2019 Cross country RV trip planning

chineselady00 wrote:
Hi, Lyle

Thanks. So we are in the same camp “ not enough truck “ :) We struggled before we bought it and asked lots of people at that time. But so far, I think it met our expectation, don’t regret my decision.

Well, since you're locked in to the 150, then I'll pass on a couple tips for a gasser. First, on uphill grades, don't be afraid to rev it up. Most v-8 gas engines make their max horsepower at 4,000-5,000 rpm; USE it. When you get on a grade, don't worry about speed, but drive by RPM. Find the speed and gear at which your truck will hold that RPM without you having to floor it. You'll notice that the engine will stop either trying to lug or you have to mash your foot to the floor to keep it there. Just back off, manually select that gear and just hold the RPM steady until the grade changes. You'll also get slightly better mileage, as a bonus. Second, on downhills, start out SLOWLY (within reason) and try and let the engine help with braking as much as possible, by manually downshifting. When that's not enough, then stab the brakes pretty hard to slow down to well below your "target speed", then let it coast on the engine, while your brakes cool off. Never, EVER, just ride your brakes or you'll get into serious trouble. If you ever feel that you're not braking enough, stop and let things cool off for a while. Better safe than sorry! E-blinkers are appropriate in both cases, just like the semis do.

Lyle