Anyone Tow with FWD or AWD?

[backlash442]

If so, what kind of vehicle and how much weight? How does it handle? Thanks.

[lundprov]

I tow a 23ft NR Scout with a AWD Dakota it get horible gas mileage about 9mpg it tows it alright i have not tried to tow it to the coast yet i have towed it to boneville serveral times it does okay i need to get a diesel

[ET]

I tow 2,300 lbs (15' Arima) with an AWD 3.5L V6 Honda Pilot. Mileage without the boat is 18-25 mpg. With the boat 13-17 mpg. This is a good combination and I'm very comfortable towing at 60 mph. Still, personally, I wouldn't want to tow more than 3,000 lbs with the Pilot even though it is rated to tow boats up to 4,500 lbs.

Prior to my Honda Pilot, I towed the boat with a 3.8L FWD Chrysler minivan. It pulled the boat fine, but braking could have been better. It also struggled on slippery boat ramps, but I never got stuck because I was just careful to scout the ramp beforehand.

My Honda with the AWD is much better. I've launched & retrieved off the beach with it.

So...in my experience... Front-wheel-drive.... 2500 lbs and good ramps.... V-6 AWD.... 3000 pounds and you'll be fine.... More than that.....Get a truck! For me...F150 up to 5000....above that F250 diesel....

So, what brings the question?

[backlash442]

Just looking at options other than my Expedition. Boat only weighs maybe 3500lbs. Should get it weighed though to make sure. However, I think towing cap. for a vehicle at around 4500-5000lbs might be a bit too close. Probably better just to stick with what I have. I make some trips that hit over 8k ft. in elevation.

[ET]

Yes, be sure to get it weighed. It is common for an estimated 3500 to really be 4500 once it is on the scale. Also, you don't say how far and how often you tow. I'd tow 4000 lbs maybe 30 miles or so with my rig, but sure wouldn't go over 8k feet in elevation with it.

[Irish Pennant]

I use to tow with a chev astro awd van, 4.2 v6, with the tow package. the boat empty weighed #3100. It towed it just fine. I pulled it over the mountains to lake shasta a few times. it really showed it's worth in the winter when there was ice on the ground. slimy boat ramps were never a problem. I now tow it with a dodge truck.

[a12seccrx]

I have an 08 Honda Ridgeline which is fwd/4wd and I towed my buddies 89 Honda Civic the other day (2400lbs) and had absolutely no problem. Didn't go far enough to really be able to check what it did as far as gas mileage though.

[fishalope]

I tow with an 07 Honda Ridgeline. My Stabi-craft weighs around 3800 and I have no problems.

[Lead Bouncer]

Many cars have towing specs. Many are overspecified for the reality. If youve ever seen the midwest, they dont have big hills.

In most cases, towing will increase the flush maintenance on the trany. You also need to consider brakes. heavy boats need big brakes. One of the things most people overlook is brakes. Brake fluid is water soluable. Under a load, the brakes get hot. When the brakes get hot, the fluid gets hot. Brake fluid mfg, commonly engineer brake fluid for 300 or more degrees. When water gets into the fluid, it lowers the boiling point to 212 degrees. When the water boils, you get air. When you get air, you no longer stop. Flush your brake lines every 18-24 months.

[wilsonriverfisher]

I tow with a 2002 ford escape with it and its fine. but my boat and trailer are only around 1200 or so lbs if that. I did have the tranny rebuilt at 130k because the forward drum broke its connection but at 130k is great with the cd4e tranny thats a piece of junk and undersized for the application.


http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/2427/dscf0084ft1.jpg

[Bloom]

I haul my 19'Arima to the ramp with a 2007 Chevy Duramax 1 ton(way over-kill), but it also hauls my 5th wheel trailer, when I can afford to fill the son-of-a-gun!

I used to tow with a 2000 Tundra and it did very well, but was not too comfy on the long runs, due to a bad back and circulation problems.

