I-70 Loveland Pass

[ILLXJ]

Going to Utah in October. Have a 5.7/8sp/3.21 combo. My ? is should I leave this in drive or shift down? What about going down the west side?

This is my setup.

Towing about 6500 lbs.

Thanks.
JIM.

 

[Dodge 1500 4X4]

For sure use tow/haul on the heavy inclines or you could lock out the higher gears using the - + on the gear select on the right of the steering wheel, do you know how to disable you MDS so it doesn't go to 4-8 cyl mode, I'm sure tow/haul disable's this feature.

 

[ILLXJ]

On mine I don't think the tow/haul disable's it but shifting down from drive to 8 does.

 

[crazykid1994]

I would definitely shift it to 8 and turn on tow haul. Otherwise you should be fine. 6500 lbs is a decent amount but not enough to be worried. I pulled 9300 lbs behind my truck. I have mds disabled through a tune already. I turned on tie haul and went. Only thing I’ll say is if it feels unhappy shifting then drop it to 7 or 6. Tow haul should for the most part take care of that unless you are on a hilly road. Also take it easy. Drive slow. In tow haul slightly pressing the break should enable engine braking which is good for going down hill.

 

[mtnrider]

Are you going over Loveland pass or staying on 70? (2 different routes). I assume you are staying on 70 given your destination.
You are going to down shift for sure, you will have no choice. That truck with that load is going to be struggling by the time you get to the top. And of equal concern is coming down the other side with that load and a 1/2 ton truck, downshift and take it easy.

.

 

[pacofortacos]

I agree with mtnrider.
Heading west going down will be harder than going up, the west side of the tunnel is pretty much a continuous down grade, going up has a few spots that level out.

Make sure your trailer brakes are in top notch condition, if they aren't you are going to have issues as the truck's brakes will not stop you and the trailer.

As an alternative route, unless you are going through Colorado for a specific purpose, going I80 to Utah is a much easier route. Might add some time and miles though.

Or if you need to go I70 and want to avoid Ike and Denver, you can drop off of I70 at Limon and go through Colorado Springs and come up on the other side of Breckenridge - still leaves a couple of mountain passes on I70 but none as bad as Ike - I've taken this route several times and it is much more relaxing vs. I70 through Denver.

Also, the west side of Kansas is the last stop that will give you 87 octane as regular gas - after that it will be 85 octane. So instead of 87/89/91 octane it will be 85/87/89 - if that matters to you. As well as you will pay 20-30 cents more a gallon for the weak stuff.

 

[Choupique]

Have it in tow/haul mode, let it do whatever it wants, don't try to go too fast.

 

[RodeoRam]

I've driven the I-70 route from Denver to Silverthorne and back a couple of times in a 40k lb. semi and a bunch of times from Denver to Vegas and back in my old 1500 not towing anything. The rule of thumb in the semi was use the same gear going down the other side as you did going up if you don't know the route. Then you can adjust your gear depending on the decline because the slope may not be the same on both sides of the pass. If you have tow/haul, use it. It won't let the transmission shift as much. Too much shifting in an automatic can cause an overheat plus t/h keeps you in the power bands better.

The Ike tunnel won't be your only big elevation change. You'll have Floyd Hill right after you get out of Denver, and Vail Pass is right after you catch your breath from coming down from the tunnel into Silverthorne. Then, depending how far you're going into Utah, there's a steep pass just west of Green River and a steep downgrade at Richfield before you get to I-15. That one was fun in a blizzard after dark one year.

Your objective is to use your engine braking and save your brakes in case you really need them. If you are braking a lot, drop down a gear. If you can smell your brakes, you might want to pull off on the shoulder to cool them off. Getting there slowly is better than getting there dead or making someone else dead.

Keep an eye on the weather. You can run into snow from October to June in the high country. The CO saying was to buy your kids' Halloween costumes 2 sizes too big so they can be worn over their coats.

 

[62Blazer]

Don't overthink the situation. When going uphill the transmission will downshift as needed to meet the speed, throttle input, and load conditions. Not like you will have to tell it to downshift. When going downhill I like to manually select a lower gear so you can rely on some engine braking versus all brakes. You can do this by feel by I usually like running as low of gear as possible downhill without having the engine screaming at redline. If you are basically just coasting having the engine spin at 4,000+ RPM isn't an issue because there is no load on it, but it can help control your speed. For an 8 speed I would think that could be a low as 4th gear? You can check by locking it in 4th gear on the highway and see what speed. Running the numbers through a gearing calculator with stock tires and 3.21 gears the engine would be spinning right around 4,000 RPM at 70 mph in 4th.

 

[caulk04]

Have it in tow/haul mode, let it do whatever it wants, don't try to go too fast.

Don't overthink the situation...

This. Press the tow button, pay attention.

 

[mtofell]

I agree with the others - T/H should pretty much take care of you but if you find yourself needed the brakes too much don't be afraid to lock in a gear. A general rule is go down in the same gear you came up in so take note of that for some guidance. Of course, that's a very general rule and there are lots of other factors.

Power-wise you should fine. Auto trailers tend to tow very nicely compared to RVs due to less wind resistance. Of course, that's a high-profile vehicle but still should be worlds better than a travel trailer. I've towed lots of miles with RVs and done a few auto haulers and the auto haulers always feel so much tighter (for lack of a better word). They just don't get blown around like the HUGE trailers.

 

[ILLXJ]

Thanks. Pretty much what I already thought. Last time I did this trip I had an 06 Chevy 1500, not near the truck this one is. I have about 2K towing the Jeep with the Ram, just haven't been in the mountains.

