Quote:
Originally Posted by Philip
Tom,
...Any ABS or Traction Control System must have feedback to the TV controller in order to know when to release the brakes(for an ABS system) or reduce power/apply brakes to a specific wheel(s) for a TCS...
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Yup.
Nothing is being transmitted from the trailer to the TV (except inertia). There are no sensors on the trailer, and while you could hypothetically brake the wheels separately, they are connected together and this is not possible as TMs come from the factory.
So the integrated Ford brake controller appears to be operating on the principle that if the ABS on the TV is firing, let's try to do that on the trailer too. This sounds like a wonderful idea to me, in that you never really want your trailer brakes to lock.
The pulse in the sharp turn on the ramp is probably the traction control system acting to prevent a skid, sensing the outside wheels going faster than the inside wheels on the TV, perhaps a bit too eagerly.
The only difference between ABS and TCS is what the software does when you're stopping and going, respectively. In other words they're similar applications performed by the same controls and they work by braking whatever wheels the computer has decided are going too fast.
Regarding Toyota, my Highlander has a "SCT" button for snow and slippery surfaces. It definitely helps at slow speeds in the snow. It might be a real good thing for trying to pull out of a muddy campsite, if I remember to use it. I think this may have been made automatic in later models.
http://www.toyota.com/safety/star-sa...n-control.html