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This proportional brake controller has simple controls and a digital display for diagnostic information. Includes 3 boost levels, a slide-bar manual override, built-in battery protection, automatic leveling, and continuous diagnostics.
Features:
Specs:
You can adjust the gain (also known as output) with the thumbwheel on the front of the controller. Gain lets you set the maximum amount of power that will be applied to your trailer's brakes. A heavier trailer will need more power to achieve smooth, safe braking, while a lighter trailer will need less. Typically, the gain is only readjusted when you experience changing road conditions or if the weight of your trailer changes.
The boost setting controls the aggressiveness of your trailer's braking, meaning how quickly the brakes reach the maximum braking level. You can adjust this when you're towing heavy loads and you need more umph to bring your trailer to a stop. Your tow vehicle doesn't need that much power to brake in time, but your heavy trailer does.
Depending on the level of boost, your trailer brakes can start at either 13 percent or 25 percent of the set gain. What this means is that, instead of starting at 0, the brakes will start at 25 percent and get to 100 percent sooner. This keeps the trailer from pushing your tow vehicle forward.
If your trailer weighs less than your tow vehicle, no boost is needed. But, if you want your trailer to lead the braking, you can select level B1.
Boost Levels:
| Approximate Gross Trailer Weight | Boost Level | Increase in Initial Power Output |
|---|---|---|
| Less than tow vehicle GVW | B1 | 13% |
| Equal to tow vehicle GVW | B1 or B2 | 13% or 25% |
| Up to 25% more than tow vehicle GVW | B2 or B3* | 25% |
| Up to 40% more than tow vehicle GVW | B3* | 25% |
*Both B2 and B3 offer a 25-percent boost in initial power. But the braking curve for B3 is more aggressive than that of B2. This means that, even though you will start out with the same intensity when using these boost levels, you will get an overall more aggressive braking experience with the higher level. So if you use B3, you will reach maximum braking sooner than if you use B2.
To adjust the boost, use the blue push-button on the top of the Primus IQ.
The Tekonsha Primus IQ comes with an easy-to-reach, slide-bar manual override, great for stopping sway or controlling your trailer's momentum in emergencies. To engage the manual override, just push the slide-bar to the left, towards the center of the controller. This will activate the trailer's brakes and brake lights without you having to apply the brakes on your tow vehicle, perfect for limiting trailer movement while you're cruising.
The Primus IQ can mount between -90 degrees and 90 degrees vertically, but the brake controller still needs to be horizontally level and parallel with the direction of travel.
After mounting the Primus IQ unit in your cab using the included bracket, simply plug the included custom harness into your vehicle. The other end of the harness plugs into the brake controller. To remove the IQ for storage when you're not using it, just unplug the unit and slide it out of the bracket. With a replacement wiring harness (sold separately) and replacement bracket (6927 - sold separately), you can even transfer the IQ to another vehicle.
Note: If you don't already have a 7-way plug at the back of your vehicle, take a look at our exclusive 7- and 4-way brake controller installation kit (ETBC7 - sold separately).
The Tekonsha Primus IQ brake controller comes equipped with proportional braking to give you the best towing experience. Proportional braking means that your trailer brakes mimic your tow vehicle's brakes. If you slam on the brakes in your vehicle, your trailer brakes will activate with the same intensity; if you brake lightly, your trailer brakes lightly too. The trailer's braking is in proportion to your vehicle's braking. This saves wear and tear on the tires and the brakes on both your vehicle and trailer.
The Primus IQ uses an internal inertia sensor to detect how your vehicle is braking so it can send the right amount of braking power to your trailer. It measures the inertia of your tow vehicle and activates the trailer's brakes to slow at the same rate. The result is uniform braking across your towing setup. No push-pull action - just smooth, proportional braking every time.
