Braking with trailer load

Greetings everyone,
I used my 1794 to tow my track car to The Glen last week and noticed the brake pads were fading after excessive braking from high speeds. Anybody else feel this ?

Also does anyone know if toyota has a better pad for our tundra? I am super surprised Toyota didn't give the new tundra better brake pads since the truck can tow and might have to brake for the trailer.

 

First question on everyone's mind is does your trailer have brakes and second, what's the weight of the trailer as towed?

 

This might be the culprit??

“excessive braking from high speeds.”

(Imagine just your choice of words but what the means is important to performance as when towing not either of those work well for best experience)

 

I just took that statement to mean there is a race class for Tow Vehicles pulling trailers.

 

I tow a ~ 6,000 # travel trailer with my 21 set at >5,000 and a 5.5 gain. This seems about perfect as I don't get lockup and can hardly tell the trailer is pushing. Word of caution: My trailer has drum brakes and I keep much more than the normal assured clear distance plus downshift on the hills. Trailer brakes will give out due to fade way before the Tundra will.

 

As long as your trailer has brakes and your brake controller is set properly, your truck brakes should be fine.

I towed a 2k lb dual axle trailer recently. Was advised to test the brakes at 40mph - yank the handle on the controller - until the wheels lock. I started at 6.0 gain, incrementing 0.5 at a time, and it finally locked at 9.5 gain. Turned it down to 9.0 and it braked nicely.

If you're using truck brakes almost entirely, yes, you will have problems.

 

Did you adjust the gain before you started towing? What’s it set at?

 

I have a 4k and a 6k trailer I pull and the 4k trailer requires my brake controller to be set at 9.0 for effective braking but my 6k trailer is happy at 5.0. Definitely need to play with the controller assuming your trailer has brakes. I also don't drive fast or put myself in a situation where I have to repeatedly brake hard. I'm that guy that people don't want to be behind going down a grade as I've had the crap scared out of me before with excessive speed on a mt pass pulling a trailer.

 

I think there are a handful of us here that tow our track cars with the Tundra, although you might be the first with a 2022. Mine is a 2020 Tundra with a Futura trailer with two 3500# axles with electric drum brakes on both axles with my 2009 Cayman, so total trailer weight with car under 5000 (I'm guessing 4400? I have a tire rack but I haven't been putting any tires on it which would add maybe 200). Each time I tow something (empty trailer, 1996 Tacoma, or the Cayman or Boxster), as I am leaving the neighborhood I perform a brake controller calibration similar to described in a previous response. I also do this as I am leaving the track. In addition to a calibration, it also servers as a test. In March when I was leaving CMP, I squeezed the brake controller and didn't have any trailer brakes. I pulled over, disconnected and reconnected the trailer connection, and brakes were restored. When I got home I cleaned it all out with electrical contact cleaner. I think some water may have gotten into it. Maybe the trailer plug wasn't fully seated (or some other random thing like I experienced?) and the trailer brakes weren't getting any juice from the truck? I'm still on the stock Toyota pads.

 

So the trailer was a uhaul auto hauler so the brakes are to stop it down when it separates from the truck only.
The total weight towing was under 5000 (1400lbs trailer) and (2900lbs car).

I have not purchased a trailer since I have no where to park it.

Didn't have a problem with the brakes before driving from home to the track but I figured I'd ask if the old tundra came with upgraded pads or are you guys using the oem pads.

 

Are you sure it didn't have surge brakes? These are hydraulic brakes actuated by the weight of the trailer pushing the tow vehicle.

 

I believe you're right. The uhaul page says it's equipped with automatic surge brakes.

So what caused the tundra brakes to fade?

 

Surge brakes suck making the truck brakes overwork. This caused them to get hot and lose stopping power.

IMO, you should be using a trailer with electric brakes so the brake controller can be utilized.

 

This isn't mentioned enough - your trailer brakes will barely (if not at all) function without you setting the gain on the brake controller.

 

I've had good ones that worked very well. Just wondering if the OP got a bad one.

 

Check the laws where you are but Alberta requires your trailer to have brakes if it weighs more than 2000 lbs or more than half what your truck weighs.

 

Not sure how I can use the trailer brakes with my brake controller. Uhaul has a 4 pin plug. Wouldn't the brake controller be a part of the 7 pin plugs normally?

 

Yes, surge brakes are their own independent mechanical system and cannot be controlled or adjusted with a brake controller.

 

Yes, you are correct. Surge brakes are independent of vehicle brakes.

 

Where are you located? Mine tend to get hot on long downhill grades because you can’t safely outrun the trailer - in other words you can’t engine brake to keep your trailer brakes from dragging…

 

I pulled a tandem axle from Ohio to Oregon many years ago and don't recall any problems. That was with a 1974 Plymouth Fury. About 22 years ago pulled the same from eastern PA to Ohio with a 1/2 ton Chevy. That time it was a lighter load.

 

DC metro area. Alright. Got the truck back from the stealership. Tech says, tech concludes the suspected cause for customer's concern is there is too heavy a load.

I see how he came to that conclusion since uhaul trailers have crappy brakes, but it looks like I'll be investing in a trailer now

 

Since parking space is a premium can you leave your track car on the trailer? BTW, tell us about your track car. The ten thousand piston heads here want to know.

 

Wow. Nothing that heavy. A simple mini cooper s.

Don't think I can leave the car on the trailer so I'll have to rent a spot

 

Why can't you?

 

Because trailers aren't allowed on my driveway, and my street is too narrow to leave it parked without damage.

 

Trailers aren't allowed in your driveway? What do you mean?

 

Do you guys not have HOAs where you are?

 

Ummmm. No. I live in the middle of the woods. I tend to forget about HOAs.

 

I moved out of an hoa about two years ago cause of shit like that. My property, not yours, so piss off and let me do what I want.