Long grades in the Appalachian's

ScottG wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:

ScottG wrote:
Or flip a switch and smile all the way down the hill knowing your service brakes are cool and ready for any situation.

What switch is he supposed to flip, since he doesn't have an exhaust brake?

If it's a rare event to be going thru steep grades like this, it's an expensive upgrade for something that decent driving skills can handle without an issue.

I suggested an EB in an earlier post - that's the switch.
I go through steep grades like that on almost every trip, and EB is the best mod I have ever installed.
The most "decent" driver in the world cannot keep his brakes from getting hot with repeated brake activation's on a long grade. Is it an "issue"? depends on how you look at it. A heavy load will not be held back by a diesel engines compression alone so one must stab the brakes on occasion or at the very least, wind the eng up form more compression braking. This means a noisy trip down the hill and wear to the eng and brakes. Using the brakes at all makes them warm, keeping them from maximum performance in the event of an emergency stop.
An EB solves the problem and that's probably why every new HD diesel has one.
And it's not just great in the hills, they're useful for every stop.
So far I've not heard one compelling argument against it and that's probably why every new HD diesel has one. Anyone who has ever towed with one would not ever go back.

If you are towing the mountains regualary especially on narrow 2lane/2way roads, an exhaust brake can be justified. On a freeway with a relatively short grade that is only taken on rare occasions, it's tough to justify the expense when other techniques work fine.

So I assume you have retrofit your passenger cars have exhaust brakes also, since any cost for the slightest increase in safety is worth it?