Acura MDX towing

[Andrew T]

Originally Posted by GMFL

Andrew,

Thanks for all you do, if you would not mind would you please comment on weight ratings and cargo capacity. How do you handle passenger load of say 2 adults, 2 kids, and a dog plus the tongue weight of the trailer.

Even with a dialed in weight distribution hitch, weight is still there just moved around. Right?

Do you beef up the springs and shocks? Airbags?

I’m as others are just trying to wrap our minds around it.

Would you also address why 1/2 and 3/4 ton pickup where not designed to tow.

My truck has a receiver, trans cooler, tow mode button on the end of the gear shifter. What design flaws does my truck have that make it not an ideal choice.

PLEASE don’t think I’m being passive aggressive, I’m not. I think this info would be good for all.

Hi

The seminar I do to somewhat fully answer these questions takes about 90 minutes and has about 100 PowerPoint slides so this is a summary at best.

The Op has a 2011 MDX. Their vehicle weighs 4500 pounds with a GVWR of 5962 so in theory a payload of 1462 pounds. 4 people is 600 gear etc 300 which leaves 562 pounds for hitch weight. When you do up the weight distribution around 300 pounds will transfer to the trailer wheels. So they are good to 862 hitch weight which is likely a little more than the Safari.

Many vehicles will have a GVWR that is less than the combined capacity of the axles. This can be because they know on most vehicles you won’t add weight to the front wheels when you load it. However with weight distribution you can. So often the 300 pounds we move to the front wheels won’t take away from carrying capacity.

Until Recently a 4x4 3/4 ton Diesel had a 4300 pound front axle, 6084 rear but a gvwr of only 8600. Empty weight of the truck is 7400 pounds so in theory 1200 capacity but in reality much higher.


When all is done with 900 hitch weight we are adding 150 pounds per tire to the vehicle. Even a Civic has much more than 150 pounds of overbuild in its design.

In our track testing the most capable vehicles are generally those that handle best solo. Connecting a trailer to a poor handling vehicle doesn’t suddenly turn it into a handling machine. Modern trucks are increasingly geared to ride soft, sit high in the air on primitive live axles. Steering feel is purposely vague because they don’t really want you to experience the road feel in a truck. If the the truck manufacturers really understand towing that well why do some of their hitches twist or fall off? Why do they build trucks too tall to fit under a Fifth wheel but put Fifth wheel pucks in it?

In other words if you were designing the ultimate tow vehicle it would not look anything like a pickup. Not that you cannot tow with a truck if you want to. If you want to make a truck handle well though it needs far more modification than the MDX. Even with those modifications if I have to stop fast or make an evasive maneuver I’ll take the MDX, when you actually measure this stuff its really no contest.

When my daughter took 3 of her girlfriends on a trip last year in a 27’ Airstream I didn’t send her in a truck.

I have a few articles I can send you that go into more detail if you like. Andy@canamrv.ca

I hope this helps.

Andy

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by bono

Everybody can sue. Only few can collect.

I understand that the US may be regarded a different world in terms of the legal environment than rest of the world (e.g. people very often expect the RV dealer to be responsible for bad TV/TT matching, expect Can-Am to be responsible for accident if the modified vehicle was involved, etc.).

However, I can't believe that Ford or any other manufacturer of the car would let to be responsible for accident, just because injury attorney had a fantasy to sue them. Unless there is design flow, faulty parts were used (tires), etc.

I'm going to tell you a little story about manufacturer liability. The fact that it's true shouldn't diminish the entertainment value. A Google search and a little light reading should verify most of this.

A long time ago, in a land called Ohio, there was a family that owned a day care center, that they operated out of their home. The wife took care of the kids, the husband took care of the grounds and buildings.One Summer morning, the husband noticed the lawn was looking a little shaggy, so after his wife put the children down for a morning rest time, he climbed onto their lawn tractor, and proceeded to mow the yard. Part of the yard was on a rather steep hill, and part way up the hill, the wheels started spinning on the wet grass. The husband stopped, and reversed back down the hill to get another start. Unknown to him, however, one of the children had managed to make his way out of the house, and was standing directly behind the tractor when the husband reversed it, and back over the child, killing the child.
The parents of the child were understandably distraught, and in the fullness of time found an attorney to help alleviate the death of their child via monetary remonstration. The day care, of course, had insurance, as expected and required, and the insurance company paid out the limit of the policy. Dissatisfied with that amount, the parents and attorney now turned to the only other entity involved, the company that built the lawn tractor.
It was decided by a jury that the lawn mower manufacturer had been negligent in not inventing a gizmo to prevent the tractor from being placed in reverse while the mower blades were turning, and installing it on their products. Several million dollars were awarded, along with a court order to invent the gizmo, and install it on future lawn tractors.

