I'm new to this forum so I have a great deal of learning to do. Actually, I'm new to any forum. Never been on one. Anyway, I have a 2007 Dodge 2500 quad cab, automatic transmission, shortbed pickup with a 5.9L Cummins. It's my second diesel. First one was a 2006 Ford F-250 with the 6.0L diesel. I'll take the Cummins any day. I just bought a pretty good sized 5th wheel camper and the truck pulls it just fine. Loaded, it'll probably come in at a bit over 10,000 lbs. However, I'm considering putting exhaust brakes on it and would like advice on what type to put on. At this point, I'm leaning toward the Pac Brake kit but the Banks system sounds good as well. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Pacbrake or BD.
They give great braking at all rpm, and doesn't rapidly diminish as engine speed drops.

 

I would recommend the pacbrake. Then you have onboard air should you decide to put airbags on in the future. Airbags are a lot less headache if you can adjust them from the cab of your truck...

 

pac and bd hold the same at all rpm and altitude. banks is hyped junk, it and jake use a hole to limit pressure to 60 psi, at sea level and 3200 rpm it has the same as bd or pac , at 1,000 rpm at 7,000 feet it has nothing. I run more bd's than pac because of where they have the compressor. if you go pac, move the compressor away from the engine mount, the heat and vibration cause early compressor failures. we went back and moved ours to the frame or beside our in bed fuel tanks. I hate autos but I know from reading on here from people that have them you will need a lockup kit, I understand bd also makes them.

 

PacBrake also... make sure you get the inline version and not turbo mounted. Ask me how I know......

 

Your '07, like my '06, uses the ECM to control the brake and TC lockup so the Pac Kit includes everything to make it operational. If you prefer a stalk switch, you'll need to get that. I prefer the dash switch myself. I've run turbo mount brakes for 10 years without problems from the brakes. If you think you might upgrade your turbo then inline would be your choice.

 

How do you know??

 

I hit the wrong button. So..............how do you know?

 

I have no intent on upgrading the turbo at this point. I think I also prefer the dash switch. thanks for the input.

 

Because I bought the turbo mount PacBrake and unless you are satisfied with stock turbo you are stuck with the setup. Inline PacBrake allows you to upgrade the turbo with supporting mods. After it was purchased and installed I got the bug/ itch to upgrade the turbo and injectors but, not now...... Maybe a stack-able tuner (Smarty S03) and run on even settings with Edge Comp.

 

I have a Pacbrake but couldnt tell you how well a BD or any other exhaust brake is in comparison.....nor can 99% of the people out there since the odds of finding someone who has run more than one is slim. They're not cheap units and they last forever. Exhaust brakes are worth their weight in gold as the turn most scary towing experiences into joyful ones since you stop a heavy trailer from shoving a helpless truck down the road.

With that said, turbo mounted is always best for function and reliability. This is because, the farther the turbo is from the engine, the cooler its runs which allows more carbon build up and also slows EB reaction time. Both are bad since you want it to work as fast as possible and you dont want carbon causing it to stick either ON or OFF. If you think you'll be needing a bigger turbo in the future then ask the EB manufactures is your best option.

Also, as mentioned already, since you have an automatic tranny, make sure you research what you'll need to make an exhaust brake work since older auto's and exhaust brakes can be a problem.

 

For Katoom, here's the part that I definitely agree with - "Exhaust brakes are worth their weight in gold as the turn most scary towing experiences into joyful ones since you stop a heavy trailer from shoving a helpless truck down the road." I've already had one of those experiences and don't want another. Thanks for the input.

 

I miss the stock one that came on my 2011. They sure make towing more pleasant.

 

[QUOTE=KATOOM;3195648]I have a Pacbrake but couldnt tell you how well a BD or any other exhaust brake is in comparison.....nor can 99% of the people out there since the odds of finding someone who has run more than one is slim.

As I indicated, I've now run 3 different brands, BD, Jacobs and now PAC. All have performed well towing RVs of about 11K GVW for about 150K miles.
Dodge came out with ECM controlled exhaust brake function for the Jacobs brake with the '06 models. It used a vacuum pump for activation. The pumps tended to fail fairly often and when mine did, I replaced the Jake with a Pac. I used most of the original circuitry including the dash switch in the swap. As far as I can determine, your '07 5.9 is virtually identical to my '06 and will beautifully function with the exhaust brake.

 

For Mr. Danavilla: Thanks very much for your very imformative input. I think I'm sold on the Pacbrake. I just haven't figured out whether I'm going to try to install it myself or get somebody to do it for me. Exhaust brakes don't seem to be all that common down here in South Carolina. We've had enough hot weather and plan to go see the mountains (or I guess the folks out west would call 'em big hills - sort of) and then the mountains out west - and I sure would feel better with a little more "umph" when I want to put the brakes on out there. Thanks to all for the information.