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hi there hollers there. Today we're going to be taking a look at Tekonsha's Primus IQ proportional trailer brake controller.This brake controller is going to be your entry level into a proportional brake controller and even though this is entry into proportional, I would recommend it over most of your time delay modules, just to how much smoother your breaking experience is going to be with a proportional controller, because proportional means that it uses an internal inertia sensor to detect the movement of the vehicle.So as we hit the brakes and go to a stop, that inertia sensor is going to detect that loss of motion and it's then going to use that information to apply a signal to the trailer brakes at the back, which will apply them. But it uses this information to help match the application of the brakes, to what you're doing here in the vehicle. So that way, when you hit the brakes, you're going to get a softer brake application at the trailer if you hit the brake softly in the vehicle. And then if you need an aggressive stop, like an emergency stop and you hit the brakes hard here in the vehicle, it's then going to detect that quick stop and it's going to put out a hard, aggressive brake to your trailer.With your time delays, you're just going to have whatever you have your setting to on your adjustment. And then a few seconds after applying the pedal, it will then apply to that exact amount that you've got it set to.
And that can be useful if you do a lot of off roading because you just want your brakes to apply. But for most people that are just going to be driving out on the roads, hauling going from campsite to campsite, proportional is going to be significantly smoother and a much more enjoyable experience.For example, when using a time delay brake controller with our boat here, if we come into an emergency situation or we're getting off the highway and we need to hit the brakes to come to a stop, with that time delay, we've got them set aggressive so that way we can get the application we need so this boat's not pushing us up that off-ramp. But when we're just breaking around town, going through stoplights and just here in the city, every time we hit the brakes, that brake controller applies with that same pressure and it's too much. We feel the trailer wanting to stop us before we get to the stop that we wanted to come to at the stoplight. So then we have to adjust our time delay brake controller down and up to meet those various situations so it feels properly when driving.
With our proportional controller in here, once we set the adjustment for the application, at that point, when we go into those different situations, the controller's going to take over and do all of those adjustments for us. So it just feels smooth the entire time.Our initial adjustment we're making is just for the particular size of the trailer that we're currently hauling. And with our boat here, we are getting pretty close to the weight of our Sorento. So we are going to be using the boost two setting with it to give us a little bit more aggressive braking to match this.Now we're just talking about the boost setting on our brake controller and it has three different boost options, as well as being able to turn the boost completely off. The boost is just going to give it a more aggressive strategy when using that inertia sensor information to be more aggressive.
And that's important when you've got extremely heavy things, you need that more aggressive braking. So when we got our John boat here hooked up, we're likely going to have it in the boost one, or maybe even the boost offsetting depending on how it feels, because this is significantly lighter than what our vehicle is.And for you people at home hauling a camper that is likely heavier than your vehicle, you'll want to use that boost three setting to get that more aggressive braking so this isn't pushing you when you're coming to a stop off the highway. Now, regardless if you're in the boost one, two, three or you have the boost turned off, your power adjustment is going to play a factor into how hard that applies. I'm going to hit the manual slider all the way over so you can see our maximum output. And as we adjust this, it does dial back what our maximum is going to be.
