Talking About Restoring Vehicle Interiors

Owning an RV gives you the freedom to travel where you like and make memories with friends and family. But it is important to remember that driving an RV is a lot different than driving a smaller passenger vehicle, so different precautions need to be taken when driving an RV. When driving through mountainous roads, it is especially important to be diligent in order to prevent dangerous RV brake fires. Use the following tips to keep your RV's brakes safe while driving on mountainous roads:

Pay Careful Attention to Road Signs

When you're driving your RV, it is essential to pay attention to road signs that alert drivers to downhill grades. When you see these signs, you will need to be able to shift the way you are driving to ensure that you don't put stress on the brakes while going downhill. 

Don't Apply Continuous Brake Pressure

RVs are very heavy vehicles, and they can be difficult to slow down while going downhill. If you're on a steep section of road, avoid applying continuous pressure to your RVs brakes. Doing so can create a lot of friction in the brakes, which can lead to overheating and a brake fire. Even if a fire does not happen, continuous braking on downhill sections of road can severely damage your RV's brakes. As you enter a downhill section of road while driving your RV, only use the brakes for a few seconds to lower your speed by a few miles per hour.

Know How to Downshift to a Lower Gear

Downshifting to a lower gear is much safer when driving downhill than applying continuous pressure to the brakes. As you downshift your transmission into a lower gear, the resistance will help slow down your RV. Once you have mastered downshifting in your RV, you should be able to slow down your RV on steep sections of roads without having to put undue stress on your vehicle's brakes. While downshifting, just make sure to pay attention to the revving of the transmission; don't let your transmission rev too high, as this can cause damage.

Maintain a Safe Speed

As the driver of an RV, it is important to maintain a safe speed so you can pull over safely as needed. If there are a line of smaller vehicles behind you, don't try to speed up, since you will then need to slam on your brakes if you gain too much speed going downhill. The best thing you can do to protect your RV's brakes is to pull over and let traffic pass if needed. 

To learn more about maintaining your brakes, contact services like Burnsville Trailer Hitch.