driving down steep down hill

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william husband

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hi everyone just joined and loving the motorhome way of life i have a fiat ductao 1.9td auto roller 4 berth
one question when driving down steep hills rather than breaking all the time would second gear be ok or any tips you could help me with
going uphill fine nice and slow not over doing then engine.
thanks william.
 
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Give this a go.......

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Yes, select third, second may irritate drivers behind you. Depending on the type of road.
And intermittent braking where necessary.
Try not to stay on the brakes for long periods.
Then stop for a cuppa at the bottom to let things cool down (y)
 
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Yes, a combination of low gear and gentle braking should be fine.

By the way:welcome3: !!
 
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Choose a gear one up from the one that will hold you at a constant speed going down the hill. (That decision will come from experience with you driving the 'van.)

A short application of the brake will reduce your speed as you go down without having to keep your foot on it continuously.

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Just keep the cab door open just in case you have to bail out:LOL:

Seriously, modern braking systems can take it, and they soon recover. If you are really worried about it, drop her down to 3rd , keep your foot off the go pedal and brake intermittently as @Figaro has suggested. (y)
 
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william husband said:
hi everyone just joined and loving the motorhome way of life i have a fiat ductao 1.9td auto roller 4 berth
one question when driving down steep hills rather than breaking all the time would second gear be ok or any tips you could help me with
going uphill fine nice and slow not over doing then engine.
thanks william.
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Welcome! Picking up on another thread on here if the brake fluid hasn't been changed for a couple of years it would be worth getting it done especially if you are planning some really big hills such as those you find say in the Alps. You can have descents there several kilometres long and a low gear is the only safe way but pull over where it safe when the queue builds up behind you. :)
 
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Presumably you have driven a manual car, the method fo decending steep hill is the same, low tea and gentle braking.

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DBK said:
Welcome! Picking up on another thread on here if the brake fluid hasn't been changed for a couple of years it would be worth getting it done especially if you are planning some really big hills such as those you find say in the Alps. You can have descents there several kilometres long and a low gear is the only safe way but pull over where it safe when the queue builds up behind you. :)
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Ours is recommended to be changed every 2 years!!!! I suspect as a lot are regularly driven as vans and well overloaded.
 
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The Wino said:
Ours is recommended to be changed every 2 years!!!! I suspect as a lot are regularly driven as vans and well overloaded.
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I think the theory is the fluid is hygroscopic and attracts water which in turn can lead to corrosion and brake fade if it boils. :)
 
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Figaro said:
Then stop for a cuppa at the bottom to let things cool down (y)
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Please don’t do that, keep going to get some air over the discs, pads and callipers. If you let very hot brakes stand they will boil the fluid and could even worse case scenario warp the discs. (y)
 
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DBK said:
I think the theory is the fluid is hygroscopic and attracts water which in turn can lead to corrosion and brake fade if it boils. :)
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Which is back to basic physics, you can’t compress a liquid (brake fluid) but you can compress a gas (boiled water) which gives fade/long pedal.
 
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Hi and Welcome. You raised a good point. Motorhomes do tend to go down hills quickly probably because in most cases they are near the maximum permitted weight fully loaded like an Amazon delivery van just leaving the depot and third gear is sometimes about right. When going up-hill following a big decline keep the engine rev’s up in the lower gears instead of allowing the engine to labour.
 
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DaveandJen said:
When going up-hill following a big decline keep the engine rev’s up in the lower gears instead of allowing the engine to labour.
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And that’s how you do an “Italian service” low gear and revs over 3000rpm, that’ll blow the cobwebs away (y)
 
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use the same gear to go down hill as you would use to go up.
 
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Many years ago I was driving down the Austrian side of the Loibl pass, between Ljubljana in Slovenia and Klagenfurt in Austria. I stopped in a layby near one of the hairpin bends. As I watched, a motorhome came careering down the steep hill, horn blaring, and just as it reached the bend there was a 'straight-on' minor road that climbed up very steeply. It went straight on, and came to rest a hundred yards up the hill. Two very shaken people got out. No harm done, but I doubt anyone who saw that will ever forget it.

Keep in low gear, use the brakes very little, and if you're holding up the traffic that means extra clear space in front in case it all goes wrong. And keep a mental note of those 'escape lane' signs. Slow down and enjoy the scenery.

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Take into account all the advice offered above, relating to motorhomes, but also some general advice from YouTube relating to cars which might also help:

 
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My brakes failed when I was driving my big old tank of a Standard Vanguard down Portsdown Hill. Its surprising how quickly you pick up speed before realising you're in trouble, By the time I'd finished pumping the brakes, failing to change gear, grabbing the hand brake which was useless I was steaming down the hill overtaking everyone in sight including a patrol car. I didn't even attempt to go round the roundabout at the bottom of the hill. I went straight over it demolishing a keep left sign and a central flower bed. I finally came to rest going up hill on the other side of a junction. Before I finally came to a standstill the police car that I'd overtaken was already parked up my bum and two coppers got out and started reading me the riot act. It was at this point I remembered I had no brakes and before I could do anything about it I rolled back and ploughed into their shiny new car. I can still see the look on their faces. I can laugh about it now because the only thing that got hurt apart from the motors was my pride.
In future if I found myself in a similar situation I would probably aim for the vehicle in front and let it bring me to a stop but that's easier said than done unless of course its a cop car
 
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Wow, @wotme, that is some story!
I’m glad you were ok, and it was only your pride that took a drubbing. Incredible...
 
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william husband said:
hi everyone just joined and loving the motorhome way of life i have a fiat ductao 1.9td auto roller 4 berth
one question when driving down steep hills rather than breaking all the time would second gear be ok or any tips you could help me with
going uphill fine nice and slow not over doing then engine.
thanks william.
Click to expand...
If its a very long hill try and pull over to let the brakes cool down. Don't worry about other road users they can always overtake!

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DBK said:
I think the theory is the fluid is hygroscopic and attracts water which in turn can lead to corrosion and brake fade if it boils. :)
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I often wonder about this. On my motorbikes the brake fluid is kept between an expandable diaphram / rubber seal on the top of the master cylinder and the pipes & slave cylinders.

Where on earth is moisture going to get in?

I think most car systems are the same.
 
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Not sure I can give a definitive answer to that but can assure you that all brake fluid , in time, absorbs moisture and the boiling point progressively reduces. While in business I used an expensive piece of kit and without any tricks could demonstrate the changes. Certainly some moisture is absorbed via breathers in the system which allow fluid level to reduce as brake pads wear. Plus the reservoir cap is hardly airtight.
 
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william husband said:
hi everyone just joined and loving the motorhome way of life i have a fiat ductao 1.9td auto roller 4 berth
one question when driving down steep hills rather than breaking all the time would second gear be ok or any tips you could help me with
going uphill fine nice and slow not over doing then engine.
thanks william.
Click to expand...
ask your driving instructor :)
 
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