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Smartstream · 05-02-2017, 02:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lotus54

I see you are here in PA also- since those are Euro models, did you have issues getting them in the country?

Mark

That question comes with a very long answer. The short answer is a registered converter in the Los Angeles area spent 3 years getting the official government approval to legally convert a smart for sale in the U.S. The first approved truckload left his shop on a Friday and I flew down and picked mine up the next Friday. By not going through a dealer I arrived at the Washington Licensing Office with the Certificate of Origin in German from Mercedes. Being the first in the state it was not as bad as one might expect. I bought the second smart a year later and it was much easier.

If you want to get some coffee sometime we can talk smarts and maybe even a little Airstream.

Pahaska · 05-03-2017, 04:48 PM

The base plate is on, but the front clip is still off while I install a Ready Brake surge brake. I managed to run the surge brake conduit today up to behind the brake pedal. I had to leave the wheel well liners loose until I could run the conduit. I could not see the hole behind the brake pedal from below. Once the hole was drilled, I borrowed a skewer from my wife and pushed it into the hole. I slipped the conduit over the skewer, routed the conduit so that it was pushing back toward the brake pedal, and wiggled the conduit end through the hole. A washer and a nut and that was all it took.

Tomorrow, I finish the surge brake installation, button it up, and I'll be ready to tow.

Pahaska · 05-13-2017, 06:41 PM

After a break for the Texas Vintage Rally and a week of being sick, I finally hitched up the Smart to the AI today. I only toured the storage yard since I found that my magnetic wireless lights will not stick to the roof of the Smart. I could see the Smart in the camera, but I could not otherwise tell that I was towing it.

Tomorrow's job is to make a mount that will locate the wireless lights in the back window of the Smart. At least, they are more theft proof there. The transmitter is plugged into the 7-wire socket by the AI hitch.

My storage yard tour was too short to really test the surge brake that is built into the tow bar and is hooked to an aircraft cable that is routed through a conduit to pull on the brake pedal. The thimble with the aircraft cable protrudes from the center of the grille. When the tabs are removed, that is the only obvious indication that the Smart can be towed. I'll tell anyone who asks that the cable is what I tow the Smart with.

Pahaska · 05-16-2017, 09:02 PM

I towed the Smart a couple of miles to top up the AI tanks in preparation for a 400+ mile round trip for a rally. I would have never known the Smart was back there if not for the rear camera. I could not detect any difference in the AI "get up and Go," although there were no grades of note. Braking also seemed totally normal.

I am still "tuning" the tension on the surge brake cable. I found it a bit too tight for my comfort when I stopped at the pumps with the Smart off at an angle.

Since we are co-hosts for the rally, the Smart is well loaded with foodstuffs. It will be a welcome addition to our storage.

While I was fueling, a motorcycle cop rode up to me. I figured I must be doing something wrong. He simply wanted to tell me how neat the AI and Smart looked and how he wished he had something like that.

toskeysam · 05-17-2017, 04:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pahaska

I towed the Smart a couple of miles to top up the AI tanks in preparation for a 400+ mile round trip for a rally. I would have never known the Smart was back there if not for the rear camera. I could not detect any difference in the AI "get up and Go," although there were no grades of note. Braking also seemed totally normal.

I am still "tuning" the tension on the surge brake cable. I found it a bit too tight for my comfort when I stopped at the pumps with the Smart off at an angle.

Since we are co-hosts for the rally, the Smart is well loaded with foodstuffs. It will be a welcome addition to our storage.

While I was fueling, a motorcycle cop rode up to me. I figured I must be doing something wrong. He simply wanted to tell me how neat the AI and Smart looked and how he wished he had something like that.

Send pics [emoji4]. Do you use a bungee cord on steering wheel?

Pahaska · 05-17-2017, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toskeysam

Send pics [emoji4]. Do you use a bungee cord on steering wheel?

Yes. It appears to be a must. My cord came loose on my first tour of the storage yard and the Smart front wheels chattered when I made a sharp turn. I have found a hole a couple of inches back on the door side rail that pretty much insures the hook at that end of the cord will not come unhitched. On the hump side, I hook it to the seat adjustment lever from the inside out such that if it has slack, it should not come free.

When I stopped in a turn to adjust my brake cable, the Smart front wheels were aligned with the turn very nicely.

I'll take some pics today on our rally trip, but I probably can't post them until Sunday.

Pahaska · 05-21-2017, 04:31 PM

My apologies. Every time I thought of taking a photo, it was raining.

