2018 Cummins Engine Brake

TH mode when towing pretty much eliminates all lugging. Non TH mode for normal driving there shouldn't be any lugging. Maybe some turbo lag and sluggishness but it's not really lugging IMO.
At least thats the way it was with my 12 Cummins.

At one time the definition of "lugging" an engine was a situation where the vehicle will not gain speed even under heavy throttle because of an unwarranted load placed on it, usually caused by too much weight for the gear it's in.

It is surprising that one can get the engine to "lug" when it is attached to an automatic transmission. You'd think the tranny would not allow this by going to lower gears.

I can see why a manufacturer would not want any lugging, especially in today's world that has particulate filters. I'm sure lugging would not be conducive to keeping particulate production low.

I have a 2007 6.7L. First year it came out. I do not use EB or TH around town. It causes extremely harsh downshifts at low speeds. On highway I use EB which works very well when towing. Makes it easy to coast down steep grades without using brakes. I manually shift gears as necessary rather than use TH.

The first few years of the 6.7L has major issues with the emissions systems. The result was sooted up turbos. Dodge recommended running EB frequently as it would keep the turbos slides wiped and less likely to foul up. I had my turbo replaced 3 times in the first 20,000 miles. I believe Dodge finally worked out the issues with lots of parts replaced and new programming. Am now at 115,000 miles with no issues since.

With my old Hardway tune, mine would go all the way down to 1000 rpm and still have enough power to move the truck up slight hills in 6th. Of course it was only about a 20-30% load and any more then that would cause a downshift.

Wild Card wrote:

spoon059 wrote:

Rocknita wrote:
OP said his son doesn’t tow or haul and most everyone is giving advice about using TH and full EB.

If you read the manual for the Cummins, it specifically tells you no to operate in a manner that causes the engine to lug. However, the way the transmission shifts in "normal" mode, it will settle into 6th gear at 30 mph if you aren't towing... lugging the engine. If you put your truck into T/H mode, it won't allow the truck to lug the engine.

The "problem" with Ram is that they designed the truck to work all the time. That's why they recommend 60 psi front and 80 psi rear all the time. That's why you cannot change the TPMS settings anymore. They expect people to have this truck under load all the time. When under load, it won't lug. When NOT under load, it will lug if you allow it to do so.

That is why people are recommended T/H, regardless of whether or not you are towing or hauling.

EB is a matter of choice and depends how you drive. In stop and go traffic, I put it on full. Anytime I take my foot off the accelerator it is because I need to slow down. On the highway I put it on auto, because I might just need to coast at times and don't always need to scrub as much speed.

Either way, most Cummins owners use T/H and EB the vast majority of the time, regardless of the weight being moved.

You can not lug this engine in an auto trans truck. 35 in 6th gear is not lugging.

I can lug mine. I could lug my 13 also. I have seen 1100 rpm in 2nd and 3rd with my foot on the floor.

TH keeps the engine in a better rpm for instant acceleration with out bogging down to up shift. Also TH keeps line pressures in Trans up for longer life.

You WILL get better mileage with TH and EB off. Not worth it to me!

Lynnmor wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:
While an exhaust brake will certainly save the brakes, keep in mind that just the rear tires are doing all the braking work and wear will increase, especially while towing heavy.

I'm thinking NO. More weight = more traction!

I don't rotate tires as much as I should and see the rears wear much faster than the front. That small pair of tire patch on the road does all the work with an exhaust brake.

If you don't rotate your rear tire wear is from taking off on a corner. I have 4.10's and the rears don't wear any faster than the fronts as I don't rotate front to back. I run tH and EB ALL the time also tow about 1/2 miles with 5,700# pin weight.

MeAgain's 01 was a different animal!

I would think that four tires on the rear would have less of the braking tire wear than a truck with just two.

SRW’s have hunch wider tires.

I rode in a buddy's 2014 3500 Cummins/68 combo recently and was surprised how poorly his exhaust brake performed compared to the one in my G56 equipped truck. I asked him why he doesn't run in Tow/Haul mode and he said that he can't stand the harsh shifting of the transmission in this mode so he rarely uses the exhaust brake around town.

I use mine all the time in Full mode and love how it works down to just below 1,000 RPM. It works fantastic even creeping around hilly campgrounds in 1st gear with the 16k fiver in tow. :)

In the city, I rarely have to shift out of 5th gear if I watch traffic because the truck will easily lug down to around 15 mph and pull out of it in 5th without touching the brakes. :B

Learjet wrote:

Wild Card wrote:

garyp4951 wrote:
I agree Lynnmor, I recently returned from a 4k trip, and at 10k on the truck, the rears are worn more than the front.

If your truck has stock tires be prepared to put new on around the 20k mark.

I have right at 20k on my 2017 and my Nexans look like they are easily good for another 20k.

I have read this before....maybe they had some bad years in the past?

Majic number is 25k with tread seperation.

spoon059 wrote:

Rocknita wrote:
OP said his son doesn’t tow or haul and most everyone is giving advice about using TH and full EB.

If you read the manual for the Cummins, it specifically tells you no to operate in a manner that causes the engine to lug. However, the way the transmission shifts in "normal" mode, it will settle into 6th gear at 30 mph if you aren't towing... lugging the engine. If you put your truck into T/H mode, it won't allow the truck to lug the engine.

The "problem" with Ram is that they designed the truck to work all the time. That's why they recommend 60 psi front and 80 psi rear all the time. That's why you cannot change the TPMS settings anymore. They expect people to have this truck under load all the time. When under load, it won't lug. When NOT under load, it will lug if you allow it to do so.

That is why people are recommended T/H, regardless of whether or not you are towing or hauling.

EB is a matter of choice and depends how you drive. In stop and go traffic, I put it on full. Anytime I take my foot off the accelerator it is because I need to slow down. On the highway I put it on auto, because I might just need to coast at times and don't always need to scrub as much speed.

Either way, most Cummins owners use T/H and EB the vast majority of the time, regardless of the weight being moved.

You can not lug this engine in an auto trans truck. 35 in 6th gear is not lugging.