2019 vs 2020 Towing Capacity. What changed?

[Bdsankey]

TFLTruck did a comparison with the big 3. The Chevy had the most brake touches of the 3 with Dodge having zero. I think it was 9 and the Ford had 6. This is coming down the hill from the Eisenhower tunnel. The Dodge test is skewed though as the intuitive cruise control operates the trailer brakes to hold speed as well as turbo brake...so they say.

I seen that too. Almost like cheating. One issue I see is it potentially over heating the brakes but you wont know it until you try and stop and the brakes fade badly

I would argue that it isn't cheating. Ford and GM could have easily done the same programming in their on-board brake controllers. Honestly I think its a genius idea. If TFL didn't overheat their brakes I would say it's a good case that 99% of guys should be fine as long as their brakes function properly and are in good health since the Eisenhower Pass is one of the toughest in the country. I can understand and agree with the concern that it might happen but I personally believe the chances are less likely. The Cummins factory programming is not afraid to use all of the RPM available to slow the rig down which could easily be fixed by adjusting the OEM rpm limits on the Duramax.

 

[darkness]

As far as I know they didn't check the temps of the brakes after the test to know if they overheated or not (even though no smoke was present). And it was 27* out too. Make the same downhill run into Bullhead City on the Arizona side in the middle of summer and see what happens. But that’s neither here nor there. To say the Dodge had zero brake applications is wrong unless they can prove the trailer brakes never applied.

 

[2004LB7]

I would argue that it isn't cheating. Ford and GM could have easily done the same programming in their on-board brake controllers. Honestly I think its a genius idea. If TFL didn't overheat their brakes I would say it's a good case that 99% of guys should be fine as long as their brakes function properly and are in good health since the Eisenhower Pass is one of the toughest in the country. I can understand and agree with the concern that it might happen but I personally believe the chances are less likely. The Cummins factory programming is not afraid to use all of the RPM available to slow the rig down which could easily be fixed by adjusting the OEM rpm limits on the Duramax.

You have a point, but I would argue that brake applications are brake applications. Whether you see them or not. At one point the TFL used to measure brake temps at the bottom of the hill. Not sure what changed

Also, they did this test in the dead of winter with below freezing temps. Try this same test with 100° ambient. The Eisenhower pass is known for its steep grade and high elevation. Not necessarily it's length. There are many grades that are much longer that could be tougher on the brakes.

The point I'm trying to make is, if the vehicle has no temp sensor at the pads or no way of knowing if brake fade is starting to set in. Which a skilled driver can tell, how are you supposed to deal with it once it is too late. Ditch it in a runaway ramp?

Personally, I think they should do at least two tests. One with the vehicle programming doing all the shifting, grade braking, etc. And another where the driver controls the shifts and other items. One would be a test of the hardware and the other a test of the software. Together they will give you a better picture of the score on the vehicle

 

[Bdsankey]

As far as I know they didn't check the temps of the brakes after the test to know if they overheated or not (even though no smoke was present). And it was 27* out too. Make the same downhill run into Bullhead City on the Arizona side in the middle of summer and see what happens. But that’s neither here nor there. To say the Dodge had zero brake applications is wrong unless they can prove the trailer brakes never applied.

It required zero user input, that is admirable in regards to not having to manually apply the brakes but leave quite a bit unknown. I agree with you, I would like to know what happens on a 100f ambient day as I believe it could get extremely interesting if it is applying the trailer brakes extremely often. The concept is awesome but I would hope they did their homework. I believe coil temperature can be calculated based on resistance and excitation voltage but that won't provide a 100% accurate measurement of the lining or drum/disk temperature.

You have a point, but I would argue that brake applications are brake applications. Whether you see them or not. At one point the TFL used to measure brake temps at the bottom of the hill. Not sure what changed

Also, they did this test in the dead of winter with below freezing temps. Try this same test with 100° ambient. The Eisenhower pass is known for its steep grade and high elevation. Not necessarily it's length. There are many grades that are much longer that could be tougher on the brakes.

The point I'm trying to make is, if the vehicle has no temp sensor at the pads or no way of knowing if brake fade is starting to set in. Which a skilled driver can tell, how are you supposed to deal with it once it is too late. Ditch it in a runaway ramp?

Personally, I think they should do at least two tests. One with the vehicle programming doing all the shifting, grade braking, etc. And another where the driver controls the shifts and other items. One would be a test of the hardware and the other a test of the software. Together they will give you a better picture of the score on the vehicle

I 1000000% agree. They used to be much more thorough but I think their views dipped so they started to cater to the masses.

 

[darkness]

Luckily that technology can be turned off or you could have the same problems you do with surge brakes. I smoked the brakes on a bass boat going to Cottonwood Cove out of Searchlight in my lb7. 13 miles (2900 vertical feet) down hill and I didn’t touch the brakes on the truck, other than curves, once.

 

[Hoser]

New gvwr sticker is the biggest change. But, yeah, what James and Mike said. Frame and brakes are the same

Ummm, the chassis is all new for 2020, and I don’t have specs, but the brakes were changed as well, albeit not much. The engine carries the same L5P designation, but even it saw many improvements. It’s an all new truck.

 

[Chevy1925]

So i inquired to someone in the know on the dodge braking system for the trailer brakes.

Once the engine reaches a certain HP point (around 270hp) when engine brakingand its still not stopping the truck from accelerating down the hill, it will engage the trailer brakes. as far as overheating the trailer brakes, they dont sense it but there is a timer in place for it and once the truck comes back down to the speed, brakes are released. no idea how much trailer brake is applied but i would bet its not a full 13v.

i dont see the truck laying on trailer brakes if thats the case. the engine/turbo brake on these rigs is pretty damn good and it wouldnt take but a couple sec of trailer brake to bring the truck back to desired speed where the brakes can cool before the next application. i have only had to touch the trailer brakes maybe once or twice on the steepest grades here when i gross around 25-26k. The turbo brake on my truck does an awesome job. I know they have would have tested this down the Payson grade here in AZ which is longer and wilder than the laughlin grade.

 

[fish]

So i inquired to someone in the know on the dodge braking system for the trailer brakes.

Once the engine reaches a certain HP point (around 270hp) when engine brakingand its still not stopping the truck from accelerating down the hill, it will engage the trailer brakes. as far as overheating the trailer brakes, they dont sense it but there is a timer in place for it and once the truck comes back down to the speed, brakes are released. no idea how much trailer brake is applied but i would bet its not a full 13v.

i dont see the truck laying on trailer brakes if thats the case. the engine/turbo brake on these rigs is pretty damn good and it wouldnt take but a couple sec of trailer brake to bring the truck back to desired speed where the brakes can cool before the next application. i have only had to touch the trailer brakes maybe once or twice on the steepest grades here when i gross around 25-26k. The turbo brake on my truck does an awesome job. I know they have would have tested this down the Payson grade here in AZ which is longer and wilder than the laughlin grade.

Heh, good to know!

So.. When I was towing the toy hauler down black canyon city hill, it was empty, roughly 10k lbs. I turned on the engine brake, and it did a fair job slowing it down, but I wanted a little less speed, so instead of hitting the brakes, I shifted the transmission in manual, and went from 4th down to 3rd, the RPMs went up to roughly 3,300(maybe?). Is that something I should avoid doing? Or is it safe?

 

[2004LB7]

Totally safe. The ecm / tcm won't let the engine operate at a dangerous rpm. If I'm not mistaken, it will automatically shift back up if it revs too high