So if we have it on that boost three setting, it's going to apply more aggressively, but it's not going to apply harder than where we've got our power output set to here. So that way you can set that maximum and that can be really useful when you've got a medium or smaller trailer. Maybe you don't ever want this inertia sensor to put it at that maximum output. You can dial that back with the setting.Now, if you're using those boost settings, like when we we're backing our boat up here, it does make it more aggressive. And when you're backing up that inertia sensor might be applying a little bit too early, because when you're backing up, you're doing things slow and you're doing a lot of turning and a lot of tapping on the brake to get that position you need to, so you can get it into that spot. And that might be applying your brake controller's brakes here on your trailer, causing it to stop. And then all of a sudden you're backing into your trailer. Well, there's a reverse mode setting that we can temporarily apply for when backing up. So that way our boost isn't being too sensitive and applying those things.To put it into that reverse mode and temporarily cancel out the boost, you'll just want to hold onto your brake pedal. Just press down on that and then press down on the boost button and after a few seconds, you'll see, it will have a flashing R indicating that you're in the reverse mode. And now you don't have to worry about those brakes applying when you're backing up. And like most of your traditional brake controllers, there is a manual slide on it so you can manually apply the brakes on your trailer, if you need to.This can be useful for testing purposes. If you're just wanting to test the output, test the proper operation of your brakes, you can manually apply it with this. And it's also useful if your trailer starts to sway behind you, because that swaying motion when it starts going on, can potentially cause issues with stability and driving the vehicle. To straighten that out, we can hit our manual slide a little bit and that's going to apply the brakes in our trailer. So instead of being able to sway, our vehicle now wants to leave the trailer because the trailer is applying the brakes. That's going to pull them taut, and it's going to bring that trailer straight in line behind your vehicle once again.When your trailer is disconnected, you will see an NC located here on the screen. We just disconnected it right now and it does this so that, you know, hey, if you are driving, you have just been disconnected. You're no longer applying a brake signal to your trailer. It lost that input. And if you don't have anything connected, you're in your vehicle right now. You can be sure that you're not connected. You hit your slider here, it'll say NC. This can also be useful if you plug in your trailer and it doesn't seem like it's functioning, you should not see NC when your trailer's plugged up. That means that it's not currently detecting that there is a trailer plugged in and then you can correct any faults you've got with the wiring on your trailer, test it back out and ensure that you don't see the NC when you're hooked up.The two digit display will display your power output. And it also constantly monitors for any faults. And you can get fault codes on here. So you can use the troubleshooting in your instructions to help determine where the fault is and what's causing it.You'll have two different mounting options that come included with your brake controller. You've got the snap in mounting option, which is my preferred option because it's a little bit more low profile. It keeps itself closer to the dash and it only requires the two screws and you can easily click the module in and out with this bracket. It simply slides in the bottom there. And then it clicks up into place.And with our other bracket here, it does have adjustments. So if you can't achieve the appropriate angle with this bracket, you may need to use this one, but this can be mounted in a positive 90 degree to negative 90 degree orientation. So currently we're at zero that all the way straight up would be positive and all the way straight down would be negative 90 degrees. So you get a lot of options on how you're going to mount it. As long as you mount it level this direction, it can be again, tilted up or down, front to back. This other option here, you can see it has a slot on it. So you can mount it up using two screws here, wherever you want to position it. And with the slotted hole here, it will bolt to the side and then you actually get a tilt. So you can change that adjustment if you need it. In most cases, though, I feel like this is the best bracket for most vehicles.Now, when it comes to the installation of your brake controller, that's going to vary quite a bit, depending upon your vehicle. If you've got a truck, in most cases, they are already pre-wired underneath the dash and you can get a custom fit wire adapter here at etrailer.com, that will go from our Tekonsha brake controller and plug directly into the factory connector and then you're good to go. You'll want to use our fit guide to determine if there is a factory connector available for your particular vehicle.Now, something like our Kia here, your smaller SUVs or regular cars, those ones are likely not going to have a factory option. We have kits available though. Kit ETBC7 is going to provide you with your seven way connector as well as the wiring to get it hooked up for your brake controller.In addition to ETBC7, if you don't have a fully functioning four way connector, you'll need that as well because ETBC7 provides you with the wiring and seven way that you need for your brake controller, but does not provide you with the wiring for your lighting functions. But we have custom fit wiring options here at etrailer.com that have plug and play connectors for most vehicles. So you can simply just plug those in line and get a functioning four pole at the back, which provides you with all of your lighting signals. That'll just plug into ETBC7 here and then you can finish installing the rest of the kit to turn that four pole into a fully functioning seven way that can work with your brake controller.Now, if you've got multiple trailers you want to haul, then instead of going with the entry level proportional that the Primus IQ provides, I would recommend to Tekonsha's Prodigy P3. This will allow you to set trailer profiles. So if you've got a small trailer and a medium and a large sized trailer, or maybe two different large ones, maybe one's electric over hydraulic, you can make those adjustments and save those profiles. So that way you can just choose that profile when you hook up and it's already got your settings saved and you're ready to go.If you have limited space under your dash for a brake controller, there are brake controllers that can actually mount at the back and plug directly into the seven way connector like Curt's Echo. That's definitely one of the best options for that limited space there in the front. I'm a pretty tall guy and it really bothers me when I'm driving and my knee keeps hitting on my brake controller. So that's one of my favorite ones out there since I can get that out of the way and put it at the back of the vehicle.And that completes our look at Tekonsha's Primus IQ proportional brake controller.
