Mountain Driving Gear & RPM's

[Gary&Terry]

Hi gang ...here I go again ..lol ...need info when cruising the mountains in my 625hp Newell ..whats the recommend gear and rpm for up hill climbing an down hill grades ..which is best ..an what should i not do and at what rpm ...???

Gary

[The Newell]

Hi Gary,

Check out Engine RPM Calculator (http://www.csgnetwork.com/multirpmcalc.html)

[folivier]

Well in my 8v92 with 4 speed I'm usually in 2nd or 3rd. Usually come down in the same gear I went up.
Basically I watch my rpms and temp pretty closely on a hard climb. When the rpms start dropping and/or the temp starts rising I downshift.
But on my 8v92 I have a direct drive radiator fan so cooling is pretty dependant on rpms.
Your cat should perform much better but remember you still have to come down safely.

[express1]

This works for me....What ever gear you need climbing the hill use the same gear coming down with jake.

[Chester B. Stone, Jr.]

It all depends on grade. As to the 60 Series, I try to keep the RPMs at 1800 to 2000, and not over 2000 coming down.

[NewellCrazy]

All are great answers and the usual rule which has already been shared is to go down the mountain in the same gear it took to get to the top.