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Bad Tow Vehicles?

C

Cosmo

Novice
I am looking for a list of bad tow vehicles and why they are bad (actual experience of course is highly valued). I am thinking perhaps there is a minimum horsepower needed to tow well in the hills and mountains etc.

My car has 110 horsepower and may not be adequate for a trip up some mountains (is that you on my bumper? ha ha ha).

Thanks for your help.
Cosmo
 
Part of me thinks it really depends on what kinds of mountains you are going over. I used to tow with my 325XI Sportwagon, which was not tow rated (and I probably voided warranties, but wasn't too bothered by it). That car pulled things fine, but after lots of car problems (not related to towing), I switched to a Range Rover. The V8 in that even struggled going over WY-22, although I was passing motorhomes and semis at 34 mph. Out in these parts we have some high passes, but that easily was my most challenging at a 10% grade for around 8 miles (I think....or maybe it was 11? At any rate the pass is no joke and in all my years of mountain driving I had seen nothing like it before). Most of the mountain passes in Oregon are around a 6% grade which hasn't posed any kind of problem for either car. Several people are towing with far less power than I have and seem to be doing fine.

I am no expert, but Mick based our towing with the Sportwagon on horsepower. It was a 2.5lt engine, and we remember the hp being around 220 (we could be wrong). Just to give you a basis for what we had. I believe there is something to the wheel base of the tow vehicle that makes a difference also...I might be wrong on that, but thought I read that recently.

You might call Camp-Inn and talk to Cary about your car and see what he says. Some places might be challenging. You might consider chatting with michaelo about that too. He has done a lot of towing so far with his mini and might be able to speak about that. Just did a quick google search and the low end of the hp spectrum on minis is 120hp. Not sure what his horsepower is on his model.

Not sure if that helps at all.
 
To me the questions to answer:

What is your budget?
What speed do you desire to travel up a "big hill"?

I have a 2010 Subaru Outback, excellent tow vehicle. The only passes I have traveled is around Chattanooga, Tn. No problem.
The most consistent hill I travel is interstate 90 west out of LaCrosse, Wi. Long 4 mile hill, don't know the grade.
No problem keeping highway speeds!

Jean
 
Sarah, that pass in WY is a doozie. I went that way on my way home when I picked up my trailer. It was quite an experience for someone who never towed before. My Forester did fine going 40 in 2nd gear.
 
The pass is amazing though. So gorgeous. Despite the speed and thoughts of overdoing it with the truck, I was just awestruck and it had me wondering how I could pack the family up and easily move there. Montana and Wyoming are stealing my heart. They are really special places...plus, I am a mountain person, and those mountains just called to me. But they call to lots of people.
 
Thanks for the reply's Its not a budget thing for me. I just prefer to own a low carbon footprint car.

Could a Honda Fit tow a Teardrop? Scion XD? Kia Soul? Horsepower varies quiet a bit on some models such as the mini. Without specific info not much can be decided.

Like many cars none are rated to tow - but people do tow with them. Again I assume there is some horsepower point where lack of power becomes an issue. Or other issues that would make a make or model undesirable for towing.

Subaru has about 180HP. A fine car - I just don't need that much car for other reasons.

Thanks
Cosmo


I may have missed it but I have not seen negative inof about a tow vehicle. So maybe indeed any vehicle can tow a Teardrop carrying reasonable weight.

Was wondering if anyone actually had a negative experience.
 
Cosmo,

I don't think I have seen anyone on the forum who is towing their teardrop with a vehicle that is rated to tow less than 1500 lbs (trailer with brakes) so I am not sure that you will find the answer here. I think awhile ago there was a guy who wanted to tow with a HHR(?). Not sure how that turned out. You might want to check the forums associated with the cars you are researching to see if anyone uses them to tow something.

One could argue that the Forester is more car than I need since I work from home and have no kids. It is a 2009 with less than 40,000 miles. I expect to own it for quite some time. That will give you an idea about how much I drive it. It does a great job towing my 560 and if you wanted a recommendation regarding this car, I would certainly give it as I am sure others who use it as a tow vehicle would.

Good luck with your research.
 
I agree with Joan. Stay away from anything that rated for less that #1500.
 
Of course I am not recommending any car for anyone.

In this forum I have noticed the Mini and a Corvette which are not rated to tow 1500 lbs.

Cadillac rated to 1000 lbs. (on the model checked)

In another forum a Prius is being used.

Many cars sold in the USA are unrated for towing but in other parts of the world they are rated for towing.

I will keep looking.

Cosmo
 
Not recommending anything for anyone - just observing.

I agree with you.




Of course none of the above tells much about the actual towing experience.

I was digging around on the Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers forum and found these cars were towing (and lots of others).

The trailer models there are diverse and vary in weight more than this forum. But apparently most cars are up for towing (if I am sensible about the weight stuffed into the car and trailer).

I am reaching out to a few people who own the same model car as me for more input on their experiences.

Some tow vehicles seen there -
Kia Soul 120-hp
Honda Fit 117-ho
Toyota Yaris 106-hp
VW Beetle
Honda Civic
Honda Accord
Toyota Camray
PT Cruiser
Chevy HRR
Miata




Thanks
Cosmo
 
Another thought about tow vehicles is not so much the go but the whoa. Too light a tv too much weight in trailer can make for a bad situation also.
MDP
 
Just looking at horsepower won't tell you that much either. It depends on the weight of the vehicle.

