Huntindog
Phoenix AZ
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spoon059 wrote:Grit dog wrote:I’m curious what an “engine brake” looks like on a 7.3 or any gasser for that fact. Is it connected to the muffler bearings or the blinker fluid pump?
To the OP, yeah…..no. Not unless you want less towing capacity and less stopping ability and less mileage all while pulling a much bigger trailer a bunch of miles (in the future according to your last query).
Such a huge step backwards, exaggerated by what you plan on doing w the truck. Idk, don’t make any sense to me.
Looking at TFL's video, the Cummins required 10 brake taps coming down the hill and the 7.3 gas required 10 brake taps coming down the hill. I know that TFL intentionally didn't put the truck in T/H mode, which would have made the EB much more aggressive. Makes me wonder what the 7.3 will do in T/H or with some minor driver input.
A new 350 would give me MORE tow capacity than my 2015 Ram. It is nice using the EB, but it sounds like the engine braking capability of the big gasser is decent (but admittedly nowhere near the EB). I won't be in a race, so I'm not dying to get another diesel. But again... I don't know what I'm doing just yet! I do not think much of TFLs exhaust brake reviews.
They have a narrow set of "rules" for it. If the truck doesn't fare well under their rules, it gets a bad score...The do not read the manuals to see how each trucks EB is setup to work. One can quibble about not liking how a trucks EB is setup to work, but they should not be penalizing such trucks for poor perfarmance, when if operated according to their manuals the results are fine.
Huntindog
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Me Again
AZ - Summer in NW WA
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spoon059 wrote:Me Again wrote:Why get rid of a 2015 RAM? I loved my Laramie and would have kept it if I had know how quickly my wife of 40 years was going to step off the planet. ALS is a terrible disease.
My Ram is an 8 year old Tradesman, with awful stock seats that are murder on my back and butt for longer drives. I'm thinking my next truck might need to be a dually (but not sure yet). I currently have a company vehicle that I can drive for work and around town, but I retire from my current job in less than 3 years. I've got my next job lined up, which is fully remote but will require me driving my truck more.
When I retire from this job, we are hoping to do longer trips and staying at destinations longer. I'll have the time to go slower up the big mountains, and I'll be spending more time at the beach or lake and driving the truck to the supermarket, etc.
At this point I'm just doing my due diligence. I got fussed at in another thread for planning ahead, but I'm a planner. I might determine that a gas engine just won't work for my towing needs, but until I do the research, I just don't know... you know?
Yeah, I drove a couple tradesman's before buying the Laramie. And the seats were like setting on an apple crate! Short term go get seats out of a higher trim level. Our Laramie had bucket seats with the full center console and we loved it for traveling back and forth between Wa and Az. 2015 to 2021.
Now a tidbit #1 rule from "me Again", go into retirement with paid off newer vehicles, RVs and other toys.
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valhalla360
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That's on the border of the weight range where I would be looking to upgrade to diesel. Yes, the gas engine can do it and engine braking will work but you are going to notice the deference.
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JRscooby
Indepmo
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Grit dog wrote:I’m curious what an “engine brake” looks like on a 7.3 or any gasser for that fact. Is it connected to the muffler bearings or the blinker fluid pump?
To the OP, yeah…..no. Not unless you want less towing capacity and less stopping ability and less mileage all while pulling a much bigger trailer a bunch of miles (in the future according to your last query).
Such a huge step backwards, exaggerated by what you plan on doing w the truck. Idk, don’t make any sense to me.
I know you don't like hearing from me, but maybe somebody will learn. About 3rd grade, I learned to drop the WD 45 out of road gear on the downhill with hay wagons, because brakes worked better for steering than stopping.
On a spark fired engine, engine speed is controlled by by controlling the amount of air going in. Fuel is added to use what airflow is available. Compression fired, (Diesel) speed is controlled by the amount of fuel put in, and air flows free or is pumped in as needed to burn the fuel.
Gas engine, when not pulling, air flow is near stopped. Drop a gear, force engine to spin faster than air flowing in will allow, and the vehicle slows. Back in the day, we called it compression braking, but it is really vacuum between piston and throttle plate.
OTOH, start down hill with diesel, you cut the fuel but the only thing that slows the engine/vehicle is friction. But because this would likely be a safety issue, they add "Exhaust Brake", restrict air leaving the engine.
I have never seen a comparison, side by each, like load, gearing, and displacement, how much better it works to hold air in, compared to holding it out. But I will never forget my first day I put my diesel to work. Friday, pulling out of quarry, grossing 110,000. The 427 GMC would drop down the grade, don't brake until on scale. Monday, 855 CID, come down hill in low gear, and can't get stopped on scale.
30 years latter, guy running that scale declared he would refuse to give bills to any driver that used Jake on hill. Quarry manager called me to find out why trucks where not hauling. Policy did not last 2 hours.
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spoon059
Just north of D.C.
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Huntindog wrote:I do not think much of TFLs exhaust brake reviews.
