Do You Keep Your Cummins Exhaust Brake On All the Time?

mtnrider · Feb 24, 2023

18CrewDually said:
Complete job is about $800 alone in parts on a dually including calipers, pads, seals, rotors, hoses, ect. Then add shop labor.

Can we do it ourselves for alot less, yup. Cutting corners, shopping around for bargain priced parts, not replacing everything, ect. Some people don't have the option so they're forced to pay high shop rate and full retail on parts. Then factor in it's not a 1500 and considered HD makes the price of everything go up.
I'm not justifying it but it is what it is.

He said brakes not an entire rear rebuild. If it was an entire rear rebuild I could see it but that's not what he said

.

Goose55 · Feb 25, 2023

I don't ever start out driving with the exhaust brake. If a traffic light or stop sign is coming up, as heavy as the truck is, I like to just let the beast coast for as long as possible, improving fuel economy and avoiding brake wear. I manually apply full exhaust brake to slow me down just before stopping. In town, I also gear limit to 4th gear because my 3500 HO with the Aisin trans seems to shift awfully quick into 5th and 6th gear. IMHO, it's just healthier for the engine to keep the rpms at or above 1,200. I notice that it keeps my oil cleaner, too.

KoboldTaco · Feb 25, 2023

BossHogg said:
I've heard that also and wondered about it, so I asked the diesel tech when I was in for service a while back. He told me it wasn't necessary because, at ignition on, the computer cycles the turbo's veins.

I only run the EB (on auto) when I'm towing. I've noticed that when towing with tow/haul on and EB on automatic, it becomes a system that plays very well together, it seems to downshift to the right gear and engage the EB at a reasonable level to slow me down. I only use the vehicle's brakes to bring us to a final stop.

My experience also - it was almost as if the auto mode could sense the terrain…although I know that to be false, it did do a good job paying attention to my driving pattern and maintaining control of the rig with very little control input on my side.

06 Dodge · Feb 25, 2023

The only time I asked a Ram mechanic about using the EB was back in 2018 when I was interested in buying a 2018, I had read several forums stating to use EB all the time, when asked he said to use it every time you drive. My self as soon as I start the engine I set EB to Auto, the only time I have not used my EB since I bought it last year has been this last week due to snow & Icey roads, also the selling dealer told me to turn on the EB & T/H before you put it in gear but did not use T/H until recently as I like that it keeps the RPM's higher when driving in town and T/H also helps slow wear tear on the breaks....

nlambert182 · Feb 26, 2023

mtnrider said:
$1200 to change the rear brakes???? Wow, they bent you over and tagged teamed you.... And you don't have to remove the axle shaft to remove the rotor unless it's a dually and even then it's a simple job.

.

Yep. $1200. It is a dually, so the axle shafts have to be removed. That was what 3 shops quoted me, so I took it to the one shop that I trust. That's about the only thing I let a shop touch.

Had it been a 2500, I would have done all of the work myself.

Rock · Feb 27, 2023

2018 Big Horn 75K miles. Always on full EB. I just like the sound of it.

Edward Owen · Feb 27, 2023

I was told it good to use it to keep the door from freezing open,so it works like it supposed to.

DonF · Feb 27, 2023

I use mine when towing or when I'm driving in the mountains. I have it on Auto and it works very well.

lpennock · Feb 27, 2023

I use Full EB all the time. Not that I believe it does anything for the veins as I watch their action on the CTS and they cycle 40-90% even when not using the EB. I do it because I grew up in the Big Block High compression manual Transmission Gasser world and I like the engine braking that Full provides. I hate taking my foot off the skinny pedal and not having things slow down. I don't like having to touch the brake to get the EB to come on that Auto mode uses. I would rather control the Brake on/off with the skinny pedal.

Bottom line use the mode that suits your driving style best.

Danny Phillips · Feb 27, 2023

I turn on the exhaust brake when I start the truck. I also shift manually with the automatic trans. I rarely get into 6th gear. maximum rpm.s around 2000.

dputnam01 · Feb 27, 2023

Billet Bee said:
I have always left mine on full to aid in breaking and have never used the lesser automatic setting. I only use the even more increased exhaust braking by using tow haul mode while pulling our home and not truck alone due too extra on/ off jerking back and forth and any extra possible fuel consumption.

I always use full braking. It's the first button I push after engine start. 2018 with 53k miles

06 Dodge · Feb 27, 2023

lpennock said:
I use Full EB all the time. Not that I believe it does anything for the veins as I watch their action on the CTS and they cycle 40-90% even when not using the EB. I do it because I grew up in the Big Block High compression manual Transmission Gasser world and I like the engine braking that Full provides. I hate taking my foot off the skinny pedal and not having things slow down. I don't like having to touch the brake to get the EB to come on that Auto mode uses. I would rather control the Brake on/off with the skinny pedal.

