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Originally Posted by jeepguynw
Thanks for the replies. The two articles mfiver mentioned are the two I was referring to. After reading through them again, I think this is a doable thing. My installer guy is willing to try, anyway, as long as I can give him as many OEM parts as possible.
So that begs the question: Are brake controllers that different from each other? Why choose a Tekonsha Prodigy controller? I grant they're great for all-purpose trailer brake controlling, but isn't it a bit of overkill for occasional use of one trailer type? Is there an advantage of specifically using the Prodigy, instead of another Tekonsha model or a different brand altogether? It seems virtually every article I've read mentioned the Prodigy, but nobody ever says why they chose it. And why am I seeing that the controller should be mounted as horizontal as possible? Why would it matter?
Thanks,
Dave
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Everyone uses the Tekonsha Prodigy because it's the very best, or at least the very best for the buck. It uses a sophisticted inertial system to measure the actual g-force generated during braking and applies power to the trailer brakes in proportion to the vehicle's deceleration. In plain terms - the harder you brake your X5, the harder the Prodigy brakes your trailer. Simple, but genius! Another outstanding feature of the Prodigy is that it is self-leveling. So it is not as sensitive to istallation angle as other old style controllers. It also adjusts itself to varying terrain as you drive, so if you are braking on a down hill it will still measure true deceleration force (i.e. the same value that would be measured if the car and the controller were both perfectly level.)
Back to why everyone uses Prodigy... It's cheap, it's an outstanding product, and BMW owners are willing to pay more for quality. I got mine brand new on e-bay for about $79. Sure you could get a vastly inferior controller for $50 or $60, but why would you? To save $20 or $30? That would be like buying a Kia Sportage instead of an X5 to save $500!
I think there is a lot unecessary aniexty over installing a brake controllers on an X5. There is only one piece of information we need to know that is different than any other vehicle...and that is - Where to pick up the 12 volt brake signal?? Once we know that answer to that question (and we do - it's plug X12 Pin 10 on the LCM) installing the controller on the X5 is just as easy as any other vehicle (that is not pre-wired for a brake controller). Once you know where to pick-up the 12 volt brake signal, any stereo installer, auto tech, or do-it-yourselfer can easily do it with or without the instructions on this site.
And feel free to use any brake controller you want as long as it takes a 12 volt trigger signal. But why not go for the best, and therefore the safest, for only $20 or $30 more?