Looking for opinions on the various exhaust brakes available for an '06 with 48re. I'm leaning towards the Jacobs because of the factory backed warranty. But what about:

- the Pacbrake PRXB?
- BD Power exhaust brake?
- Banks Brake?

Any others I'm missing? I'm just looking for one that works as advertised and will be as trouble free as possible. Any thoughts?

 

Banks does not have one.
Pacbrake will void the tranny warranty and may need a controller.

The only choice with the 48RE is the Jacobs brake.

 

I disagree that Jake is the only exhaust brake allowed on the Cummins engien. I have spoken to alot of people regarding their exhaust brakes. I have nothing but positive things about adding the Smartbrake for secondary braking and warm-up. You can not void a warranty if you use another exhaust brake such as the Smartbrake, Pac Brake, Banks, US Gear instead of the Jake. This is called restriction of trade! There is a great discussion going on in the firehouse forum about exhaust brakes. It can be accessed via this link http://forums.firehouse.com/showthread.php?t=72581. Make sure you read both pages.

 

The firehouse thread just burned out 2 of my last remaining brain cells. I have the Jake on mine, it's not exactly what I had wished for, but better than dragging my feet on the road. It's not to good at low RPM, and I don't like revving the motor to 3200 to slow down, but on the windy hilly roads, it does good in 4th and 5th gear, and in 6th running 70-80 mph it's a dog, and don't grab 5th at 75mph. It'd be nice to have a brake that worked at low RPM as well as high. My .02$

 

That is what the Pxrb is suppose to be good for.....low rpm. An exhaust brake uses your tranny to slow the truck....make sure your tranny is overbuilt is all I can say for autos and have a good clutch for standards. ks

 

I like mine. Pulled my 13,000 pound 5th-wheel camper through the mountains in Colorado and Utah with no braking problems. The Jake will hold you back good if the engine rpms are in the mid to upper 2,000's. When decending steeper grades (7-8%) I used second gear and the Jake held my speed to around 40 miles per hour with the rpms approximately 2,800. Never had to use the foot brake hardly at all. I could actually enjoy the scenery instead of being tense and worrying if my brakes were getting too hot. This is one of the best options you can put on a truck if you will be pulling heavy loads over steep mountains.

 

i have the jacobs. at first i hoped it could have been more aggressive, but after hauling my horses i am glad it is not(when the brake engages it jerks the horses forward a little) . i can cruise down donner summit with my camper and horse trailer and not touch my brakes, leaving them cool in case of an emergency.

 

I've had a Jake on my 99 for 5 years. and 120K, I'm hoping the 06 Jake lasts a long time also.

Do they all use a belt driven vacuum pump? Maybe something to consider if the others use alternative methods. Don't know about the longevity factor for the pump.

I love mine, but I only have 4500 miles on the 06.

Good luck......................Jim

 

You need to check out the D-celerator by US Gear. I have one on my 6 spd, it will work with an auto if you add the lock up feature. It is mounted on the pipe in front of the muffler, it closes off the exhaust whenever you let off the throttle regardless of your road speed. You can change turbos without changing (engine) brakes.