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Anyone installed a brake controller before on your Passport? I’ve got a Prodigy 2 and am not sure the best place to mount it. I wanted to put under the radio area in the center console. Where have you put them??
Towing Brake Controller
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I always put mine under the dash on the right side of the steering column within easy reach when driving. In my towing vehicle I have a Curt Triflex Proportional Trailer Brake Controller which is similar to the Prodigy 2.
If I decide to tow with the Passport I will probably look a Curt Spectrum Integrated Proportional Trailer Brake Controller so I can hide the box under the dash and just have the controller knob mounted in the dash within easy reach.
If I decide to tow with the Passport I will probably look a Curt Spectrum Integrated Proportional Trailer Brake Controller so I can hide the box under the dash and just have the controller knob mounted in the dash within easy reach.
I installed a Redarc TowPro Elite in preparation for towing a Tab400 travel trailer out to Glacier NP next week (untested). Used the spare spot next to the traction control button. Hid the main box up under the dash (secured with zip ties) and plugged it direct into the under dash wiring harness. Easy peasy. Hardest part was getting the damn plug blank out.
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Nice clean install. Looks good.
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what part did you plug into the wiring harness? something just to get power?
It's a four (? or five?) wire harness that provides power, ground, and brakes connection to the 7 pin trailer connection at the tow hitch. Factory installed (regardless of getting a tow hitch installed I believe?) under the dash for you to connect in (any) electronic brake controller. You can use the bare wire connecting plug that comes with the tow hitch install to wire in the controller or some brands have custom prewires with matching plugs available. Curt and Redarc have Honda-specific custom wiring "connectors."
One of the other frequent posters on here recently posted a very informative set of pix showing the under dash wiring harness location and what it looks like. Search the forum for brake controller.
One of the other frequent posters on here recently posted a very informative set of pix showing the under dash wiring harness location and what it looks like. Search the forum for brake controller.
Acura/Honda suitable Tow-Pro Brake Controller Harness (TPH-013)
Suitable for Honda Pilot, Ridgeline and Acura MDX vehicles. The REDARC Tow-Pro TPH-013 wiring harness offers the ability to connect the Tow-Pro™ Elite or Tow-Pro™ Liberty electric brake controller directly into suited vehicles.
redarcelectronics.com
The black connector goes into the brake controller main body and the grey connector fits the Honda factory wiring harness already under the dash.
HarveyW, I had also considered the Curt Spectrum controller but decided that A) the blinking lights with no trailer attached (which is most of the time) would be too bright and distracting (per a lot of reviews), and B) the dash control knob was a lot bigger in diameter and I was concerned that I would be forced to drill a hole in the dash somewhere to mount it. Wasn't keen on the double-sided tape surface mount option.
The Redarc unit avoided both issues for me - no blinking lights when no trailer attached, and the smaller knob profile meant it would fit the spare button knockout already in the dash. Plus it has a "user-controlled mode" (fixed direct-set brake power) in addition to the proportional mode that the Spectrum has.
Redarc even had a molded universal dash plug (seen in pic above) that pops in, after a little "adjustment" of the surrounding hole in the dash (needed some clearance on the sides for the rounded rear flanges on the insert, FYI).
Final decision was made easier in that the Redarc unit was cheaper.
Just something to consider. YMMV.
The Redarc unit avoided both issues for me - no blinking lights when no trailer attached, and the smaller knob profile meant it would fit the spare button knockout already in the dash. Plus it has a "user-controlled mode" (fixed direct-set brake power) in addition to the proportional mode that the Spectrum has.
Redarc even had a molded universal dash plug (seen in pic above) that pops in, after a little "adjustment" of the surrounding hole in the dash (needed some clearance on the sides for the rounded rear flanges on the insert, FYI).
Final decision was made easier in that the Redarc unit was cheaper.
Just something to consider. YMMV.
When purchasing OEM Honda Trailer hitch, among the parts INCLUDED with the hitch is the trailer brake controller wiring pigtail shown below, along with required fuses to be inserted in engine compartment fuse box, positions 2 (block fuse), position 3 (electric brake), and position 11 (power/charge).
This OEM pigtail has connector fitting on one end, that will plug into factory pre-wired connector under dash (see location in link below). The other end of the harness would need to be connected/spliced/soldered to your separately purchased aftermarket electric trailer brake controller. Redarc brake controller systems (as posted by PPpilot above) and Curt (link here) and Tekonsha (link here) offer plug-n-play to eliminate splicing bare wire connections.
For me, I prefer these hardwired brake systems for peace of mind, however another option advocated by some members are the bluetooth controllers.
As for the location of the trailer brake controller connector, click here for the thread with pictures
Thanks, for the information, I will certainly have to consider the Radarc.
Where did you get the Redarc from? The Tow Pro Elite from eTrailer is $208 while the Curt is $198? Not a big difference until you add in the $10 for the mounting plate and $19 for the wiring harness.
No you're right, I had them backwards (sorry). $208 is what I paid. So yeah, hopefully it will be worth the extra $10. Yet to be seen as you don't really know until you tow something. I'll send an update after this trip coming up.
I went direct from Redarc with free shipping because they had the Honda-specific cable. Couldn't find that on etrailer. Probably could have called tho.
Thanks P-A-N-D-A for posting the harness location link and the other harness connector links.
I went direct from Redarc with free shipping because they had the Honda-specific cable. Couldn't find that on etrailer. Probably could have called tho.
Thanks P-A-N-D-A for posting the harness location link and the other harness connector links.
