[motrcycl]

FINALLY! I have the Kia 7-Pin Harness and the REDARC Tow Pro Elite Brake Controller Installed! I don't have anything to tow yet but I have a 7-pin tester and before the brake controller everything worked except the brake signal; now everything works including the brake signal. Took way too much time and I learned alot along the way:

1. Don't pay for hyundaitechinfo.com access if your looking for wiring diagrams/details on the towing connector/brake controller stuff. They are incorrect and only show the info for the non-turbo version (Hyundai did refund my subscription cost though).
2. The Kia 7-Pin Kit is plug-and-play to the 12-pin towing harness under the rear of the truck on the driver's side
3. The Turbo equipped SC have 2 extra trailer-related fuses and a 4-pin connector under the dash (up behind the fuse panel) for hardwiring a trailer brake controller
4. Be warned, if you go with a brake controller that has a box you have to store under the dash somewhere (IE the REDARC ones) there is not any great places to really mount/secure it. Something like a prodigy brake controller mounted on the outside of fuse box cover would be alot easier to install
4. Really really really don't mess with the panel/garnish right below the panel with the start/stop button. It looks like its just small piece right there but it actually runs all the way under the center screen/media system and around the glovebox and if you had to replace it you would have to take out the center console and just about all of the dash panels (and the glove box).

Now for some pictures!

- The Kia 7-Pin kit came with an adapter for the 4-pin under the dash to unterminated wires. The redarc brake controller came with an adapter from the controller to unterminated wires. The color coding between them matched up so I just used some butt connectors and covered them in electrical tape.

View attachment 3510 View attachment 3511

- Connected the cabling to the 4-pin behind the fuse panel and then had to find a place for the controller module to sit. Big thing is it has to be fixed and cannot move around. Ended up gorilla taping it to the AC duct in under the center console and added some velcro straps (added after pictures) to make sure it doesn't move:

View attachment 3513 View attachment 3514

- Mounted the knob for the controller on the right of the steering wheel. The panel this is in is the one you really don't want to take out or replace. Could have saved hours if I had put the knob somewhere else:

View attachment 3516

How many plug connections does the white plug have?

 

[HSC4ME]

Conclusion:
We decided to keep the SC (my wife wanted it as her daily driver), but we won’t continue to use it as a Towing Vehicle for our RV.
We traded in my wife’s SUV and got a RAM 1500. That will give us the peace of mind that we need when we are on the road, heading towards our travel destinations. I still love the SC, just not for towing. As my Dad use to tell me when he was showing me the ropes of his craft: Always use the right tool for the job!

Again, this is my personal experience. I am not sure if it could’ve been different with much lesser weights.
My advice: Do your research, talk to experts, get real weights, “trust your gut”, and prioritize the safety of your family.

Thank you for your honest opinion.

 

[Skitals]

The bad:
a. Even though I’ve adjusted the WDH with a professional, I always felt some jerking at low speeds. Under 40/50mph. After that, the ride was somewhat ok.
b. The uncertainty of using a Unibody vehicle with a WDH, when other manufacturers (like Subaru and VW) stated against it and Hyundai stayed in silence. Not sure if this could potentially be a hazard.
c. I did stayed under the maximum weight limits. But the lack of room to add anything else, really frustrated me!
d. I am amazed at how good the fuel economy is resulting for many! Not my case. I am not sure how you guys are calculating the MPG, but if you are making short trips and looking at the estimation of the trip computer, well, you may be off by quite a bit. I traveled approximately 1,000 miles with the TT and the average was ALWAYS 9-10 mpg.
e. My TT came with what they call “the Adventure package”, an off road upgrade that includes All terrain tires and a 2” lift. This “nice” feature put me in bind, trying to find shanks for my WDH that will have a 9” rise. The hitch receiver on the SC is mounted very low, when compared to other trucks, while the ball receiver on the trailer was very high.

Did you ever tow without the wdh? It seems like eliminating it would eliminate a lot of your concerns.

a. Don't use a wdh
b. Don't use a wdh
c. Valid limitation of the SC
d. I would be surprised if the Ram does significantly better mpg. It's a reality of towing. The bigger downside for the SC is the relatively small gas tank.
e. Don't use a wdh

 

[ronyrod]

Did you ever tow without the wdh? It seems like eliminating it would eliminate a lot of your concerns.

a. Don't use a wdh
b. Don't use a wdh
c. Valid limitation of the SC
d. I would be surprised if the Ram does significantly better mpg. It's a reality of towing. The bigger downside for the SC is the relatively small gas tank.
e. Don't use a wdh

Hi @Skitals .
After my first trip I stopped towing with the SC. As I mentioned on my post, I did try to remove the WDH but I needed to find a suitable ball mount with the proper rise (9"). I went to several shops, and I searched through numerous places online, spent countless hours, and I only was able to find adjustable mounts, aluminum mounts, or up to 3500lbs mounts (I am not going to chose a rating lower than my RV's GVWR). None of them compatible with a Reese or Curt anti-sway bars. (I needed to be able to weld a tab near the ball mount). It was very frustrating indeed.
I recognize that my RV is fairly elevated from the floor, but I've seen many that are even more "off road". It never crossed my mind that I will be in a segment of the market where there are limited or inexistent supplies. Could've tried to make a custom mount and get it certified? Yes, but it would've been a long, expensive and tedious task. And just to try it?
And no, I wasn't going to tow without sway bars (the one thing that Hyundai do recommend on the manual), as I heard many stories about uncontrollable trailers on the road and I do not feel like gambling on my family's safety.
I know that you may feel that changing the towing vehicle is a radical move (it is), but it was an alternative that was not far from my reach.
In regard to the fuel economy, I will let you know after my first trip. But even if I can only get similar numbers to the SC, the RAM's fuel tank is 33 gallons...

