Using the Compression Brake for Everyday Driving

[bobthemagicman]

Hey all,

I have a 2019 Ram 2500 which is equipped with a compression brake. I have found that turning the compression brake on full when I am driving makes it easier to drive in traffic and also gets me better fuel mileage. I am curious if there are any negative ramifications or risks to the mechanical components of the engine by doing this when not towing and/or by using it so frequently.

Thanks,
Justen

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

Hey all,

I have a 2019 Ram 2500 which is equipped with a compression brake. I have found that turning the compression brake on full when I am driving makes it easier to drive in traffic and also gets me better fuel mileage. I am curious if there are any negative ramifications or risks to the mechanical components of the engine by doing this when not towing and/or by using it so frequently.

Thanks,
Justen

Its an exhaust brake not to be confused with a Jacobs compression brake, but i always run my EB (exhaust brake) on full its actually a good thing as it keeps the VGT turbo from sticking among other things…. There is no issues running it all the time to my knowledge

 

[Scooter29]

Don’t see any issues, I use mine when I’m not towing also for the advantage of not having to brake heavy downhills or to slow down from higher speeds. Don’t see any negatives, like H3LZSN1P3R said it keeps it moving so it doesn’t stick from carbon buildup over time and it’s helping your brake pads last longer.

 

[Brutal_HO]

You'll likely get better fuel mileage on the highway with it on auto as it will "coast" if you let off the pedal.

Mine is on Full almost all the time.

 

[Thorvald]

Yes and I wish the idiot engineers at Ram made it optional to always come on when the truck Starts. ”Oh can’t do that as it’s dangerous in the winter on ice”… oh my god you lazy programmers, if the outside temp is below a certain temp, turn off the damn thing and let us decide if we want it.

SHEESH!

 

[MtnRider]

I honestly can't see how you are getting better fuel mileage with it on full, if anything it should be worse because you are not longer allowing the truck to coast when letting off the pedal?

I usually only run mine when towing, don't bother around town as it can be annoying (to me). Either way it shouldn't hurt anything, run it if you like, don't if you don't.

.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

Yes and I wish the idiot engineers at Ram made it optional to always come on when the truck Starts. ”Oh can’t do that as it’s dangerous in the winter on ice”… oh my god you lazy programmers, if the outside temp is below a certain temp, turn off the damn thing and let us decide if we want it.

SHEESH!

I have no issue on ice i dont think it brakes hard enough to lock up the rear tires personally, i totally agree with you on this though

 

[elephantrider]

mine is on all the time. full in the city, and auto on the hwy. been that way for nearly 40k miles.

 

[bobthemagicman]

I really appreciate all the answers here. I am glad to know that I won't be messing up my truck by using that as frequently as I do. Also thanks for the tip on using the auto mode on the highway, I wasn't sure what that was for either. I should probably unwrap the manual and give it a read at some point

 

[elephantrider]

auto keeps you at set cruise speed, among other things. it's awesome.

 

[Brewbud]

I usually run full. Sometimes auto on the freeway. Really helps braking with larger tires.

 

[RTillery]

I agreed and did what everyone above has reported. Then I had to set up a block honing machine for one of the largest turbo distributors in the west and asked about this same thing. One of the head guys said he doesn't run it on his truck unless he is towing. If he hasn't towed for a while, he may cycle it on and off a few times during a trip just to work it. He told me, leaving it on all the time just tends to put more wear on the actuator. Now I'm totally confused which is the state I dwell in most of the time.

 

[MtnRider]

I agreed and did what everyone above has reported. Then I had to set up a block honing machine for one of the largest turbo distributors in the west and asked about this same thing. One of the head guys said he doesn't run it on his truck unless he is towing. If he hasn't towed for a while, he may cycle it on and off a few times during a trip just to work it. He told me, leaving it on all the time just tends to put more wear on the actuator. Now I'm totally confused which is the state I dwell in most of the time.

The actuator wear/failure is a hot topic, Lot's of thoughts on this and I'll give you my 2c. Actuator failure is somewhat of a common issue and people speculate that it is a mechanical issue from not being used (sooting up) however I have spoken to an after market actuator designer/manufacturer who has done failure analysis on many actuators and his conclusion was it is a failure of the electronics, not mechanical. The components used in the actuator circuit card are under spec'd for the conditions and use they are put through and they fail prematurely from heat and number of cycles. So the school of thought of running the exhaust brake all the time so it doesn't soot up doesn't hold much water if his analysis is to be believed. It also moves quit a bit under normal usage.

That's not to say they never bind up and that type of failure may be more common on the older pre-DEF trucks that used more EGR but it appears from his analysis it is usually the electronics that give out.

Now using it all the time does create a tremendous amount of exhaust back pressure but I can't say I have seen a failure diretly related to that? Maybe a manifold gasket blown or something. Just speculating here.

That's my opinion based on what I know but this is the internet so I'm sure someone will come along and say I'm full of pooo and that's ok.

 

[MrWellman]

Yes and I wish the idiot engineers at Ram made it optional to always come on when the truck Starts. ”Oh can’t do that as it’s dangerous in the winter on ice”… oh my god you lazy programmers, if the outside temp is below a certain temp, turn off the damn thing and let us decide if we want it.

SHEESH!

My 22 stays on by itself after restart. Stays where it was when you shut down the truck.

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[Brutal_HO]

My 22 stays on by itself after restart. Stays where it was when you shut down the truck.

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With no tune and no trailer attached?

 

[MrWellman]

With no tune and no trailer attached?

Yep, brand new truck. No tune or trailer. It stays set until I change it. I was surprised. Not sure if its a 22 thing or cab and chassis thing.

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[LimitedLonghorn]

Yep, brand new truck. No tune or trailer. It stays set until I change it. I was surprised. Not sure if its a 22 thing or cab and chassis thing.

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That’s a pretty major improvement then. Love it when they listen to feedback and really looking forward to this in particular!

 

[Brutal_HO]

Yep, brand new truck. No tune or trailer. It stays set until I change it. I was surprised. Not sure if its a 22 thing or cab and chassis thing.

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Ah CC truck. Probably a CC thing if I had to guess. I suspect we'll find out soon enough as 22 CTD owners figure their trucks out.

 

[gimmie11s]

Yep, brand new truck. No tune or trailer. It stays set until I change it. I was surprised. Not sure if its a 22 thing or cab and chassis thing.

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Very cool.

 

[Brewbud]

Ah CC truck. Probably a CC thing if I had to guess. I suspect we'll find out soon enough as 22 CTD owners figure their trucks out.

Didn't the CC trucks always do this?