Recommended Supplemental Brake System and Wiring for 2017 Ford Fusion

Question:

You seem to have alot of fans on the RV forums. I have a 2016 Entegra Anthem diesel pusher Spartan K2 450 tag axle chassis and am planning to purchase a 2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid SE or Titanium both are identical to the 2016s. SMI seems to be the way to go for supplemental brakes and I am looking at both the Stay In Play and Air Force One I dont yet know if my brake lights activate when my aux brakes are on. I use a Demco tow bar and will be adding a Demco baseplate. Which SMI brake do you recommend and why? I would like to find a light kit specifically for the Fusion so I can connect from my RV to the front of the Fusion round connector rather than the flat 4 pin. I dont know if it makes a difference but the Fusion has LED tail lights. Please recommend along with anything else you deem important. Thanks

asked by: Steve F

Expert Reply:

For a 2016 Ford Fusion, I recommend the Air Force One # SM99243 over the Stay-IN-Play DUO Supplemental Braking System # SM99251. The DUO uses inertia plus the motorhome's brake lights to trigger the Fusion's brakes. This can cause false braking on the Fusion when using the coach's exhaust brakes because it activates the brake lights. The Air Force One, however, only activates the Fusion's brakes when the air brakes are engaged. So when using the exhaust brakes it won't cause the Fusion's brakes to engage when they aren't really needed. With this system you will need the Roadmaster Brake-Lite Relay Kit for Towed Vehicles # RM-88400 to ensure your towed vehicle's turn signals flash in tandem with your RV lights.

For your towed vehicle lighting, the Titanium model is the only option for the wiring you suggested wanting. I highly recommend the Roadmaster Diode 7-Wire to 6-Wire Flexo-Coil Wiring Kit # RM-15267, that will allow you to have the 6 wire round connector you mentioned as well as the diodes to let you utilize your factory wiring.

The hybrid and Energi models don't allow for the wiring you desire. You would need to use magnetic tow lights and the ones I recommend are the Heavy Duty Magnetic Tow Lights - 20' Wiring Harness with 4-Way Flat Trailer Connector # TL21RK.

Since you have a tow bar and want the matching base plates I won't give you recommendations for those, but if you don't have cables, I suggest using RoadMaster 68" Single Hook, Coiled Safety Cables - 6,000 lbs # RM-643 along with a lock like # e98882.

You may need a hi-low adapter for towing, so I've attached an article to assist as well as linked the page for you.