They have a narrow set of "rules" for it. If the truck doesn't fare well under their rules, it gets a bad score...The do not read the manuals to see how each trucks EB is setup to work. One can quibble about not liking how a trucks EB is setup to work, but they should not be penalizing such trucks for poor perfarmance, when if operated according to their manuals the results are fine.
Agree 100%. It's a baseline at best. It at least shows that the 7.3 with engine braking easily shows it mangaging 16,000 lbs going downhill. I'm sure real world use with T/H and possibly manual shifting would fare better.
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spoon059
Just north of D.C.
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Me Again wrote:Now a tidbit #1 rule from "me Again", go into retirement with paid off newer vehicles, RVs and other toys.
Agree. I'm retiring from career #1 at 45 years old. I'll still be working at least another 10-15 years though. I'm hoping my next truck might be my last truck,
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Lantley
Ellicott City, Maryland
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spoon059 wrote:Me Again wrote:Now a tidbit #1 rule from "me Again", go into retirement with paid off newer vehicles, RVs and other toys.
Agree. I'm retiring from career #1 at 45 years old. I'll still be working at least another 10-15 years though. I'm hoping my next truck might be my last truck,
But your really not retiring from the work force your just changing jobs. Granted you maybe getting a pension of some sort, but I imagine your income will increase not decrease. None of the going into retirement $$$ stuff really applies.
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Me Again
AZ - Summer in NW WA
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Huntindog wrote:
I do not think much of TFLs exhaust brake reviews.
They have a narrow set of "rules" for it. If the truck doesn't fare well under their rules, it gets a bad score...The do not read the manuals to see how each trucks EB is setup to work. One can quibble about not liking how a trucks EB is setup to work, but they should not be penalizing such trucks for poor performance, when if operated according to their manuals the results are fine.
I agree. I towed at 24,500 combined with my 2015 RAM 3500 and always ran the exhaust brake in that manual mode and selected my descent gear myself and seldom had to use my service brakes. We are talking Western states and many passes to cross. The thing about relying on the truck to do it all, is it does that have eyes and the ability to see and process what is occurring up ahead.
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valhalla360
No paticular place.
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Me Again wrote:Huntindog wrote:
I do not think much of TFLs exhaust brake reviews.
They have a narrow set of "rules" for it. If the truck doesn't fare well under their rules, it gets a bad score...The do not read the manuals to see how each trucks EB is setup to work. One can quibble about not liking how a trucks EB is setup to work, but they should not be penalizing such trucks for poor performance, when if operated according to their manuals the results are fine.
I agree. I towed at 24,500 combined with my 2015 RAM 3500 and always ran the exhaust brake in that manual mode and selected my descent gear myself and seldom had to use my service brakes. We are talking Western states and many passes to cross. The thing about relying on the truck to do it all, is it does that have eyes and the ability to see and process what is occurring up ahead.
I can see running the test without manually operating the exhaust brake or selecting gears. Unfortunately, many don't have a full understanding of how to use them, so it's reasonable to assume they won't. Also, it introduces variability between tests if the drivers don't react exactly the same.
But presumably, they should be smart enough to turn on tow/haul...in fact it makes no sense that MH's don't have it "on" as default and trucks turn it "on" as default when it senses a trailer hooked up. Then you can override if you deem it not appropriate. I've found myself 50-100miles into a drive only to realize I forgot to turn it on. Not a big deal as I'm watching what's going on when in hilly/mountainous terrain but it would make more sense to have it on without my having to think about it.
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FishOnOne
The Great State of Texas
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valhalla360 wrote:Me Again wrote:Huntindog wrote:
I do not think much of TFLs exhaust brake reviews.
They have a narrow set of "rules" for it. If the truck doesn't fare well under their rules, it gets a bad score...The do not read the manuals to see how each trucks EB is setup to work. One can quibble about not liking how a trucks EB is setup to work, but they should not be penalizing such trucks for poor performance, when if operated according to their manuals the results are fine.
I agree. I towed at 24,500 combined with my 2015 RAM 3500 and always ran the exhaust brake in that manual mode and selected my descent gear myself and seldom had to use my service brakes. We are talking Western states and many passes to cross. The thing about relying on the truck to do it all, is it does that have eyes and the ability to see and process what is occurring up ahead.
I can see running the test without manually operating the exhaust brake or selecting gears. Unfortunately, many don't have a full understanding of how to use them, so it's reasonable to assume they won't. Also, it introduces variability between tests if the drivers don't react exactly the same.
But presumably, they should be smart enough to turn on tow/haul...in fact it makes no sense that MH's don't have it "on" as default and trucks turn it "on" as default when it senses a trailer hooked up. Then you can override if you deem it not appropriate. I've found myself 50-100miles into a drive only to realize I forgot to turn it on. Not a big deal as I'm watching what's going on when in hilly/mountainous terrain but it would make more sense to have it on without my having to think about it.
I don't have a problem with the way TFL performs their test. They are transparent and consistent in the method they're performed.
* This post was
edited 10/20/23 09:22am by FishOnOne *
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