Basecamp tow vehicle question

[seshields]

We just bought an Airstream Basecamp, and now we need to buy a car to pull it. We plan on getting a mid-sized SUV that can pull 5000 lbs – either a Toyota Highlander LE+ or a Honda Pilot EX. One of the significant differences is that the Honda has a lighter suspension, and thus less bumpiness but more sway of the car itself on rough roads and going around corners. So any of you have experience with a lighter vs. a tighter suspension, or directly with either of these cars? We are wondering which level of suspension is better for towing, and also which suspension is better for avoiding passenger carsickness.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Generally a stiff(er) suspension is better when towing. The real question is always - what is the suspension like under load? There are a lot of tricks that get played these days in suspension design. Indeed showing up at the dealer with three kegs of beer to load down the demo vehicle may or may not work out quite as you planned......

One thing to consider with *any* tow vehicle is what you will have with you on your camping expeditions. The tongue weight of the trailer and the weight of the hitch do impact your tow vehicle. The weight of your passengers and gear in the vehicle also get into the act. Often people find that part of it is more significant than they first thought .... ( = there are multiple ways to overload a vehicle).

Bob

[rmkrum]

If you are prone to motion sickness, I'd avoid the Honda.

DW is very sensitive to sway, and has no issue with the tighter suspension in our Tundra. The softer Camry also swayed a lot before I got the suspension redone with better, stiffer shocks.

She's wanting a new Tundra with all the goodies for the next tow vehicle--since she bought (and paid for) our first Tacoma TV in '08, she can certainly have exactly whatever she wants...and since she is the negotiator, I can bet it will be at the price she wants as well...

[Airabella]

we also recently bought a basecamp. i have a 2008 toyota highlander hybrid and used it one weekend, and was thrilled that i would not need another vehicle to pull it. now my hybrid has gone bad - the hybrid inverter and inverter system - to the tune of $9500. i have to get a different car. i want the smallest possible option - would love to have a subaru outback, but that may be dicey. also considering a used audi q5. has anyone had experience with either of these?

[ArawayCamper]

I towed my 2017 Basecamp for 1 year with a BMW X3 (no weight distribution or sway control). This was a fantastic combination. My Basecamp does tend to develop some light sway at highway speeds above 70mph. This was not a problem but may un-nerve some people not experienced with towing. I usually loaded any cargo over or rear of the Basecamp axle to keep tongue weight down. Sometimes the suspension would bottom out on big bumps, but overall suspension of X3 was pretty well matched to that of the Basecamp. Biggest struggle and one of the reasons I moved to a different TV was the wear of the rear tires. Most rear independent suspensions introduce negative camber as they take load which results in inside tire wear when running constantly loaded. I went 1/2 way through tires in a year ~5000miles of towing. This is something you'll probably want to mitigate if this is your long term TV.

[dgirvin]

I just bought a Honda Passport with the 5000 lb tow package and think it’s going to be ideal. Shorter, stiffer and more agile than a Pilot. I’ll send an update after my 4 hour tow home from picking up the BC.

[pteck]

Originally Posted by ArawayCamper

I towed my 2017 Basecamp for 1 year with a BMW X3 (no weight distribution or sway control). This was a fantastic combination.

Originally Posted by ArawayCamper

My Basecamp does tend to develop some light sway at highway speeds above 70mph. This was not a problem but may un-nerve some people not experienced with towing.

Originally Posted by ArawayCamper

I usually loaded any cargo over or rear of the Basecamp axle to keep tongue weight down. Sometimes the suspension would bottom out on big bumps, but overall suspension of X3 was pretty well matched to that of the Basecamp.

Originally Posted by ArawayCamper

Biggest struggle and one of the reasons I moved to a different TV was the wear of the rear tires. Most rear independent suspensions introduce negative camber as they take load which results in inside tire wear when running constantly loaded. I went 1/2 way through tires in a year ~5000miles of towing. This is something you'll probably want to mitigate if this is your long term TV.

Seriously... based on your own input, the X3, without a WD/anti-sway hitch was a terrible tow vehicle.

