BD exhaust brake

[Deleted member 995608]

Without causing a debate, is it worth the cash to invest in an auxillary braking system? Max load will be around 10k + - and we're drivin' a 04 2500 4x4 6 spd.

 

[HPetrat]

Installed a BD brake on my 98 Qcab 4X4 5spd 1 1/2 years ago and really love it.

I tow fairly often in the 9k - 12k range and would not go with out one again, not to mention using it empty, which has saved the wear and tear on brakes an unbelievable amount.



Would highly recommend it!

HP

 

[Mad Bomber]

Would highly recommend it!

HP

me too

 

[ewcmr2]

BD exhaust brake = $$

Going down mountain passes (@20k GCW) without touching service brakes = priceless

 

[ScottLewis]

Get the brake! You won't be sorry and with the manual transmission, it's a piece of cake.

 

[TowPro]

I tow around 10K lbs 5th wheel. My 98 manual had a BD brake, my 02 auto had nothing, my 06 has the Jake. Sure they are nice, and brake pad life will be longer if you use the exhaust brake, but $1000. 00 is a lot of money to spend if you don't have it. I hated the auto in the 02, but I managed ok without the exhaust brake.

 

[DWeiler]

Had a Bd one first(unloaded it for what i paid for it),then changed turbo's and went to the Pacbrake---IMHO the BD holds better,have not had any problems with both but if i had to do it over it would be BD of the two. On another note,wait till your going down a good size grade,get to the bottom and some yuppy pull up beside you telling you in his know it all sportscar waving you to pull over and check your lights cause you have no BRAKE LIGHTS when you were braking coming down that last hill. You say Exhaust Brake but all you get is the "DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS" look as he drives away---its happend at lease a couple of times now. :-laf :-laf :-laf

 

[jelag]

We install pacbrake... . the new pxrb is a great product... .



I tow with an 04 3500 dually... it went 160K miles before the frist brake job... . its tows 20K lbs 95% of the time. . can't think if it ever going through a tank full of fuel empty... .



The extra safety margin and life of the brakes is the key factor... if you have other questions post them... and we'll try and answer them...

 

[CumminsPower98]

BD brake on mine and love it. I have about 150k on my front brakes and lots of life left towing trailers about 40-45% of the time. The rears are still original as far as I know at 273k. I installed a Jake brand on another 98 12v and my BD seems to hold back better. May not always be the case but in my little experience it was.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

Thanks everyone! I'm pretty much sold on the BD too. Can and do you guys use the exhaust brake w/o a load/no trailer?

 

[McLaughlin]

Thanks everyone! I'm pretty much sold on the BD too. Can and do you guys use the exhaust brake w/o a load/no trailer?

Yes you can. I don't have a exhaust brake yet but am going to get one and I don't tow much at all. To really make it effective you need a lockup torque converter and controller.

 

[CCahill]

BD brake on mine and love it



Word !

 

[CBrittan]

Me too! Use it all the time, load or no load.

 

[TowPro]

In fact I never turn it off. With an ebrake your turbo temp will stay high(er) when the brake is on, so letting it idle with the brake on before shutting the truck off don't let the turbo cool down much.



If your Ebrake is hooked to the ECM, once the truck is warmed up, the ebrake will not turn on at idle if your sitting still.

No reason to turn it off!

 

[CumminsPower98]

I use mine all the time unloaded. I also use it in the winter to warm the truck up much faster or if I need to idle all night or any extended period of time. It keeps the cylinders warmer so you get less fuel wash down and injector fowling. I have mine hooked up real simple with only the switch on the shifter and no throttle activated setup. I like it this way so I have complete control over it.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

Thanks everyone!