OK back after ~3870 miles over 11 days towing a NuCamp Tab400 travel trailer (rental) out to Glacier NP and a wide return swing thru WA, OR, & ID before returning to MN. As seen, averaged 13.4mpg.
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Redarc brake controller performed flawlessly. It self-calibrated without issue and was very easy to adjust on the fly. And we definitely put it through its paces driving up and down the mountains (lots of switchbacks). Very happy with the install.
Redarc brake controller performed flawlessly. It self-calibrated without issue and was very easy to adjust on the fly. And we definitely put it through its paces driving up and down the mountains (lots of switchbacks). Very happy with the install.
Personal opinion, not a fan of weight distribution hitches. My solution is in the ball hitch itself. I much prefer a Weigh Safe 2-Ball Mount. it makes is simple to properly load the trailer putting the proper tongue with on the hitch. Once you get the trailer loaded properly its easy to keep it where it needs to be.
Have you been happy with the Passport in general, towing a Nucamp 400. I keep reading it’s too heavy for the Passport, which is bumming me out a lot, as I thought I could pull 4,000 lbs safely when I bought the Passport. Thanks.
VERY happy with the Passport in general. No issues at all towing that NuCamp or any smaller trailers (like U-haul 5x8 or 6x12).
The NuCamp was a one-time rental thing so other than that one (long) trip, I can't really comment for "in general" feel. What I can say is that, given where we went (Glacier NP, up & down lots of hills/mountains in WA/OR/ID/MT) I felt that the Passport handled that loaded NuCamp (prob not quite 4000lb "dry" with whatever gear we had stashed in it) like a CHAMP. And that was with a bunch of heavy gear in the PP itself (to cut down on "dead weight" in the trailer). It got up to speed very fast on level/downhill highway, was reasonable (within expectations) for uphill acceleration, and maintained a straight line (with weight distribution hitch) no problem. In fact, we never had even one trace of instability caused by passing other traffic.
I used D mode in the level sections and S mode for the inclines/declines. I thought the paddle shifters worked very well for forcing some downshift engine braking on the steep curvy downhill sections.
If I had ONE complaint (OK two) it is this:
The NuCamp was a one-time rental thing so other than that one (long) trip, I can't really comment for "in general" feel. What I can say is that, given where we went (Glacier NP, up & down lots of hills/mountains in WA/OR/ID/MT) I felt that the Passport handled that loaded NuCamp (prob not quite 4000lb "dry" with whatever gear we had stashed in it) like a CHAMP. And that was with a bunch of heavy gear in the PP itself (to cut down on "dead weight" in the trailer). It got up to speed very fast on level/downhill highway, was reasonable (within expectations) for uphill acceleration, and maintained a straight line (with weight distribution hitch) no problem. In fact, we never had even one trace of instability caused by passing other traffic.
I used D mode in the level sections and S mode for the inclines/declines. I thought the paddle shifters worked very well for forcing some downshift engine braking on the steep curvy downhill sections.
If I had ONE complaint (OK two) it is this:
- The standard (FWD/AWD) PP doesn't come with any towing capacity at all. You have to install a tow hitch (and other stuff; not cheap). That seems bogus in today's world - all SUV/CUVs should come standard with tow hitch IMHO. AND then once you add the tow hitch, the (AWD) PP only has 3500lb towing capacity. If you want to bump that to 5000lb you have to install the tranny cooler (also not cheap). 5000lb is OK for SUV/CUV but pretty wimpy for most big RV trailers. And who (not many) can afford to have a dedicated $50k+ tow truck? On the plus side it does come prewired for dash-mount electronic brake controller (required for towing anything over 3000lb).
- Gas mileage dropped a LOT. I had read on this forum about someone else who owns a NuCamp and warned that they get normally 13-14mpg when towing it (it actually does have quite a big "frontal area" pushing wind despite being a teardrop shape) so I wasn't caught totally unawares but I expected that kinda gas mileage in the hills (further west on our trip) not in the flat sections. I jumped on the (very flat) highway out of Minneapolis and set cruise at 75 like usual and had to make adjustments very quickly (only doing ~9mpg at that speed). Didn't want to stop for gas every 150miles...
People who are new to towing or do not tow a lot seem to forget, that with the Passport you have a six cylinder 280 HP gas engine to move a 4000 pound vehicle. Add a 4000 pound trailer to it and you are asking the same vehicle to move the equivalent of TWO Passports with the same six cylinder 280 HP gas engine. You are putting twice the strain on the engine, transmission, differential etc. Gas mileage is going to suffer, no matter the shape of what it being towed. 8000 lbs is still 8000 lbs.
My towing vehicle, a 3/4 ton Cummins Diesel has a towing capacity 5 to 6 times greater than a passport. Even then when towing a trailer my mileage goes down. Not to bad with a 4000 pound weight behind. It's worse when I tow a 20000 pound weight. Bottom line my PU was built for the purpose of towing/carrying heavy loads, The Passport was not built for the purpose of towing but for hauling passengers.
My towing vehicle, a 3/4 ton Cummins Diesel has a towing capacity 5 to 6 times greater than a passport. Even then when towing a trailer my mileage goes down. Not to bad with a 4000 pound weight behind. It's worse when I tow a 20000 pound weight. Bottom line my PU was built for the purpose of towing/carrying heavy loads, The Passport was not built for the purpose of towing but for hauling passengers.
Thank you! Very helpful!
Not worried about MPG, mainly safety. Thanks!
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