Smoking brakes while in the Smoky Mountains

[dja4260]

Just returned from a great 4 days in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I pulled our camper and family without an issue 2.5 hours from home to Bryson City, NC. While traveling through the mountains with no trailer, I stopped at a lookout and both my front brakes were literally smoking on my 2014 Silverado. I'm glad that I stopped and gave them time to cool off. I recently changed front and rear pads. Brakes never faded or felt soft.

Could I have hurt anything IE. pads, rotors brake fluid, etc?

 

[Chris142]

Downshift!

 

[wwillson]

Did you just descend a steep grade where you had to use the brakes? I have seen an empty flatbed semi with glowing hot brakes descending from the Eisenhower Tunnel in CO. You don't have to be hauling or towing to get hot brakes.

 

[spasm3]

Just returned from a great 4 days in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I pulled our camper and family without an issue 2.5 hours from home to Bryson City, NC. While traveling through the mountains with no trailer, I stopped at a lookout and both my front brakes were literally smoking on my 2014 Silverado. I'm glad that I stopped and gave them time to cool off. I recently changed front and rear pads. Brakes never faded or felt soft.

Could I have hurt anything IE. pads, rotors brake fluid, etc?

How long were you on the brakes? Slowing down and downshifting to compression brake is the thing to do , with or without a trailer.

If if got hot enough, i could hurt the bearings. The good thing is the grease usually stays in the hub bearings, unlike the old style where t would liquefy and run out when you stopped with much smoke.

Time will tell.

 

[skippermatt]

Most likely everything is fine, you could bleed the brakes to get some fresh fluid in the calipers and re grease the caliper slide pins if you’re worried. If the rotor gets too hot, a lot of times you can see hot spots that look kinda blue in color along the face of the rotor, and any dark brown rust turns to a very light orange brown on the edges of the rotor if it was overheated.

 

[dja4260]

How long were you on the brakes? Slowing down and downshifting to compression brake is the thing to do , with or without a trailer.

If if got hot enough, i could hurt the bearings. The good thing is the grease usually stays in the hub bearings, unlike the old style where t would liquefy and run out when you stopped with much smoke.

Time will tell.

I made a poor decision and was coasting in N. I know that was stupid.

 

[eljefino]

 

[IndyIan]

I made a poor decision and was coasting in N. I know that was stupid.

Yes, I don't think that's in the towing manual for how to drive in the mountains. Are you using your trailer brakes much? In theory a well set up trailer shouldn't add a large extra braking load to the tow vehicle.

 

[Dave Hess]

I made a poor decision and was coasting in N. I know that was stupid.

You have to think like an 18 wheel truck driver hauling 85,000 pounds….

Next time you know better and learned from your mistake.

 

[RooflessVW]

Next time you want to goof around and coast down a big hill in neutral, the trick is to use the brakes intermittently to shed speed, not ride them to the bottom of the hill.

 

[Chris142]

I made a poor decision and was coasting in N. I know that was stupid.

Yikes! I often have to drive a 20000lb service truck with only 2 axles down 6-16% grades. I don't care how many cars are behind me and mad as there's no place to pull off. I'm in a low gear before I hit the steep parts. Low enough that I let the engine braking hold my speed without using the brakes.

 

[wwillson]

I made a poor decision and was coasting in N. I know that was stupid.

I respect that you called yourself out. The best part is you'll never do it again. If I only had a dollar for every dumb thing I've done.

 

[ford250]

I made a poor decision and was coasting in N. I know that was stupid.

That ain’t good

 

[edyvw]

Did you just descend a steep grade where you had to use the brakes? I have seen an empty flatbed semi with glowing hot brakes descending from the Eisenhower Tunnel in CO. You don't have to be hauling or towing to get hot brakes.

If I had a nickle how many times I have seen that there. And not only on trucks. Or overheated vehicles, at -20. In the summer it is impossible not to see overheated cars.

 

[Oillover]

I made a poor decision and was coasting in N. I know that was stupid.

Why on earth would you decide N was better than D?

 

[Tman220]

I made a poor decision and was coasting in N. I know that was stupid.

I'm not trying to to shame you but what do you think you were accomplishing?

I know there are some misconceptions out there where some people think putting their vehicle in neutral going down a hill saves on gas.

Let me assure you that not only did you smoke your brakes by putting your truck in neutral, you also burned more gas in the process! Your truck will cut the fuel injectors completely while coasting when certain conditions are met. Basically whenever your instant fuel economy readout shows 99 mpg while coasting the fuel injectors are cut, but you have to be coasting IN GEAR for that to work.

 

[sloinker]

If only that was an electric truck with regenerative braking. The story could have been about supplying power to cook hot meals for starving orphans. But Noooooo!

 

[sloinker]

If only that was an electric truck with regenerative braking. Your story could have been about supplying power to cook hot meals for starving orphans. But Noooooo!

 

[Egg_Head]

I made a poor decision and was coasting in N. I know that was stupid.

Georgia Overdrive!

 

[honeeagle]

Yes, I don't think that's in the towing manual for how to drive in the mountains. Are you using your trailer brakes much? In theory a well set up trailer shouldn't add a large extra braking load to the tow vehicle.

have you seen the typical rv trailer brake set up?They would look normal on a 70's econo box, all they might do is keep the trailer behind the tow vehicle .... kinda.