And that is how that little button next to the ignition key on your new riding lawn mower came to be there. That is also how a manufacturer can be successfully sued in court over the actions of an independent operator of their equipment, even if both the operator and manufacturer had not done anything wrong, other than be involved in a tragic accident.

[GMFL]

Thank you Andy for your time and insight. This clears some air.

[brick1]

Originally Posted by Andrew T

Hi

The seminar I do to somewhat fully answer these questions takes about 90 minutes and has about 100 PowerPoint slides so this is a summary at best.

The Op has a 2011 MDX. Their vehicle weighs 4500 pounds with a GVWR of 5962 so in theory a payload of 1462 pounds. 4 people is 600 gear etc 300 which leaves 562 pounds for hitch weight. When you do up the weight distribution around 300 pounds will transfer to the trailer wheels. So they are good to 862 hitch weight which is likely a little more than the Safari.

Many vehicles will have a GVWR that is less than the combined capacity of the axles. This can be because they know on most vehicles you won’t add weight to the front wheels when you load it. However with weight distribution you can. So often the 300 pounds we move to the front wheels won’t take away from carrying capacity.

Until Recently a 4x4 3/4 ton Diesel had a 4300 pound front axle, 6084 rear but a gvwr of only 8600. Empty weight of the truck is 7400 pounds so in theory 1200 capacity but in reality much higher.


When all is done with 900 hitch weight we are adding 150 pounds per tire to the vehicle. Even a Civic has much more than 150 pounds of overbuild in its design.

In our track testing the most capable vehicles are generally those that handle best solo. Connecting a trailer to a poor handling vehicle doesn’t suddenly turn it into a handling machine. Modern trucks are increasingly geared to ride soft, sit high in the air on primitive live axles. Steering feel is purposely vague because they don’t really want you to experience the road feel in a truck. If the the truck manufacturers really understand towing that well why do some of their hitches twist or fall off? Why do they build trucks too tall to fit under a Fifth wheel but put Fifth wheel pucks in it?

In other words if you were designing the ultimate tow vehicle it would not look anything like a pickup. Not that you cannot tow with a truck if you want to. If you want to make a truck handle well though it needs far more modification than the MDX. Even with those modifications if I have to stop fast or make an evasive maneuver I’ll take the MDX, when you actually measure this stuff its really no contest.

When my daughter took 3 of her girlfriends on a trip last year in a 27’ Airstream I didn’t send her in a truck.

I have a few articles I can send you that go into more detail if you like. Andy@canamrv.ca

I hope this helps.

Andy

Andy - how do you determine a vehicle’s maximum tow capacity? I understand beefing up a hitch, but other factors determine towing capabilities and limitations.
Also, do you include the weight of fuel when calculating payload?

brick

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by bono

The point is that you hear a LOT of strange/interesting stories in internet. This one does not make any sense for me, unless Ford admitted a design flow.

I thought that this was made clear already that even if you are over mfg spec, in general insurance will not be denied. Sure, there will be a lot of questions, etc., but insurance is just for this purpose, to cover you.

Yes Ford insurance paid. No, was not a design flaw; but they had some liability issues with the tires with Explorer and Expeditions. But, in my case, because of the injury, I was sued as was Ford. Ford took care of the bills as I recall. Below is a thread on that topic I found. The accident involved my son and 5 of his college friends; one of them, a girl, was seriously injured and her parents were the ones who sued to cover medical costs.
My original question is, who is liable for modifying any vehicle to tow beyond it's original specs, should an accident occur?

Not trying to get off track here from original topic; just wondering about the liability when you do modify...I see many posts about VW's, Porsche, Audie's on this Forum....many more "smart" gear heads than I out there, but still wonder about the liability...

