Ive made a lot of posts on towing related stuff and I realized I needed a brake controller so which brake controllers are recommended I was not looking to spend way too much money but a reasonable price does anybody run the Reese Towpower 8508211 Brake Controller its pretty affordable I was wondering the quality.
Thanks
Link to controller

 

I installed a Tekonsha P3 in our 2018 D5 TD6 a couple of months ago and it seems to give good results with our Airstream 25ft trailer (7300lbs GVWR but we did not tow heavily-loaded so I guess around 6500lbs actual), with one exception. I see it at $170 on A****n including the harness. We just got back from 4000 miles of towing all over the West. I also now have some experience on towing this rig with/without sway bars that I'll report on a different thread.

Installation - easy using the Ford wire harness as people have described elsewhere. I wrapped the controller body with a couple of loops of electrical tape and it now fits snuggly in the alcove down low above the driver's footwell where the LR harness connector was conveniently located behind. (Anyone know what this alcove is actually designed for?). Bored a hole in the back of the alcove for the wire. The controller is a little low down for quick action if you need to use the manual brake control on the bottom of the unit any the driver has arms of a shorter variety (reference some recent postings of carnage from this summer's towing-disaster season in several places online - Airstream-Newbys etc.).

Operation - generally smooth and predictable, feels reassuring when you need to damp a small amount of sway. Feels very secure on hill descents on either the B1 or B2 settings.

Caveat - one situation though which I posted about earlier this month - we got a shutdown of the D5 ("Restricted Performance Mode") attempting a climb out of Panamint over into Death Valley, some stretches 10% gradient or so, early morning with temps in the mid-90s. We were driving sympathetically, or so I thought - in S mode, changing down the gears as needed to keep revs between 2500-3500 but I believe the trailer brakes started dragging at some point and overwhelmed the tow vehicle. There was a smell of brakes when we were forced to a stop, smell coming from either rear axle of tow vehicle or the trailer, not able to tell. We turned around (don't ask how - lucky no traffic), brakes working just fine on the descent, and made a long detour via Airstream dealer in Vegas. Trailer brakes checked out just fine - good as new condition and function. No other brake problems at all in 4000 miles although it was a bit juddery at first at low speeds (<7-8 mph) on coming to a halt at lights on the level. Airstream tech thought maybe the default gain setting on the Tekonsha was too high and was putting out too high a voltage in relation to the tow vehicle's braking - we reset it at 7V instead of the default 13V approx but that should not affect the shutdown that we experienced. That recalibration seemed to smooth out the low speed juddering. My amateur diagnosis on the shutdown: I think the Tekonsha controller decided that we needed braking on that steep *uphill* climb: the instructions are fairly adamant about setting up the unit to be level since it relies on inertia to detect braking needs - I wonder if my mounting is not level enough? I wonder if a steep uphill might confuse the unit? I wonder if anyone else has any experience (preferred) or, failing that, opinions on this?

[Apologies - don't mean to hijack your thread ...]

 

My buddy just installed his 3rd Redarc brake controller in his 200 series cruiser (had one in his GX460 and 2008 Avalanche before that). Has had very good luck with the Redarc brand.

https://redarcelectronics.com/produc...ake-controller

Yeah, pricey but worth it. I think if you are towing once a month or so, its worth it. If I ever end up doing a bunch of towing, its probably the way I'll go. Also low profile with the bulk of the controller being hidden in the dash. So definitely a nice piece of equipment you can leave in your vehicle and not have to worry about kicking it, etc.

 

being new to the idea of towing - can someone please explain when a brake controller is needed?

 

The electronic brake controller is how your Disco communicates with the electronic brakes on a trailer (if that trailer has electronic brakes). With no controller, the brakes will not work and you may have your trailer sling around and pass you when stopping... This is bad! The first thing you need to know is if your trailer has those types of brakes. Not all trailers have those brakes and some trailers have a different brake set up.

 

have you considered the Curt Echo Wireless Trailer Brake Controller - 1 to 2 Axles - Proportional - C51180? Looks like it just plugs into the 7 pin connector on the factory hitch and bluetooth through your phone.