![]() ![]() There are no screws and it pops off easier with a trim tool. I took the lower left half of the dash loose which made the entire install easier. It took a bit over an hour total to install and I'm sure would have been easier if I were 50 years younger. I ordered the plug-n-play wiring harness (TPH-013) and the universal switch insert (TPSI-001) along with the TowPro Liberty unit direct from REDARC. The install was pretty straight forward & looks decent enough. I finished installing a REDARK TowPro Liberty brake controller this afternoon. In other words, I bet you could pull a 4000lb pop-up trailer (that is smaller than PP frontal profile when collapsed for travel) and get much closer to the "no trailer mpg." Not so much due to the weight (although that IS a factor), but more for the exposed frontal area that creates too much wind resistance. If I was actually going to buy a RV trailer, I would look at something (the trailer) a little smaller (while still having a bathroom - that's essential in my book) for my PP to pull around. Overall, I guess my comment would be this - if I'm renting that NuCamp Tab 400 once a year for a trip, I wouldn't change a thing. Didn't want to stop for gas every 150miles. I jumped on the (very flat) highway out of Minneapolis and set cruise at 75 like usual and had to make adjustments very quickly (only doing ~9mpg at that speed). I had read on this forum about someone else who owns a NuCamp and warned that they get normally 13-14mpg when towing it (it actually does have quite a big "frontal area" pushing wind despite being a teardrop shape) so I wasn't caught totally unawares but I expected that kinda gas mileage in the hills (further west on our trip) not in the flat sections. And who (not many) can afford to have a dedicated $50k+ tow truck? On the plus side it does come prewired for dash-mount electronic brake controller (required for towing anything over 3000lb). 5000lb is OK for SUV/CUV but pretty wimpy for most big RV trailers. If you want to bump that to 5000lb you have to install the tranny cooler (also not cheap). ![]() AND then once you add the tow hitch, the (AWD) PP only has 3500lb towing capacity. That seems bogus in today's world - all SUV/CUVs should come standard with tow hitch IMHO. You have to install a tow hitch (and other stuff not cheap). The standard (FWD/AWD) PP doesn't come with any towing capacity at all.If I had ONE complaint (OK two) it is this: I thought the paddle shifters worked very well for forcing some downshift engine braking on the steep curvy downhill sections. I used D mode in the level sections and S mode for the inclines/declines. In fact, we never had even one trace of instability caused by passing other traffic. It got up to speed very fast on level/downhill highway, was reasonable (within expectations) for uphill acceleration, and maintained a straight line (with weight distribution hitch) no problem. And that was with a bunch of heavy gear in the PP itself (to cut down on "dead weight" in the trailer). What I can say is that, given where we went (Glacier NP, up & down lots of hills/mountains in WA/OR/ID/MT) I felt that the Passport handled that loaded NuCamp (prob not quite 4000lb "dry" with whatever gear we had stashed in it) like a CHAMP. The NuCamp was a one-time rental thing so other than that one (long) trip, I can't really comment for "in general" feel. No issues at all towing that NuCamp or any smaller trailers (like U-haul 5x8 or 6x12). Redarc even had a molded universal dash plug (seen in pic above) that pops in, after a little "adjustment" of the surrounding hole in the dash (needed some clearance on the sides for the rounded rear flanges on the insert, FYI).įinal decision was made easier in that the Redarc unit was cheaper. Plus it has a "user-controlled mode" (fixed direct-set brake power) in addition to the proportional mode that the Spectrum has. The Redarc unit avoided both issues for me - no blinking lights when no trailer attached, and the smaller knob profile meant it would fit the spare button knockout already in the dash. Wasn't keen on the double-sided tape surface mount option. HarveyW, I had also considered the Curt Spectrum controller but decided that A) the blinking lights with no trailer attached (which is most of the time) would be too bright and distracting (per a lot of reviews), and B) the dash control knob was a lot bigger in diameter and I was concerned that I would be forced to drill a hole in the dash somewhere to mount it. ![]()
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