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Old 03-30-2016, 08:46 PM   #1
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2015 F150 Trailer Sway Control

Hi Friends, my 2015 ford F150 Lariat comes with a factory option included for a trailer sway control that is turned on thru my dash settings, and what i have read thru Ford website that in event of trailer sway the vehicle automatically applies braking to the travel trailer brakes to control sway. My question is do i need to use the sway bar i have presently attached or just use the factory Ford sway control function thru my truck? Does anyone else have this feature on their tow vechicle?
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Old 03-30-2016, 10:03 PM   #2
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Hi there. The Ford anti-sway feature will (supposedly) stop sway once it occurs. I have it on my F250 and it was on my F150 also. This is a cure for sway that has already started. An actual sway bar will (again, supposedly) stop sway from occurring in the first place. I think the Ford anti-sway feature is a nice back-up to a properly fitted and adjusted sway bar. I would not trust my trailer without one.
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Old 03-30-2016, 10:05 PM   #3
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My tundra has sway control that applies braking and cuts power to the truck tires. I would not rely on it in place of regular sway control. Seems to me it would put un wanted wear and tear on the brakes.


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Old 03-31-2016, 07:18 AM   #4
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truck sway control won't kick in until you're already in oh s*** territory. it helps recover from sway vs prevent it. you wouldn't want it grabbing brakes every time you get a gust of wind or passed by a truck....


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Old 03-31-2016, 07:56 AM   #5
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Use the sway bar to prevent sway from happening in the first place. The first time I had my wife tow the trailer to get time behind the wheel, is the only time the Ford sway control has kicked in....lol.....Murphy's law. It seemed to work as advertised, but I wouldn't rely on it as the sole feature.
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Old 03-31-2016, 11:44 AM   #6
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I have it on my ford and it works as advertised. however, I also us a sway control bar to help prevent sway from trucks and cross winds. It kicked in on my last trip as some one pulled over on me and I had to take actions that the sway bar could not control on its own. I was glad I had both. The truck applied brakes to the trailer and to my truck then pulled it out of the sway before letting me take control again.
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Old 03-31-2016, 12:27 PM   #7
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As I read my manual, automatic sway control provides differential brake control to your tow vehicle but not to the trailer. It does also apply the trailer brakes but evenly on both sides. The brake control wiring to the trailer doesn't have a left/right so there's no way to accomplish differential braking as needed to the trailer for sway control. Always use your hitch sway control to prevent or minimize sway. Then, if all else fails, you can rely on your vehicle sway control to hopefully keep the shiny side up.
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Old 03-31-2016, 01:37 PM   #8
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What rvb Said

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Originally Posted by rvb View Post
truck sway control won't kick in until you're already in oh s*** territory. it helps recover from sway vs prevent it. you wouldn't want it grabbing brakes every time you get a gust of wind or passed by a truck....
My experience with the Ford F-150 factory sway control is that when the tail-wag exceeds Ford's predetermined limits the truck will hit the trailer brake for you, cancel the cruise control if it's on, and put up a dashboard warning saying something like "excessive sway - reduce speed". It doesn't trigger just because a truck or a gust upset things, only when you're fighting for control.
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Old 03-31-2016, 04:40 PM   #9
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It is also wearing your brakes turning and this will affect your fuel milage as well as turning off cruise control. My thinking is that I would use sway control to prevent using the Ford system and only use it for safety measures. That's what I do as my 2011 f150 also has Ford sway control.
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Old 03-31-2016, 08:40 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rvb View Post
truck sway control won't kick in until you're already in oh s*** territory. it helps recover from sway vs prevent it. you wouldn't want it grabbing brakes every time you get a gust of wind or passed by a truck....


-rvb
X2 I tested our F150 anti sway once and by the time it takes over you are way beyond where you ever want to be. As stated great safety feature if you get into real trouble but not effective for heavy side winds or passing trucks on the freeway. Use your anti sway bar.
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Old 03-31-2016, 10:48 PM   #11
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Our 2014 Tahoe has this feature. We were towing across New Mexico in April 2014 and developed an oscillation. The Tahoe applied the trailer brakes before I could react. It was a very strange sensation and it startled us. When we stopped for the night, we checked the owner's manual for an explanation, and there it was. We now have a different trailer and it has a sway control bar. Much better!
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Old 03-31-2016, 10:51 PM   #12
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My 2012 F-150 EB with max tow pkg also has the sway stopper feature. IMO it is not sway control. When I towed with a conventional WDH+friction sway bar it only activated a couple of times when side-winds got frisky. I was glad when it did. Since switching to a Hensley I never have sway problems regardless of wind, trucks, etc., and it has never activated.
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Old 04-03-2016, 06:05 PM   #13
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Thanks for the reply back. Kinda figured the same just making sure. Have a great one. Thanks Jim
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Old 04-04-2016, 12:16 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TXFolkie View Post
As I read my manual, automatic sway control provides differential brake control to your tow vehicle but not to the trailer. It does also apply the trailer brakes but evenly on both sides. The brake control wiring to the trailer doesn't have a left/right so there's no way to accomplish differential braking as needed to the trailer for sway control. Always use your hitch sway control to prevent or minimize sway. Then, if all else fails, you can rely on your vehicle sway control to hopefully keep the shiny side up.
You are correct, in that (so far) trailers do not have multiple braking channels to apply voltage to individual brakes independently.
But you don't need differential trailer braking to control sway. As far as I know, since the beginning of trailering with the oldest turd of a time-delay brake controller, trailer sway was halted by simply applying the trailer brakes manually (single-channel, to all trailer brakes). This simple act brings the trailer back in line.
The only difference here is that (apparently) some/most/all integrated systems will do this for you automatically at some point.

That said, I agree with everyone here. Don't rely on the electronic nanny for sway prevention. This could result in overheated trailer brakes from constant use. If you don't have sway control integrated into your WDH, let a cheap friction sway controller keep the trailer in line 99% of the time, and the electrical stuff will help further if/when needed.
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