Putting weight behind the rear axle of a trailer is generally not recommended. At least not without adequate tongue weight, and would be considered a newbie move as that very thing can reduce stability.

I do believe an X3 can be a good tow vehicle, when setup properly.

Please, for yourself, and the safety of others you share the road with, get yourself a WD/anti-sway hitch. It will do wonders for sway, tire wear, and safety.

[ArawayCamper]

Originally Posted by pteck

Seriously... based on your own input, the X3, without a WD/anti-sway hitch was a terrible tow vehicle.



Putting weight behind the rear axle of a trailer is generally not recommended. At least not without adequate tongue weight, and would be considered a newbie move as that very thing can reduce stability.



I do believe an X3 can be a good tow vehicle, when setup properly.



Please, for yourself, and the safety of others you share the road with, get yourself a WD/anti-sway hitch. It will do wonders for sway, tire wear, and safety.

Nice work trying to troll me. I’m not taking the bait. [emoji12]

[jcl]

Originally Posted by ArawayCamper

I towed my 2017 Basecamp for 1 year with a BMW X3 (no weight distribution or sway control). This was a fantastic combination. My Basecamp does tend to develop some light sway at highway speeds above 70mph. This was not a problem but may un-nerve some people not experienced with towing. I usually loaded any cargo over or rear of the Basecamp axle to keep tongue weight down. Sometimes the suspension would bottom out on big bumps, but overall suspension of X3 was pretty well matched to that of the Basecamp. Biggest struggle and one of the reasons I moved to a different TV was the wear of the rear tires. Most rear independent suspensions introduce negative camber as they take load which results in inside tire wear when running constantly loaded. I went 1/2 way through tires in a year ~5000miles of towing. This is something you'll probably want to mitigate if this is your long term TV.

Trust that you knew your tongue weight and weren't reducing it too much.

Just a comment on the rear tire wear. It is not caused by the camber of the rear suspension when loaded. It is strongly associated with rear wheel toe settings. Too much, and the tires scrub constantly. Because of the camber, that scrubbing shows up as wear on the inside edges of the rear tire, but the solution is to ensure you have the correct alignment. If you do (and ensure you are at the minimum of the BMW range, BMW allows a wide range of settings) you will resolve the tire wear whether loaded or not.

The myth of rear camber being the cause is promoted by aftermarket suppliers of camber adjustment kits. Don't take the bait.

I got upwards of 80,000 km per set of tires (often heavily loaded) over three sets of tires on two X model BMWs, and that is even with changing them early due to wanting the benefits of sufficient tread in adverse weather conditions.

[pteck]

Originally Posted by ArawayCamper

Nice work trying to troll me. I’m not taking the bait. [emoji12]

There's no hook.

Those expensive tires you scrubbed through, could have paid for a WD/anti-sway hitch. Related to what JCL mentions, a lot of independent suspension vehicles will squat when laden and have lots of camber. They also will toe in. Combined to result in the accelerated wear you've experienced.

[ArawayCamper]

Originally Posted by pteck

There's no hook.

Those expensive tires you scrubbed through, could have paid for a WD/anti-sway hitch. Related to what JCL mentions, a lot of independent suspension vehicles will squat when laden and have lots of camber. They also will toe in. Combined to result in the accelerated wear you've experienced.

The expensive tires cost me about $250. Good to know I can get a weight distribution setup for that cost if I get tired of the F350. Here’s a picture of my last alignment (unloaded) if anyone is interested. I’ll probably fix the rear suspension camber in a rear suspension overhaul at 150k miles or so. Currently around 137k.

[Coopjl]

I’m not sure if this is the right forum, but my wife and I just purchased a 2020 BaseCamp X which we will pick up in April or May (depending on how long winter stays around).

Anyhow, my question is will I be able to tow it with my spare tire and fuel cans mounted or will I need to remove them. My concern is the length of the trailer’s tongue along with the tanks on the tongue.

I have a couple pictures of my truck, but can’t figure out how to post them here.

