Truckies. Why the need for engine brakes on flat roads we live on the hauraki plains so not many gradients yet some truck driver
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hallett76,
Feb 14, 3:44pm
Why the need for engine brakes on flat roads! We live on the Hauraki Plains so not many gradients. Yet some truck drivers insist on engine braking 300-400 meters into the 50km/h zones.with virtually no hills in sight. Laziness! Poor driving technique! Or just don't give a toss!
mram,
Feb 14, 3:47pm
cause we all know, it sounds cool.saves wear on brake shoes as well
richard198,
Feb 14, 3:48pm
Safer.
ianrich,
Feb 14, 4:14pm
Laziness. Poor driving technique, would be not using the engine brake and causing premature wear on the trucks service brakes. A driver who does give a toss will make the brake pads last as long as possible so the truck can stay on the road earning a proffit as long as possible.
babygurl68,
Feb 14, 4:23pm
Yes they do sound cool,especially on my K104 coming into Bulls at approx, Hmmm! 1.30 in the morning!
intrade,
Feb 14, 4:26pm
i am with poster #4 you can chop down some gear to slow down also on the flat to save brake pads but that means more work then flicking a swich .
ianrich,
Feb 14, 4:32pm
Changing down a gear or two in a loaded truck and trailer is about as effective as holding your hand out the window. An engine brake or retarder of some sort is still a must have.
tmenz,
Feb 14, 4:36pm
The old adage applies - brakes are cheaper than gearboxes! The question that should be asked is "Why do exhaust brakes have to be so noisy!" I've driven some trucks that make lots of noise and others that make very little - if they can be designed to be both effective and reasonably quiet then it will be a win-win.
intrade,
Feb 14, 4:40pm
i am talking flat road or slight uphill , no dowhill by a few % thats what i call flat roads
Laziness/driving technique.yeah because we cant be bothed pushing the brake.please, maybe you should try drving one before you assume truckies dont give a toss!
berg,
Feb 14, 10:58pm
Agree jash3 but too many drivers are just using "jakes" because they like the noise. Theres a time and place but needlessly pissing folks off at night just because your jakes sound great through 8 inch streight pipes is neither. And yep, spent many years driving trucks
jash3,
Feb 14, 11:07pm
I agree with you berg,but as you know in time that wears off .lol just some people should stop and think before they think we all do it aye.
offrd1,
Feb 14, 11:54pm
My truck hardly makes any noise at all.Volvo 480 Euro 4
i was going to post that also but i disided its a waste of time as i am not in to having arguments.
hallett76,
Feb 15, 1:12am
Lol some good responses in here.=). Anyhow I didn't say all truckies did it. Just some. I don't care enough to get into an argument either but.they are pretty loud at 2am in the morning! Cheers.=) P.S. the speed limit in town is 50kph.why are they still slowing down 400 meters in!
matthew_129,
Feb 15, 3:06am
The other thing to consider, being loaded at 45ton the brakes are going to get alot of heat into them slowing down from 100kph to 50kph which means they are going to be very inefficient untill they have cooled again. This can pose a real danger should the brakes need to be used in a hurry (read: emergency situation) to stop the truck, but thier already far too hot to work very well. Exhaust brakes are really efficient at slowing down a truck and still leave you with the brake pedal for when you really need it
jleens,
Feb 15, 4:25am
You know why they REALLY use them!Yes, there are very good reasons as have been explained already.but the main reason is.it pisses off snooty people who think a bit of noise is the end of the world.Hell, we once lived at a truck yard, right next to the driveway.I never heard a damn thing.lol
Why start stopping so far out!Because it's not a car, and doesn't stop like one.Like trying to slow down a runaway train.There's no jumping on a pedal and viola, you've stopped.Nope, nope, nope.lolHave spent many a day in the cab of a truck.Nearly my whole family are drivers, and so is my partner.Good times.LOVE noisy jakes.lmao
mapman,
Feb 15, 2:35pm
Weight comes into it a lot. The truck in the YouTube vid. in post #10 clearly had a decent load on, if the truck was empty it would of pulled up a lot sooner. If he had not used his exhaust brakes with that same load it would of been a lot harder on the truck and the driver so we use the tools that we are given and that is it in a nut shell. Yep truckers like the noise and nope we don??
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