I towed the Smart about 425 miles so far. Seems about 2 mpg penalty. Otherwise, I have to look in the mirror to know it is still back there.

Pahaska · 05-23-2017, 05:29 PM

I find that the Smart is about the hardest car I have ever owned to maintain a steady, legal speed. There is so little inertia and so little clue from the noise level that I find myself over the limit very easily. US290, that I drive almost daily, is teeming with police after a couple of bad accidents.

Today I installed a cruise control kit on my Smart. A bit pricey, but a neat kit overall. It plugs into the speedometer, replaces the wiper control arm with an arm with added cruise control switches, and inserts into the cable to the foot feed. Since the Smart is drive-by-wire, it is easy to electronically control the engine power through the foot feed cable.

All it took, tool wise, was a couple of TORQ screwdrivers, a drill bit for the status LED, and a wrench to disconnect the battery. There are step by step pictorial instructions on the web.

I haven't tested it yet except for a quick run to the cul-de-sac and back since we are in for large hail and high winds any minute. It was more important to get my Genesis under cover than test the change. I can say at this stage that everything works as before and I haven't broken anything.

Isuzusweet · 05-23-2017, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pahaska

Today I installed a cruise control kit on my Smart. A bit pricey, but a neat kit overall. It plugs into the speedometer, replaces the wiper control arm with an arm with added cruise control switches, and inserts into the cable to the foot feed. Since the Smart is drive-by-wire, it is easy to electronically control the engine power through the foot feed cable.

I think you over spent and added to the complexity of your cruise control......I'm sure Dan (Smartstream) or his wife just reaches out and grabs onto a car that is going how fast Dan wants to go.

Cheers
Tony

Smartstream · 05-24-2017, 12:54 AM

Actually Tony I have the same cruise control on both of my smarts. I tried the hang on to other cars technique but it really made it hard for the A/C to keep the car cool with your arm out the window.

Sometimes you just got to spend the $$$ to make everything work.

martin300662 · 05-24-2017, 01:09 AM

Playing Devil's Advocate.... why go though this pain to tow wheels down, rather than just buy a specialist trailer to carry the Smart? No issues with base plates, adding brakes, lights, etc

Genuine question because we have been considering a Smart (maybe a Roadster) as a towed for Bella for some time, and the trailer approach seems a 'no-brainer'; am I missing something?

Pahaska · 05-24-2017, 06:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by martin300662

Genuine question because we have been considering a Smart (maybe a Roadster) as a towed for Bella for some time, and the trailer approach seems a 'no-brainer'; am I missing something?

IMHO, a trailer is expensive, requires brakes, will add a lot to the towed weight, is a genuine pain to accommodate at a campground, and is more work in the long run to trundle around, hook up and tie down the car. Maybe OK for large motor homes, but I can't see a trailer in an AI.

My lights are wireless and my brakes are surge brakes built into the tow bar.

Mollysdad · 05-24-2017, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by martin300662

Playing Devil's Advocate.... why go though this pain to tow wheels down, rather than just buy a specialist trailer to carry the Smart? No issues with base plates, adding brakes, lights, etc

I bought a Featherlight flat bed for the MH to tow with my Honda Element on it. As everyone says, the weight is negligible to the MH weight. But it's too much work. Ramp tailgates are a huge air drag, while my ramps were a pain to use and store. Then there's the brakes (required) and the place to put it, or find a campground with drive throughs long enough.
I used mine once.
Towing, though, was a piece of cake.

Lotus54 · 05-24-2017, 10:19 AM

I could see how a light trailer would be nice so the car doesn't get wear and tear.
But I can see also how it is more hassle to unload/load, store trailer and perhaps maneuver? Might be better in backing- since you could see it better and probably would have a lot less chance of jackknifing and damaging car and MH?

Perhaps depends on how long driving days you are planning, how often the car will be off and that sort of thing.

Maybe a little like how I describe the AI. The smaller rigs are better for traveling, the larger ones are better for camping.

Pahaska · 07-13-2017, 11:39 AM

I have been towing the Smart with the battery hot and following the manual instructions. After reading some horror stories on the Smart forum where, for some reason, the computer came on while towing and destroyed the engine, I decided to add a disconnect. One more step when preparing to tow and a 30-second wait when the battery is switched on again at the end of the tow. I figure it is worth it.

I had a switch in the shop that I bought at a flea market for $3. That and $15 worth of extended battery cables, plus an hour of work and I now have a disconnect. I mounted it on the flat area just above the passenger's left foot, using a plastic molding that I found in my shop. Who knows what it was for, but it proved very useful.