Acura MDX towing

[spoonierme]

Anybody ever tow their AS (specifically a Basecamp 16x) while also having a roof cargo box? Does it effect air flow, drivability, and/or gas mileage? I'm mainly concern about aerodynamics and how it could effect how the MDX drives, as opposed to the added weight.

[SteveNdebbie]

I’ve never tried towing with our cargo carrier. We are usually limited by cargo capacity of the MDX due to our tongue weight. That is an interesting question.

[4thWallDown]

Originally Posted by spoonierme

Anybody ever tow their AS (specifically a Basecamp 16x) while also having a roof cargo box? Does it effect air flow, drivability, and/or gas mileage? I'm mainly concern about aerodynamics and how it could effect how the MDX drives, as opposed to the added weight.

The boxes from Yakima, Thule and other manufacturers are designed to be aerodynamic and very sturdy. Some are way more aero than others (i.e. usually more $$$).

I have used several different Yakima and Thule boxes on literally over a dozen vehicles for many years and have seen a negligible impact on MPG. The benefit of more storage that is secure and being able to leave wet/snowy items in the box far outweighs what is a few bucks at best in gas.

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by spoonierme

Anybody ever tow their AS (specifically a Basecamp 16x) while also having a roof cargo box? Does it effect air flow, drivability, and/or gas mileage? I'm mainly concern about aerodynamics and how it could effect how the MDX drives, as opposed to the added weight.

Unless the cargo box has the aerodynamics of a drag chute, it shouldn't be a big net problem. There may be some small effects from changing the way air flows over the roof of the vehicle, but the rough calculation is from "frontal area" and the Basecamp is enough bigger than the MDX that essentially the frontal area is governed by the Basecamp's shape. The big difference you feel with/without the roof box when NOT towing isn't likely to add on top of the additional drag from the trailer. Payload effects are another thing, though.

[SteveNdebbie]

This is our cargo carrier.

[spoonierme]

Originally Posted by DKB_SATX

Unless the cargo box has the aerodynamics of a drag chute, it shouldn't be a big net problem. There may be some small effects from changing the way air flows over the roof of the vehicle, but the rough calculation is from "frontal area" and the Basecamp is enough bigger than the MDX that essentially the frontal area is governed by the Basecamp's shape. The big difference you feel with/without the roof box when NOT towing isn't likely to add on top of the additional drag from the trailer. Payload effects are another thing, though.

Thanks for this! This is the response I ultimately was looking for. W/o considering payload, I had assumed the cargo box would either negatively impact aerodynamics or make little/no difference when the Basecamp is in the back. And you are right, with the box on the roof, the Basecamp is still taller so I did assume I'd be ok.

I used to have the cargo box on my 4wd Honda Element, which does have aerodynamics of big box. Driving around 18 wheelers was VERY tricky however in the MDX its much less noticeable. I do get "sucked in" towards the center lane when an 18wheeler passes in the opposite direction with the cargo box on the MDX, which is where my curiosity comes from of I was towing as well.

[spoonierme]

Originally Posted by 4thWallDown

The boxes from Yakima, Thule and other manufacturers are designed to be aerodynamic and very sturdy. Some are way more aero than others (i.e. usually more $$$).

I have used several different Yakima and Thule boxes on literally over a dozen vehicles for many years and have seen a negligible impact on MPG. The benefit of more storage that is secure and being able to leave wet/snowy items in the box far outweighs what is a few bucks at best in gas.

I do have a Yakima box and LOVE it, especially when going snowboarding due to reasons you mentioned above. But when i had the box mounted on my Honda Element, any little wind pushed me to the other lane. Now the MDX is MUCH more capable than the Element, but when you add a trailer and a cargo box, that is where I'm a little concerned. But i'm suspecting (and hope) the tall Basecamp pretty much negates any impact the box would have.

[spoonierme]

Originally Posted by SteveNdebbie

Attachment 424016
This is our cargo carrier.

Mine is a bit thinner in terms of height but looks pretty much the same. Can you open your back hatch fully with the box on?