THANKS for the Brake Controller unit from ETrailer. It arrived w/in 5 days from your MO location to my So CAL residence.
Even as an Engineer/Scientist from the Delta IV rocket program and no experience with brake controllers, I was able to install this unit by myself. Your continued (live human) support and online video clips proved to be the key elements to this installation...without my symbolic pocket protector.
I have attached a few images of the unit, mounted to the fuse-panel cover (3/16 attachments with locking hex nuts) in a 2006 Toyota 4Runner SR5 (with factory tow package). The placement of the unit onto the panel cover allows a new panel cover (no holes drilled) to be used when it is time to sell the vehicle.
I have installed the Tekonsha Primus IQ Brake Controller with the ETBC7 Brake Controller wiring kit on my 1990 Chevy Blazer Scottsdale. Everything that I needed was included and the installation instructions were simple. We will be trying it out for the first time in early November when we are going to rent a small travel trailer. If we like the experience we may buy a travel trailer to go with our brake controller! Before and after pictures attached. Thanks for the quick service and support.
Product was delivered on time. Installation vehicle was a 2012 Ford Expedition Limited with factory tow package and was a breeze. I purchased the pre-wired pigtail which fit the Ford connector with no problem. I used the snap-in plastic bracket, mounted on the knee panel as close as possible to the center console. I held the bracket in place using painters tape to check the mounting position before driving in the self tapping screws. Start to finish was less than 10 minutes. I pull a 29' tandem axel travel trailer which comes in around 7,000 lbs and so far, stopping has been smooth and even with no jerking.
Pictures of the install. Approximately a 20 min job. First picture my finger is pointing to the factory plug with the etrailer supplied harness plugged in. Note the harness did not specify that the white common with the ring terminal should be connected to ground. But then again that SHOULD be obvious. I will be towing this weekend so I will rate the product then. One minor gripe is that there is always power to the unit which is a battery drain (as evidenced with the key out of the ignition and the unit stayed on) Not sure as to the impact but the controller can always be unplugged or removed.
Sorry for the dirty floor mats in the photos.
installed on a 2009 F-150 everything was as advertised. It was plug and play. My truck had the wire plug behind the dash so was easy to hook up. I installed it in the hole below the coin holder. To reach the pre-wired plug you have to remove the panel anyway. I don't like any wires showing or anything I might hit with my leg. So did not mount it on the lower dash. You have to pull the plastic box out to unplug the connector. So just cut off the back of the box off and run the connector through the hole and connect to the controller. This way you can remove the controller anytime you want. Also you can see the readout much easier then mounting it on the lower dash. See pics
Took me about 10 minutes to install on my 2000 Chevy Silverado. Plug and play.
Installed in my 2014 GMC Acadia in about 30 minutes. Used the GMC plug-in wiring adapter. No problems. Looks like it was made for that location.
This is truly a plug and go on my 2015 Forest River Berkshire 400ql on the left side is the plug coming off the harness and you will need to remove the cover on the plug and the harness will plug right in the adapter is a perfect fit and plug right in to the controller took me about 10 min to install the blue plug end is what your looking for about 4” long of the harness tight fit but not to hard
This brake controller is easy to install and program.
I've been running the Tekonsha Primus IQ for just over a year now. Very pleased w/ it.
Simple set up & operation. I tow a variety of trailers w/ my '07 2500 HD including dump trailer w/ firewood, car hauler, and enclosed cargo trailer. The weights are anywhere from empty, to 5k. Very easy to adjust as conditions change. I borrowed a trailer from a family member and the controller picked up a short. Come to find out a wire was pinched from ramps being slid in on the underside. The digital screen notified me before loading it up and hitting the road. I would recommend this product.