For reference on Ford tire issues:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firest...re_controversy

[Caffeinated]

Andrew T said:
"In our track testing the most capable vehicles are generally those that handle best solo. Connecting a trailer to a poor handling vehicle doesn’t suddenly turn it into a handling machine. Modern trucks are increasingly geared to ride soft, sit high in the air on primitive live axles. Steering feel is purposely vague because they don’t really want you to experience the road feel in a truck. If the the truck manufacturers really understand towing that well why do some of their hitches twist or fall off? "

By this logic the best tow vehicle should arguably be a Porche 911. And that's just crazy.

And truck hitches twist and fall off??? Since when? I admit I don't have your experience, and there are a lot of people who seem to love your tow setups. But I have been towing a TT for over 26 yrs, with both Ford and Chevy products, and I've never heard of a hitch falling off of a truck. And the comment that engineers build trucks to drive vaguely and not give road feed Is beyond belief.

Mike

[markdoane]

Anyone with a 1999 - 2013 Chevy product with an OEM hitch should check it for cracks.

[bono]

Originally Posted by Caffeinated

Andrew T said:
"In our track testing the most capable vehicles are generally those that handle best solo. Connecting a trailer to a poor handling vehicle doesn’t suddenly turn it into a handling machine. Modern trucks are increasingly geared to ride soft, sit high in the air on primitive live axles. Steering feel is purposely vague because they don’t really want you to experience the road feel in a truck. If the the truck manufacturers really understand towing that well why do some of their hitches twist or fall off? "

By this logic the best tow vehicle should arguably be a Porche 911. And that's just crazy.

Mike

No, it is just your logic. I do not understand this that way.

Originally Posted by Caffeinated

(...) And the comment that engineers build trucks to drive vaguely and not give road feed Is beyond belief.

Mike

No, it is not beyond belief. If you care about handling, sell the truck.

[Caffeinated]

Originally Posted by bono

No, it is just your logic. I do not understand this that way.



No, it is not beyond belief. If you care about handling, sell the truck.

Yeah. I do plan on selling the '09 Silverado LT, when the wife green lights the Ram 2500 Cummins.

Mike

[gator.bigfoot]

Originally Posted by Caffeinated

And the comment that engineers build trucks to drive vaguely and not give road feed Is beyond belief.
Mike

If you stop and think about it you will realize that the steering has to be vague in order to prevent the truck from losing control. Most modern cars have a very precise steering based on the rack and pinion design. The steering has to be designed to match the handling of the vehicle (i.e. the suspension). You cannot have a very aggressive steering (turn radius and rate of turn) in a vehicle that cannot handle it. If you do you will most likely lose control of the vehicle do to body roll, large balloon tires, soft suspension, etc. With many cars you can adjust the feel of the steering through software and vehicles like Hyundai have this to be user adjustable through their menu system. You can choose sport mode or standard, etc. (by the way on some cars you can even change the suspension feel). This can be easily accomplished since all modern steering systems have a servo motor built into the steering gear. The firmware on board talks with the cars computer system. Many car companies do not allow the systems to be changed (usually a marketing decision since us techies usually like everything adjustable)

The problem is that too many people have too much faith in the car companies. They think that what they decide and build is engineered perfectly. Nothing further could be from the truth. You have no idea what goes on in these meetings and design reviews as well as on the production floor. I've spent the better part of my career working in the field and have working in numerous areas for a host of different companies and vendors (American, European and Japanese).

On my SUV I am amazed how precise the steering is and that the vehicle actually responds to the input given. I would hate to see what would happen if this system was in a pickup. But with an independent suspension and a tight suspension dampening system the vehicle has no issue with it. Mind you in comparison to my cars there is none. I'll take the cars any day of the week. They make the SUV feel like it was from the dark ages.

[SteveNdebbie]

Originally Posted by Andrew T

Hi

The seminar I do to somewhat fully answer these questions takes about 90 minutes and has about 100 PowerPoint slides so this is a summary at best.