[ROBERT CROSS]

It seems to me that people will do whatever they've convinced themselves to do.
Will it be safe? Who knows.
Yes...if they don't have an accident.
No... if they do.

I lean towards overkill... “It's better to have what you don't need when you need it, than not to have it when you don’t.” or “you may think you don’t need it but when you do….you’ll have it.”
RLC

Bob
🇺🇸

[SteveNdebbie]

Originally Posted by spoonierme

Mine is a bit thinner in terms of height but looks pretty much the same. Can you open your back hatch fully with the box on?

Yes, I make sure that the carrier is far enough forward to have the hatch open completely. It’s been very helpful to have the carrier when we have six or seven passengers in our MDX. prior to the MDX we owned a Toyota sienna which had a huge amount of space to carry people and items. Problem with the sienna is that our driveway is fairly steep and in the winter time we often couldn’t get the van up the driveway with just front wheel drive

[SteveNdebbie]

Still towing our Safari with our 2011 Acura MDX. Now at 182,000 miles. Recently we traveled to the Shenandoah National Park from Ohio and the only problem was encountering snow along I68 at the highest elevation. My front tires started to spin on the highway which was disconcerting, but once we dropped down to above freezing temperatures I tightened up the spring bars on our Hensley Hitch and encountered no further problems. Oil consumption is seeming to be gradually increasing, so starting to think about a future replacement TV and everyday driver. While our MDX has served us very well over the past 6 years and about 90K miles as our daily driver and our tow vehicle (thank you, thank you, thank you Andy Thomson and the crew at Can Am RV!!!), we would like something with a little bit more horsepower and torque. While the MDX is intriguing, we are also looking at the BMW X5. Then the MDX could be our “beater car”, still good for shorter trips and hauling stuff.

I will post more as things develop.[emoji6]

Steve (The MDX towing “Expert”, or maybe Lone Wolf)

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by brick1

Airstreams have been towed with bicycles. Doesn’t mean it is smart...

Thats just it, can be towed with a Fiat 500.
Pulling it doesnt need much at all.
Keep it in line when things want to sideways is something else altogether.
Started towing with an F 150 our new 30' Classic since it worked ok with the previous 28' International.
One trip out west through the Rockeies ended that in hurry.
The Trailer was bullying the truck to the point where I didn't want go anywhere.
Not only that I had to lieve half our stuff behind.
Got rid of the 1/2 ton in a hurry and got an F-250.
Problem solved.
Can AM and the like are into selling expensive hitches and modifications of factory installed receivers.
Long time ago I asked Andy at Can AM. how does that compensate for payload, never got an answer.

[SteveNdebbie]

Originally Posted by franklyfrank

Thats just it, can be towed with a Fiat 500.

Pulling it doesnt need much at all.

Keep it in line when things want to sideways is something else altogether.

Started towing with an F 150 our new 30' Classic since it worked ok with the previous 28' International.

One trip out west through the Rockeies ended that in hurry.

The Trailer was bullying the truck to the point where I didn't want go anywhere.

Not only that I had to lieve half our stuff behind.

Got rid of the 1/2 ton in a hurry and got an F-250.

Problem solved.

Can AM and the like are into selling expensive hitches and modifications of factory installed receivers.

Long time ago I asked Andy at Can AM. how does that compensate for payload, never got an answer.

Just by luck our AS that we bought in 2017 (our first travel trailer ever) was a 2006 25’ FB Safari that came with the Hensley Arrow, which I knew nothing about. After conquering the learning curve with the hitch we have not once experienced any bullying of our MDX by the Safari. It’s really like they work as one unit which is quite amazing. Just could use a bit more pulling power.

Franklyfrank, you are correct about payload. We would like a higher payload capacity since our MDX gets close to its upper limit if we load too many people or too much stuff in the back. Our weight distribution does transfer some of the way back to the trailer which helps, but we do have a heavy tongue weight. That being said, we have had no suspension problems with our vehicle.

[n2916s]

For the record, Andy T’s “go to” hitch is a basic Eazlift with dual friction style sway bars. Simple and inexpensive.

It does come with 40:years of expertise in the side, though.

