6.7 Engine Brake and Mileage
 

I go back and forth. I drive all day every day for work (I own a service company). I'm probably 60% city, 40% highway/freeway. I use the brake all the time when exiting offramps & allow the engine brake slow the truck down. Same thing in freeway traffic. I've upgraded to the Raptor steering wheel with the paddle shifters, so it makes it a hoot to drive in traffic. I rarely have to use my brakes.

On city streets, I don't use it as much. Just doesn't' seem to engage/slow the truck as much when you're going under 30 MPH unloaded.

I average about 16k miles a year on my 350 & average MPG is 13.7. Not breaking any records, but for a 60/40 split city/hwy I'll take it.

If you're trying to maximize mpg don't use the EB unless you need it. Anything that impedes coasting is costing you fuel.

Have any of you tried the engine brake towing a trailer or a heavy load? I have a brand new F350 and haven't towed yet with it. I had an aftermarket engine brake from Banks in my 2005 Dodge Cummins. It worked very well.

I'm wondering how the performace is with this OEM built in engine brake system. I tow a 44' Toy Hauler (heavy - 16K). Does it work by tapping the brake? Does it hold the speed on a downhill decent?

The first press turns on the engine brake, the second press puts it in auto. In manual, the brake is set to whatever speed you are traveling at the time, auto doesn't do anything until you press the brake. Whatever speed you are going when you release the brake is what the auto is set at. They both work quite well. I go through Rocky Gap quite often, last week it was snowing, and the brake holds speed quite well pulling even the heaviest 5er.

Note: I would say that it not just strictly an engine brake. More like an engine brake management system. When the going gets really steep I've seen the transmission kick down in conjunction with the engine brake to maintain speed.

That is great to know that Ford did a good job on this engine brake system. The engine brake is super important to me with my Toy Hauler. I'm still setting up my new truck to tow, so I haven't tried it yet.

I'm just over 26k# loaded with my 5th wheel. With the engine brake on auto, it'll hold 65 on a 6 5% mountain descent around 2600 RPMs in 5th (2017 F450).

Good to know Do you think it would hold you at say 35 mph on a steep downgrade if you pushed twice on the brake to set the speed?

The '19 F350 is my first experience with the Engine Brake. I was very happy with the auto function while descending a snowy grade recently pulling my snowmobile trailer at slower speeds. As wrvond mentioned, it seemed to work in conjunction with the transmission to help maintain speed without the need to touch the brakes.

On the curvy 7-8% grades around here, I will manually shift the tranny into 3rd, and the engine brake (in manual mode) holds the speed with a 12,000 lb 5th wheel pushing me down the mountain. I still need to apply brakes a bit on the sharper turns. the reason I do a manual gear selection is so that the tranny will not shift to 2nd automatically when I brake for the slower curves. The engine brake works great !! :-jammin

Awesome. Good to hear. In my old Dodge with the Banks system, I used to shift it into 1st gear and crawl down some steep curvy roads here in Utah. I'm excited to tow with the new F350. Thanks for the replies. Very helpful and encouraging for sure.

I've heard that using cruise control on icy/snowy roads is a bad idea so I would think that using the exhaust brake while descending icy/snowy roads could come with some surprises if you hit a slick spot.

If you do use the exhaust brake in situations where traction is less than optimal, does the exhaust brake turn off once a loss of traction is sensed?

Its an exhaust brake (not an engine brake)
 

There's a big difference

Has anybody found a way to make it so the exhaust brake comes on automatically when you start the truck? Our ambulance is around 16,700lbs, so we prefer that our drivers use the exhaust brake to help save the brakes a little when clearing intersections or during normal driving. We find it also gives our patients and providers a smoother ride in the back as there is not constant brake pressure being applied. It is a hassle to remind everyone to press the button before every call. The internationals we just moved from had a simple on/off switch.