Thank You in advance.

[Halford1]

Originally Posted by ArawayCamper

I towed my 2017 Basecamp for 1 year with a BMW X3 (no weight distribution or sway control). This was a fantastic combination. My Basecamp does tend to develop some light sway at highway speeds above 70mph. This was not a problem but may un-nerve some people not experienced with towing. I usually loaded any cargo over or rear of the Basecamp axle to keep tongue weight down. Sometimes the suspension would bottom out on big bumps, but overall suspension of X3 was pretty well matched to that of the Basecamp. Biggest struggle and one of the reasons I moved to a different TV was the wear of the rear tires. Most rear independent suspensions introduce negative camber as they take load which results in inside tire wear when running constantly loaded. I went 1/2 way through tires in a year ~5000miles of towing. This is something you'll probably want to mitigate if this is your long term TV.

Try weight distributing some stuff closer to front inside camper. I usually put heavier stuff up front and lighter stuff in rear. It prevents swaying. I do that with my Bambi and do not use WDH at all. My Explorer has sway control feature which works.

[Halford1]

not sure why foreign SUV were preferred but you have the options to choose from: Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Coopjl

I’m not sure if this is the right forum, but my wife and I just purchased a 2020 BaseCamp X which we will pick up in April or May (depending on how long winter stays around).

Anyhow, my question is will I be able to tow it with my spare tire and fuel cans mounted or will I need to remove them. My concern is the length of the trailer’s tongue along with the tanks on the tongue.

I have a couple pictures of my truck, but can’t figure out how to post them here.

Thank You in advance.

Hi

Assuming the tire and gas are on the back of the tow vehicle, the first question is axle weights / payload on the vehicle. Assuming that's ok (and it probably will be) then the obvious clearance issues come into play. Some shanks are longer than others so even guessing at clearance is a bit tough. It's a pretty good bet that in the most likely locations you probably have at at least 18" of room.

Bob

[dgirvin]

I am towing my 2019 BCX with a 2019 Honda Passport (Touring Edition AWD) and it works like a dream. The Passport has plenty of power, gets respectable gas mileage and has a ton of interior room. Since it's my first season, I don't have a comment about rear tire wear, but I've over 5k miles in towing this summer and they're good according to my Honda Dealer.

The cargo capacity of the TV is 950 pounds so subtracting the tongue weight of the BCX leaves about 500 lbs. Towing capacity is 5000 lbs which is lots against about 2/3 of that trailer weight for the BCX.

Very happy with the combo over the past 8 months.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

On any tow vehicle, you very much need to dig into the details. The only numbers that really matter are the ones on the door post of the vehicle. Passenger and gear weights in the vehicle along with a portion of the weight of the hitch it's self need to be added up. Past that there is a front and rear axle weight that needs to be met. You then have a gross combined vehicle weight ( everything together) to look at.

Yes, that's a lot of numbers. Indeed *some* people (who me?? ) have been known to exceed those numbers on vehicles in the past. Some of us have blow up transmissions .... (I'm sure it was unrelated ....) going over the rockies.

Another wrinkle to this is that (at least for us), things don't get loaded the same way for every trip. If we are headed here, we take this stuff. If we are headed there, we take that stuff. We often come back with things we picked up along the way. I like to have a bit of "margin" ( = not be right at a limit ) to accommodate all that. Heading over to the weigh scales once a week is *not* how I want to spend my time out and about ....

None of that is to say you can't take this or you can't take that along. In general you most certainly *can* take it along. You simply can't take it along when you also have a long list of other things with you as well.

Bob

[Coopjl]

Thanks Bob. While I am aware of the axle load ratings/limits, I honestly did not think of it in this situation.

I will plan on moving my spare tire to it’s original location and if I carry fuel I can either put it in the bed of my truck or as a last resort I can put it on my roof rack.

Thanks again for your feedback. Good stuff!

Jeff

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Running the rig over a CAT scale is dirt cheap. I'd do that before I went crazy moving things around.

Bob

[Coopjl]

Yes Sir