The Op has a 2011 MDX. Their vehicle weighs 4500 pounds with a GVWR of 5962 so in theory a payload of 1462 pounds. 4 people is 600 gear etc 300 which leaves 562 pounds for hitch weight. When you do up the weight distribution around 300 pounds will transfer to the trailer wheels. So they are good to 862 hitch weight which is likely a little more than the Safari.

Many vehicles will have a GVWR that is less than the combined capacity of the axles. This can be because they know on most vehicles you won’t add weight to the front wheels when you load it. However with weight distribution you can. So often the 300 pounds we move to the front wheels won’t take away from carrying capacity.

Until Recently a 4x4 3/4 ton Diesel had a 4300 pound front axle, 6084 rear but a gvwr of only 8600. Empty weight of the truck is 7400 pounds so in theory 1200 capacity but in reality much higher.


When all is done with 900 hitch weight we are adding 150 pounds per tire to the vehicle. Even a Civic has much more than 150 pounds of overbuild in its design.

In our track testing the most capable vehicles are generally those that handle best solo. Connecting a trailer to a poor handling vehicle doesn’t suddenly turn it into a handling machine. Modern trucks are increasingly geared to ride soft, sit high in the air on primitive live axles. Steering feel is purposely vague because they don’t really want you to experience the road feel in a truck. If the the truck manufacturers really understand towing that well why do some of their hitches twist or fall off? Why do they build trucks too tall to fit under a Fifth wheel but put Fifth wheel pucks in it?

In other words if you were designing the ultimate tow vehicle it would not look anything like a pickup. Not that you cannot tow with a truck if you want to. If you want to make a truck handle well though it needs far more modification than the MDX. Even with those modifications if I have to stop fast or make an evasive maneuver I’ll take the MDX, when you actually measure this stuff its really no contest.

When my daughter took 3 of her girlfriends on a trip last year in a 27’ Airstream I didn’t send her in a truck.

I have a few articles I can send you that go into more detail if you like. Andy@canamrv.ca

I hope this helps.

Andy

Thank you, Andy. You are absolutely right! So, as the OP of this thread, I first want to thank all those who took their time to participate and comment on my question "any concerns about our Western trip?" When we originally started looking travel trailers we were sold on the airstream due to its low center of gravity, total ability and its ability to hold its value. We visited the factory in Jackson Center and felt good about buying American product made by American workers in the state that we live in. We are soon to be empty nesters and wanted a travel trailer to explore America, specifically making a trip from Ohio to the Pacific Coast. And Wally Byam's dream "to build a travel trailer that can move like a stream of air, be light enough to be towed by a car, and create first class accommodations anywhere" exactly describes what we were looking for. We also really enjoy our 2011 Acura MDX which does have a front mount transmission fluid cooler, an all wheel drive system that uses torque vectoring to distribute the optimum amount of power between the front and rear axles as well as the right and left rear wheels, the option of using paddle shifter is to choose your gear and also the trailer stability assist algorithm built into the electronics that since his oscillations of the vehicle or trailer and adjusts the front/rear torque distribution based on
the incline of the hill grades. Is also very comfortable and has an awesome stereo system. And also my wife is 4 foot 10 and is going to be sharing in the driving (she just learned how to tow our Safari).

So I did some research on forum including the MDX forum and I found this post.

"MDX Tows Fine
I completely agree with WestMDXER's conclusion. I own a 2009 MDX. This summer I decided to purchase a travel trailer and do some travelling. I started looking at light weight trailers, but having looked at a number of options we found that our preference was an Airstream 25. The dry weight of a Airstream Safari 25 is about 6,000 lb, exceeding the specified towing capacity of the MDX, so we were agonizing over whether to get another towing vehicle, or compromise with a light weight trailer. We love the handling and the ride of the MDX and would rather stay with the vehicle. We consulted with Can Am in London, Ont, and Andy's advice was that we will have no problems with towing the Airstream with the MDX. Still feeling leery, I found a number of people who tow Airstreams with supposedly under-rated vehicles, talked to some of them, and was convinced enough that the MDX should be OK. So we went ahead with it. Can AM installed the towing hitch (re-enforced onto the MDX frame), brake controller, and anti-sway bar. The weight distribution hitch came with the used Airstream that I subsequently bought. The anti-sway bar is just basic stuff, nothing fancy. The 25 ft AirStream has two full propane tanks and a battery at the front, but the WD hitch keeps vehicle and trailer nice and level. Can Am re-adjusted the hitch and I think they did a good job and it made a tangible difference. We started with a small camping trip first, and, having no problems, went with a fairly long trip in July. Here's my experience:


We started from southern Ontario, through good highways and fairly level roads, went to the eastern tip of Quebec province (Gaspe area) which passes through some fairly steep (15%) hills, through New Brunswick which has both flat and hilly terrains, through Maine which has some back roads that has surprisingly steep grades (but not long), then returned through Vermont and New York. The journey took about a month and totaled about 5,000 KM (3,000 miles). We had mostly good weather, but also had a few days with heavy rain, and strong cross winds, and some hot (30+C) days. So overall I think we covered a fairly wide mix of road and weather conditions. I typically stay at about 90km on highways, and slow down as needed on steeper grades.


At no point did I ever come across any sway, or anything that remotely resemble out-of-control. The MDX tows the trailer with no problems. There is a slight, perceptible movement when a big truck or bus goes by, but the combo stays on its track, and steering correction is rarely needed. On typical gentle grades on major highways (say 5-10% grade), the MDX tows fine and does not feel labored. Both manual or auto under cruise control work fine under all conditions, although usually I put it on manual when going up steeper hills as I prefer to control it myself. Above 15% grade, the MDX struggles and needs to be put on lower gear (1 or 2), and I just let it slow down and take its pace. The engine temperature never moved one bit; the transmission warning light never came on. Braking was fine, although putting the transmission on low gear didn't help much in slowly down the combo when going down a steep grade, and constant braking was still needed.


The main complaint? The gas mileage sucks. The average mileage for the entire trip was 19L/100 KM (12 MPG). Not only it wears out the credit card, but it also means having to stop for gas every 3-4 hours. I don't mind stopping and taking a break every 3-4 hours, but I do wish the tank is bigger so I don't need to worry as much when I go through sparsely populated areas with few gas stations. A bigger engine with more power would be nice; a diesel would be even better.


But overall it is good enough and I am not going to spend more money to change vehicles. I am heading west next, and this fall we will do the big loop - Ontario to Vancouver through the Rockies, then go south the California, then Arizona, and Florida. It should be fun."

As I said at the beginning of the feed that we were about ready to buy a new 23 foot Serenity but had a bad sales experience. That very same day in the evening we found this 25 foot 2006 special edition safari 6 hours from us in Traverse City. I had contacted Can Am earlier about 23 foot models and they felt our vehicle would toe them fine but with the 25 foot front bed model and the amount of hitch weight they recommended I schedule an appointment to have reinforcement of the receiving hitch. It was also very fortunate that are used air stream came with a Hensley Arrow hitch. About a week before we picked up the trailer it struck me that I should just travel from Traverse City to London, Ontario and have the modification done on our way back home to Ohio. Fortunately Can Am was very accommodating so that we could do this. The drive from Traverse City to Can Am overall went well seen how that was the first time I ever pulled a travel trailer. Prior to that I had only pulled an un-braked utility trailer with our vehicle where I load up 30 bales of hay for our horses and drive several miles to bring it back home. We did seem to have a fair amount of rear sag and I also felt like the airstream was pushing us down exit ramps off the highway. It turns out that the electronic trailer break was not set quite right and basically our MDX was doing all the stopping. After can and did the reinforcing work they suggested we get a repeat set up which I agreed to and after that there was almost no sag and the MDX and the safari felt like they were an integrated unit. And he went on a test drive with us and showed us how to adjust the brake control her better and also some tips on negotiating turns.

After leaving Can Am we headed home and at one point there was construction near Finley Ohio where the Lane had narrowed with cement barriers on either side. There was a pickup pulling a travel trailer just in front of us and at 40 mph it was swaying side-to-side and he came very close to scraping his trailer up against the cement barriers. I could tell he was struggling and thankfully he exited before he had an accident. I had no shifting around of my vehicle or trailer or sway during that stretch. Andy had told us that they actually make vehicles to more safe for towing and I can attest to that.

