Factory Brake Controller ?

[stick]

I'm all ears.



Stick

 

[domehead]

Ok I wlll try to get it done before the next trip.

 

[domehead]

Review of Maxbrake controller.

The unit is pack with an outer box and inner box to protect the control head.

There is four Tee-fits that is pack with the box and two trailer bake interface wire bundles, one sensor and brake line. Plus there is blue cable with two ends one side and RJ-45 plug on the other.

There is bracket to mount the controller with but it is little light for my taste.

The install was straight forward. You select the tee-fitting that fits the master cylinder and if you have more than one line coming out of the master cylinder select one of them. I would recommend the one that controls the front bakes.

Install the tee-fitting and the six inch brake line that came with the kit. Than reinstall the brake line that you removed from the master cylinder into the tee-fitting. Most likely you will have to bind the six brake line to allow you to connect the sensor and to make sure it does not rub on any other lines. You see that I installed a small rubber hose to hold the brake line in place.

There is a brass adapter and the sensor you will install the brass adapter onto the six-inch line and then install the sensor onto the brass adapter. Make sure all fits are secure. You will need to bleed the brake system after you have finished the installed.

The blue cable that has two plugs on one end and RJ-45 on the other. The plugs label A and B will be in the engine compartment with the sensor the plug label A will plug into the sensor the other plug label B needs to be tired off this plug is for testing.

Find a grommet that you can feed the RJ-45 plug through the firewall. This plug will be plugged into the controller.

If you have one of the newer trucks with the built in brake controllers you will need to remove the larger of the two plugs on the unit and plug it into the brake harness that came with the controller.

The other item you will need to do is have the dodge dealer disable the sales code for the OEM controller. If you do not have this accomplish you will get a error message on the console. Besides that little error message your truck works fine.

Follow the instructions on how to calibrate the controller and you are done.

I have up load the photos of my install.

Yes I would recommend this unit if you tow more than once in awhile and have a heavy trailer.

 

[stick]

Nice job domehead. Where did you mount the controller? I can't tell from the photo.



Stick

 

[domehead]

It was mounted on the side of the console

 

[HBarlow]

Don,

Good description and photos. I pm'd you my email address. If you will send it to me via email I will edit your comments into a rough draft article and forward it to Bill Stockard to see if he likes it enough to send it to Robert Patton as a TDR magazine article. Of course I will put your name on it as writer.

Follow your description up with your driving impressions as soon as you have opportunity to tow with it. One more digital photo looking at the MaxBrake from the driver's perspective would be helpful.

 

[domehead]

Good afternoon Harvey

I email you the textthis morning I will take the photos of the unit from what the drive sees and email those to you

Stop for fuel and food


Don

 

[craiggo]

HBarlow,

If you email the article to him, also ask if there is any way for us to modify the existing factory brake controller. You and I have discussed this before and I was of the mind that the factory controller was good enough and although I still think that, I've kinda changed my opinion.

For me personally, towing my travel trailer once in a while, it is fine. I know I would not feel that way without the exhaust brake. But the more I use it, the less pleased I am with it. It's probably 50% what my factory Ford BC was and only slightly better than the Prodigy I had.

I think the issue is that it does not deliver enough power to the brakes under any conditions, even turned up to 10 (which is where I keep it all the time).

I can't justify buying and installing another controller as it works fine and I just don't use it that much. But, if I could go to the dealer and get a reflash or simply pull it out and adjust a screw, I'd certainly do that.

This would be a great question for an engineer if there was one willing to listen.

Craig

 

[RonD]

Can't Chrysler spend another $20 per truck on a real brake controller and add it to the price, you buy a HD truck to haul, and the brake controller has to be upgraded day one ?, makes no sense to me, maybe this is why a Dodge truck is thousands less price wise than Ford and GM, they should better the product and charge more, very simple.

 

[RMecum]

When I saw how Maxbrake hooked up to the master cylinder like they did in the good 'ol days I knew I wanted one... and it's the best! You calibrate it ONE time and it's set. You can tweek it if you want but I don't. I hook on to my Airstream and away I go. No need to fuss with it in traffic, going down hill, parking, nothing... it's awesome and the way it applies the brakes driven by how hard you push the pedal... perfect.



I'm about to buy a new '10 Dodge and I'm either gonna take my Maxbrake out of my old truck if I sell it or get a new one for the new truck... . worth every penny.

 

[HBarlow]

Can't Chrysler spend another $20 per truck on a real brake controller and add it to the price, you buy a HD truck to haul, and the brake controller has to be upgraded day one ?, makes no sense to me, maybe this is why a Dodge truck is thousands less price wise than Ford and GM, they should better the product and charge more, very simple.

I would like to believe the engineers and decision makers at Dodge, Furd, and GM probably have some corporate reason not disclosed to buyers for not using real brake controllers. It is possible that none of them tow heavy trailers with their products and simply don't know the difference in trailer braking provided by a true hydraulic brake line pressure sensing brake controller like the aftermarket BrakeSmart and MaxBrake controllers so are not even familiar with the issue. They may be dumb enough to think inertia sensing controllers like those built by Tekonsha work fine.