JIM.

 

[pacofortacos]

Ok, you are familiar with the route then

The truck will feel a bit out of breath at that altitude.
Tow/haul will work pretty nicely going up, unless your speed puts you between gears - then just choose the lower of the two.
Coming down, I think you will need to +/- and manually gear down. Even empty (full bed, not towing), tow/haul doesn't gear down nearly enough coming down - esp. the west side - to control speed. Even then I find myself needing to apply the brakes to try to keep it under 70 mph.
Maybe the drag from the trailer will help keep your speed down when going downhill.
I notice I coast faster empty vs. towing the boat.
I have 3.92's vs. your 3.21's though.

 

[Bike_Pilot]

Coming down Floyd Hill going west be careful, it's relatively short but steep and has a hard left bend in the road at the bottom. Stick to the right lane and keep it slow. Same goes for coming down from the tunnel. Start out slow and in a low gear. It's hard to get slowed down if you come out of the tunnel at 70. Tow haul should do about all you need going up. Coming down you'll need to manually shift to keep it in low gears. I live near Floyd Hill and drive this route weekly.

Have fun!

 

[62Blazer]

Sounds like you have experience towing that trailer and on that route, just with a different truck. Probably don't need to say this but might be beneficial to others with limited towing experience in the mountains. Do NOT ride the brakes going down hill. Light but constant application of the brakes will cause them to heat up and can fade, especially the electric trailer brakes. Trailers typically have fairly small drum brakes that are really bad about this. I will coast down the grade and when it picks up enough speed do a short but moderate brake application to bring the speed down, which will probably be slower than cruising speed. Let off the brakes to let them cool even if you start picking up speed. Obviously don't wait until you are going 90 mph to hit the brakes, and you don't need to slow down to 30 mph. For example if you are comfortable cruising down the hill at 55 mph maybe let it speed up to 60-65 mph, hit the brakes and slow down to 50 mph, let off the brakes until you speed back up, rinse, repeat..... The speeds are just for reference and can be adjusted up or down as needed or you feel comfortable. If it's a really steep downhill and a two lane road probably would be going slower overall....

 

[Double Nutted]

Stay geared down, so you seldom need to use your brakes. Riding them will be fatal. Some of the curves are sharper, about 3/4 of the way down to Dillon. It’s not just the incline, but the sharp curves are also a problem. I’m just guessing about 35 to 40 mph, if not slower. That’s about how much I slow down even with my diesel and the exhaust brake.

 

[Torch1962]

Living and driving in the mountains of Colorado for the past 32 years tells me that you should use the tow/haul feature on the truck. Going downhill westbound after the Eisenhower tunnel your vehicle will pick up speed pretty quickly, never mind hauling a load behind it! My Ram 1500 truck did very well going up and down that stretch while towing about the same load a few years ago. Just be mindful of the traffic around you and your speed. It should be fine!

 

[M376X6]

I live here. 15 minutes from the pass and the tunnel. Unless the tunnel is closed, which is very rare, use the tunnel. The pass is considerably higher, sharper corners and much steeper. The pass is often closed periodically during the Winter because of snow and ice and the HazMat trucks must wait on the hour so the tunnel can be closed for a few minutes to allow them through and maintain safety for the general public. You'll have relatively steep ascents at Mt. Vernon just West of Golden/Lakewood. Another on Floyd Hill. The short and very steep climb from Georgetown up to Silverplume. The short approach to the tunnel. The long and winding road to the summit of Loveland pass if you go that way. The descent either way with the tunnel descent being relatively straight compared to the pass. The climb up Vail pass. None of which should present a problem for you or your truck and load. The best way to preserve your brakes is not to allow yourself to get going too fast in the first place. I don't know how your truck is configured and how the Tow/Haul works in it. The Tow/Haul for mine generally keeps the transmission from constantly shifting to keep the temperature down. Adjust your electronic trailer brakes to balance the braking between the truck and the trailer. Make sure, and this is a big one, make sure your trailer brakes are adjusted correctly and all work. Grease the wheels. I've had trailers where only three of the four wheels brakes worked so test them by raising each side hitting the controller manual override (you'll need someone to help) and make sure each wheel locks up when you try to rotate it. Have fun, some nice scenery along the way.

Oh, to your question, put it in Tow/Haul and let the truck decide for itself. The computer will decide based on load, throttle position, rpm, speed and keep you in the best gear possible.

 

[1 MEAN66]

If he hits the tow/haul button that will not only alter the trucks shift points, timing, etc. but also disable the MDS (multiple displacement system). Do not know if all knew/know what the MDS stood for.

 

[Ratman6161]

Have it in tow/haul mode, let it do whatever it wants, don't try to go too fast.

This is the right answer. I've got a 2500 but I'm assuming the 5.7 + 8 speed works the same as my 6.4 + 8 speed. A while back I took my 7600# travel trailer do2n a 10% grade several miles long. The speed limit was 30 MPH. I set the cruise control on 30 in tow/haul mode and let it go. The transmission downshifted as needed and kept me at 30 without touching the brakes. I only needed the brakes for a couple of sharp 25 MPH curves.

What you will find on I-70 will be 6% to 7%. With higher speeds on the interstate. You just need to stay ahead of things. I'd set the cruise about 10 MPH below the speed limit and let it do what it does. I know a lot of people insist you shouldn't use cruise while towing but I've never seen a reason not to. But it really does work.