Show us your small Tow Vehicle set-up

[Ganaraska]

Originally Posted by Road Ruler

It always amazes me how small changes like this make such a huge, positive improvement. Why can't the auto engineers figure this out??

Auto sales are VERY price competitive and cheap tires are an easy way to cut costs. Also easy to upgrade, for a price.

Plus I don't think they put as much testing or effort into trailer tow packages as they did back in the sixties and seventies. At that time the tow car market was much larger than today.

[ALANSD]

Originally Posted by Garfield

+1 to this.

Overall it's a much better towing experience.

Thanks Gary for that info. What kind of mileage do you get towing? And the Traverse runs on regular 89 Octane gas?

[xrvr]

You guys have finally convinced methat a smaller tv will work. I posted on the tongue weight thread by mistake. Jim

[Lucky Tom]

Here is a picture of my setup. A Land Rover (100 inch wheelbase) pulling a 23ft Flying Cloud.
18 inch wheels and Yokahoma high performance tires provide a stable tow without sway.
Coil spring suspension provide a solid ride. Vehicle is a little stiff and uncomfortable without a load.

[Lucky Tom]

This photo showing Land Rover and Flying Cloud all hooked up and ready to pull out. The scales indicate I shift about 1000lb of the AS up to the TV.

[ALANSD]

I don't think of that vehicle as small...guess that is a matter of personal opinion.. But what kind of mileage does it get?

[andreasduess]

While we're talking tires, when I asked AndrewT about recommendations for our Honda, he suggested Goodyear Assurance Triple Treads, 235/55 or Michelin Defenders.

[Garfield]

Originally Posted by ALANSD

Thanks Gary for that info. What kind of mileage do you get towing? And the Traverse runs on regular 89 Octane gas?

Hi Alan;

Yes, the Traverse runs on regular octane gas.

When towing we average 11-12 MPG, which is about the same as you'd get with a modern 1/4 ton PU truck or full sized Yukon SUV these days towing an Airstream. IMO the V6 powerplant GM is currently using in the Lambda platforms is not a bad engine but also isn't the best when it comes to fuel consumption. Not towing we get a couple of MPG more than a Yukon (average), which we used to drive. The main reason we chose the Traverse over another Yukon because the Traverse was $10k less expensive to buy, and we knew it would tow our Safari competently, which which of course it does. I have no regrets with our purchase.

[jmlabs]

I know I'm coming in a little late here but I had the same question when I purchased my 1970 31' Sovereign a few months back...

I also wanted a smaller vehicle as I drive around often to meet clients - I'm a freelance web developer. Out of the total time my car would be driving only 3% it would be pulling an airstream. I also wanted something sporty and fun, as well as practical to fit dog, friends, music equipment, etc etc. I also live in the mountains of WNC.

With the help of Joe at CanAm RV, we narrowed it down to Wagons and a few SUVs. I <3 Wagons!

I ended up purchasing a 2006 BMW 325xi (AWD) for only $16k with only 50,000 miles. I know my deal is not average but still, used BMWs are out there. It took me about 2 months to find the right one.

After reading all of the info on wheels and tires on this thread I may upgrade the rims to 17" (was considering this anyways) and tires for towing purposes and keep the OEM ones as winter drivers.

At first glance you're like "That can't pull an Airstream!" but once you drive it you realize the brakes are superb, the engine is powerful and the Auto with manual option transmission is versatile. It's not setup for towing yet (the AS resto is not done) but I will be driving to CanAm to get the hitch on hopefully sometime next year.

I should mention that my AS will be under the normal weights because I won't have bathroom, water, beds, etc. It will be more of an "office" setup. Probably shaving off at least 1000lbs vs the normal Airstreams people live and camp in.

A picture:



I wanted a TDI Wagon but Joe said it wasn't recommended for pulling an AS that was as big as mine. The mpgs on my BMW aren't great to be honest. About 20mpg city driving and probably in the higher 20s with highway driving. I'm sure towing won't be much better than 10, probably even less - it also is supposed to get >91 octane gas, but mid-grade is ok I've heard. (I sill use premium)

It's normally an expensive car to own, but I got it for such a good deal and it meets all of my other needs x10. The space is amazing and it's a pleasure to drive around in the MTNs of NC. BMW is also bringing the Diesel wagon to the US this year for the 2014 models!

BTW - the 3-series BMW wagon is much, much more fun to drive than the 5-series wagon, but the 5 series felt like it might be a better TV due to it's stability and longer wheelbase. I drove both and picked the one with half the milage.

[ALANSD]

so far it seems the mileage benfit to me would only be when not towing. As most are getting 10-12 which is what I get now. Non towing local driving I get 12 or so too. So I might have to wait it out a bit until the $$ grow and I can get a newer gasser or a diesel something..
The EXC is hard to beat as a tow vehicle.

[jmlabs]

Originally Posted by ALANSD

so far it seems the mileage benfit to me would only be when not towing. As most are getting 10-12 which is what I get now. Non towing local driving I get 12 or so too. So I might have to wait it out a bit until the $$ grow and I can get a newer gasser or a diesel something..
The EXC is hard to beat as a tow vehicle.

Waiting is never a bad idea, and remember, there are a lot of cars out there.

A dear family friend has a huge EXC that's diesel. Doesn't get very good gas, but it's a badass TV for their 27' AS

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by jmlabs

With the help of Joe at CanAm RV, we narrowed it down to Wagons and a few SUVs. I <3 Wagons!

