I recently purchased an Adventure Trailer Chaser and will pull it with my 2008 JKU Rubicon. I just wanted to give my initial impressions of the Tekonsha P3 Brake Controller I installed in my Jeep.
I did not have a brake controller in my Jeep when I first acquired the trailer. Pulling it was no problem. Stopping it was immediately concerning, primarily due to the relatively low weight of my JK and the 6 " lift with 37" tires on it. Braking normally makes the front end dip and the rear end rise. Having a trailer pushing/lifting up the rear even more made me lose traction to the point that my ABS kicked in routinely. I was doing this in a planned manner, at varying speeds, on dry and uncrowded roads, with straight line breaking. The anticipation of having to stop urgently in a "real-life less controlled manner" (i.e. NOT straight line, on wet roads, laden trailer,...) was unsettling. Think NEWTON,...
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/newton3laws.html
I purchased the P3 from eTrailer.com Great service, btw.
The P3 was installed on my dash board centered on the steering wheel. It is in my field of view (I can read the output), but doesn't obstruct my view of the road at all. It's also easily within reach so I don't have to take my hands far from the wheel if needed. I can adjust it as I drive and as road conditions change. I don't like the way some units are mounted down low under the steering column for these reasons.
My satisfaction with this unit was immediate. I first pulled the trailer on dry roads. No problem braking at all. Then I drove on rain slicked streets and a flat empty shopping mall parking lot that had a lot of standing water in it, adjusting the boost and voltage to the trailer in varying driving modes. Straight line braking without causing the ABS to engage was easily accomplished. As I became more familiar with the unit and feel of the trailer, I adjusted it further so I could gently brake while turning, yet have no sensation that the trailer was pushing the rear of the Jeep to the outside of the turn. I also tried it a few times with fairly aggressive braking in gentle turns and was able to avoid jack knifing at all. Once again, I was in as safe of an environment that I could find to test the function of the controller and practice. I would not advise testing it this way on roads with traffic or much grade at all.
The "pro's" of having more voltage and boost braking the trailer are clear to me. It increases safety. The trailer stops. It stops in straight line driving, while turning, and in fairly aggressive braking while turning.
The "con's" that I can think of are as follows,...
I don't presume that I can use the brake controller to allow for careless driving. There is still a trailer behind my Jeep and I hope to remember this at all times (I say this because the damn thing is easy to pull on the road! And I only have the 3.8l engine w 5.13's and a Superchip flash pack). And I know the controller won't necessarily keep me out of trouble in all situations.
Another issue is that the trailer brakes will wear faster if I engage them more with the controller. I can handle this. New brakes are a pittance for safety and peace of mind.
Although I have had a fair amount of experience driving vehicles while pulling trailers at work (bigger trucks, small trailers), this is my first trailer and brake controller to own. So I have no other experience with other units to offer comparisons. But so far, I find the Tekonsha P3 to be a very good addition to my Jeep and Chaser combo.
I invite your comments on how to make this an even safer combo, or any other comments about your experiences.
Enjoy!!!
I did not have a brake controller in my Jeep when I first acquired the trailer. Pulling it was no problem. Stopping it was immediately concerning, primarily due to the relatively low weight of my JK and the 6 " lift with 37" tires on it. Braking normally makes the front end dip and the rear end rise. Having a trailer pushing/lifting up the rear even more made me lose traction to the point that my ABS kicked in routinely. I was doing this in a planned manner, at varying speeds, on dry and uncrowded roads, with straight line breaking. The anticipation of having to stop urgently in a "real-life less controlled manner" (i.e. NOT straight line, on wet roads, laden trailer,...) was unsettling. Think NEWTON,...
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/newton3laws.html
I purchased the P3 from eTrailer.com Great service, btw.
The P3 was installed on my dash board centered on the steering wheel. It is in my field of view (I can read the output), but doesn't obstruct my view of the road at all. It's also easily within reach so I don't have to take my hands far from the wheel if needed. I can adjust it as I drive and as road conditions change. I don't like the way some units are mounted down low under the steering column for these reasons.
My satisfaction with this unit was immediate. I first pulled the trailer on dry roads. No problem braking at all. Then I drove on rain slicked streets and a flat empty shopping mall parking lot that had a lot of standing water in it, adjusting the boost and voltage to the trailer in varying driving modes. Straight line braking without causing the ABS to engage was easily accomplished. As I became more familiar with the unit and feel of the trailer, I adjusted it further so I could gently brake while turning, yet have no sensation that the trailer was pushing the rear of the Jeep to the outside of the turn. I also tried it a few times with fairly aggressive braking in gentle turns and was able to avoid jack knifing at all. Once again, I was in as safe of an environment that I could find to test the function of the controller and practice. I would not advise testing it this way on roads with traffic or much grade at all.
The "pro's" of having more voltage and boost braking the trailer are clear to me. It increases safety. The trailer stops. It stops in straight line driving, while turning, and in fairly aggressive braking while turning.
The "con's" that I can think of are as follows,...
I don't presume that I can use the brake controller to allow for careless driving. There is still a trailer behind my Jeep and I hope to remember this at all times (I say this because the damn thing is easy to pull on the road! And I only have the 3.8l engine w 5.13's and a Superchip flash pack). And I know the controller won't necessarily keep me out of trouble in all situations.
Another issue is that the trailer brakes will wear faster if I engage them more with the controller. I can handle this. New brakes are a pittance for safety and peace of mind.
Although I have had a fair amount of experience driving vehicles while pulling trailers at work (bigger trucks, small trailers), this is my first trailer and brake controller to own. So I have no other experience with other units to offer comparisons. But so far, I find the Tekonsha P3 to be a very good addition to my Jeep and Chaser combo.
I invite your comments on how to make this an even safer combo, or any other comments about your experiences.
Enjoy!!!