Furd or GM don't have real brake controllers that actually sense hydraulic brake line pressure either so their much higher prices have nothing to do with brake controllers.

 

[Powder Extreme]

The pencil neck bean counters have always had their heads shoved up the their you know what's in my opinion. Remember 2002 when Dodge decided to remove underhood insulation from their trucks and a few other petty cheap *** things that we really missed?
Sure, by eliminating that stuff they probably saved $100 per truck times 10's of thousands, but realistically couldn't they have increased the sticker price by $200, left the stuff there, made even MORE money, AND had satisfied customers? Tell me who on earth is gonna complain about the sticker being $200 higher, or even know the difference for that matter. I said the same thing when GM removed the underhood and visor vanity lights for a few model years. I'm sure Ford does the same retarded crap.

So, ultimately, Dodge saved $50 a truck by putting in an inferior brake controller and ticked off a lot of loyal customers by doing so. I don't buy that the engineers "didn't know any better" GM has had an excellent integrated controller for a few years now. I can't imagine that R&D at Dodge didn't look at GM and Ford and say "what are they doing?" They just chose to cheapen out just to cut the bottom line.

 

[Powder Extreme]

Furd or GM don't have real brake controllers that actually sense hydraulic brake line pressure either so their much higher prices have nothing to do with brake controllers.

The GM unit DOES work in direct proportion to the amount of brake pressure applied to the pedal. I can't tell you if it is hydraulic sensing off the master cylinder, or potentiometer sensing off the pedal (similar to the electronic throttle by wire system) but I can tell you the harder you press on the pedal, the more voltage is applied to the trailer. Period. Doesn't matter if you are stopped, rolling, whatever.



I can't speak for FORD, but the GM unit is VASTLY superior to the Dodge POS.

 

[FullerM]

I hope the OEM unit works well. I just bought one from Dodge becase my 2010 didnt come with it. Does anyone know how to get the side panel off to get that screw thats holding it in? Its the panel thats up against the driver side dore when its shut I've got the two screws under the steering wheel off and then that panel pops off but there is another screw behind that panel that I cant get to... . Any help?

 

[Powder Extreme]

In all honesty, the OEM unit doesn't work worth beans. Your money would be much better spent buying an aftermarket controller. I'm guessing it will be cheaper as well. If you want a simple install, no hassle brake controller, the Tekonsha P3 and Prodigy work very well. Not quite as well as a Brake Smart, but easier to install and still light years ahead of the factory controller. The Dodge controller is one of the worst controllers I've ever used.

These are simply my opinions based on hundreds of thousands of miles towing trailers.
Good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[craiggo]

Furd or GM don't have real brake controllers that actually sense hydraulic brake line pressure either so their much higher prices have nothing to do with brake controllers.

Harvey, this is categorically incorrect. The Factory brake system on my '06 was integrated into the hydraulic system. I know this for a fact as mine was leaking and had to be serviced. Not sure where you are getting your info but I wouldn't trust it.

From Ford:
Ford's integrated controller electronically tracks hydraulic pressure inside the vehicle's master cylinder and uses it and vehicle speed to modulate the amount of current produced for trailer brakes. Thus, the system accurately follows tow-vehicle braking — more at high speeds than low — even to the point of utilizing ABS. If the tow-vehicle wheels are slipping, ABS goes into action for the tow vehicle as well as the trailer. The Ford system doesn't give the trailer the same functions and characteristics of true ABS, but when the truck's ABS is activated, the trailerbrake application is reduced to avoid wheel lockup — just as with true ABS.

Craig

 

[RonD]

I also have to correct Harvey, all Ford Tow-Command factory brake controllers are built exactly like a Max-Brake, maybe max brake copied it for all I know, there tow command is a proven winner, always has, Dodge sells for less than any other brand by thousands, there is a reason, so one buys a new Dodge and adds a new controller, another $500, for what should have been included in the first place.

 

[HBarlow]

Sorry, I'm not buying it.

Read the description above again. "Electronically track's hydraulic pressure... ... ... . " is not the same as tapping into the hydraulic brake line.

If it directly connectes into a hydraulic line why and how would it provide less braking at high speeds than at low speeds.

True hydraulic pressure sensing controllers like the BrakeSmart and MaxBrake follow and respond to only one thing--line pressure created by the driver's right foot.

 

[craiggo]

Not buying it? Ford's system connects to the brake system the exact same way the MaxBrake does.

You are correct, read again where I said mine was leaking? It tracks pressure inside the master cylinder. How is that any different that the brake lines? In the photos above, you are tapping into the master cylinder at the brake line?

 

[BrianJ]

This is a quote from Wikipedia on the Ford TowCommand system...

TowCommand being different from most aftermarket TBCs, ties into the trucks' computer and hydraulics, so it senses truck brake pressure and can apply trailer brakes as fast as the truck's brakes. Master Brake Systems 'BrakeSmart' TBC is the only other TBC that taps into the trucks hydraulic lines in modern trucks.

In other sources it even mentioned that TowCommand equipped Superduties come with a heavier duty master cylinder.