Brake controller with Stabilitrak?

The acceleratorometer(s) might not understand the different levels
of sway...to then 'try' to null it with braking of one or more wheels

As with all things...it is to do with the worst case, not the best
or good days out there

Most who have gone to the now bankrupt MC PSI sensed, generally did
not have their aftermarket brake controller adjusted correctly or well

Will the TV's anti-sway system know that it is just the trailer
brakes lagging in braking...so it bumps the TV's ball?...etc, etc

Now that most of the TV OEMs have optional trailer brake controllers
integrated in...wonder what the effect of an after market controller
will do to the system...

Why suggested to the OP to contact the OEM of the after market
controller.

As the TV OEM most likely will NOT provide as detailed or good
an answer

As more and more TV OEMs move to centralized I/O assemblies to have
something like the brake pedal switch no longer providing power
to the lights...but...via that I/O assembly...will the signal source
to the brake pedal have enough juice to also signal the after
market controller?

It 'should', but we are talking TV OEMs who go to great lengths to
save an inch on a wiring harness...AKA "pinching pennies"...

Or the OP could consider the expensive after market controller that
tapes into the TV's network via the diagnostic port...that will
then play with the computer via signal levels that is managed
by that computer...

It's actually far less complicated. The aftermarket trailer brake is an external, binary system operated by the brake switch. Brake lights activated, trailer brakes activate too. There is no interaction with the StabiliTrak from a networking perspective. Physical force acting upon the tow vehicle could theoretically cause the Stabilitrak system to intervene, but it's not sophisticated enough (on the OP's vehicle) to consider outside forces acting upon it. It's going to take input from the sensors contained within the vehicle to attempt to correct what it perceives as an out-of-control situation independent of outside variables (like towing a trailer, tornado, ice, flooded road, bald tire, civil unrest, lava, black hole, etc.). It will make a best effort to maintain the assumed, intended direction irrespective of any of these things.

I don't think the OP was looking to tie a brake controller into his StabiliTrak system. Rather, he was referencing some verbiage in the manual that says a brake controller does not integrate into the Stabilitrak system. That statement is true on that model year truck.

GM does offer an integrated brake controller on its late model trucks that, when in Trailer Mode, considers potential sway and grade braking where StabiliTrak may intervene. In that case the system does indeed consider the fact that there are outside forces acting upon it. The OP's vehicle doesn't have that.

Ask if anyone knows how a MAC/PC/SmartPhone/TV/copier/printer/server/etc
work together?

How the USB1/2/3/etc interfaces with all of them? Why it took off
where serial/parallel/etc cable communications didn't?

How SCSI/FireWire/USB differ?

How cache is different from RAM...is different from disc?

What is the difference between first level cache...vs...second level
cache...vs...third level cache ? Why they are where they are and
that 'distance' has an affect on performance? Are there more levels?

How the now old platter HDD is being replaced with flash memory?

Know what flash memory is? Know the difference between volatile and non-volatile?

How your computer works with the monitor?

How your computer communicates with *ALL* of its sub-systems and
*ALL* of the various components?

How your computer uses all of the inputs...from sound/phonetics/and
other tactical/serial/parallel/HDMI/etc, etc, etc ?

Do you understand what master slave means?

Do you understand what *INDUSTRIAL* real time means?

And a whole bunch of ETC, ETC, ETC, etc...

Because of the desire to have everything "HIGHLY INTEGRATED" has
the OEMs provide what their buyers asked for...and is now more
a computer than auto...more mini factory, needing an understanding
of process control, than auto...

So a must have an understanding of most of the stuff listed above
AND more to be able to discuss this topic and other topics concerning
autmotive computers today

AND....a deeper understanding of it all if you wish to diagnose it...

AND...an even deeper understanding of it all if you wish to fix it...

ScottG wrote:
You still need a brake controller and no, the stability control does not tie into it - on any vehicle. They are two separate systems.

well, sort of. if you add an aftermarket controller, yes.

If you have an integrated brake controller, in the case of GM vehicles stabilitrack IS tied to the brake controller and stabilitrack will be involved in the brake controller action as part of stabilitrack to maintain stability if stabilitrack gets activated.

Thank you for the info, I just didn't want to put something in that will interfere with safety mechanisms, but I don't want to forego the brake controller either. I've never had to manually brake a swaying trailer, but I'd like to know that I have that option if I need to:)

Campfire Time wrote:
The aftermarket brake controllers that will not work with StabiliTrak are the one's that literally tie into the hydraulic lines of the vehicle's brake system. My dad had an old Kelsey-Hayes controller like this. I'm not sure anyone even makes this type anymore.

Brake controllers that work off of the brake pedal switch work fine with StabiliTrak. I've used my Prodigy P2 on 2 vehicles with StabiliTrak.

X2

The aftermarket brake controllers that will not work with StabiliTrak are the one's that literally tie into the hydraulic lines of the vehicle's brake system. My dad had an old Kelsey-Hayes controller like this. I'm not sure anyone even makes this type anymore.

Brake controllers that work off of the brake pedal switch work fine with StabiliTrak. I've used my Prodigy P2 on 2 vehicles with StabiliTrak.

I've towed lots of stuff with my StabiliTrak equipped Avalanche, with and without an aftermarket brake controller, without any problems. Stabilitrak uses a combination of wheel speed, steering wheel position, throttle position, brake position, yaw and pitch sensors to determine whether the vehicle is moving in the intended direction. If it's not, it will reduce engine power and/or apply the brakes to straighten you out. I can tell you that NOTHING gets past it. It won't let me fishtail around corners or do donuts in the snow. It stops those shennanigans immediately. It's pretty impressive. I've never had a trailer "fool" it nor has it ever intervened unintentionally.

Except for the newer models where you can get a factory brake controller integrated with the Stabilitrak, an aftermarket brake controller functions as it normally would without problems.

More and more functions, that used to be separate, are now 'highly integrated'

Meaning that they are integrated into the main computer and I'm still
not sure they have master/slave completely understood yet...plus
wonder if they understand industrial/robotic/etc level of 'real time'

Call/email the vendor of the brake controller you are contemplating
for advice on how their controller will work with StabiliTrak

StabiliTrak is tied into your vans computer system (Highly Integrated)
and uses the ABS braking system to brake individual wheels to
get it back on track during a sway/etc condition

I can see why they say no brake controller...as the sensor(s) for
that sway/etc might mistake input from a braking trailer as something
else going on....and....brake the wrong wheel trying to correct
that miss-input...


GMFleet tech site description of StabiliTrak

You still need a brake controller and no, the stability control does not tie into it - on any vehicle. They are two separate systems.