Steep grades
Are there steep grades from Denver to San Francisco, to o dangerous for a 40 foot Tiffin bus with tow. How are the grades from in and around Alaska? How are the grades from Alaska to Yellowstone National Park?
Forum Discussion
- Hard to pass Sierra without hitting some grades, but it is westbound I80 coming down to Salt Lake City, where I have computer showing 99.9 mpg while doing 80 mph (in the car)
The 10 miles grade takes pushing the brake to stay below 80 mph.
Just make sure your cooling system is performing.
I did the 12,000 + ft elevation in Colorado in Bounder with 454 engine. Not without vapor lock from overheat, but I made it. - Answering "can I safely drive this road" is always a tough question.
It depends on TWO things:
1. The equipment-- assuming it is properly maintained, likely not a problem.
2. AND MORE IMPORTANT-- the driver. Mountain driving in a heavy vehicle is very different than in a car. It does have a learning curve to it and the speed with which it is learned depends to a large extent on how well you "feel" the machinery. Knowing what gear and use of engine brake by looking at a grade is a LEARNED thing. Knowing when you have pulled a long steep grade and KNOW that you will need to gear down to avoid overheating is a LEARNED thing.
We have all gone through the learning curve (unless we only drive flat lands), but it is best to start out on the "bunny slope", not the black slope.
