We have ESC in our 14 and tow with a 120 series Prado.
Crossing Mooney Mooney bridge I had a B double pull out of the left lane with me in the middle lane. I took evasive action and with the right lane clear moved into there. The van swayed a little and the ESC kicked in straightening everything up when it felt like it was going to get a bit loose.
Ask dealer how to turn off ESC in this set up when on rough roads. This is important to do.Thanks all
Spoke to AL KO ESC installer and he said Jayco is the easiest to hook up due to wiring provision is already there and power comes from the van rather than the car.
Thanks for advice .... I noticed that AL KO say their ESC is suitable for off road except in very extreme conditionsI think ESC or DSC is a good idea. We have DSC fitted to our van and it is very reasuring in high winds, though our van tows really well. We chose DSC over ESC because DSC is powered from the van and it has a feature that ESC lacks, which is that it has an extra sensor that detects rough roads and turns off the DSC then turns it back on when the surface improves.
The ESC is usually powered by the tow via a red Anderson plug and should be disconnected on rough roads to prevent activation of ESC when hitting bumps. This does pose the problem of when to connect and disconnect the plug. The extra sensor in the DSC does this for you, the DSC also works on one side at a time like car stability systems. The ESC activates both sides at the same time, like hitting the button on the brake controlled. Both methods work very well.
We like our DSC, but either system works and both cost about the same and are well worth fitting. They really should be standard on new vans. Car stability control systems have already significantly reduced single vehicle accidents and are required on all new cars. There should be a similar requirement for caravans. Also CIL insurance give a good discount for having either system fitted.
Thanks for the tipWell done . ..you won't regret it but may not even notice it's there as it's almost seamless ....till you need it! I smile when I see a bdouble now, whereas i felt trepidation without ESC.
One thing to consider . ....and this is an individual preference only, not a requirement....if you're getting some 12v work done on the car and van, you might like to get a separate anderson plug for ESC so you can disconnect it on rough roads.
We're opting for that now (didn't even think of it on the previous van) and getting them to wire up the ESC to a red anderson plug on both van and car so it can be disconnected if needed. We had a really rough ride into Fowler's Bay (and a few other places) where we could feel it engage and realised the manual advises a disconnect in offroad conditions. I got out of the car to disconnect then realised I'd have no brakes if I did so ...it wasn't a major problem, more of an irritation but the new van setup will allow me to pull the plug and still have brakes.
thanks yabietolI think ESC or DSC is a good idea. We have DSC fitted to our van and it is very reasuring in high winds, though our van tows really well. We chose DSC over ESC because DSC is powered from the van and it has a feature that ESC lacks, which is that it has an extra sensor that detects rough roads and turns off the DSC then turns it back on when the surface improves.
The ESC is usually powered by the tow via a red Anderson plug and should be disconnected on rough roads to prevent activation of ESC when hitting bumps. This does pose the problem of when to connect and disconnect the plug. The extra sensor in the DSC does this for you, the DSC also works on one side at a time like car stability systems. The ESC activates both sides at the same time, like hitting the button on the brake controlled. Both methods work very well.
We like our DSC, but either system works and both cost about the same and are well worth fitting. They really should be standard on new vans. Car stability control systems have already significantly reduced single vehicle accidents and are required on all new cars. There should be a similar requirement for caravans. Also CIL insurance give a good discount for having either system fitted.