1996 F53 460 thor residency... Which gear on steep hills
Hello, getting ready to head south in 1996 F53 460 thor residency... Which gear should i use on steep hills on i75. Should I turn overdrive off? I'm also towing a car. Thanks
Forum Discussion
Had the same year/chassis as you. What I learnt is the 460 likes 2,400 RPM's cruising and 3,000 - 3,500 climbing. I would tow in overdrive and would never have an issue on the flats with normal wind.
As someone else said the only real time you need to downshift is either to control your descent (poor man's engine brake) or to stop the transmission from "hunting" for the right gear (climbing.)When the transmission jumps in and out of gear the fluid heats up and this is what causes failure.
I found that the rig does a very good job of shifting when it need too and staying in that gear for the right amount of time. I did find that it helps greatly to charge down hills and use the momentum to climb the next one (i.e. 70 down, 50 up.) Of course cruise control needs to be turned off.
As someone else said the only real time you need to downshift is either to control your descent (poor man's engine brake) or to stop the transmission from "hunting" for the right gear (climbing.)When the transmission jumps in and out of gear the fluid heats up and this is what causes failure.
I found that the rig does a very good job of shifting when it need too and staying in that gear for the right amount of time. I did find that it helps greatly to charge down hills and use the momentum to climb the next one (i.e. 70 down, 50 up.) Of course cruise control needs to be turned off.