We had a very uneventful trip from Ohio to Virginia through the Appalachian mountains on route 33 where we were getting some experience with towing. Our gas mileage was pretty bad at only 10-12 miles per gallon but our vehicle and trailer felt very secure with no sway. Sure he could have used a little more torque but I kept the RPMs of our vehicle at around 4000 which is close to the maximum torque at 4500 rpm. The red line is 6300 rpm so the engine revs higher but does not seem to struggle at all. We had new brakes on our MDX but at one section we came upon a 10% grade going downhill for the next 3 miles so we traded drivers and I used the paddle shifters keeping our vehicle in second or third year. She had not used the paddle shifters before. We did not have any hot breaks or change in our temperature gauge at any time.

So while we felt good about our set-up my father keeps insisting that we should borrow his F150 for our trip out west. That is why I put this question on the forum. I am thinking that I would feel much safer and we would be much more comfortable in our MDX and my wife would be able to reach the pedals better in our vehicle. I have not experienced any stability problems with going up or down steep grades or when trucks pass by but my father insists that "the west is a whole different type of towing." He tows a 34 foot ultralight travel trailer with his vehicle. We plan to stay on the by-ways instead of the interstate as much as we can to enjoy our trip and also to cut down our gas expense a little. Also I tend to drive too fast on the highways where I was going 70-75 miles an hour while towing the safari in my wife reminded me that the Safari may not be appreciating going along that fast.

Anyway, I have gotten some good advice from some of your comments and anything else you have to offer that would be helpful would be appreciated. Thank you Andy for posting and on this as well. Look forward to coming up to Canada again some time to visit your place. You have a great supply store and with the exchange rate prices are excellent!

Sincerely, Steve M.

[GMFL]

Originally Posted by bono

No, it is not beyond belief. If you care about handling, sell the truck.

Bono,
You should sell your SOB trailer and buy an Airstream.
Sorry I just had to, No harm meant.
Safe travel to all!

[bono]

Hahaha, I would, if there was an option with slide out.

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by gypsydad

Just adding to the questions posted for Andy; what do you do if someone has a wreck while towing and insurance company says the driver was out of spec on payload with said TV? Wondering if a lawsuit is filed, perhaps against the driver; would CanAm be involved with justifying vs the car manufacturer and the vehicle specs? Is Canada different then US in this regard? Serious questions I have always wondered about.

I had such an event many years ago with my Expedition where there was an injury in my vehicle when it rolled during a trip to Colorado for a ski trip. A gust of wind hit the vehicle and driver lost control. A lawsuit was launched by insurance company of the injured party. Ford was involved in the suite also since this was around the time there were issues with the tires. I remember lots of questions about how much weight, how many passengers/weights, loading on the roof, etc...it was settled, but I do remember we had to produce evidence of the gear and passengers, and luckily we were under the max payload at the time. Ford did pay out, but not without a fight.

And the accident was the fault of the manufacturer? Or did they just settle?

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by Martee

Bono, this thread is getting off topic;

For every accident with injuries, most competent personal injury attorney's will sue in court: (1) the owner of the vehicle, (2) insurance provider for the vehicle, and
(3) manufacture of the vehicle.

No product design flaw of any type is required to convince a jury of your peers to award severe monetary damages .

So to those who think towing a 30' Airstream with a modified Acura MDX tow vehicle, there is an attorney just waiting for you someday to cause an accident with injury.

Then again, most good drivers just don’t have these issues. I really think when one of you guys comes up behind me, I’ll just pull over and wait. Sheesh.

[AlbertF]

Originally Posted by SteveNdebbie

So while we felt good about our set-up my father keeps insisting that we should borrow his F150 for our trip out west. That is why I put this question on the forum. I am thinking that I would feel much safer and we would be much more comfortable in our MDX and my wife would be able to reach the pedals better in our vehicle. I have not experienced any stability problems with going up or down steep grades or when trucks pass by but my father insists that "the west is a whole different type of towing." He tows a 34 foot ultralight travel trailer with his vehicle. We plan to stay on the by-ways instead of the interstate as much as we can to enjoy our trip and also to cut down our gas expense a little. Also I tend to drive too fast on the highways where I was going 70-75 miles an hour while towing the safari in my wife reminded me that the Safari may not be appreciating going along that fast.

