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01-14-2011, 02:23 PM
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25,192 posts, read 11,479,481 times
Reputation: 12102
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So I was going thru a sales brochure that a co-worker had and noticed this in it. It was some sort of towing sway control option where if the trailer starts swaying it reduces engine output and selectively actuates the brakes.
This sounds like an accident waiting to happen. I've only been towing since '88 , either a 26' enclosed snowmobile trailer (#7500 loaded) or boats , usually between #6000 to #11,000. And what I was always taught was if the trailer started swaying either reach down and tap the electric trailer brakes or floor it and if your truck has enough power you can pull out of the sway. Having an engine that is reducing power without your control sounds like a very bad idea. And most of the boat trailers I've towed don't have electric brakes so how will the system "selectively" apply braking ?
Anyone else notice this or heard of this system ? What are your opinions ?
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01-14-2011, 03:00 PM
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Location: Eastern Washington
16,431 posts, read 53,740,180 times
Reputation: 16856
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Never heard of this, but I agree it sounds like a bad idea. If it works perfectly, OK then, but when it gets old and cranky, I could see it doing more harm than good.
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01-14-2011, 04:03 PM
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Location: Central Texas
13,719 posts, read 29,566,694 times
Reputation: 9265
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These systems apply braking at individual wheels and manipulate the throttle to reduce or eliminate sway. They take advantage of ABS, the electronics that control it, etc - components that are largely already on the vehicle. It is a natural extension to the traction and stability controls already common on many vehicles.
Unless the "software" is bad, I don't see why these systems should be any less reliable than stability control. I have no personal experience with them, but I bet they act faster than most drivers can.
Ford Demonstrates Trailer Sway Control for 2011 Super Duty - PickupTrucks.com News |
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01-14-2011, 04:49 PM
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25,192 posts, read 11,479,481 times
Reputation: 12102
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hoffdano
These systems apply braking at individual wheels and manipulate the throttle to reduce or eliminate sway. They take advantage of ABS, the electronics that control it, etc - components that are largely already on the vehicle. It is a natural extension to the traction and stability controls already common on many vehicles.
Unless the "software" is bad, I don't see why these systems should be any less reliable than stability control. I have no personal experience with them, but I bet they act faster than most drivers can.
Ford Demonstrates Trailer Sway Control for 2011 Super Duty - PickupTrucks.com News |
Just watched the video. Maybe I'm just old or stubborn but I just don't have faith in anything that takes over throttle control .. there have been times in my past that WFO helped control the situation. If I didn't have the power on tap I would have lost control. Now that being said back when ABS came out, I was all over that and I completely trust it so Im not against computer controlled things. |
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01-14-2011, 07:22 PM
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Location: East of Seattle since 1992, originally from SF Bay Area
40,722 posts, read 72,688,247 times
Reputation: 50243
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After all the Toyota issues anything that uses the computer to control important functions on a vehicle is cause for worry. Think about the number of times you see the blue screen of death or have a freeze on your PC. All of them have some degree of computer controls now but the least the better for me. Of course, when it comes to the 2011 Explorer, it wouldn't be on the short list anyway, butt ugly.
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01-20-2011, 08:55 AM
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3,129 posts, read 6,183,644 times
Reputation: 1590
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bisjoe
After all the Toyota issues anything that uses the computer to control important functions on a vehicle is cause for worry. Think about the number of times you see the blue screen of death or have a freeze on your PC. All of them have some degree of computer controls now but the least the better for me. Of course, when it comes to the 2011 Explorer, it wouldn't be on the short list anyway, butt ugly.
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Those issues seems to lead to driver error, not Toyota's.
The new Explorer seems very well done. |
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01-20-2011, 05:45 PM
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Location: Metro Washington DC
15,043 posts, read 23,993,704 times
Reputation: 9855
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hoffdano
These systems apply braking at individual wheels and manipulate the throttle to reduce or eliminate sway. They take advantage of ABS, the electronics that control it, etc - components that are largely already on the vehicle. It is a natural extension to the traction and stability controls already common on many vehicles.
Unless the "software" is bad, I don't see why these systems should be any less reliable than stability control. I have no personal experience with them, but I bet they act faster than most drivers can.
Ford Demonstrates Trailer Sway Control for 2011 Super Duty - PickupTrucks.com News |
This feature could be bad if it makes people think that they loaded the trailer properly when they didn't. That doesn't seem good to me. |
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01-20-2011, 06:07 PM
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Location: USA - midwest
5,944 posts, read 5,396,869 times
Reputation: 2606
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RandyWatson13
Those issues seems to lead to driver error, not Toyota's.
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The last I read was that the labs investigating the "problem" could not find a single case where the Toyota system had been faulty. They were all cases of drivers stomping on the accelerator instead of the brake and then complaining about gaining speed.  |
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