Front wheel drive towing

[evster]

Currently in the process of getting a new vehicle. I was looking at all wheel drives but found a front wheel drive small suv that I can get a significant deal on. I know i'm not going to have nearly the traction of all wheel drive for pulling the boat out, but for those who do tow with front wheel drive do you find it causes lots of ramp headaches? For the near future I am only going to be towing something really small anyways (500-750 lbs), but in a couple years that may change. I don't think i'll ever have a boat that will cause me to break the 2000 lb mark. I have a feeling with my little boat I will be fine in most cases, and just have to pick my ramps wisely.

 

Any input is appreciated.

[jwl]

my boat is a bit more than 1000lbs, and I have no troubles with a mini van, although come winter and the ramp is icy I rely on a couple people with 4x4s to get me in and out..it's a fair trade, i got the boat, they got the tow

[canadianboy]

whats your budget you might want to look at all wheel drive subarus good on gas awd it would even bee able to tow the maybe eventually to come 2000 pound load.

I would look at the forester.

 

I have an outback and absoloutly love it the only thing i regret is i got the 4 cyl and not the 6 and i only regret in stop and go traffic on hills. theres one near my work but other than that great car

[Billy Bob]

You don't give enough info on what vehicle you are interested in buying. But anyways, for comparison I towed for 5 years with a Ford Escape that had a V-6. Towing my boat was never a problem but then we purchased a pop up trailer to go out west in 2006 that weighed 3000 lbs loaded. We struggled going over the continental divided twice but that was at 11,000 feet. We towed that trailer 6,500 miles in 30 days without any break downs. That's more than most tow in there careers

[Mike the Pike]

Don't worry Evester you will be fine.

 

My last boat an SSV 18 foot bare bones aluminum weighed 887lbs boat motor and trailer.

At first I pulled it with a front wheel Drive 1994 Ford taurus Wagon then I pulled it with my Honda Odyssey.

 

On a paved or cement boat ramp I have never had problems it is on the gravel launches where you tend to get a little tire

spin but these days I do manage because the Honda has electronic tracktion control.

 

go for it.

[SlowPoke]

Front wheel drive wouldn't be my first choice in a tow vehicle but you should be fine on good ramps.

You run into difficulty on ramps because the vehicle weight is shifted rearward resulting in less than normal weight/traction on the drive wheels. If you're smooth on applying power, you'll be fine. Spinning the tires, you're in trouble.

 

A little tip for front and rear wheel drives when getting ready to pull out (loaded or empty)...

 

-Apply the brakes and put the transmission in gear.

-While in gear and brakes applied, increase the engine RPM slowly to a point where you believe the brakes are the only thing keeping you from moving forward.

-Very slowly ease up on the brake and ride them until you are free from the ramp. Do not increase the throttle while easing off on the brakes. If you do not have enough throttle to move, re-apply the brakes and try again with a little more throttle than last time.

 

What this does is control the amount of power to the drive tires to prevent spinning. It also tricks the differential/transaxle into believing both drive tires have traction and will apply power to each drive tire evenly.

 

Some differentials/transaxles will detect one wheel spinning faster than the other and incorrectly think you are turning a corner. When turning a corner, keep in mind the wheel on the outside of the turn will be spinning faster than the wheel on the inside of the turn. Power will be applied to the 'outside wheel' (the one without traction) and the 'inside tire' (the one with traction) will not receive any power. By riding the brakes, the differential/transaxle thinks you are going straight and both wheels have traction. This is also a great tactic when stuck in snow or on ice.

-Brian

[b2kptbo]

Low gear when pulling out and you'll be fine...

[evster]

Thanks guys! I thought I would be ok, just wanted to make sure. Thanks for the confidence.

[tinbanger]

and don't forget the tranny cooler !

 

We tow ( Honda Odysee) our 1775 Lund classic with 90 hp and often approach the max towing capacity ( 5 in the family , full tanks , gear etc)90% of the launches I use are good concrete or properly sloped gravel .One ( launching next saturday) is a backroad access point that is very scarey , but only time I had an issue was last year when we loaded in the dark and didn't realize the trailer spare ( mounte dlow on the side rail) was hanging me up .

 

Found out this summer that it stops well too when needed

 

tb

[bassjnkie]

Front wheel drive wouldn't be my first choice in a tow vehicle but you should be fine on good ramps.

You run into difficulty on ramps because the vehicle weight is shifted rearward resulting in less than normal weight/traction on the drive wheels. If you're smooth on applying power, you'll be fine. Spinning the tires, you're in trouble.

 

A little tip for front and rear wheel drives when getting ready to pull out (loaded or empty)...

 

-Apply the brakes and put the transmission in gear.

-While in gear and brakes applied, increase the engine RPM slowly to a point where you believe the brakes are the only thing keeping you from moving forward.

-Very slowly ease up on the brake and ride them until you are free from the ramp. Do not increase the throttle while easing off on the brakes. If you do not have enough throttle to move, re-apply the brakes and try again with a little more throttle than last time.

What this does is control the amount of power to the drive tires to prevent spinning. It also tricks the differential/transaxle into believing both drive tires have traction and will apply power to each drive tire evenly.

 

Some differentials/transaxles will detect one wheel spinning faster than the other and incorrectly think you are turning a corner. When turning a corner, keep in mind the wheel on the outside of the turn will be spinning faster than the wheel on the inside of the turn. Power will be applied to the 'outside wheel' (the one without traction) and the 'inside tire' (the one with traction) will not receive any power. By riding the brakes, the differential/transaxle thinks you are going straight and both wheels have traction. This is also a great tactic when stuck in snow or on ice.

-Brian

 

That is what I have been doing for 10years. I have a windstar FWD, has no problem on a ramp with 1600lb behind it.

[ecmilley]

IF my little car can pull this around without much of a problem, then any small fwd suv will work fine for a 750-1000lb boat

[skrillaguerilla]

make sure your trailer is balanced. too much weight on the tongue will unspring your front end and make in very difficult to steer and brake; especially in the wet. otherwise you should be fine. i know a 91 acura integra can tow a 12" and 9.9 motor

 

personally, i would never spend my money on a 2wd suv, it's a waste, especially with fwd. a station wagon or minivan would be a far better choice if you're concerned about cargo capacity.

[Fisherman]

make sure your trailer is balanced. too much weight on the tongue will unspring your front end and make in very difficult to steer and brake; especially in the wet. otherwise you should be fine.

...Any towed trailer should have 10 to 12% of its total weight as tonge weight measured at the hitch. Any less than that tends to make the trailer fishtail at highway speeds.

Edited September 22, 2008 by Fisherman

[skrillaguerilla]

thanks for elaborating that. it's very important

Edited September 22, 2008 by skrillaguerilla