Will compressin hold me back

[BWadman]

I have a question about towing. I had a gas engine before this diesel and when I pulled and was going down a hill I could downshift and the compression of th motor would hold me back so I wouldnt have to ride the brakes. I heard that in a diesel that isnt the case and that I would need to install an exhaust brake in order to slow me down on the hill. I have a 2003 quad cab with a 6 speed trans. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dan.poitras]

It was actually the restriction caused by the carb or E. F. I. throttle butterflies that was holding you back. Our particular diesel doesn't have this feature. So back to your question, yes, you would probably need an exhaust brake. I personally would not be without one.

 

[Prairie Dog]

It will hold you back to a fair degree, more than I thought it would. If your not pulling anything an ebrake is a luxury. With out it you'll only have to tap the brakes a couple of times on mountain passes. If your towing fairly heavy the e-brake just makes towing nicer but it's not mandatory IMO. If your towing real heavy it's almost a must for safety.



Scotty

 

[jrobinson2]

My experience has been that the diesel will usually need to be one gear lower than a gas rig on the same grade.

 

[nickleinonen]

It will hold you back to a fair degree, more than I thought it would.

while i don't tow very often, i will be getting an exhaust brake sometime soon. yesterday i had a drive in some hilly terrain, and i had to brake some to keep from overspeeding the engine [4th gear, braking to keep it below 3600rpm... ]



oh, that same hill, my truck won't pull it in 6th gear below 2000rpm [feels like 45°]

 

[Ol'TrailDog]

After three of four CTDs with an ebrake, I consider the ebrake an essential item and the best and most used mod I could add. Gauges run a very close second.

 

[BHolm]

There is compression braking to be had without resorting to the exhaust brake. I drive mountain passes daily and with an empty truck or loaded up with about 5-6,000 lbs the stock truck will be fine. Once you get beyond that the e-brake is a nice feature. I have run with 20k in tow over some steep passes without the brake but you must run slow and keep an eye (and nose) out for hot trailer brakes. The e-brake safely allows a little higher speed on downgrades. I think it depends on the load and frequency you tow it. This is my first truck with the e-brake and while it is mostly a luxury, it is a luxury I am probably hooked on.