06 automatic with exhaust brake questions

[BHolm]

I am considering the factory exhaust brake on an '06 automatic truck. Does anybody know what we get for a switch inside? How about limiting parameters of the brake, anybody have one and tried it out? Does it pick a gear for you based on speed or do I manually have to kick it out of OD or go to 2 on the selector? Does it automatically shut off when coming to a stop and at what speed?



I don't need it often but living in the mountains makes me think it is a worthwhile purchase especially with the upfitter savings($500) they are offering. Just wanted to see if the system was rendered useless by lawyers

 

[jelag]

In the past..... when your foot comes off the accelator pedal the fluid pressure drops in the transmission... . this pressure drop means that the torque converter now has some slippage which means that the retarding HP is limited based on this slippage..... and the slippage will cause some heat to be generated in the transmission fluid... .



There have been some kits available that hold the fluid pressure up... . until the engine gets to say 900 or so RPM's... those kits work well in allowing the retarding HP to be absorbed by the engine and slow the truck... .



I personally think its a bit early to tell what exact benifits you'll get out of a 06... . A call to some friends who have the ability to test and report the changes made by DC in the 06 models... their comments were... . we just haven't had one to test to give you some concrete results to tell the customers about... . as soon as we know, we'll share that information... ...



With this all said... if DC takes the lead from Allison, you'll see a seamless interface that will be contolled by the transmission computer when you flip the switch and ask for the brake... on the Allison, based on engine speed, road speed, the computer makes the choice of the correct gear, and the correct fluid pressure for maximum braking... ... and on something larger than a Chevy Duramax its really seamless and automatic... . if your in traffic and you don't want the brake, you rest your foot on the throttle and just bring the engine off idle and the brake shuts off... .



I know this isn't an answer for you... . but maybe its a start... .

 

[p-Bar]

This may help you out:

Originally Posted by Carlton Bale

I think the software works very well with the brake. It locks-up the torque converter and turns on the brake exactly when it should and even performs a downshift when appropriate. All you do is move the shift lever down a gear to get it to downshift more aggressively. It's definitely easier than downshifting a manual transmission. As far as I know, the tow/haul mode is the same as MY05. The only difference is that an exhaust brake can be installed and when tow/haul is activated, the downshifts happen sooner. Pressing the tow/haul button during braking caused an immediate 4-3 downshift at all of the highway speeds I tested.

 

[BHolm]

In the past..... when your foot comes off the accelator pedal the fluid pressure drops in the transmission... . this pressure drop means that the torque converter now has some slippage which means that the retarding HP is limited based on this slippage..... and the slippage will cause some heat to be generated in the transmission fluid... .



There have been some kits available that hold the fluid pressure up... . until the engine gets to say 900 or so RPM's... those kits work well in allowing the retarding HP to be absorbed by the engine and slow the truck... .

I am pretty sure I have read that this part has been addressed with the new software. Not only can the computer direct it to keep pressure up it has a safety feature where if the convertor doesn't lock for some reason the brake disengages to prevent heat build-up and trans failure

With this all said... if DC takes the lead from Allison, you'll see a seamless interface that will be contolled by the transmission computer when you flip the switch and ask for the brake... on the Allison, based on engine speed, road speed, the computer makes the choice of the correct gear, and the correct fluid pressure for maximum braking... ... and on something larger than a Chevy Duramax its really seamless and automatic... . if your in traffic and you don't want the brake, you rest your foot on the throttle and just bring the engine off idle and the brake shuts off... .



I know this isn't an answer for you... . but maybe its a start... .

I don't mind participating some but, it sure would be nice if they just made the system as seemless as you describe. There is a 90% chance I will add it to the truck and if so I will definately report on its function, with a load, on a grade

 

[Rosco]

The switch is very similar to the push/pull switch used on manual transmission trucks and it's mounted on the gear shift lever. Personally, I would prefer a rocker style switch mounted on the dash.