14' Series driving down steep descent

[bigcol]

Not saying you don't follow all the other precautions about using the correct gear to keep control of you vehicle but for more moderate ascents, descents, I have found them useful.

dont get me wrong, they are a good idea, however, if you dont know what your doing, and a computer is making adjustments for your lack of knowledge / ability, they can be quite dangerous if you try to drive without them......

Oh for sure they are usefull but there's a lot who don't know what to do without them and then they don't use them properly, just look at how many people don't really know how to use an auto transmission. No one gets taught.

 

[dagree]

Did the trip from Urunga through Bellingen up to Dorrigo a few years back to do the Waterfall Walk in a rented Camry Wagon. Wondered why there were 5 or 6 caravans parked near the store at the bottom of the hill..... Quarter of the way up I realised

Half way up we got stuck behind an old bedford flat top truck with a bobcat on the back...... Second gear down to first and back to second double clutching (Read "Crunching gears") all the way up.... I swear he rolled backwards between gear changes .

Being a rented car it was a fun trip back down as the gearbox (auto) got a good workout and don't think the brakes worked up any kind of sweat . Could hear the prime mover in front working his gears and exhaust brake all the way down and only noticed brake lights on it a few times on sharper bends.

 

[Drover]

Thats a great drive along there especially with the Give Way signs half way up the mountain.

 

[Bushman]

I was taught always use the gears to brake going downhill, that way when you need to stop you will always have brakes. I always prided myself in trucks of going down hills and I mean proper ones like Black Mtn down Bega way, of not using brakes.
With an auto always downshift and tab the brakes if need be before the tach red line, if you have to touch them often go down another but you may have to brake harder to slow down to get it to shift down, on decent grades just knock it into 2nd easier to go up in an auto, manual if you know or can judge what gear you would use to go up it then thats the one to go down in and select at the top, you can stop pop it into 2 and go again usually, if you haven't driven a crash box then don't try a change it if starts to run away on you.
If you have FWHubs you could go into LR but don't with AWD or auto hubs you will do major damage, never engage FWD hard surface.

Thatt one into Bega is a doozy, think it's Brown Mtn though, anyway I did it back just after Easter coming from Cooma to the coast.
We had a good run down that day hardly saw another vehicle while on the Mtn.
I'm use to the Clyde Mtn going in Batemans, still steep but a better road

 

[DRW]

Don't forget the golden rule, use the same gear going down as you would going up (might be a little out dated now with the big horsepower around)

 

[Drover]

Yep I knew Black Mtn sounded wrong, it's on the New England........