Trailer sway control while driving
Thread Starter
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4wd Low
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
Trailer sway control while driving
My 2014 I could change sway control while driving. With Equalizer hitch I would normally have it of but could change it on the fly. My 2015 I cannot change while diving. Trucks are totaly different. Is there an option to change this maybe on Forscan? I liked to be able to change it while driving due to conditions. Thanks
Cross-Country
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 91
Likes: 32
From: Parker, CO
My understanding of trailer sway control is that is just uses the stability control sensors & if it ever detects a bad sway event, it automatically activates the trailer brakes. Activating the trailer brakes but not the truck brakes generally fixes things enough for you to get under control. From there you need to fix the hitch weight or other issues that cause sway. I don't see any good reason to disable that emergency function. The only reason to deactivate it would be if it tapped into the truck ABS & stability control system & tried to activate individual truck brakes to counteract things. But that wouldn't be as useful as activating the trailer brakes.
Thread Starter
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4wd Low
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
On my 2014 it was option in menu to turn it on and off while driving. I dont like the way it acts sometimes like its overcompensating. So I could turn it off on the fly. On my 2015 option is only when stopped
Moderator
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 6,515
Likes: 671
From: Sioux Falls Area
I’ve never once had the sway control feature on any of my tow vehicles do anything at all.
if your feeling it do something for you, then something needed to be done.
it sounds like you are encountering sway events while towing. You should fix that first. If you do, this discussion will become moot because it won’t matter if it is on or not.
I have NEVER felt it do anything. Not with my 2014 and not with my 2020. And I’m towing at the upper limit.
what are your scale weights?
if your feeling it do something for you, then something needed to be done.
it sounds like you are encountering sway events while towing. You should fix that first. If you do, this discussion will become moot because it won’t matter if it is on or not.
I have NEVER felt it do anything. Not with my 2014 and not with my 2020. And I’m towing at the upper limit.
what are your scale weights?
Thread Starter
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4wd Low
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
I have not done scale weights. I probably should. I have a equalizer hitch and by default this truck turn on sway control. With this on most of the time it seems to overcompensate and there is always feedback in steering. When I turn it off it stops. Almost like the hitch and truck are trying to accomplish the same thing. I have towed trailers for a long time right or wrong I have never had this. If I could remember to turn it off every time it would be great. Its almost like an old movie where drivers hand is always steering let right. I know some of the stuff you read about the weight distribution hitches says to turn truck sway off. I am just looking for a way to turn on/off while driving. Right now feature is inhibited while moving
Moderator
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 6,515
Likes: 671
From: Sioux Falls Area
I agree. Something is amiss. Post up a good side profile picture of your rig and get the 3 scale weights at a cat scale.
your electronic sway control shouldn’t be doing anything at all. You shouldn’t know if it is off or on if everything else is right.
your electronic sway control shouldn’t be doing anything at all. You shouldn’t know if it is off or on if everything else is right.
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Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 19,726
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From: Wyoming
My bumper pull toy hauler sways a bit. Enough that I can see it in the side mirrors. But the truck's sway control never engages. I have plenty of tongue weight - probably too much.
The friction material in my WDH is being replaced. I think that's part of the problem in my case.
The friction material in my WDH is being replaced. I think that's part of the problem in my case.
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Lead Driver
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My understanding of trailer sway control is that is just uses the stability control sensors & if it ever detects a bad sway event, it automatically activates the trailer brakes. Activating the trailer brakes but not the truck brakes generally fixes things enough for you to get under control. From there you need to fix the hitch weight or other issues that cause sway. I don't see any good reason to disable that emergency function. The only reason to deactivate it would be if it tapped into the truck ABS & stability control system & tried to activate individual truck brakes to counteract things. But that wouldn't be as useful as activating the trailer brakes.
It doesn't need a sway event to activate, its only in a sway event does it ALERT you to it being involved. An overly sensitive trailer setup can activate one rear brake occasionally as the truck detects a sway incoming and will settle it down without anyone knowing. The way it is detected is with a temperature gun on the rotors after stopping during a trip, one side is hotter than the other, or you smell brakes. Had it happen on a 2016 and 2018 F150. Once I got the WDH correctly configured it never happened again. The truck is far more sensitive to sway events than we are and can activate one or two brakes and you will never know it.
To disable it, you need to go into the trailer options under the trailer itself to turn it off.
More Turbo
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 736
Likes: 225
With my 2017 F350 pulling a 26’ Imagine with the EZ-Lift TR3 WDH, the trailer pulls better with the Trailer Sway Control off.
Like The OP, I cannot turn the trailer sway control off without stopping the vehicle, and it defaults to on every start up. If I forget to turn it off before I start down the road, then I have to stop somewhere to turn it off. Arrrggg.
Like The OP, I cannot turn the trailer sway control off without stopping the vehicle, and it defaults to on every start up. If I forget to turn it off before I start down the road, then I have to stop somewhere to turn it off. Arrrggg.
More Turbo
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 736
Likes: 225
There have been previous threads about this phenomenon.
When towing, I also turn off the truck stability control, but notice no difference with that.
I have a friend with an F350 using a WDH, and he also prefers to tow with his trailer sway control off.
The trailer sway control and a WDH seem to fight each other.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 19,726
Likes: 12,873
From: Wyoming
Word on the street is that you can tell that the truck's trailer sway control is active by checking the heat at the hubs of the truck's rear axle. Compare that to the heat at the front axle I suppose. I've never found the rear hubs to be hot on my truck.
Moderator
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 6,515
Likes: 671
From: Sioux Falls Area
I wonder if this is like the guy at work who sore his car got better mileage with the cruise control off when not using it.
“You gotta shut it off or it just sucks gas”
the sway control shouldn’t be doing anything if there is nothing for it to do.
JMO
“You gotta shut it off or it just sucks gas”
the sway control shouldn’t be doing anything if there is nothing for it to do.
JMO
Thread Starter
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4wd Low
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
I appreciate the info you guys have given. but back to the original question is there an option in forscan to change setting while driving. Truck inhibits options while in motion. I have traveled tens of thousands of miles with trailer. right or wrong I like having the option to turn on and off. Thanks