I ended up purchasing a 2006 BMW 325xi (AWD) for only $16k with only 50,000 miles.
After reading all of the info on wheels and tires on this thread I may upgrade the rims to 17" (was considering this anyways) and tires for towing purposes and keep the OEM ones as winter drivers.

A 325xi......Very Nice! In black too! Wouldn't mind one of those in my stable!

Re tires. That is what I do. The 17's with Ultra High Performance tires for summer / towing and 16" rims with Michelin snows for winter. Works great for our type of cars.

PS.. Please post some pics when you get it all put together. No doubt it will be a looker.

[mstephens]

Inching Closer to a Test Tow

I received my CURT harness kits in the mail Thursday and started installing everything I need to attached my 7-way. I've been at it 3-days. I have one last task to connect the brake controller under the dash and then test.

Didn't know I would have to disassemble the entire trunk and half the dash. WOW - it's pretty darn scary to start tearing down a new car like that. Would it ever go back together again? My wife came out in the garage and almost let out a scream.

A big thumbs up to CURT. The kit is excellent and has good instructions and pretty good parts. None the less, there are a LOT of wires to go here and there.

I hope to be done tomorrow. That will give me my old Prodigy 2 controller under the dash, and a 7-way female pigtail in the trunk.

Then it's off to the first tow!

[Lucky Tom]

When it comes to dragging three tons down the road, it takes about the same BTU regardless of which engine/TV you use, I guess that is evident by reading all the posts.

[ALANSD]

yes that is the truth for sure. Most of our mileage does not vary by much. Its the7 times non towing mileage that does. So it all depends on how often you tow..which for me is about 6-7 times a year. That leaves a lot of local driving at 12 mpg..
Now when I retire,,that will change

[Andrew T]

I posted this on Mileage with the 300S in an earlier thread.

From the fall of 2004 until 2008 we ran a Chrysler 300 with the Hemi engine and since 2007 one of our workhorses has been a 2007 3.5 litre Charger that we picked up used with 10,000 miles on it and it now has about 90,000 so we are pretty familure with this platform.

Recently we added a 2012 300S to the fleet with the direct injection 3.6 Litre engine with 292 horse power mated to an 8 speed automatic. This week we returned from a trip to DC and Cape Hatteras. On the way south we took the 2 lane route south out of Buffalo which has lots of hills. On the way north we crossed the Chesapeak Bay bridge and came north up 476 & 81.

I was extremely impressed with this drivetrain. Friends traveling with us have a R Class Mercedes Diesel and I was within a gallon of it on each fuel up. The 5.3 suburban in our group with a narrow body Airstream was running around 40% more fuel than I was. More important when not towing it knoks off 35 mpg on the highway.

The large hills on 81 it walked up at 65 MPH in 4th gear at 3200 RPM. The great thing about 8 gears is that the next one is always just a small jump so 3rd gear is only 3900 RPM.

I find a trip like this to be a great comparison of fuel economy as you are driving the same speed down the same road at the same time, filling up in the same gas stations. At a fuel stop where the Mercedes would need 14 gallons the 300 needed 15 and the suburban 21 gallons.

The Suburban in our group is a 2010 with the 6 speed transmission. It is likely as fuel efficient as any gas powered full size truck. The Mercedes and Suburban are both running 4 wheel drive which would penalize them a little and on this trip I had a 30 as opposed to a 34 but the 87 34 on the suburban tows easier than the new 30 wide body.

Last year when I was running the SHO which has the Echoboost 3.5 Litre and also has AWD there was a 2 - 2.5 gallons between the Mercedes diesel and the SHO.

Andrew T

[dkottum]

Andrew Thomson,

any experience or thoughts on that Chrysler direct injection 3.6 in a Dodge Durango or Jeep Grand Cherokee pulling a late model mid-sized Airstream, such as a 25/27?

[ALANSD]

sounds like the 300 could be the best choice for affordable towing with decent mileage

[mstephens]

We finally completed the C-300 TV and actually had it out on the road this afternoon. We did a 12 mile loop around town staying off the freeway, but hitting 55MPH on the parkways. The brake controller worked exactly as it did on the 'Burb with only a mild setting change. The ride seemed very good. Plenty of power on launch, and the braking seemed fine. It's quite and smooth. We took it up a mild grade and it is great to have 8 speeds to choose. The paddle shift in manual mode allows you to get just the right RPM for any speed.

As for transmission temperature it stayed around 198F, but it wasn't much of a challenge. It seemed to be the same with and without the trailer. I haven't connected the EazLift anti-sway friction device yet. That I'll do next week. But around the parkways at 55MPH I didn't notice anything at all unusual.

Some pics attached.

[StokerDoc]

I'm glad it all worked out for you.

I have been following this thread closely as the idea of a smaller TV is very appealing for the non-towing driving (majority). I'm switching from a 4x4 Tundra to a GL 350. Not much smaller in the grand scheme of things, but it is narrower, not as tall and 2 feet shorter in length, more torque, higher payload and seats 7. Hopefully all those with GLs are right and it will be a very capable setup. We are hoping for the "One" vehicle that will do everything instead of two vehicles.

I look forward to hearing about a more intensive and longer test drive/outing for overall fuel economy, bigger hills and windy situations.

Looks like a foam wrap or soft cloth around the 7-pin connector might be worth investigating to protect the paint on the bumper.

Stephen