Works like a dream on my single axle 3200 lb travel trailer and my 2017 Toyota Tacoma. Like many of the other Tacoma owner reviewers, I mounted my Tekonsha Primus IQ controller in the small cubby to the left of the steering wheel and ran a couple screws up through the lower switch access to mount the bracket hidden inside the dash. Ended up looking like a factory install, exposing just enough of the unit to access the controls and read the display.
This is a great controller, recommended by my trailer manufacturer. I actually don't know too much about it, how it works, etc. But it doesn't require much knowledge to use it. Install it like instructed by etrailer it just works. You can see the number goes up as you apply more pressure on the brake pedal, and the trailer stops with no problem. It's magic.
The only thing I wished they do is to supply a longer length of the thin wire to connect to the break line. For my 2013 CRV, the break line you need to tap into is on the left side of the steering column, if you want to install the break controller on the right side, the wire is a little so short; but you can make it, it's just a little tight. I want to install the break controller to the right side of the steering column because I don't want to accidentally bump into it every time I get in and out of the car. It's a great, the best product though.
Installed quickly an easily into my 2009 GMC Sierra 2500HD by wiring up to the factory harness. Be sure to watch the etrailer.com video to see which wires need connected at the fuse box in the engine compartment! (Easy hook-ups, just need to make sure you see which ones get hooked up and where.)
And if you don't use your ash tray, these brake controllers squeeze nicely into the ash tray compartment/recess in the lower part of the dash. Makes a great place to keep most of the controller out of the way and it's easy to install (you will have to create 2x new holes in the plastic detachable controller mounting bracket but its very easy - you can see the mounting screws in the 'new' holes and the old holes go unused as shown in the photo).
Only had a trailer hooked up once, but the controller functioned as designed. I think the 'Boost' function will come in handy if I use a well-loaded trailer and need some additional stopping power from the trailer.
Shipping was great. Stared at it for a couple of days before unpacking. The trailer connector mounting was easy with the holes almost matching the existing holes on my 2013 Toyota Highlander. The first four wires are a snap, they are just plugged into the existing four pin connector. I routed the two wire cable towards the front using ty wraps and improvised L brackets fixed to existing chassis screws.
I mounted the Circuit Breakers on the inside of the left fender making sure there was hood clearance (see photo). Then I hit a snag. There was no easy way to get the brake and 12V power wire to the brake controller inside the car. For grins, I goggled "brake controller video" for my car and came up with a video made by "eTrailer." (Thank you eTrailer) Three things from the video helped me: wire access from inside the car through the firewall, a place to mount the controller and how to locate the brake wire. After the installation I had 18" of two wire cable left over. The install took me about six hours. (I'm 71 and I took my time.)
A couple days later I connected the trailer for a test ride. The brake controller worked like a dream.
Things I liked: Retaining the four wire trailer plug setup next to the seven wire trailer plug. Controller display works but you don't have to look at it. The two wire cable was adequate for the job. Being an Engineer (retired) I worry about things like that.
Thing I didn't like: The mounting plate for the trailer plug is a little weak. A stiffer plate would have been better suited for me. and, oh yeh, somebody else to install it. ;=)
IT WORKED PERFECTLY. This is my first time to purchase, install, and use a brake controller. Add to top it off, it was my first time to pull a trailer. It was on a Saturday, exactly six days before a scheduled tent-camping trip, when my wife found a good deal on a used pop up camper. The camper was equipped with electric brakes, so it was required to install a brake controller on my SUV. It was Sunday (next day) when I ordered the Tekonsha TK90160, along with the other necessary part numbers #118449, #A0500, #18136, #ETBC7. I was planning to take the parts to a shop to have it installed as soon as I received them. I was hoping I can get them on Tuesday, but UPS dropped it off to the local post office, which caused it to be delivered at 3pm on Wednesday afternoon. The shops that I went to either did not have an installer available, or were all booked for the week. I had to "take courage" and install it myself. I am so thankful that etrailer.com provides extensive videos of reviews, installation, and operation of the products that they sell. I made the connections as shown and hoped for the best. I picked up the camper on Thursday, and was sooo relieved that it worked perfectly. We took off on Friday and the camping trip was a success. We are looking forward to making more good memories with our camper. Thank you etrailer!
