Need advice on mountain driving.

[Michael A]

New MAX with trailer tow pkg & 3.73 gears. Not towing anything; what's the best combination for descending the mountains and not always using the brakes? Thanks!

 

[shane_th_ee]

Tow/haul mode

 

[nate6966]

I leave mine in eco or normal when descending mountain passes around here. Just press the minus button next to the gear selector to limit how high of a gear the trans will shift to. Similar to "manual" mode, but more automated.

 

[Deadman]

Ya, I would just hold the trans into a lower gear, or tow haul would do it for you if you wanted it to....

 

[Artie]

I use ‘Excite’ on my Navigator because it downshifts at the higher RPM under braking for engine braking. Plus the paved mountain roads here have lots of fun twisties so I really work the corners of my tires. For a large vehicle it sure can carve up my local mountains roads.

 

[aggiegrad05]

I use ‘Excite’ on my Navigator because it downshifts at the higher RPM under braking for engine braking. Plus the paved mountain roads here have lots of fun twisties so I really work the corners of my tires. For a large vehicle it sure can carve up my local mountains roads.

“Excite”.......for us poors that’s Sport. (Kidding @Artie)

I agree with this though. In that kind of driving I always use Sport to let the engine govern the speed a bit and give the brakes a rest. My wife also demands it because she doesn’t like how much it wallows around the corners in Eco or Normal; Sport tightens everything up and keeps the beast surprisingly flat (for a land yacht) thru the corners.

 

[duneslider]

I use ‘Excite’ on my Navigator because it downshifts at the higher RPM under braking for engine braking. Plus the paved mountain roads here have lots of fun twisties so I really work the corners of my tires. For a large vehicle it sure can carve up my local mountains roads.

Georgia has mountains...? JK

I came down some pretty steep stuff on saturday and played with some different settings to see what works. Hitting the manual button and then manually choosing a gear works well, as expected. On the really steep stuff where I was wanting to stay under 20mph the hill descent control works really well. Tow Haul mode seems to work well too and seems to hold a speed really well. On longer grades you can even set the cruise control and it does a fine job of maintaining that speed. I did that down Parley's summit on saturday (3-6% grade 2400 feet of drop) and it worked great.

I will be hauling the trailer up to the camp spot we found on Saturday (right at about 9600') and it will be fun to see how it handles the steep up hills on the loose dirt roads.

 

[Artie]

Georgia has mountains...? JK

I came down some pretty steep stuff on saturday and played with some different settings to see what works. Hitting the manual button and then manually choosing a gear works well, as expected. On the really steep stuff where I was wanting to stay under 20mph the hill descent control works really well. Tow Haul mode seems to work well too and seems to hold a speed really well. On longer grades you can even set the cruise control and it does a fine job of maintaining that speed. I did that down Parley's summit on saturday (3-6% grade 2400 feet of drop) and it worked great.

I will be hauling the trailer up to the camp spot we found on Saturday (right at about 9600') and it will be fun to see how it handles the steep up hills on the loose dirt roads.

Hahaha yes, Georgia has some of the oldest mountains in the world. They may be diminutive in size but they make up for that in ruggedness and attacking insects.

 

[16plati]

“Excite”.......for us poors that’s Sport. (Kidding @Artie)

I agree with this though. In that kind of driving I always use Sport to let the engine govern the speed a bit and give the brakes a rest. My wife also demands it because she doesn’t like how much it wallows around the corners in Eco or Normal; Sport tightens everything up and keeps the beast surprisingly flat (for a land yacht) thru the corners.

“Excite” is for the ppl over 60 that drive the Navi’s. Sport is for the younger crowd in the Expeditions

 

[Deadman]

So who can modify the Expedition to run Sport suspension settings and normal shift points? Any hackers out here?

 

[16plati]

So who can modify the Expedition to run Sport suspension settings and normal shift points? Any hackers out here?

Reputable tuning company can change your shift points and then you can just run whatever suspension setting you want

 

[Sgt Darkness]

Hahaha yes, Georgia has some of the oldest mountains in the world. They may be diminutive in size but they make up for that in ruggedness and attacking insects.

Don’t forget to give us those hills back when you’re done playing with ‘em......

 

[Deadman]

Reputable tuning company can change your shift points and then you can just run whatever suspension setting you want

Right, but I'd like the sport setting to keep the aggressive shift points for when I want them. I really don't want the other shift points changed at all, they're excellent in my opinion. I just want the sport suspension settings for the ride quality while keeping the mild trans shift points as its great for normal driving and easy on fuel.

 

[16plati]

Right, but I'd like the sport setting to keep the aggressive shift points for when I want them. I really don't want the other shift points changed at all, they're excellent in my opinion. I just want the sport suspension settings for the ride quality while keeping the mild trans shift points as its great for normal driving and easy on fuel.

Oh so you want sport suspension but want to be able to go between the sporty shift points AND normal shift points while in sport suspension?

 

[Artie]

“Excite” is for the ppl over 60 that drive the Navi’s. Sport is for the younger crowd in the Expeditions

I’m 42 and “Excite” is just fine for my age.

 

[aggiegrad05]

I’m 42 and “Excite” is just fine for my age.

It’s jealousy @Artie. At least for me it is. [emoji6]

 

[Deadman]

Oh so you want sport suspension but want to be able to go between the sporty shift points AND normal shift points while in sport suspension?

correct. The 10 speed is fairly aggressive in "normal" mode, so I don't need it any more aggressive most times.
My wife just likes the firmer ride of the "sport" mode on the backroads!

 

[stamp11127]

This doesn't answer your question but did remind me of my youth (30-40's). Saab 93 Turbo in the mountains, hammer down once I crested the top. Grin from ear to ear.