In summary, and based on my personal experience:

• I stopped towing with the SC as I couldn't find a proper setup.
• Use a WDH at your own risk.
• Tow without anti-sway bars at your own risk.
• I wouldn't feel comfortable towing anything heavier than 2500 lbs for more than 250 miles.
• As the hitch receiver on the SC is mounted very low, you need to check the rise differential. I believe that anything over 8" will be complicated to get.
• Be mindful that you can only tow up to 170 miles with a gas tank.

 

[Skitals]

Hi @Skitals .
After my first trip I stopped towing with the SC. As I mentioned on my post, I did try to remove the WDH but I needed to find a suitable ball mount with the proper rise (9"). I went to several shops, and I searched through numerous places online, spent countless hours, and I only was able to find adjustable mounts, aluminum mounts, or up to 3500lbs mounts (I am not going to chose a rating lower than my RV's GVWR). None of them compatible with a Reese or Curt anti-sway bars. (I needed to be able to weld a tab near the ball mount). It was very frustrating indeed.
I recognize that my RV is fairly elevated from the floor, but I've seen many that are even more "off road". It never crossed my mind that I will be in a segment of the market where there are limited or inexistent supplies. Could've tried to make a custom mount and get it certified? Yes, but it would've been a long, expensive and tedious task. And just to try it?
And no, I wasn't going to tow without sway bars (the one thing that Hyundai do recommend on the manual), as I heard many stories about uncontrollable trailers on the road and I do not feel like gambling on my family's safety.
I know that you may feel that changing the towing vehicle is a radical move (it is), but it was an alternative that was not far from my reach.
In regard to the fuel economy, I will let you know after my first trip. But even if I can only get similar numbers to the SC, the RAM's fuel tank is 33 gallons...

In summary, and based on my personal experience:

• I stopped towing with the SC as I couldn't find a proper setup.
• Use a WDH at your own risk.
• Tow without anti-sway bars at your own risk.
• I wouldn't feel comfortable towing anything heavier than 2500 lbs for more than 250 miles.
• As the hitch receiver on the SC is mounted very low, you need to check the rise differential. I believe that anything over 8" will be complicated to get.
• Be mindful that you can only tow up to 170 miles with a gas tank.

Not cheap but here is a 10" rise with sway control upgrade. This is the sway control ball mount you get with the $75 upgrade. It's extreme overkill, rated for 12k pounds and need to factor in an extra 50lbs on the hitch.

I see what you mean about sway control being a limiting factor as far as hitch selection.

I appreciate the insight and sharing your experience!

 

[ronyrod]

Not cheap but here is a 10" rise with sway control upgrade. This is the sway control ball mount you get with the $75 upgrade. It's extreme overkill, rated for 12k pounds and need to factor in an extra 50lbs on the hitch.

I see what you mean about sway control being a limiting factor as far as hitch selection.

I appreciate the insight and sharing your experience!

Thank you @Skitals !
I definitely didn't see that one. It seems high quality, and versatile. It could be a solution to the Santa Cruz extremely low hitch receiver. Not cheap (about $720), but it will be a good device to try. I couldn't find the weight of this system, but it could be heavy. Hopefully less than the 110lbs of the WDH that we are trying to replace. Good find @Skitals! it is not an easy task to find ball mounts with that much rise.

 

[Skitals]

Thank you @Skitals !
I definitely didn't see that one. It seems high quality, and versatile. It could be a solution to the Santa Cruz extremely low hitch receiver. Not cheap (about $720), but it will be a good device to try. I couldn't find the weight of this system, but it could be heavy. Hopefully less than the 110lbs of the WDH that we are trying to replace. Good find @Skitals! it is not an easy task to find ball mounts with that much rise.

Where are you getting $720? The $474 is a combo including the sway control ball mount. It says 46lbs, that might just be for the shank or shank+standard ball mount.

 

[Dave M]

I looked on etrailer and here is one for 5,000 lbs and 100 CAN

https://www.etrailer.com/Drop-Hitch/Convert-A-Ball/TK5007.html

 

[Skitals]

I looked on etrailer and here is one for 5,000 lbs and 100 CAN

https://www.etrailer.com/Drop-Hitch/Convert-A-Ball/TK5007.html

There are tons of standard riser hitches. He was specifically looking for a riser hitch compatible this this style sway control bar that is NOT a weight distribution hitch.

