How important is the exhaust brake?
I'm a flatlander from the gulf coast. I've only been out west once but I loved it and want to go back. I've looked at several smaller class c or class b+ rigs. Some are gas and some are diesel. Found ...
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Not a Class-C owner here, but my Chevy truck has Exhaust Brakes. First truck I've ever used them with. Indiana is pretty much flat, but does have it's hills, especially Southern Indiana, and have made several trips to Florida now over the hills of Virginia, NC, Georgia, and so on.
I will say, I love it! It's not so noticeable when NOT towing, but when towing it really saves on using brakes. Of course, the less you push on the brakes, the less wear there is on the brake pads and rotors. The Exhaust Brake will keep the engine from racing when going down hill. It will also keep the gears from shifting up. It will also help hold the speed steady. When you do need to push the brakes, it will slow the vehicle down, causing a down-shift and then the speed will hold in the gear, .... meaning ... you don't have to push the brakes so hard.
Now, granted, you can do the same thing by simply down-shifting manually, but that means applying the brakes enough to slow the vehicle down so you can get it to down-shift to the next lower gear. Exhaust brake will kind of do the same thing.
So, in the end, it's really a nice feature, I think something copied from the big rig 18 wheelers. I love mine, and when I actually have to use it, it's great! But the other 90% of the time, it never engages. But when towing, I automatically flip on Tow Mode and Exhaust brake. On the interstates I can flip on cruise and never have to touch any floor peddles, it holds the speed and brakes too. Sweet ride when it does that!
It's all a matter of what you really want. But, I promise, once you've had it, you'll never want to give it up, even on flat land driving.
I will say, I love it! It's not so noticeable when NOT towing, but when towing it really saves on using brakes. Of course, the less you push on the brakes, the less wear there is on the brake pads and rotors. The Exhaust Brake will keep the engine from racing when going down hill. It will also keep the gears from shifting up. It will also help hold the speed steady. When you do need to push the brakes, it will slow the vehicle down, causing a down-shift and then the speed will hold in the gear, .... meaning ... you don't have to push the brakes so hard.
Now, granted, you can do the same thing by simply down-shifting manually, but that means applying the brakes enough to slow the vehicle down so you can get it to down-shift to the next lower gear. Exhaust brake will kind of do the same thing.
So, in the end, it's really a nice feature, I think something copied from the big rig 18 wheelers. I love mine, and when I actually have to use it, it's great! But the other 90% of the time, it never engages. But when towing, I automatically flip on Tow Mode and Exhaust brake. On the interstates I can flip on cruise and never have to touch any floor peddles, it holds the speed and brakes too. Sweet ride when it does that!
It's all a matter of what you really want. But, I promise, once you've had it, you'll never want to give it up, even on flat land driving.
