Exhaust brake ? which kind should I buy ?
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Nova Scotia , Canada
Posts: 565
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Exhaust brake ? which kind should I buy ?
I have plans to pull my 10500 gvw fiver across Canada and want to install an exhaust break and in box trans cooler. I have a 47 rh and a new low stall single disk billet TC installed. I also have the manual TC look switch . I would love to know what would be the best brake for my $$$
#3
Registered User
I've worked on and installed most of major brands and have a BD myself.
Found the different brands of exhaust brakes to be about the same but PacBrake's customer service is beyond excellent.
#4
I have an installing dealer in Antigonish if you ever need any help locally. The remote mount/inline will as stated give you many options for turbo swaps down the road vs a Turbo mount. however the retarding performance is the same between them.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Let me know if you have any questions.
#5
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Nova Scotia , Canada
Posts: 565
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
That would be a day trip for me . Could you give me some prices in a pm. Do you have a break in stock? I`am think of this summer install for the break and will be down your way July for a MC run with some friends. I could drop my truck off . thanks Don
#7
Registered User
It doesn't matter what any exhaust brake manufacture claims.....they ALL can only supply a maximum amount of braking HP, which is 190 hp, if I remember right. So knowing that, look for any advantages one company has over another and compare those advantages or disadvantages. That including price too.
Trending Topics
#8
Katoom you are correct in that fact that all of us can only put a maximum of 60 psi of back pressure into the engine at Maximum RPM however not all exhaust brakes are the same. a couple of them use a hole (that don't change) in the butterfly to get this back pressure. The down side to this is you have little to no breaking from 1900 RPM's and low.
We regulate our butterfly to maintain the 60 PSI of back pressure through the engine RPM to ensure full retarding through the engines RPM band.
The other thing we do is prevent sticking. We do not close our butterfly to 90deg and leave it for carbon to build up.
By having ours constantly moving we have less chances of failure due to carbon build up. so you are correct each brake is the same Only at High RPM's.
Hector
We regulate our butterfly to maintain the 60 PSI of back pressure through the engine RPM to ensure full retarding through the engines RPM band.
The other thing we do is prevent sticking. We do not close our butterfly to 90deg and leave it for carbon to build up.
By having ours constantly moving we have less chances of failure due to carbon build up. so you are correct each brake is the same Only at High RPM's.
Hector
#9
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Sundre, Alberta
Posts: 1,257
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My BD turbo mount brake has 255,000 miles on it with zero issues.
Once you run an exhaust brake, you will wonder how you ever drove without one. Best modification you can do to your truck.
I just replaced my 2nd set of brakes, still on the original rotors. Just that alone paid for the brake.
Jeff
Once you run an exhaust brake, you will wonder how you ever drove without one. Best modification you can do to your truck.
I just replaced my 2nd set of brakes, still on the original rotors. Just that alone paid for the brake.
Jeff
#10
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Nova Scotia , Canada
Posts: 565
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
#11
Registered User
My Pacbrake has been working perfect for many years as well. I wasn't trying to turn anyone away from BD as they tend to have good products, but just pointing out that with all exhaust brake manufactures limited to specific maximum parameters, there are options out there which someone may or may not find to be an advantage. I dont believe that any manufacture of any product on the market has the "best" of everything because there are simply to many variations, designs, and functions. If manufactures actually marketed a list of their products negative attributes then choosing would be that much easier. But of course they dont so its up to the consumer to research pro's and con's. Isnt that the basis of these forums?
In saying all that, I cant agree more that exhaust brakes are well worth their investment. Anyone who has towed with one will most likely understand the advantages of having an exhaust brake over not having one. Not only for safety reasons but for mechanical wear and tear on the vehicle brakes and trailer brakes.
In saying all that, I cant agree more that exhaust brakes are well worth their investment. Anyone who has towed with one will most likely understand the advantages of having an exhaust brake over not having one. Not only for safety reasons but for mechanical wear and tear on the vehicle brakes and trailer brakes.
#13
Registered User
hector-bd gave good advice, make sure you have upgraded the exhaust springs from the 35 lbs to the 65 lbs. colinp the banks like the jake is troublesome junk using a hole like hector described. stopping power is about half the bd or even less at altitude and low rpm. most times when the vacuum pump fails it is just the diaphragm, when the drive portion fails it locks up the shaft and burns the serpentine belt into before you can pull off the road. if you are lucky it will not take the radiator and fan blade out. you need to carry the stock belt with you so when it happens you are not stuck in the middle of nowhere. as our pumps fail we switch to the bd. after spending 4 days in pecos texas I decided to just change the one in my personal truck before it failed to a bd. if you travel you should do the same and bd is ecm integrated the same way. his 95 has a different ecm setup and will require a little different arrangement.
#14
Registered User
hector-bd gave good advice, make sure you have upgraded the exhaust springs from the 35 lbs to the 65 lbs. colinp the banks like the jake is troublesome junk using a hole like hector described. stopping power is about half the bd or even less at altitude and low rpm. most times when the vacuum pump fails it is just the diaphragm, when the drive portion fails it locks up the shaft and burns the serpentine belt into before you can pull off the road. if you are lucky it will not take the radiator and fan blade out. you need to carry the stock belt with you so when it happens you are not stuck in the middle of nowhere. as our pumps fail we switch to the bd. after spending 4 days in pecos texas I decided to just change the one in my personal truck before it failed to a bd. if you travel you should do the same and bd is ecm integrated the same way. his 95 has a different ecm setup and will require a little different arrangement.
As for the vacuum pump..... Being that they're an OEM item from something like '96-'02, I certainly have heard of them failing quite a bit in the sense that they simply quit working, or leak, but in regards to the vacuum pump locking up and causing serpentine belt failure, taking out the engine fan and/or radiator, is merely a non issue. I've seen you talk about it on other forums too, but really, I dont think I've ever heard of that happening, and if it ever does, it must be extremely rare. Matter of fact, that fan is so massive that I cant imagine the belt harming it at all. But no matter, in saying that, only certain exhaust brake models work off the OEM vacuum pumps service anyways whereas most newer exhaust brakes utilize the function of an aftermarket air compressor. And what do you mean by saying that you switched over to a BD? If you're referring to the vacuum pump then I may be wrong but I dont think BD makes one. And those trucks equipped with vacuum pumps need them for certainly vacuum operated components to function, so it cant just be removed for sake of someone afraid of future failure.
Lastly, only the 24 valve trucks have the ECM to exhaust brake compatibility, unless again, there's something I dont know. Trucks without ECM's (12v engines) have to use a microswitch engagement system which is mounted under the go pedal. And understanding what trucks have ECM's, I believe that most if not all exhaust brakes today are designed to function with the ECM. Dont think I've ever heard of someone choosing to not utilize the ECM pin 20 and opt to instead run a microswitch on their 24 valve truck. Not saying that someone couldn't or wouldn't but that I haven't heard of anyone choosing that.
So point I'm making again is.....ALL exhaust brakes are so similar in function that someone looking to wisely invest in one should take the time to research them all. I really like my Pacbrake but I'm not going to tell anyone that Pacbrake is the only way to go. Because seriously, how many people have the opportunity to run more than one exhaust brake on the same truck, giving them a full understanding of how one brand is better than the other? At well over $1000 for an exhaust brake setup, I'm sure that would rarely happen.
#15
Registered User
Since the vacuum pump is gear driven and doesn't have anything to do with the belt on 2nd gen trucks don't see that could be an issue.
If the vacuum pump were to lock up solid about all I can see it doing at the most is breaking the pump shaft.
If the vacuum pump were to lock up solid about all I can see it doing at the most is breaking the pump shaft.