RAM 6.7 CTD engine brake

[Steven@147]

I use Auto, as others said it lets me coast and will only come on if I press the brake pedal, releasing the brake pedal then it will hold me at that speed all the way down the grade. When I press on the gas it turns off the exhaust brake until you press on the brake again. What ever you like the best.

Now the Texas class A drivers license manual says never let your vehicle coast as you could lose control, well, answer the test question correctly then do as you want.

[Hoopy Frood]

You mean Texas doesn't approve of "Georgia Overdrive"?

[Steven@147]

You mean Texas doesn't approve of "Georgia Overdrive"?

Nope, but then again their driving manuals, for which the RV classes A and B non CDL licenses are derived from, are focused on Semis.

[BeerBrewer]

Thanks all. Yes the selection is a 1 for Full and 2nd for Auto then a 3rd for off. I will be heading Cañon City to Olathe on 50 Thursday. I’ll give both a shot and see what Auto is like.

In any case it is a great weapon to save those brakes.

I don't use the Diesel Brake to save the wear and tear on my brakes, I use it because it gives me more control of my truck and trailer, especially when going down a steep hill.

[ajg617]

Set to auto here. If I'm coasting and it doesn't brake the way I want, I only have to touch the brake pedal for a split second (before the delay in the trailer brakes takes ends) and the engine brake will engage fully.

[Redapple63]

As near as I can tell, the 2021 Duramax version is only auto mode. Apparently is does a calculation of how fast you slow down with how much brake pedal you use and adjusts the engine brake based on that, and probably other things. My last big 8% grade decent from Buena Vista to Denver, I initially braked to keep my speed at 45 on the curvy road, then to my surprise, I no longer needs to use the brake and ran 45 all the way down. Cruise control was off. Very nice tech.

My 2019 GMC is also on or off. Depending on the terrain. In mountains I will just leave it on, but mixed will turn it on or off. On the Chevy’s and GMC’ s wish the button was on the steering wheel though.

Bill

[stroguy]

When my friend asked me why I downshifted coming up to a stop sign, I told him it saved on brakes. He said "Brakes are cheap, try replacing a clutch or transmission." Not equating the two, by any means, but really, saving brakes is a pretty silly reason. I use mine to mitigate my speed on hills, so, in a way, I'm saving my brakes...so when I need them I'll have them.

That is better, not to save the pads. Just when I need them they are there.

[rbolam]

We set ours to Auto, for all the same reasons mentioned above. Love the exhaust brake, a game changer.

[Linndoren]

How are you folks using the selectable engine braking? Full vs Auto? I am driving through most of southern Colorado and I just use the Full engine brake, which is priceless. But when and how do you use the Auto function?


Better MPG one vs other?

Thanks

I have had 4 Ram 2500s as work vehicles. I ran in full exhaust break mode towing or not. I was GPS monitored and it helped keep speed when in cruise. I was told by a tech from a dealership it also helps keep the DPF clear so I did as I needed to minimize maintenance expenses and I would idle 12+ hours a day using my inverter to run my tools. I saw 20ish mpg not towing and 9ish mpg towing. I don’t think the exhaust break helps with mpg, it does save on breaks and if downshifting ruins your transmission I’d say go with another brand. I down shift regularly to keep speed especially while towing. Each truck I put on 120k miles before the company traded them in. Only issues I had was broken from differential, and fuel pump went out on 2/4 trucks. I think your experimentation will determine which is best for you.

[MikeInSeattle]

I use auto 99% of the time except when I am going on steep passes and then I use full as I feel that sometimes auto isn't aggressive enough and it will let the speed creep up (I believe auto keeps it at the speed when you took your foot off the gas). This is on both my 2017 Ram 3500 and my 2019 Ram 3500HD.

One note, you will want to take off engine/exhaust braking if you are at all in slippery conditions. I didn't think about it and was coming down the pass from ski camping and it got a little slushy. The exhaust brake came on and the whole truck trailer started doing a little wobble wobble. Instantly turned it off and squeezed the trailer brake control and all was happy again. I hesitate to think how bad that could have gone had I not instantly recognized what was going on. This is the same thing in our fire engines, we are taught not to have engine braking in the snow as you can't dynamically control the amount of braking. All in all though I love it. Most times I can go down a 5-7% grade on a pass and barely touch my brakes.