I have a Tacoma with a camper shell with the 2.7 L 4 banger. It did fine everywhere except Wolf Creek Pass. We slowed down to about 25 mph at the worst parts.

One important thing is if you have an automatic transmission to not tow in overdrive unless things are perfectly flat. having a transmission constantly searching for the right gear is really, really bad.

Also, I can't stress how awesome it is to have a backup camera. I can hitch right up without any spousal "help." heheh.
 
Cosmo,

I have to agree with Ashe on this. Horsepower really is very low on the list of things to consider for towing. Tow rating really is everything.

You are right, sometimes you have to dig to find the full answer on the tow vehicles. You mentioned the Caddy for instance. For years that is I what I had for a tow vehicle. It was listed at 1000lb, which was not enough. I just couldn't understand how a V8 car with that transaxle (4L80) could possibly have that low a tow rating. Much digging gave me an answer. There was a tow package available for that year. That tow package allowed the Caddy to tow 3750lb. What was in the tow package you ask? An additional tranny cooler and a oil cooler. Talking to a GM tech I found that the oil cooler was found to be a bad idea because of the engine's large oil capacity, the oil would not run warm enough. So, scratch that one. The tranny cooler we found was required if towing over 2500lb. I am towing 1500lb so I didn't have to do a thing to tow with the standard Caddy.

Another good example is the VWs. Alot of VWs have a 1000lb tow rating, which is just not enough. However, the VWs are built to meet the O1 towing standard in the EU. This standard requires a minimum 750kg (1650lb) rating. If you call a european VW dealer they will tell you the same car tows 750kg. So, it is a VW north america policy, not the design of the car.

For sure though, for towing the Camp-Inn we want to see a tow rating of 1500lb or higher. Vehicles like the Fit, Yaris, Scion and Soul just should not even be considered. You will likely have serious transaxle and other driveline issues towing with vehicles like this.

Of your list they all have very low tow ratings other that the Accord and Camry. Both of those have adequate tow ratings and we do see these being used towing Camp-Inns. We also see a few VW Beetles, for the above stated reasons. We also see a few PTs and HRRs. In those cases a super light option set on the trailer would be in order.

The Subaru Outback is clearly the most popular tow vehicle we see here. 30mpg+ for a late model. If a Outback is "too much vehicle" consider the Forrestor or the Crosstrek. I just got a fantastic towing report from a Oregon customer towing their 550 with a Crosstrek.

Cary
 
C'mon Cosmo….Bergen County?? over $80,000 in average household income. Just use one of your Range Rovers.

If I didn't occasionally need a truck on the farm, I'd trade this Tacoma for an Outback in a second. All-wheel drive, 30 mpg (maybe), and the reliability and safety of Subaru. I bought my first Subie brand new in 1979. A little blue station wagon that I drove like an animal in the mountains. It would get me through drifts when I left my F-250 stuck in the same drift. We've owned at least one Subaru since then. My brother drives them exclusively as well as my parents. My wife drives a 2012 Subaru Impreza (awesome AWD that gets 36 in the mountains). I had an Impreza (2012) with a manual transmission that was the most fun I've had in a car since…1970-something. The Crosstrek is basically the Impreza on steroids. The Impreza had no towing rating and I frankly would never tow with a car that small. I have no info on the Crosstrek...
 
Thanks for the useful info.

Cary have you had any negative reports? Just reveal what you are comfortable with. Smoking heaps on the side of the road? “Unplanned” off road experiences? I was emailing today with an owner (not a Camp-Inn) who is towing with the same year Scion XB as I am using. His trailer weighed in at #1850 pounds. He was not concerned. Obviously everyone has a different experience.

I will reconsider my options. I may start off with my underpowered car (it’s 8 years old) and stay closer to home for a start to learn a bit. Trailer breaks are in my plan. The Crossfire is a possibility for me. Good lead!

Yes this is a pricy neighborhood. I am not a conspicuous consumer but I plan to invest extra cash installing “spinner wheels”, programmable lighting under the wheel wells, lots of custom red velvet in the “Love Crib” and a generous dose of extra bling on the exterior package. I am thinking 80s disco theme with large horn speakers on the roof. I don’t want to be able to go toe to toe with the monster RVs when the turn on the generator... Ha ha ha ha.

Regards
Cosmo
 
I am picturing "Tim the Toolman Taylor" right now. Oh dear!

I would suggest going with the BIG battery in that case! :)
 
Cosmo said:
Thanks for the useful info.
Trailer breaks are in my plan.
Click to expand...

Hey Cosmo - I'd recommend you swap out the trailer breaks option for the trailer brakes. The first option is overrated, and you'd only end up having to pay for it again.

Sorry, couldn't resist... How'd the dratted grammar police get on the forum? :)
 
Break or brake nay depend on the toe or tow vehicle.

I originally estimated $15k for the trailer. Add the trailer and and tow vehicle the cost is about $45K. I was once part of the counter culture. Now I am part of the bean counter culture.

Again thanks all for input.

Cosmo
 
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