Did a search, but info was fairly old! I am looking for a exhaust brake. Which one is better Pac Brake or Jacobs? I know Dodges come with Jacobs. Thanks!!

 

I am pretty sure most guys will vote for the Pac Brake .I have one and its great,just wish I had the mannual trany too.Its an easy mod to do,I did mine on my own but a second person would be a great help in putting the valve in.Just dont count on blowing up your tires with the Pac compressor.The compressor I use for that is 3x as big and can barely pump them up.I bought mine direct from Pac Brake cause I live 30 mins away,but I think you can get it online slightly cheaper so check that out.Its lots of fun to use even if you dont tow!Check out BD diesel if you want one of those big rig type axle shift type swichtes for your shifter otherwise the Pac has a round rocker type one for the mannual,though it might be extra too.

 

What's the big minus for the Jacobs? Other than a longer belt? Thanks!!

 

I like the Jake myself, The ECM is already programmed for it, the cruise will engage the Jake as your going down hills saving you tickets.. I chose the Jake over the Pacbrake as it gets -40 here and I know what air does at that temp..

Warm up with an ebrake and high idle are a snap..

 

Though not scientific research, I read a lot of instances where the Jacobs vacuum pumps had siezed up and required repair/replacement and very few failures of the Pacbrake components. The main component on the Pacbrake is the compressor and I thought it may be easier to replace that than to repair the vacuum pump and carry along an extra serpentine belt. Flawed logic perhaps, but that's how I came to my decision.

 

I vote for the Jacobs, mainly because the truck is already programmed and designed around that particular brake. I love mine and don't really worry about the few vacuum pump failures I've read about. They're few and far between, with a good amount of miles on the pumps themselves when they've failed.

 

I have the pac, my buddy has the jake. The Pac has more hold pack gives you an air compressor and has been more reliable. My buddy has had issues with pumps and leaks.


The Pac works fine with Cruise. The only issue with Pac is making sure you drain the condensation from the tank in the winter.

I have towed heavy with both countless times grossing 22- 25.5K . The Pac works better

 

Im still unsure about an e-brake but i would say the pac brake is first on my list. people seam to like them and there cheaper than a Jacobs and about the same as bd.

 

I think part of the vacuum pump failures associated with the Jake Brake is due to their cheesy line system.. when I installed mine I replaced the fitting at the solenoid valve and ran one 3/8" hose all of the way to the pump. The factory setup has multiple adapters and lines allowing more places for it to leek..

 

Do we have some proof of that statement? I have seen the charts on both and they are about identical on braking horsepower. I have never seen any stats rating one higher than the other on braking HP.

Bob

 

From what I have read all exhaust brakes are rated at 60 PSI because that is spec given by cummins as the highest acceptable pressure the valve spring will handle. So it seems they all have the same maximum retarding power. Pacbrake claims that due to operating off of a compressor rather than vacuum their brake works better at lower RPMs than their competitors. I've never had the opportunity to drive a truck equipped with a vacuum operated brake so I can't compare (although if someone who has a Jake/BD equipped truck around Idaho Falls it'd be fun to do a comparison) that being said I went with a pacbrake because of the simple install and onboard air. Also the pacbrake has failure as well, I recently had a compressor fail on me but even though I was a few months out of warranty they replaced it free of charge and threw in a bottle of lubricate.

In the end I recommend the pacbrake because of ease of installation, it works awesome, and the costomer service is phenomenal.

Sorry for being so long winded, hope this helps.

 

On "06" 48re and newer the Pacbrake interfaces with the ECM also.

 

Thanks for the info.

Once you drive with an e-brake you won't want to drive without one..

 

That's probably the one and only thing all of us will completely agree on

 

We're an opinionated bunch that's for sure