MTB-BRUH
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I looked into these as well for my XL but read that a few people have had issues and a friend of mine owns a RV shop in SoCal and recommended against them. I wired up a regular one
NVHoonigan
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The main reasons I decided against the Curt Echo was other people confirming it was not compatible with the Co-Pilot 360 safety features on my XLT. I am not sure if your XL is equipped with that but definitely something to look into. The BLIS system that has blind spot detection for towing was a huge sell on getting the Ranger for me so I wanted it to be functional. Also people have said turning on their emergency flashers caused the brake controller to apply the brakes in the same cadence as the flashers. Just a couple things to look out for and look forward to hearing what your first hand experience with it is like.
t4thfavor
Well-Known Member
Lots of the wiring diagrams for those "wireless" controllers have you tapping the brake light signal, not the best idea if you ever plan to run your hazards (like where they are required in the mountains).
Deleted member 1634
I was wondering why you guys were talking about running with hazards. I thought, "if you have your hazards on, you're usually stopped somewhere so who cares about the trailer brakes then". Interesting that they require it in mountain areas.
Noseoil
Well-Known Member
I put the brake controller (Tekonsha 90160 Primus) in the tongue box of the trailer. It's hard-wired into the trailer & uses the trailer's 12v power supply (group 27 AGM battery) for braking. Works very well, but hadn't thought about the trailer brakes & 4-way flashers, hmmm.
t4thfavor
Well-Known Member
On my wife's car, the brake light has two fillaments, and the turn signal has it's own bulb, the hazards flash the brake lights (red) and the turn signals stay off unless turning (yellow).
That's all I got.
If you're slow you should have them on (Like when towing a grade where you can't or shouldn't maintain the speed limit or close to it), and if there is heavy fog/bad weather, sometimes hazards are run so that people can see you.
NVHoonigan
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Without the tech safety features it will probably work perfect for you, I wish it would have with mine because I definitely preferred not to add anything to my dash. Luckily the Redarc Tow Pro button was minimal and based on placement can look like it was OEM. Definitely let us know how the Echo works for you! I have other friends who were interested that don't have the tech stuff also.Thanks for the replies. My XL has none of tech niceties. I will test and post my findings once it arrives. Funny how the etrailer.com reviews only say good things about the Curt Echo.
t4thfavor
Well-Known Member
I say good things about the Prodigy P3. I've towed about 2K miles this summer with 0 drama, just smooth braking and good times. I know it's not as hidden as the RedArc, but it's also half the price, and you can move it to another vehicle for about 12$. (I have pigtails in my truck, my dads truck and my father in law's truck just in case).Thanks for the replies. My XL has none of tech niceties. I will test and post my findings once it arrives. Funny how the etrailer.com reviews only say good things about the Curt Echo.
Deleted member 1634
[QUOTE="If you're slow you should have them on (Like when towing a grade where you can't or shouldn't maintain the speed limit or close to it), and if there is heavy fog/bad weather, sometimes hazards are run so that people can see you.[/QUOTE]
I understand the grade issue. Not something I think about since I don't live in the mountains, and even if I did our camper is only maybe 1800lbs full. So the Ranger has no problems maintaining speed up a steep grade.
The using hazards in bad weather thing is hard for me to get behind. In bad weather you should always be running with lights on (a lot of people don't unfortunately, but they're idiots), and even though hazards might give you a slight bit more visibility to others, I just feel the benefits don't outweigh the confusion from drivers like me. Having your hazards on means something to me, and driving in bad weather isn't one of those things. Obviously I appear to be in the minority in this country, but that's my opinion.
I understand the grade issue. Not something I think about since I don't live in the mountains, and even if I did our camper is only maybe 1800lbs full. So the Ranger has no problems maintaining speed up a steep grade.
The using hazards in bad weather thing is hard for me to get behind. In bad weather you should always be running with lights on (a lot of people don't unfortunately, but they're idiots), and even though hazards might give you a slight bit more visibility to others, I just feel the benefits don't outweigh the confusion from drivers like me. Having your hazards on means something to me, and driving in bad weather isn't one of those things. Obviously I appear to be in the minority in this country, but that's my opinion.
t4thfavor
Well-Known Member
In most other countries, the rear of cars have what is called a "fog light" It's a bright white light that cars have that faces rear. It makes it way easier to see the car in front of you than the dim red running lights. If we had those, then there would be no need for the hazards.
The definition of road hazard to me is simply "something in or near the road that I need to be alerted to". And slow traffic (traffic that cannot maintain speed), or other cars in a whiteout or downpour qualifies.
EDIT: No idea, but this posts formatting got all messed up...
Cav10x
Active Member
- Thread starter
- #14
Sorry it has taken a few days to follow up on this post. I received the Curt Brake controller and followed the install instructions to install the app and configure it for use. I tested that it worked with the electric brakes on my trailer. The braking control works as I would expect it to. As a good test I got the rig up to about 30 MPH and then took my foot off the gas of the truck. I hit the button on the app for the manual brake apply and my trailer brakes did just about bring my truck to a stop. During my testing I did come across a problem. The left turn signal and left brake light do not work. When I put the left turn signal on the indicator light in the dash blinks fast just like when a turn signal bulb is dead. I called Curt tech support and they have sent me another one out. I just got to test it this evening and the same thing is occurring. I called and am waiting on a call back in the morning from the tech that first fielded the call. The folks at Curt have been nice on the phone and do seem to want to work to make sure their device works. Someone up the chain had said that when you put the hazards on it triggered the brake controller. That may have been the case previously but the app now has a toggle to remedy that if it happens on your vehicle.
I needed this brake controller to go on a camping trip to a site about 50 miles from my house. There really are only a couple of turns to get to the site but lots of hills and stops so I used the controller for the trip. Brakes or a turn signal??? I chose brakes because I could put my arm out for a turn signal if need be. As far as brakes go the controller worked fine with my trailer. If Curt can figure out the turn signal issue I will keep the controller instead of messing with wires and such. It is very convenient to just plug it in and go.
My Falcon trailer is just about 4000LBS when fully loaded and the Ranger did not have any issues towing it what so ever. I was able to accelerate and stop without issues. I averaged 14 MPG towing over the 103 miles of my trip.
I needed this brake controller to go on a camping trip to a site about 50 miles from my house. There really are only a couple of turns to get to the site but lots of hills and stops so I used the controller for the trip. Brakes or a turn signal??? I chose brakes because I could put my arm out for a turn signal if need be. As far as brakes go the controller worked fine with my trailer. If Curt can figure out the turn signal issue I will keep the controller instead of messing with wires and such. It is very convenient to just plug it in and go.
My Falcon trailer is just about 4000LBS when fully loaded and the Ranger did not have any issues towing it what so ever. I was able to accelerate and stop without issues. I averaged 14 MPG towing over the 103 miles of my trip.
t4thfavor
Well-Known Member
I'd rather install a proper brake controller than fiddle around with poor braking or no turn signals. My trailer is too wide to effectively use my arm as a turn signal, and I'd rather not get rear ended by some dumbass on their phone if the (already admittedly flaky) Curt thingamajig decides to cut my brake lights off or some nonsense like that.
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