Downhill drive mode?

[Ranger1701]

Hi. On my Escape, there's a nifty button that helps with downhill descent. Basically, you'd push the button and it would help control your downhill speed. This feature is particularly useful as I live and drive in the mountains.

I can't seem to find a similar feature on my Ranger. Cruise control turns off with the slightest touch of the breaks. The trail-mode works great for <20 mph, but obviously for a normal road that's not a solution.

Am I missing something obvious or does the Ranger not have such a feature?

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[dmeyer302]

Try Tow/Haul mode, it enables fairly aggressive engine braking.

 

[IdahoRanger]

I go over passes a lot. If I have cruise control set it will shift from 10th down to 6th to control speed on the downhill side. Keeps it pretty close to what cruise is set at. Controls speed way better than my wife's Outback which will keep gaining speed.

 

[bbenea]

I've found with the adaptive cruise control enabled that the truck will both brake and downshift to maintain its set speed in hilly terrain.

 

[aslusers]

Try Tow/Haul mode, it enables fairly aggressive engine braking.

Yes! That is amazing! We went to Adirondack mountain with a

travel trailer and it really took care of us with this approach. It really works! Our jaws are dropped on the floor!

 

[Deleted member 1634]

I go over passes a lot. If I have cruise control set it will shift from 10th down to 6th to control speed on the downhill side. Keeps it pretty close to what cruise is set at. Controls speed way better than my wife's Outback which will keep gaining speed.

Agreed! Cruise control engine braking is quite aggressive in the Ranger. Might let the speed creep up a few mph, but like you said, way better than any other vehicle I've had/driven.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

i must be old school...i use a device called brakes......its a unique contraption that miraculously slows your vehicle at your command.

Yep...this works until you start to smell them and they stop working. Happy brake wear!

 

[Ranger1701]

i must be old school...i use a device called brakes......its a unique contraption that miraculously slows your vehicle at your command.

When mountain driving, this is a great way to go through brake pads quickly in a best case scenario . In a worst case scenario, as P. A. Schilke mentioned, it's possible you could overheat your brakes, making them functionally useless.

There's a big mountain pass road that drops down into town very quickly. You can almost always get a whiff of the tourists burning through their breaks on the weekend.

 

[Big Blue]

Another option is to use the minus button on the shifter to lock out the upper gears in the transmission. You can then use the plus button to add them back once your at the bottom.

Many ways to skin that cat.

If you do use brakes, you need to brake hard then get off them to let them cool. Once followed a guy down into Lead, ND. He rode his brakes all the way down. From the smell I'm not sure how much he had left when we got down. Must-have been a flatlander.

 

[JAKE2.3]

Another option is to use the minus button on the shifter to lock out the upper gears in the transmission. You can then use the plus button to add them back once your at the bottom.

Many ways to skin that cat.

If you do use brakes, you need to brake hard then get off them to let them cool. Once followed a guy down into Lead, ND. He rode his brakes all the way down. From the smell I'm not sure how much he had left when we got down. Must-have been a flatlander.

That's what I do. Good advice. Over use of brakes is a pet peeve of mine ha.

 

[Deleted member 1634]

If you do use brakes, you need to brake hard then get off them to let them cool. Once followed a guy down into Lead, ND. He rode his brakes all the way down. From the smell I'm not sure how much he had left when we got down. Must-have been a flatlander.

I think it's more of a mechanical knowledge and common sense thing than a "hill person" (or whatever they are called haha) vs. flatlander thing.

So much of the misunderstanding and confusion for anything comes from lack of common sense. Most things aren't that hard if you really just think about it. A little understanding can go a long way.

 

[Big Blue]

I think it's more of a mechanical knowledge and common sense thing than a "hill person" (or whatever they are called haha) vs. flatlander thing.

So much of the misunderstanding and confusion for anything comes from lack of common sense. Most things aren't that hard if you really just think about it. A little understanding can go a long way.

Agree entirely! Being a born and bread Wisconsinite, I qualify as a flatlander. But, also being the son of a tool room machinist and a retired mechanical designer/engineer, I do have that knowledge and common sense.

 

[Ranger1701]

Being a born and bread Wisconsinite, I qualify as a flatlander.

Me, too!

 

[Pinepig]

Another option is to use the minus button on the shifter to lock out the upper gears in the transmission. You can then use the plus button to add them back once your at the bottom.

Many ways to skin that cat.

If you do use brakes, you need to brake hard then get off them to let them cool. Once followed a guy down into Lead, ND. He rode his brakes all the way down. From the smell I'm not sure how much he had left when we got down. Must-have been a flatlander.

I'm always up in the mountains here, standard for me when starting a long downhill is a shifter drop to sport and two clicks of the - button. It's just about perfect %90 of the time, when the descent is over I pop it back into drive.

 

[StarLord]

I drive mountain passes all the time.

I use Tow/Haul often, Sport Mode for the really twisty sections with moderate elevation gain/loss, and I select gears when Im cruising down long straight downhill sections. I learned how to drive on a manual trans and daily drove for years with a manual, so shifting between settings isn't any trouble at all for me.

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