Mountain Towing
Looking for advice on towing in the mountains. I live in western VA and just bought a brand new 1971 Safari Airstream. I currently own a 06 Silverado with a 5.3l engine which is rated at 7,700 lbs. ...
Forum Discussion
What works for me:
Figure out where the power band is for your engine (RPMs). Put the RPMs there at the bottom of the hill, and keep them more-or-less there - this will mean slowing down some as you climb and the TV downshifts, but you'll be surprised how minimal that can be if you stay in the power band.
At the top, don't immediately speed up, let gravity do it for you on the way down. Chances are you'll climb it in 3rd. Leave it in 3rd going back down so that engine friction does some of the work of slowing you down (to avoid using the brakes). If you do have to brake, use a heavy foot and slow down 10 mph below the speed limit, then let gravity work your speed back up again. That will give the brakes time to cool before you have to use them again.
Figure out where the power band is for your engine (RPMs). Put the RPMs there at the bottom of the hill, and keep them more-or-less there - this will mean slowing down some as you climb and the TV downshifts, but you'll be surprised how minimal that can be if you stay in the power band.
At the top, don't immediately speed up, let gravity do it for you on the way down. Chances are you'll climb it in 3rd. Leave it in 3rd going back down so that engine friction does some of the work of slowing you down (to avoid using the brakes). If you do have to brake, use a heavy foot and slow down 10 mph below the speed limit, then let gravity work your speed back up again. That will give the brakes time to cool before you have to use them again.