Installation was straightforward with help from the online videos. I also installed the ETBC7 universal installation kit. At first I thought etrailer had shorted some parts, but it turns out that the 18140 bracket is sold separately. Had to take back the choice words I uttered under breath. Ended up mounting the provided bracket directly to the hitch with screws which was a little more difficult. As a safety measure--and a little on the overboard side--I also used a dremel to cut a small slit in the center of the provided bracket so I could attach a hose clamp similar to the one in 18140.
Space inside the cab for mounting the brake controller was tight.
Nonetheless, all works fine per my test meter. Don't yet have a trailer to connect, but meter checks out fine.
2011 f150 3.5EB XLT superCrew. Easy plug and play install with the harness I bought also on etrailer, the problem was mounting. I hated the way the supplied mounts looked and didn’t want to bump into it. With some careful measuring and a hacksaw I was able to mount it inside the “plastic cup thingy” that fills the void where the factory controller would be. Attached pictures, the factory plastic cup thingy screws keep it locked in place and the supplies screws let’s you mount the controller into the plastic cup. Looks crooked with the white/silver plastic covering but it is aligned with direction of travel and level, also berey snug and mounted solidly.
Installed this in my 2018 Tacoma TRD Off Road.
After removing the sill trim and Kick plate to find the Factory Plug.
I took the Bottom left dash down (3 Bolts) and some clips to gain access to the small cubby on the left of the steering wheel. Popped it out, trimmed it to fit with my Dremel and held the Unit in place with 3-M automotive trim tape. I only had to cut the sides of the cubby and a square hole for the plug to the unit. Looks Factory installed.
All in all it took a couple of hours to do. my truck has only 135 miles on it so I was extremely careful.
As you can see by the pics it's not in the way at all.
It could also be put in the center console but it has a wireless charger and I didn't want any Electronic interference or block access to my coffee cup holders.
I ordered and received my Tekonsha Primus IQ brake controller with wiring harness for my 2012 Ford Expedition. To keep from drilling mounting holes for the contoller, I double backed taped it to the top of the center console. In order to hide the wires, I had to strip some of the braided wire loom protective cover away so to be able to push the wires through the gap between the dash and console. The installation came out very clean and access to the controller couldnt be better.
Hooked up the trailer and took it for a drive. Within a few "stops" I had the brake system dialed in.Working perfectly.
PICTURES ATTACHED.
I installed the Tekonsha Primus IQ Brake controller in my brother's 4 Runner just before he and his wife took their small (18 ft) camper on a month long trip out west. It did what was expected of it... Proportional brake control, with little adjustment after initial set up!
Loved this thing on my 4Runner towing our 4,000 pound trailer over 8k miles last summer. Saved us at least twice on the Highway and nice to adjust the sensitivity for city.
Primus Iq Brake Controller installed in a Mercedes Benz 2017 Sprinter.
The van's electronics interface with the Primus, and it can detect when the trailer brakes lock-up, which lights an dashboard indicator lamp. I used the Mercedes-specific plugs under the driver's seat and ran the cables through the battery box to the dashboard.
I love these controlers. Can adjust perfectly and no jerking of the e brakes. Big on stopping whether it’s a hard or soft stop. No locking up of the trailer wheels.
The controller seems to work as expected. I haven’t had a chance to use it very much yet.
Has been one of the best controllers I've used. Have one exactly like it in my 03 Blazer and liked it so much I put one in my 97 K1500 to replace a Curt controller that only operated the brakes on the trailer for one test pull before leaving the driveway, before it fried itself out !
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