dodge brakes

There are a few manufacturers that make aftermarket brake rotors that are larger than stock. The modification is fairly easy with the caliper mount moving the caliper further out from the center of the hub. You could also go with very high end disks and calipers although that would be a few thousand.

However, I'd consider different/better pads, higher rated brake fluid (probably DOT4), along with stainless brake lines, first. These last mods are similar to what people do for sports cars to prevent fade.

As others have noted, you can also add a exhaust brake if it doesn't have one and it is a diesel.

Just for clarification, a 25% grade means there is 25 feet of vertical for every 100 feet of horizontal road. Road grade is in terms of length of rise(or drop) per length of horizontal distance.

Degrees, however, are a trig calculation.
A 25% grade is a 14 degree slope.
A 100% grade is a 45 degree slope.

Try this; draw two lines perpendicular, a right angle as it were, of the same lengths. Now connect the ends. This triangle has three sides; X is the horizontal, Y is the vertical and the slope is the gradient.
If both sides, vertical and horizontal are the same length and at 90 degrees to each other, then you have a 45 degree slope and a 100% grade.
For the 25% grade, the horizontal road would be 100 feet and the vertical rise would be 25 feet. See? Not so steep when you look at it actually.

BigFoot wrote:
Sonora pass has long sections of 25%+

BigFoot:

I was able to find the section of the "Sonora Pass" that was the worst: 18.9% grade (this section only a hand-full of meters long). Typically, the Sonora Pass is in the 7% average range, with very short sections at 15~18% max (really, really short: just 67 to 264.2 feet driving length!). No mile+ sections anywhere I could find greater than 7~10%. I literally went through every meter of the Sonora Pass using USGS's best SRTM/NED elevation models, with the latest roads TIGER line SHP file, and nothing greater than 18.9% on the Sonora Pass route...can you give me a GPS coord for the 25%+ section(s) ? Or any GPS coord for a 25%+ section on that drive? 18.9% is pretty impressive indeed, but I still want that 1, 2, 4 mile 25% + to plan a drive there, NOT a 100 foot 18.9% experience :)

Anyone out there have this data?

Driving the "steepies" :

we, using the gasser, use low gear, and tap the brake every so often (total weight with camper: a bit over 8400# (light weight pop-up), we have tow-haul, and low 4, too if needed on gravel), and even stop truck and get out for a stroll to cool down the works...why not? the scenery is usually great!

S-

No firkin way I am going down that with a TC on truck.

But haven said that had a chance to check my set up really down hill
Put truck in TH mold at 80k and away I when
By bottom of hill with A brake and truck shifting down to 3rd all automatic with ford , I did nothing but steer.
I was right on 80k at bottom of hill.

Very impressed with my new F350 that is for sure

The OP needs to come back and provide more details. Till then I am tempted to call BS.

A 16% grade is a long way from a 25% grade and then add it being a dirt road on top of it. Not buying it! A graveled road at least has stones to anchor the dirt somewhat and provide some added tire grip but still washes away quickly in rains. The slightest rain or water flowing down a 25% grade would wash the dirt away in minutes. Tires would skid down a 25% dirt grade with the approx 3000 lb weight of a TC on the back pushing it. Brakes would be useless as all they would do is prevent the skidding wheels from turning.

We've off-roaded in the steep glacial moraines and ravines dirt jeep trails in the 532,000 acre Manistee National forest where we've own acreage for over 30 years and know what a 25% grade is like even with a 4 wheel drive unloaded deep lug tires on jeeps and Geo Trackers. No way could a pickup with a heavy TC on it go up a 25% grade of dirt or even attempt going down for over a quarter mile distance of straight road as the vehicle would become totally uncontrollable with the locked up not rotating front tires. Unsteerable! Come here and I will show you and watch you gasp! They are usually our snowmobile hill climbs and motorcycle dirt bike hill climbs. About 20 miles away is Sliver Lakes dunes and the dune buggies and they know what it takes and what it's like to go up and down steep dirt and/or sand hils. Very special built and a light as possible with a big and wide a lugged tire as possible aired down to 15-25 PSI.

Ever see what even slow flowing water does to even well graveled roads with a 3% grade? Road crews struggle to barely keep them usable!

Going down to Pittsburg Landing on the Snake River is 16% for 6 miles, graveled dirt road. Pulling a 7000lb jetboat down that road required 4-low, and if you had surge brakes you had to lock them out with a bolt at the top. Sitting in the campgrounds at the bottom I saw many sets of brakes smoking. Once saw a guy come down the road, and backed his boat right in the water, shatter all four brake drums on the trailer.
I smoked a set of brakes on a mid-90's F250 by coming down a steep dirt road with the camper. (lighter one than I have now). Boiled all the fluid out of the master cylinder too. I would guess the OP didn't use 4-low, (if available).

CumminsDriver wrote:
The current automatics don't lock the torque converter in first gear...

My '05 (same 48RE trans as the OP's '06) can lock the TC in every gear including first... at any engine RPM and any wheel speed.
-Mark

silversand wrote:

Travelnutz wrote:
An actual 25% grade for 4 miles total distance? Unfortunately, I question that part of the OP's statement!

....me, too. The steepest grades built on the Western half of the United States are from 5% to 7% (in Alaska, there are gravel mountain grades attaining 12%, called Dalton Atigun, however it is only 12% for 2 miles, and extremely washboarded almost beyond driveabilty!).

Interestingly, the Eastern half of the USA has the absolutely steepest roads in the Lower 48; for example the Whiteface Mountain road (fairly nearby to us) is about 10% for an 8 mile stretch; and also Mount Washington carriage road (also fairly nearby to us, I've driven this numerous times at an astounding 11.6% grade for a few several mile stretches; there are dozens of vehicles with smoking brakes littering this road at any given time of day!)

Where is that ~4 mile long 25% grade gravel road ? What is its USGS road number designation? I want to check it out (1st hand with our camper; we've done a lot of the "steepest roads" including our driveway {at over 30%!}, and filmed the endeavors).

S-

Sonora pass has long sections of 25%+

The pass, 155 Evans rd over the Serria's near Lake Isabella is 17%+

My old f250 5 spd 4:11 gears with our BF on the back went down this without much brake assistance. Just compression and low gears.

Reddog1 has a 96 ( I think) Dodge/cummin's, auto with 3:56 gears... I would not want to see him go down that hill. He use to have a gearvendor (or the other make) "underdrive:.. That worked well with his exhaust brake. The underdrive gave up so he has the stock ratio's now.

Sonora Pass:
http://www.chainreactionbicycles.com/sonora_pass.htm

Jim

PS: Down the west side of the Big Horns from Burgess Junction the grade is 10% for 10 miles (drops 3600' I guess) so for stretches it might be 12%



Been down that one a few times. Thankfully the road isn't dipping as much as the formations