The iTBC is designed to eliminate the trailer brakes pulling the truck.

When you apply your brakes, the two should stop as a unit... like if you had air brakes.

The problem is that so many drivers have gotten used to feeling trailer brakes jerk them back, that they think it is "normal"...

 

Exactly,I see it alot.
JL

 

I think you are exactly right about that, and this is where most of the Ford TBC complaints come from. But I will admit that like ovaltrucker, if I could crank that gain up higher I probably would. Even after 3 years using the iTBC, I still miss the reassuring jerk of my trailer brakes some times. But I enjoy the smooth braking all the time.

I would also prefer to wear out trailer brakes instead of my truck brakes.

 

If you want that feel, why not just apply the manual control?

Reminds me of those that would re engineer the wheel?

Or better, old Italian proverb: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".

 

I'm sure we all do that now and then.

Yep, and that's probably why Ford limits it to 10.

 

It's not that they limit it to 10...

That just sets the resolution.
0.0 = 0%
5.0 = 50%
10.0 = 100%

The operational amplifiers in the module can only do so much... Ford could increase the gain limit by redesigning the circuitry in the module, but won't unless there is a benefit. Even if they did, the high number would be 10, and drivers like me would just want a resolution of 0.1 instead of 0.5

 

I completely agree with OvalTrucker!

His problem isn't that the brakes on his trailer aren't working well; his problem is that they don't come on as soon as he'd like.

When you start to apply the pedal on my '08 the trailer brakes don't come on more than a tiny bit until you really start getting into the pedal. It takes a moderately heavy braking action by the truck before the trailer brakes even start to come on strongly. A relatively light brake application results in the truck's brakes doing nearly all the braking and the trailer only getting a very small amount of current.

This is not a problem with the gain, it's simply an issue with the way the TBC is calibrated. I don't feel that it's a safety issue as much as it is a wear issue on the truck's brakes. Unless braking hard the truck's brakes are being overused and the trailer brakes aren't doing their fare share of the work. If not driven correctly this could potentially result in overheating the truck's brakes. In order to avoid this there is no good way to brake lightly. Either you apply a moderately heavy application or you simply don't brake at all.

This is NOT how an air brake system in a commercial truck works! Equal air pressure goes to the trailer brakes and the tractor brakes. Sometimes there's an imbalance between the truck and trailer, but it's never this bad unless the trailer brakes are out of adjustment.

Honestly it doesn't bother me that much. I now know how the system works and I drive accordingly. I still feel that it's much safer than any aftermarket system I've found; I just wish the trailer brakes came on more evenly with the truck brakes!

On edit: TexasRebel's got it right! 10 is applying the maximum voltage available. 12V brake systems aren't designed for more than that! You will NOT find an aftermarket controller that will apply the brakes harder than the IBC will at level 10.

 

try stronger magnets on the trailer?

 

I'll try explaining better.

At level 10 with my trailer at it's maximum gross weight I can slide the hand brake and nearly lock all 4 wheels. The brakes are working great!

You know how you can see the sliding bar LED application gauge on the controller? This tells us how hard the IBC is braking the trailer, all in proportion to the gain setting of course. It never gets past the first or second bar during light braking. Then as I progressively depress the brake pedal farther down the brakes seem to come on strongly...but only after a moderately heavy application of the truck brakes.

It's not that I feel it's not working right. It's just that I think it should be calibrated so that the trailer brakes would come on stronger with lighter applications of the brakes, that's all.

And also, on edit, I should mention that despite this the IBC is without a doubt the best brake controller I've ever used in my life. This thing reacts faster and much more accurate than even the best inertial based systems. I'm completely satisfied with the truck, and to be honest I'm still very impressed with the brake controller. To me this is a minor nuance that I'd change given the chance, but nothing I'd get worked up over. I'd still rather this system than anything else on the market!

 

more coils in the magnets would solve that...

your slider would just apply even harder, just like the 2 bars would apply harder.

Knowing that it is common for trailer brakes to burn up due to overuse, I'm wondering if anyone will even notice when the brake life of their trailers increases...

 

True, but this would also affect harder braking as well. In this case the trailer may brake better at low applications but it would result in severely overbraking the trailer when you start applying the brakes harder.

The end result would be me having to turn the gain down some to avoid locking the brakes on the trailer...negating the advantage I'd get with stronger magnets.

 

you've just described every inertia controller on the market

 

Which is why I don't like them! With a heavy trailer you have to strongly apply the brakes to get the brake controller to start applying the trailer brakes!

The difference is that the IBC doesn't require such a strong application as well as the fact that the IBC is much more consistent. As well as the fact that the IBC is linked with the ABS system.

In inertial system has to guess as to how hard you're trying to brake based on deceleration. It doesn't have any data on the intended application, just the results. The IBC knows EXACTLY what you're trying to do.

 

Agreed, however, the IBC only knows how much pressure you are applying to the master cylinder. It doesn't take into account the affectiveness of the TV brakes. We've all experienced trucks with very agressive brakes, and other exact same trucks where it takes a little more force on the pedal. That's just due to condition of the brake pads, and maybe condition of the booster (fluid or vacuum as the case may be). On trucks with very good brakes, like mine happens to still be, I'm not putting much pressure on that pedal, and it shows in the bar graph on the IBC. Another truck might be different. But when I really get on the pedal in the case of an Oh-Shoot moment, the trailer brakes are doing their job.

 

Crazy, you know that the slider is also proportional, right

Just squeeze it until the bar goes up a bit...