I get about 13-14 around town, 19-20 on the highway.

[MattPark]

I towed a 5500 lb boat with a Ford Taurus a few times. I don't recommend that.

[lundprov]

I towed a 5500 lb boat with a Ford Taurus a few times. I don't recommend that.


I'm suprised you made it down the street axod-e ax4s trans are not very strong to begin with

[phamf]

I have a Honda Pilot awd as well. I tow a 15ft smoker craft. It gets decent gas mileage while and while not towing and still have enough power to pass by slower traffic on the coastal mountain, but with gas prices these days, I would much rather stay on the right lane. :D

A tow vechicle would depend on what you need to tow. If you're towing a big rig, you need a big truck. Just keep in mind, the smaller the vehicle it is, the harder it is on the transmission and engine, even though it could save you some money on gas. Not to mention, poor braking and handling.

[CRD4Liberty]

Jeep Liberty CRD diesel, worst mileage I've ever got towing over the mountains was 15 mpg. I get around 26+ unloaded. The auto tranny installed behind the diesel also doesn't require removing from overdrive to tow like many recommend you do. Same pulling torque as the hemi, and eats Ford F-150s with 4.7 L V-8 for lunch pulling similar loads.
Rated for 5000 lbs in the US but rated higher in Canada, Europe and Australia with the same package.
With heavier loads the most important thing is trailer brakes and proper trailer tongue weight and setup.

[Beginners luck]

19ft Duckworth weighing in at about 3200 total. I emphasize ABOUT! Towing it with an 05 Hemi Durango AWD.. Pulls great and manages about 13-15mpg average to almost anywhere. 17-19 unloaded

[SuperPanga]

Back in 81, I towed a 16ft LoneStar with my then new VW Rabbit pickup. Towed from Longview to Riffe lake and was able to keep up with traffic on I-5 and still got around 21mpg. This pickup was front wheel drive and I had no trouble even at the Kalama ramp. Wished I still had that truck.

[Blind Bobber]

We tow a 19 foot hybrid camp trailer with our 01 Dodge Grand Caravan with 3.3 V-6 and have done so since new traveling many many miles to Yellowstone, Yosemite, Canada and all over northwest. Our mileage drops from 24 highway to around 13 pulling trailer. So far no problems. We also tow our boat which I would guess to be around 1,000 pounds and no tire slipage on ramps we have used. As fuel prices rise we like this tow vehicle more and more. Best of luck.
BLIND BOBBER :cool:

[Half fast Toyn]

This is gonna sound weird.

I towed my 18 ft bayliner with my 1992 camry v6. Id get about 25 MPG without the boat and 20 MPG with the boat. The boat and trailor weight came in right at 3000 lbs. The combination actually did very good performance wise(190 hp). The trailor hitch on the car was rated to 3500 lbs and I dont recall what the tow capacity of the camry was.... too afraid to look probably. I towed that combination all over oregon with no mechanical problems.

The absolute only problem I had was getting the car to take out the boat from the boat ramp at Newport. The ramp is steep and the algee on the ramp made getting FWD traction a bear. Id have to stand in the back of the boat to take weight off the rear end of the car so it would gain traction. Never needed help though....

[backlash442]

Thanks for the input. I was thinking about towing with Ford's new Flex. It's either fwd or awd. Towing cap. is 4500lbs. I think my boat weighs in between 3k-3500lbs per dealer. My biggest issue is the torque is over 100lbs less than my Expy and it peaks at 6000 rpm or something like that. How often does someone rev their engine past 5k? Don't think I've ever had my Expy above 4k. Not even when towing at 8k ft. Which btw, I can do between 50-55mph at 3400 rpms.

So bottomline is I'm not sold on the Flex as a tow vehicle. I think it's pretty nice as a new family car (oldest daughter hates it youngest loves it). Plus it's a new model year vehicle and I don't want to be a guinea pig. I'd probably be better off just keeping what I have or if I had to get a new Expy. But who knows.