the speed down, either let your Tow Haul do the downshifting, which increases engine speed which will naturally keep the speed down.

If the tow haul doesn't do enough slowing, then selectively down shift. You will be ok.

Don't let it scare you. As said above just take it easy. One consultation may be that the grades are not that long. That means less time for things to get out of hand. Just use your tranny, watch your tach and let the truck do the work. Enjoy the ride, there is some really beautiful scenery around there

flguppie wrote:
Should I start the decent in a lower gear by manually shifting it to 3 or 2nd before starting the decent and having tow haul turned on? Keeping it in 3 or 2nd gear all the way down (and if so, which is best) Or will leaving it in D (drive) and not starting out fast and relying on the tow haul to keep it geared down?

Does yours have the lock-out capability? We have the same truck from 2011 and it allows me, using a small toggle on the shift arm, to lock-out gears as needed or to put it in "manual auto" and select which gear I want to be in. When descending hills there is no one gear that works best, you just have to go by the feel of the vehicle and gear down as needed. You can use the brakes, but do not ride them - brake firmly to slow about 10mph, then if you find that you are accelerating too quickly, brake firmly again to drop 10mph and down shift to allow the transmission to work a bit more to control your speed. Keep an eye on your transmission temperature too. If you just can't control your speed without braking a lot and the transmission temp is getting high you need to drive slower in general - stay in the right lane, put your blinkers on if needed, and keep your speed down.

Don't worry about the posted speed limit. Most people don't know (or perhaps care) that there are two speed limits on highways - an upper and a lower, and just because the upper is posted at 65 or 70 does not mean that all traffic on the road must drive at least that speed. Stick to the right lane and let people with 15b shoes worry about what's going on in the show-off lane.

There are quite a few threads on how to control speed on steep grades, and many of them go into more detail that I posted here. You might want to read a bit on that, and also review your owners manual (you can read them online if you no longer have yours) on how to use the tow/haul features, manual gear selection, etc. There is a lot of good info in the manual and the best part is that it's specific to your vehicle ;)

It's not all that bad, honestly, just pay attention and don't make sudden or severe corrections. I've logged 1.4 million miles driving all manner of large vehicles and if I can mange the old US-60 route at night in heavy rain, you can deal with I-64 in a modern truck without earning any new grey hairs!

- R

Thanks everyone. We will give the I-64 route a go.

I haven't tried this trailer in mountains before. It is 6000 lbs and I have a 2010 F-150, auto with tow haul and integrated brake controller, but no exhaust brake. Going up isn't a problem as it has th 5.4L engine, I'll just go up slow if necessary, but down raises a question.....people always say start out in a lower gear, but the truck is an automatic....

Should I start the decent in a lower gear by manually shifting it to 3 or 2nd before starting the decent and having tow haul turned on? Keeping it in 3 or 2nd gear all the way down (and if so, which is best) Or will leaving it in D (drive) and not starting out fast and relying on the tow haul to keep it geared down?

I know I want to stay off the brake as much as possible and just brake and release as needed.

Thanks again for all the help and suggestions.

This past September, we drove I64 from Richmond, VA to St. Louis. Yep there're some steep grades, but no problems with the exhaust brake doing 99% of the work. Just took it slow and avoided night driving through WVA on the way but had to do some on the way back and glad we stopped at Buckley travel plaza, 'cause that leg east of there is pretty curvy to say the least ;)

Unless you take a MAJOR detour, you will not get to Williamsburg without going through the mountains!

Thousands of large trucks do it everyday, you just need to get in the right hand lane and go. Be alert to the speed warning signs for the downhills, curves and other road hazards.

To alter a little from what Atlee said, if you get to Richmond, VA and it is after 6 pm or during non-working, weekend hours, just take I-64 straight on through downtown Richmond. It will save you about 30 minutes and traffic is usually not too bad. If there is a wreck, all of that goes out the window.

Once you get used to traveling in the mountains, it's a piece of cake, just don't get too over-confident and start rolling too fast.

Is there even a route OTHER than I-64?

I suppose you could take US 60, but having been that way in the past, I can tell you you won't like it.

I-64 certainly goes over the mountains, with a few 6% slopes, but there is no route of any sort that doesn't go over the mountains, unless, perhaps, you wanted to go via Orlando.

Just get on I-64 and go all the way to Williamsburg, VA. At Charleston, WV, I-64 runs concurrent with I-77. It is also the West Virginia Turnpike and has two toll booths between Charleston and Beckley, WV. At Beckley, WV I-64 & I-77 split.

At Lexington, VA, I-64 turns north and runs concurrent with I-81 until just before Staunton, VA. Just before Staunton, I-64 turns east again and goes to Williamsburg.

When you get near Richmond, in western Henrico Co, you should take I-295 which is a beltway around Richmond. In eastern Henrico, you get back on I-64.

I would never take anything but an interstate through WV.