Effect of weight on braking for trucks.
Instead of further morphing the other thread, I thought it would be interesting to discuss the effect of weight and speed for trucks since we obviously increase our weight when we add TCs. Obviousl...
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If you are the kind of driver who primarily relies on the brakes to stop you will probably have problems, particularly if hauling a TC. Many people do not seem to know you can coast a vehicle. They have their foot on either the accelerator or the brake at all times. I can let off the accelerator nearly a mile from my driveway at 55 MPH and still be doing about 40 MPH at my drive way because it is downhill. I typically also engage tow/haul mode to allow the transmission to downshift and help slow the vehicle. I barely need to use the brakes to come to a stop.
I bought my 2005 Chevy dually new, it's a work truck and is always hauling, towing, or both. When I carried my TC the whole rig was about 13,000 pounds, 1,6000 over the GVWR. The factory rear brake pads lasted until 185,000 miles.
I don't even have an exhaust brake. I would suspect that a modern diesel with an exhaust brake would need the brakes even less.
We have a lot of mountains in my area. I always gear down for the grades and don't use the brakes that much. It's not uncommon to follow someone in a car who rides the brakes all the way down the mountain.
You have to be careful telling people they should get a diesel because it will help them slow down better. This is not at all true. A diesel engine has less engine braking then a gas engine. That's the whole reason exhaust brakes were invented but not all diesels come with them. Even in new vehicles it's mostly heavy duty trucks that have them. Vans, compact trucks, and SUVs with diesel engines often don't have exhaust brakes.
I bought my 2005 Chevy dually new, it's a work truck and is always hauling, towing, or both. When I carried my TC the whole rig was about 13,000 pounds, 1,6000 over the GVWR. The factory rear brake pads lasted until 185,000 miles.
I don't even have an exhaust brake. I would suspect that a modern diesel with an exhaust brake would need the brakes even less.
We have a lot of mountains in my area. I always gear down for the grades and don't use the brakes that much. It's not uncommon to follow someone in a car who rides the brakes all the way down the mountain.
You have to be careful telling people they should get a diesel because it will help them slow down better. This is not at all true. A diesel engine has less engine braking then a gas engine. That's the whole reason exhaust brakes were invented but not all diesels come with them. Even in new vehicles it's mostly heavy duty trucks that have them. Vans, compact trucks, and SUVs with diesel engines often don't have exhaust brakes.
