wasinger3000

Just sharing the info.

Dirttracker18

You are never going to even come close to the engine braking of a diesel.

A diesel uses its significantly high compression to brake the vehicle. While a turbo does increase compression, it is still miles away from that of a diesel.

That being said, it is not worth the jump in price to a diesel ( initial and ongoing maintenance) just for engine braking.

avvblanc01

having towed up to 10k in both my 2012 eco and my friends 2012 6.7 Cummins, its very clear that the engine braking of my truck is nowhere close to as effective as his. Add in his exhaust brake, and its not even a contest.
The EB may pull 11,300lbs, but its not going to stop it like a full ton diesel truck would.

That being said, I just did a 400mile round trip towing a tacoma on a flatbed (about 6k) through the San Marcos pass in CA. and was totally satisfied with my trucks engine braking. I put the truck in manual and used 4th and 3rd the whole way down. However, I feel like anything over 6k is pushing what the truck can successfully engine brake.

superdave150

I live at 6,000 feet and have towed a 6k trailer tens of thousands of miles up and down the Rockies and the Sierras with my 2010, including most of the paved and even some of the unpaved passes of NM, CO, WY. I have never had a problem with any pass, even 10% grade of Teton pass between WY & ID, or climbing out of Bullhead City, AZ in summer.

I use Tow/Haul (Drive) keeping the tach around 3,500 uphill, then give the brake pedal 2 taps as I crest the top. Let the ECU do the rest. No drama, no overheated engine or tranny, no hot brakes.

Sorry to hear so many had your trip spoiled.

avvblanc01

I think the problem lies in people trying to compare the performance of a 3.5L half ton to a 6.7L full ton. The ecoboost is more than capable but lets face it, its not a super truck. its still a half ton, and a damn good one at that

blueovelboy

I tow a 7700 LBS fuel trailer over the Santa Curse mountains every week and I use one of three trucks #1 09 f150 5.4 with 3;55 #2 2011 f150 5.0 with 3;55 #3 2012 f150 with 3:55, now I said all that to say this the 5.4 motor brakes the best with the 5.0 in a close second and the 3.5 tt coming in last. all in tow haul have to be kicked down to a lower gear to keep the brakes in working order. the 5.4 seems to be ok at 4th gear in the steepest hills I drive. where as the 5.0 and 3.5 both need to be in 3rd or even lower. the one diesel van we have seems to be way better at motor braking by 6 time better than the gas motors!

brulaz

That's a good comparison, and a there's lot of interesting info in this thread.

We just came back from an extended tour of the Northern US and Canadian Rockies with trailer+payload of about 5000#. Was frequently in 3rd going downhill over 3000 rpm. Was going too fast to ever drop into 2nd. On some of the longer runs in 3rd, had to touch the brakes before sharp curves, but nothing serious.

Around home we have some short, very steep hills with curves where the speed limit's only 35-50mph. At that speed you're in 5th gear on the flats. The tranny in tow/haul will autodrop all the way to 2nd, close to 4000 rpm, down some of those hills. Only occasionally have to brake, and usually that's before a curve, or when I've let my speed get too high for the tranny to downshift into 2nd.

Overall I've never felt that the rig's brakes have had any workout at all. That may change when we upgrade our trailer in the next year and add 3000# to the mix.