Question for Western PA Ranger owners

[RangerRock]

I was in Washington, PA recently but without my Ranger. As I was driving around, I was wondering what tips you could suggest for the best drive modes for the terrain. Should I lock out top gears? Use tow/haul or sport mode? Any differences between say, driving on I-79 vs surface or side streets? Most of my driving was around the Washington and Canonsburg area, and of course entering the state from Ohio. Appreciate any advice you can provide. Thanks!

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[JohnnyO]

I was in Washington, PA recently but without my Ranger. As I was driving around, I was wondering what tips you could suggest for the best drive modes for the terrain. Should I lock out top gears? Use tow/haul or sport mode? Any differences between say, driving on I-79 vs surface or side streets? Most of my driving was around the Washington and Canonsburg area, and of course entering the state from Ohio. Appreciate any advice you can provide. Thanks!

If I'm on moderate speed back roads or in town I click it down to 7th gear. Local highways I click it down to 8th or 9th.
On major highways I just leave in D with all 10 gears available.
There are a lot of hills here as you discovered and I will downshift when going downhill to save the brakes. There is a steep 1.5 mile hill coming in to the town where I live, I mean steep as in semi-trucks aren't allowed on it, and I click it down to 5th and then 4th every day coming home from work, keeping it at about 2500 rpm.
Mrs. O does not believe in downshifting as she is afraid it will hurt the transmission and has to get new brakes and rotors every two years in the series of Chrysler minivans she's owned.
When people post that they're getting like 27 mpg in their Rangers I just laugh.

 

[LaBalbe]

I drive through that area a few times a year. Agreed with @JohnnyO about shifting in the hills (even when I'm not in that area, I spend a fair amount of time driving in the mountains); the only part that I disagree with is that on major highways I usually have it in Sport mode rather than Drive for the better shift patterns, although I do let it cycle through all ten gears, either manually or automatically, depending on the weather, drive, traffic, etc. I usually only use D when I'm just going about town, and that's mostly because I can't be bothered to move the shifter the extra notch for such short trips.

 

[RangerRock]

Thank you @JohnnyO and @LaBalbe. I really appreciate your responses and will try out both. I was in one neighborhood where it felt like a damn rollercoaster and I thought "Ok, there's gotta be a trick to this" Don't encounter much of that in the flatlands Michigan where I'm from.

 

[JohnnyO]

Thank you @JohnnyO and @LaBalbe. I really appreciate your responses and will try out both. I was in one neighborhood where it felt like a damn rollercoaster and I thought "Ok, there's gotta be a trick to this" Don't encounter much of that in the flatlands Michigan where I'm from.

The steepest public residential street in the world is in Pittsburgh. Audi filmed a commercial there a few years ago.

 

[RangerRock]

The steepest public residential street in the world is in Pittsburgh. Audi filmed a commercial there a few years ago.

Great, you had to post me falling off my bike, LOL. That's crazy, kinda want to try that now.

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