Recommended Brake Controller and Sway Control for a 2013 GMC Acadia Towing an R-Pod  

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The best brake controller for your application is the Tekonsha Prodigy P2 # 90885. It is very easy to use and setup, plus it is a proportional brake controller that you will not have to reprogram for a different vehicle. If your 2013 GMC Acadia has the factory 7-Way wiring harness installed near the rear bumper, then all you will need to do is use the Plug-In Wiring Adapter, part # 3026-P, to complete the wiring connections for your brake controller.

If, by chance, your Acadia does not have the factory installed 7-Way near the rear bumper, you will just need to do a little bit of splicing and connecting wires to get your GMC ready to tow. Under the driver's side dash there should be a bundle of wires that you will need to splice together with the included pigtail in the Prodigy P2 kit. The correct wire combinations that you will need to connect will be as follows:

GMC Red/Black - Prodigy P2 Black
GMC White - Prodigy P2 White
GMC Light Blue/White - Prodigy P2 Red
GMC Dark Blue - Prodigy P2 Blue
The Orange wire on your GMC side will not connect to anything.

You will also need to connect the power wire to the brake controller and the battery charge line which will run power to your 7-Way wiring harness to your Acadia's battery. These two wires are Red/Black with eyelets on them and can be found under your hood near your battery.

To finish the setup you will just need to install the T-One Wiring Harness # 118271 which will plug directly into the wiring connector on your Acadia. You will also need to connect the included fuses (see attached video). The 7-Way will get mounted to your trailer hitch using the Mounting Bracket # 18138. If you want a no-drill install you can use part # C57202.

Since your R-Pod trailer is not very big or heavy, you will most likely not need sway control. However, we have had a number of customers still want sway control for their R-Pods as a safety precaution. Sway control is something that normally comes with a Weight Distribution (WD) system, but we do have some sway control units like part # 83660. These aren't as effective as a WD system with integrated sway control and you have to disconnect them when you back your trailer up.

What I recommend using is a Reese WD system like the Strait-Line # RP66083 or the Steadi-Flex # RP66559. Both of these WD systems have an integrated Sway Control which will actually work to prevent sway before it happens instead of correcting it after it has started. These systems do not include a hitch ball, but you can use either the Curt 2 inch Hitch Ball # A-90 or the Tow Ready 2-5/16 inch Hitch Ball # 19286.

Keep in mind that when you are choosing a WD system, you will want to choose one that has a Tongue Weight (TW) with a weight range that your Total Tongue Weights fall in the middle of. Total Tongue Weight (TTW) is the TW of your loaded and ready-to-go trailer, plus any cargo behind the rear axle of your Acadia. The WD systems that I mentioned should be in the ballpark of what you are looking for, but you will want to add those weights together to make sure before making a purchase.

I have included some demonstration videos and links to a few helpful articles for you as well.

expert reply by: Jon G

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