 

[motrcycl]

Hey there. I went through the same struggles as you.

I was insistent on a wired brake controller. The model I purchased: Reese Towpower, did not come with a male adapter that would "connect" the brake controller, to the pigtail provided in the Kia 7 pin harness.

Two things I would do if I were you:

1. Cover the open ends of the kia pigtail in electrical tape before plugging in behind the fuse box. I made the mistake of not doing that, and blew a 30amp fuse that was a special order, that I did have to buy from Hyundai.
2. I feel pretty confident TK78VR is not what you need. I would take your brake controller to Uhaul, and show them your setup. The guy at my local Uhaul was super helpful, and had a shoebox full of the product you see below. There wasn't any label or part number on them. I was so frustrated at that point, that I didn't even get a chance to ask him what this piece was called. I just had to get some butt connectors, and match up the colors. Worked perfectly.

Did you hard wire your connector to the Santa Cruz plug behind the fuse box? The plug behind fuse box has a 6-pin connector with four wires. To me they look like blue, green, yellow and brown or black. I see online where Reese Towpower has quite a few different plug connectors. Know if any of them work with the Santa Cruz 6-pin?

 

[Skitals]

Did you hard wire your connector to the Santa Cruz plug behind the fuse box? The plug behind fuse box has a 6-pin connector with four wires. To me they look like blue, green, yellow and brown or black. I see online where Reese Towpower has quite a few different plug connectors. Know if any of them work with the Santa Cruz 6-pin?

Plug and play with this harness. Reese uses the same 4 pin connector as tekonsha and draw-tite.

 

[motrcycl]

Plug and play with this harness. Reese uses the same 4 pin connector as tekonsha and draw-tite.

Thank you very much !! Might get this accomplished after all.

 

[motrcycl]

Thank you very much !! Might get this accomplished after all.

Plug and play with this harness. Reese uses the same 4 pin connector as tekonsha and draw-tite.

Whoops. Maybe I spoke too soon. Your reference plug looks like a 4-pin. The Santa Cruz plug behind the fuse box that I have located is white and a 6-pin plug, but with only four pins utilized. Guess I am still confused.

 

[CaseyH]

Whoops. Maybe I spoke too soon. Your reference plug looks like a 4-pin. The Santa Cruz plug behind the fuse box that I have located is white and a 6-pin plug, but with only four pins utilized. Guess I am still confused.

That 6 pin is the wrong plug. There is a separate, 4-pin plug up behind the fuse box (its really up there). Couple of folks have posted pictures of it in previous posts.

 

[ronyrod]

Where are you getting $720? The $474 is a combo including the sway control ball mount. It says 46lbs, that might just be for the shank or shank+standard ball mount.

I thought the $474 was only for the adjustable mount plus the hitch ball. Then $75 for the small ball attachment for the sway bar and then sway bar itself is like $170 more. But maybe I read it wrong.

 

[motrcycl]

That 6 pin is the wrong plug. There is a separate, 4-pin plug up behind the fuse box (its really up there). Couple of folks have posted pictures of it in previous posts.

Thank you for the clarification. Now it makes sense.

 

[motrcycl]

Thank you for the clarification. Now it makes sense.

Sorry, but I have felt and laid under the dash looking and cannot locate the 4-pin plug. I am not planning on tearing the dash apart, so short of that I am done at this point.

 

[twinsemi]

I just finished installing the new hitch and harness. (OEM Hyundai & KIA, respectively) The rule should be to NOT mix OEM and aftermarket, because the OEM wants a 7-pin bracket with a 45 degree angle, and the aftermarket thinks that 90 degrees is proper.
Anyway, installing the OEM stuff was pretty easy for me. No need to jack up the vehicle, plenty of room to drop the exhaust and put the hitch in. It's a one person job, just lay on your back with the hitch on your chest to hold it in position.

And a larger view...

Now we just have to get a few more miles on the clock to complete the break-in. And of course decide which controller to put in the dash. The KIA 7-pin harness comes with the mating connector pigtail to let me put any decent controller on the dash.

And I am leaning towards the Tekonsha....

I expect it will be harder to install than the hitch, but mostly because I hate working under the dash. Too much contortionist required.

 

[2022Baja]

This is part of my worry too. My current Dakota has a towing range of 240 miles (with a 24 gallon tank). If the SC gets only 10 MPG that is a range of just 160 miles and be a problem since my normal trip 200 miles. I've got the over/under for towing my small boat (16' = approx 2,500#) at 15 MPG. Anything below that will be a major disappointment... anything above and I'll be doing the happy dance.

Prepare to be disappointed with the SC towing range. That said, it's good if your bladder is as small as the gas tank. Lots of justified pitstops.

 

[twinsemi]

Prepare to be disappointed with the SC towing range. That said, it's good if your bladder is as small as the gas tank. Lots of justified pitstops.

The MPG numbers that we see here on this thread are each going to be determined by the frontal area of the trailer and towing speed. I bet that your small boat won't drag you down nearly as much as my travel trailer. (8' wide and 8" tall) If you tow at the same speed as I do (60) your pit stops will be far less frequent.