What are the disadvantages to using the engine brake? If it's OK to use it all the time, then why do I have to press the button every time?

 

Have no idea why DC set it up that way, but I use mine all the time. Saves lots of wear and tear on the brakes. I went 96k on the brakes of my 2nd gen so I think that I will continue with a good thing.

 

You should be careful on slippery roads, it my lock the wheels.

 

None whatsoever that I know of. Check your owner's manual. I drove a 6.7/68RFE QC SB a few days ago. Very nice truck and the 68RFE is of course smoother in the lower gears than the Aisin 3500 CC I drove a few months ago. In the upper gears they seem very similar. That EB is a jewel!

 

Thats a safety feature so you have to knowingly select the EB in order to use it. You don't want to use the EB in icey or snowy conditions. If you are pulling a trailer with surge brakes, in certain conditions, you may not want to use the EB. A lot of people wouldn't want to use it in certain urban driving conditions, so they made it just like Tow/Haul. You have to select it each time and the default on start up is off.