My vehicle, although I paid for the HD trailer towing option, is not really equipped for HD towing as I have discovered. The vehicle came with a Class III reciver and seven pin connector, but no brake controller. My 2007 Silverado did not come from the factory equipped with the ABS integrated brake controller offered in some 07 and 08 as a factory option; therefore, I'll have to purchase an aftermarket product.
All advice is to buy the Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller. I went on-line and found the unit, however there are two units listed. One is priced on sale for $94.97 plus the wiring harness. The other one, a P-3, is priced on sale for $129.89 plus wiring harness. Apparently, from what the GM service department tells me my vehicle will need the wiring harness to complete the installation.
Which unit should I purchase ? Who uses the Prodigy brake controller unit and how does it respond? Are the above-cited prices about right?
The P3 is supposed to be a little better, I have an old Voyager but thinking about upgrading to a P3.
Papa Bob
1* DW "Granny"
1* 2008 Brookside Sunnybrook 32'
1* 2002 F250 Super Duty 7.3L PSD
Husky 16K hitch, Tekonsha P3,
Firestone Ride Rite Air Springs, Trailair Equa-Flex, Champion C46540
"A bad day camping is better than a good day at work!"
I just recently purchased a new Prodigy controller for $109 (a month ago). I have a 2000 Silverado. I also purchased the harness ($12) which allows you to plug the controller directly into the truck without any splicing. I added electric brakes to my pop-up camper, which it did not have, so I needed the controller. I went with the Prodigy after reading MANY articles about how superior they are. I have to say that I am happy that I got it and not a cheaper controller. I was told there was not much difference in the P3 vs. the Prodigy. One main difference is the LCD screen on the P3 which definitely looks cool. The Prodigy was very simple to setup for me. Once I got it set, it worked flawlessly. I don't tow all of the time, so I went with the cheaper one. I think either way you go, you will be very happy with your purchase!!!
The dealer installed the Prodigy on my TV as part of the deal. Having had a cheap controller on the prior TV I was eager to see how the Prodigy would compare. Short story long - the Prodigy kicked the cheap controller's butt! Better yet - the dealer paid for and installed it as part of the sale! I highly recommend the Prodigy or any similar device.
I drive, She navigates and researches places to go & stuff to do, The kid doesn't care where we go as long as we go, & Abbey the adventure pup refuses to be left behind!
2004 F250 King Ranch SVT Fx4,CC,PSD,Prodigy, no mods.
2003 Grand Surveyor GS272.
As far as your truck.... you got what you paid for on the trailer tow package. There are integrated brake controllers in certain trucks but not all. Unless you ordered the truck with the integrated brake control you would not have gotten it as part of the HD trailer option. THe tow pkg consists of a trans cooler, receiver hitch, gearing (sometimes), and all wiring going through the truck for trailer lights and brakes. THis does not include a controller.
Now,as far as the controller goes. The P3 has some neat features that the Prodigy doesn't. The P3 has a back light and it will control elect. over hydraulic brakes. That is about the only difference I have seen. I love my Prodigy. It works perfectly and I personally don't need anything else to safely stop my rig. There is no jerking or banging. It is easy to install when you purchase the harness for you truck (about 10 min). Once you have it set you will not need to fool with it anymore. I highly recommend it.
04 Lariat Supercrew 4x4,5.4,3.73, Edge tuner, flowmaster duals
06 Trail Bay 31BH, nicely optioned
Equal-i-zer
Prodigy
Follow vehicle, 05 KIA Sorento EX for the golden retrievers.
On the 2007 and up, it's no longer plug-n-play. The truck includes a pigtail (a bundle of unconnected wires) under the dash board that you splice on to the pigtail that comes with the Prodigy controller. Good in a way because you don't have to hunt down the special cable, but bad in a way because you have to make the connections yourself. A quality crimper and splice connectors should be used at a bare minimum. Soldering is preferable. It's only 4 wires as I recall.
BTW, I feel that the HD tow package should include solid gold rims. Did I get cheated because mine didn't come with them?
From what I was told and saw, the P3 works about the same but has a different display and control system. For me, the Prodigy is so much better than anything else I've used that I can't imagine a big improvement. The P3 may have some subtle tweaks to the software that aren't readily observable, though.
Neither is going to be a bad choice. Plug and play, baby!
Brian
2003 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad Cab, Hemi, 5 speed manual, 3.73 gears, Tow Beast hitch with 24" extension.
28 ft race car hauler, Lola T440 Formula Ford, NTM MK4 Sports Racer
2004 Travel Hawk 8' Truck Camper - Roll at 16K combined weight
I have a Prodigy in an '03 Tahoe and I love it. I purchased the custom cable and installation was very easy.
Once I adjusted it properly the rig stops smoothly and quickly. I got caught by a couple of yellow lights on NC's Outer Banks last weekend and I was able to stop as quickly as if I wasn't pulling the 28' trailer behind me.
BTW, I started out in 'B2' on the boost and ended up on 'B1' instead.
I would strongly recommend the Prodigy.
Jeff
1994 Coachman Catalina 280RK behind a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD 6.0L + Equalizer 10,000# + Prodigy brake controller
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