[foobar]

Originally Posted by n2916s

For the record, Andy T’s “go to” hitch is a basic Eazlift with dual friction style sway bars. Simple and inexpensive.

It does come with 40:years of expertise in the side, though.

The Eaz-lift WD hitch is simple, bulletproof, and very effective once it is dialed in and set up correctly.

Friction anti-sway bars allow separate control of sway mitigation and weight distribution functions. It is simple to set up, tune, and operate. It is also very economical compared to many alternatives.

7000 miles so far using this hitch while towing a 2022 Globetrotter 27fb twin with a 2016 Porsche Cayenne S, through the Rockies, Utah, AZ, NM.

If the hitch wasn't up to the job, the several days in our last trip, driving 250miles each day with 30-50mph winds and gusts up to 90mph would have let us know, lol.

Rock solid performance to date. Trailer and Cayenne move as one. No sway at all, ever. And yes, there were multiple panic stops and lane changes on the trip to avoid other vehicles, road debris, etc. No issues.

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by SteveNdebbie

Just by luck our AS that we bought in 2017 (our first travel trailer ever) was a 2006 25’ FB Safari that came with the Hensley Arrow, which I knew nothing about. After conquering the learning curve with the hitch we have not once experienced any bullying of our MDX by the Safari. It’s really like they work as one unit which is quite amazing. Just could use a bit more pulling power.

Franklyfrank, you are correct about payload. We would like a higher payload capacity since our MDX gets close to its upper limit if we load too many people or too much stuff in the back. Our weight distribution does transfer some of the way back to the trailer which helps, but we do have a heavy tongue weight. That being said, we have had no suspension problems with our vehicle.

Just out of curiosity, following up on Franks comment; what is the "actual" tongue weight of your 25'? Mine were over 1000lbs. Also, what is the actual "payload" on your doorjamb sticker? Good to know if your set up is actually under the max or not. Always liked Acura...I had one for 120K miles, but never towed..

[SteveNdebbie]

Originally Posted by gypsydad

Just out of curiosity, following up on Franks comment; what is the "actual" tongue weight of your 25'? Mine were over 1000lbs. Also, what is the actual "payload" on your doorjamb sticker? Good to know if your set up is actually under the max or not. Always liked Acura...I had one for 120K miles, but never towed..

I will refer you to post #61 in this thread where Andy Thomson goes over these numbers

[Andrew T]

Hi Steve
You might like to take a look at the Ford Explorer ST. We have been setting up quite a few for customers.
Excellent handling and 400 HP with the 10 speed transmission.
Andy

[gypsydad]

What did I miss? Andy gives "his" explanation for this vehicle towing. Does not mention "realty"...600 lbs for 4 peopl? And where are the Mfg. "Max payload" and other specs? You can certainly belive in who/what you want, to feel good about modifying your vehicle to tow beyond original specs. Not recomended by mfg should something happen while towing is on "you"..not Andy, right?

[SteveNdebbie]

Originally Posted by gypsydad

What did I miss? Andy gives "his" explanation for this vehicle towing. Does not mention "realty"...600 lbs for 4 peopl? And where are the Mfg. "Max payload" and other specs? You can certainly belive in who/what you want, to feel good about modifying your vehicle to tow beyond original specs. Not recomended by mfg should something happen while towing is on "you"..not Andy, right?

Sorry,
Was this the information you were looking for?

ATTACH]433257[/ATTACH]

Our hitch weight is 720 lbs and with the Hensley probably about 1000 lb. Some of the weight is distributed back to the trailer, so let’s say about 800 lb. With the two of us and minimal loading we would add 300-350 lbs. We have towed short distances with 6 adults.

What you missed was that I was posting about our experience towing with the MDX and how it was holding up to being used in this way to this point. In the last 90K miles probably 20K of that was towing our Airstream including one trip from Ohio to the West Coast and back and about a half dozen trips over the Allegheny Mountains to Virginia with our first experience being Route 33 to Virginia. Through it all, no mechanical or structural problems with the MDX were encountered.

That’s the reality of our experience.