Bottom line use the mode that suits your driving style best.

Don't know about how your 2018 EB comes on but in my 2022 I don't have to touch the brakes for my EB to come on when set to Auto, I will say when in Auto it allows the truck to coast a short distant before it comes on and yes its not as aggressive as full EB but then I like it that way when driving it town unless I'm in heavy stop go traffic with fools who cut in front of you to get to the stop light faster...

lpennock · Feb 27, 2023

06 Dodge said:
Don't know about how your 2018 EB comes on but in my 2022 I don't have to touch the brakes for my EB to come on when set to Auto, I will say when in Auto it allows the truck to coast a short distant before it comes on and yes its not as aggressive as full EB but then I like it that way when driving it town unless I'm in heavy stop go traffic with fools who cut in front of you to get to the stop light faster...

Never waited to see if it would decide to come on if I didn't press the brake. When I want exhaust brake I want it now not 10 seconds from now. If I want to coast I just don't fully let off the fuel. I'm glad FCA gave the option for Full/auto mode as some people prefer one over the other. For me the Auto mode is just a waste of a button push (especially since full comes first in the cycle).

BTW: the you tube video that was posted earlier in the thread also never had Auto engage the EB unless the brake was pressed.

06 Dodge · Feb 28, 2023

lpennock said:
Never waited to see if it would decide to come on if I didn't press the brake. When I want exhaust brake I want it now not 10 seconds from now. If I want to coast I just don't fully let off the fuel. I'm glad FCA gave the option for Full/auto mode as some people prefer one over the other. For me the Auto mode is just a waste of a button push (especially since full comes first in the cycle).

BTW: the you tube video that was posted earlier in the thread also never had Auto engage the EB unless the brake was pressed.

Another reason I don't like EB on full is in my truck it lowers my in town fuel mileage 1 mpg by not allowing the truck to coast before EB comes on compared to EB on Auto, as I see it the approx. $8.00 saving per tank buy's a pound of NY Steak, 2 Lb of Tri Tip or 8 oz of Tenderloin....

lpennock · Feb 28, 2023

06 Dodge said:
Another reason I don't like EB on full is in my truck it lowers my in town fuel mileage 1 mpg by not allowing the truck to coast before EB comes on compared to EB on Auto, as I see it the approx. $8.00 saving per tank buy's a pound of NY Steak, 2 Lb of Tri Tip or 8 oz of Tenderloin....

I'm glad Auto works for you. It doesn't work for me. You won't convince me of it being a useful mode anymore than I can convince you of it being a waste. So can we just drop it?

18CrewDually · Feb 28, 2023

06 Dodge said:
Another reason I don't like EB on full is in my truck it lowers my in town fuel mileage 1 mpg by not allowing the truck to coast before EB comes on compared to EB on Auto, as I see it the approx. $8.00 saving per tank buy's a pound of NY Steak, 2 Lb of Tri Tip or 8 oz of Tenderloin....

If you don't let your foot totally off the accelerator pedal it won't apply the EB but it will still coast.

Brent 1955 · Feb 28, 2023

Goose55 said:
I am hearing that it is beneficial to the turbo charger to keep the exhaust brake on all the time, but not sure why. I am wondering what some of you seasoned Ram Heavy Duty owners say about that. If this is true, do you keep it on full exhaust brake or automatic? Looking forward to hearing from you good folk. Thank you!

I do in my 2013 Ram 3500 2 reasons helps in the breaking and when you go and start to idle it helps the burn of the carbon deposits. I just keep it on the first setting not the automatic. 600,000 miles and still running strong with everyday maintenance.

06 Dodge · Mar 1, 2023

18CrewDually said:
If you don't let your foot totally off the accelerator pedal it won't apply the EB but it will still coast.

For some reason the accelerator on my 22 is much more touchy then my 06 to where it became easier to use Auto full time, I'm still trying to find the spot to where I can let off accelerator and coast with EB on full but in the process of trying I've found how to improve fuel mileage

Andrei20 · Mar 3, 2023

I keep mine on auto all the time. Keeps the set speed here and there down the hill if the truck wants to speed up, but it's not too much annoying as when it's in "all the time ON" mode.

ppine · Mar 22, 2023

I use it for towing for sure and in steep country. Not for daily driving.

Do You Keep Your Cummins Exhaust Brake On All the Time?

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