Anyway, I have gotten some good advice from some of your comments and anything else you have to offer that would be helpful would be appreciated. Thank you Andy for posting and on this as well. Look forward to coming up to Canada again some time to visit your place. You have a great supply store and with the exchange rate prices are excellent!

Sincerely, Steve M.

Interestingly, the original brochure that came with our 1975 suggested that 70 mph was a normal highway speed for towing an Airstream. The brochure was obviously written before the national 55 mph speed limit became a reality in 1973/4. Airstreams in those days also had 7.00 x 15 LT tires from the factory.

The biggest reason not to tow at 70 or 75 is fuel economy. I find myself towing at 60 to 65 for this reason (but give me a stiff tailwind and I'll happily pick up the pace). It's really not a problem on the highway, even with 80 mph speed limits. Many heavy trucks are limited to about 65 now by the the trucking companies to save fuel. You simply stay with them in the right lane. It was different prior to 2007, when fuel was cheaper. Back then, there were plenty of trucks moving at 75-85 mph, sometimes more.

If anything, towing in the west is easier. The east has older, narrower highways with tighter curves and often steeper grades. Take your time, pay attention, slow down and downshift before the downhill grades, start a gear lower than you think you'll need, and you can always upshift if you can safely handle more speed. It won't take long until you figure it out.

[SteveNdebbie]

Originally Posted by AlbertF

Interestingly, the original brochure that came with our 1975 suggested that 70 mph was a normal highway speed for towing an Airstream. The brochure was obviously written before the national 55 mph speed limit became a reality in 1973/4. Airstreams in those days also had 7.00 x 15 LT tires from the factory.



The biggest reason not to tow at 70 or 75 is fuel economy. I find myself towing at 60 to 65 for this reason (but give me a stiff tailwind and I'll happily pick up the pace). It's really not a problem on the highway, even with 80 mph speed limits. Many heavy trucks are limited to about 65 now by the the trucking companies to save fuel. You simply stay with them in the right lane. It was different prior to 2007, when fuel was cheaper. Back then, there were plenty of trucks moving at 75-85 mph, sometimes more.



If anything, towing in the west is easier. The east has older, narrower highways with tighter curves and often steeper grades. Take your time, pay attention, slow down and downshift before the downhill grades, start a gear lower than you think you'll need, and you can always upshift if you can safely handle more speed. It won't take long until you figure it out.

We do plan to take our time and enjoy the drive. Also the MDX takes premium fuel so slowing down a little makes sense. Andy also set my MDX tire pressure up from 32 to 40. What is a good tire pressure for the Safari? It has Goodyear tires that say up to 65 psi.

[PKI]

As you move West, and the sun gets high in the sky, heat builds and moves air from one area to another. Consequently, the wind builds in velocity and force as the day progresses. As it builds, the disrupted airflow from passing semis and even cars has a bigger effect on your directional stability than you may have seen prior. The good news is that the PPP hitch will help a lot to prevent sway and keep you stable.

Much of the Western Interstate highways snake through the valleys between mountain ranges. Therefore you may get cross wind as you change direction. Winds can also get gusty when it works around hills and mountains. Those signs are posted for a valid reason and they are not everywhere they should be.

So take care and drive with your full attention. Slow down, maintain your following distance and stay safe as you enjoy your adventure. Pat

[Andrew T]

Just a couple of things. 50 PSI in the trailer tires is plenty. How old are they? There is a date stamp on the tires. If they are more than 6 years old I would suggest replacing them with Michelin P235/75R x 15 Defenders.

When going down steep hills 12% or more you will likely need first gear at 4000 rpm for engine braking. Turning the AC on helps as well. Often drivers start riding the brakes when the engine reaches 2500 or so. If you need the brakes to slow for a switchback that is fine but let the rpm go back up between them.

For fuel range when I head west I carry a 3 or 4 gallon Jerry can behind the LP tanks on top of the batteries that I almost never use. This allows me to use the entire fuel tank in the tow vehicle. So if my distance to empty read out says I have 60 miles left and there is a town in 50 I can go ahead and drive the extra 50 miles knowing I’ve got 50 miles more in reserve.

Andy

[GCinSC2]

Originally Posted by bono

Hahaha, I would, if there was an option with slide out.

Keep your eyes open, they exist.