About a month ago I had a learning experience with my TCH.

Let me preface this by saying that I am originally from California and am very experienced with mountain driving, both with standard and automatic transmissions.

We took a trip to Vermont; there was no issue at all with the normal driving in the "mountains" of the East. However we took a short side trip to the top of a very, very long and steep scenic drive. I thought I was taking it easy...the transmission was in "B" both going up and down this very steep mountain. (Though now I see that I could have left it in "D" going up.)

It took about 20 minutes going up at about 20 mph. When we went down I discovered that the TCH has no "lower gearing" to hold the car in such a situation. I guess I knew this, but didn't think about it until I was in this situation. So the transmission would not limit the speed of the car until I hit 45mph which wasn't the best since some of the hair pin turns had to be done at 5 mph and most of the rest couldn't be done past 25 mph, well without tires screaming in pain.

This meant of course that I really had no choice but to endlessly tap the brakes. They never faded but only because I pulled over at many rest areas and just waited for the brakes to cool.

Now admittedly this climb was much more severe than anything in the US Rockies, though there are a few areas in the Canadian Rockies that come close.

As I'm sure many of the posters here know, "B" shift mode is not lower gearing (which wouldn't make sense given the CVT) but rather is less efficient battery regeneration, forcing the engine to spin when it otherwise wouldn't and provide "some" additional braking by forcing air through the engine.

My car, including brakes are fine, but this vehicle definitely needs babying under the conditions I described, compared to a conventional transmission.

Don

 

Mt. Washington, NH, I presume?

I have a long, steep downhill on an Interstate Hwy I use occasionaly, and I have to brake to keep the car from going 90-100mph. The B position does slow the car down, but doesn't light the brake lights, so just for informing the drivers behind me that I am slowing, I prefer to slightly apply the brakes. The battery guage shows all full green when I reach the bottom of the grade.

 

Actually no, though that is a logical guess. It was steeper than Mt. Washington...it was Mount Equinox...it is about 3,000' in 5 miles.

Don

 

You DID say Vermont! Never heard of Mt Equinox, I 'll have to check it out...in a rental car!

 

Sounds more like a flat panel TV manufacturer than a mountain.

 

Why would you use 'B' going UPhill?

 

I shouldn't have though it had no negative consequences, it was just driver error from thinking of "B" as some form of "low."

 

Mt. Equinox:

http://www.equinoxmountain.com/skylinedrive/index.htm

Looks like a great drive...

 

I remember this ride with my family in the early '60s when we lived in Saratoga. Did it in a 1953 buick.....brakes???.........

 

"Tapping" the brakes is a relative term. I have a two and a half mile downgrade on my morning commute. Over time I have become comfortable with riding the brake lightly for longer periods than a tap with occasional short bursts with the brakes off. The trick is to use light braking early and frequently to prevent the speed from building up.

I have watched brake wear closely and not noticed any excessive pad wear yet. Whith the very light braking applied, most of the braking is regen, and in theory, at least, brake pad wear should be minimal.

One thing -- If you want to try this, make sure you have the brake TSB on older TCH's. Without it, the pads do rub more, and more heat and wear will occur