Maverick Hybrid Climbed Mt Washington Today

[Ford Motor Company]

My wife and I checked Mt Washington off our bucket list Mav did fine, the brakes definitely got hot lol.

Great photos, we hope you had an amazing trip!

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[NextTruck]

I'm thinking that the brakes can get hot and lose their effectiveness and perhaps ignite? I'm no expert, but I know sustained braking may cause brake failure. I'm sure others will weigh in on this and I'd like to hear other viewpoints.

Made this climb in 2010 with a new (then) Tahoe. Instructions were "put vehicle in low gear all the way and all the way down." Did fine but the trans temp climbed to over 210 deg on the way up, which seemed to be below a concerning level. Never got that hot pulling a boat on 100 deg days. On the way down, I used the designated pull offs for brake cooling once to be safe, but generally they seemed ok. After that trip I don't recall warping or anything indicating the brakes overheated. Overall, especially a heavy vehicle, I think iot is working hard to do that. I really enjoyed that experience and the views and if you are ever near there, I recommend it.

 

[OhioMike]

Doing this always seemed penny wise and pound foolish. Brakes are cheap, engines are expensive.

Hot brakes fail. Not good.

 

[Granger Ford]

My wife and I checked Mt Washington off our bucket list Mav did fine, the brakes definitely got hot lol.

That is awesome! Thank you for posting those pictures!

 

[JetFixxxer]

OMG what a tourist thing to do you put the bumpah stickah on your truck. At least it wasn't crowded like it is during peak tourist season and also the leaf peepers haven't arrived yet.

Thanks for sharing the pictures.

 

[Tom 71 Maverick 24]

I might just add Mt. Washington to my "places to travel" list.

 

[jerrisn]

Doing this always seemed penny wise and pound foolish. Brakes are cheap, engines are expensive.

Given the design, it should be just fine. I drove through the Colorado mountains in L mode right after hitting my first 1,000 miles, and it handled it well. It’s the same engine setup as my 2015 Chevy Volt (122k miles) and my 2013 Chevy Volt (107k miles). When the battery is full, the engine kicks in. That’s why most hybrids use an Atkinson Cycle engine!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atkinson_cycle

 

[Tom 71 Maverick 24]

A quick dig into the specs of the 2.5L "Atkinson" 4 cylinder motor shows that it has a compression ratio of 13.0 versus 9.3 for the EB. With that high a compression ratio, engine braking is bound to be pretty helpful. Higher compression ratio basically equates to a greater amount of braking and the higher the engine RPM, the more braking as well. Easily illustrated by downshifting and keeping your foot off the gas pedal.

Incidentally, diesel engines typically run even higher compression ratios, and thus have superior engine braking. Also, they often are equipped with the "jake brake" which utilizes exhaust valve opening techniques to release build up pressure in the cylinders that have reached the top of the compression stroke, thereby preventing that compressed gas (air) from returning its energy to the crankshaft - when they use this brake, you hear it in the loud "BRRRAAAAAPPPP" that trucks make when using the compression braking to slow down.

Because of the loud sound, many municipalities have ordinances prohibiting the use of compression braking within city limits.

 

[Dad]

Made this climb in 2010 with a new (then) Tahoe. Instructions were "put vehicle in low gear all the way and all the way down." Did fine but the trans temp climbed to over 210 deg on the way up, which seemed to be below a concerning level. Never got that hot pulling a boat on 100 deg days. On the way down, I used the designated pull offs for brake cooling once to be safe, but generally they seemed ok. After that trip I don't recall warping or anything indicating the brakes overheated. Overall, especially a heavy vehicle, I think iot is working hard to do that. I really enjoyed that experience and the views and if you are ever near there, I recommend it.

Thank you for the post. I go back to the days of caliber brakes before disc brakes became more common as OEM, so brake failure due to overheating was more of a concern.

 

[Tom 71 Maverick 24]

Thank you for the post. I go back to the days of caliber brakes before disc brakes became more common as OEM, so brake failure due to overheating was more of a concern.

Drum brakes. The last Maverick I owned, a 1971 model, had those. Yes, they weren't nearly as good at dissipating heat as disks are. But they were the common technology of the time.

 

[Dad]

Drum brakes. The last Maverick I owned, a 1971 model, had those. Yes, they weren't nearly as good at dissipating heat as disks are. But they were the common technology of the time.

Ya, "drum brakes" is a better description.

 

[lonewoof]

Doing this always seemed penny wise and pound foolish. Brakes are cheap, engines are expensive.

I would assume you want to save your brakes as a last resort and use engine braking where possible first. Once your brakes fade there's no stopping you from doing down the cliff using an unexpected shortcut...

 

[lonewoof]

Made that trip in our '14 Prius about five years ago. Brakes never seemed to be a problem. I did use braking mode (similar to "L" mode on hybrid Maverick), battery top off from regen is slower on our Prius and the engine braking (after the HVB was full) seemed effective enough that thru careful brake application never experienced hot brakes that I know of. I'm sure I would have burned my hand had I touched them, but did not get any hot brake oder. I would have thought that my Maverick would perform similarly.
Edit: Add. Any vehicles brakes will get abnormally warm (hot) on this trip. Not necessarily to the point of malfunction or disrepair.

Maybe the maverick being heavier and more prone to needing braking could be what could have contributed to the brakes heating more or faster than the Prius?

 

[boxster03]

There are two Mt. Washingtons that battle it out for cold and wind - New Hampshire and Washington - which was it ? and don't get me started on Maine etc.

 

[Phimosis]

I'm thinking that the brakes can get hot and lose their effectiveness and perhaps ignite? I'm no expert, but I know sustained braking may cause brake failure. I'm sure others will weigh in on this and I'd like to hear other viewpoints.

I took my Ecoboost maverick up to the Southgate Meadows Trailhead on Mt Shasta, 7,800 ft elevation, towing a 1,900 lb load. It didn’t break a sweat going up or down. The closest town and staging point, Mt Shasta, is at 3,400 ft. That means 4,400 feet of decent in 20 or so miles. No squishy brake pedal. No fires.

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