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TriumphDriver · 07-06-2005, 02:27 PM

I would like to hear from anyone who has (or is towing) towed an Acura MDX with a Class A "gasser" motorhome. I have a 2005 Tiffin Alegro with the W20 chassis and 8.1 liter engine and believe the 4500 lbs. of the MDX may be too much of a strain on the (gas) engine, especially in hill country and mountains.
Thanks in advance.

TriumphDriver · 07-06-2005, 02:27 PM

I would like to hear from anyone who has (or is towing) towed an Acura MDX with a Class A "gasser" motorhome. I have a 2005 Tiffin Alegro with the W20 chassis and 8.1 liter engine and believe the 4500 lbs. of the MDX may be too much of a strain on the (gas) engine, especially in hill country and mountains.
Thanks in advance.

DriVer · 07-07-2005, 02:12 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by TriumphDriver:
I have a 2005 Tiffin Allegro with the W20 chassis and 8.1 liter engine and believe the 4500 lbs. of the MDX may be too much of a strain on the (gas) engine, especially in hill country and mountains. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>TriumphDriver, How long is your motorhome and have you had it weighed yet? For example if the actual weight of your motorhome is 19,500 pounds then you could theoretically add 1,200 more pounds of "towed" weight before you exceed the 26,000 combined rating of the chassis. No one is suggesting that you can safely pull a 6,500 toad but I hope you see where this example is going.

The limiting hardware here would be your platform hitch and its rating. If your hitch is rated for 5000 pounds then you'll have to watch the weight of the MDX to make sure it doesn't get too much heavier than 4,500 pounds.

The 8.1L and Allison transmission will certainly do a good job for you in pulling your toad BUT if you exceed the GCWR of your RV, 26,000 pounds, you could be crossing the line.

On my W22 I still have the same GCWR as you do but I had to loose a thousand pounds on the toad side so I had to trade my Trailblazer for a Saturn Vue. This strategy worked in our favor and I am most always below the GCWR of the vehicle.

Now if I have to fill up my water tank to go to a dry camping rally, all bets are off, but I try to fill my tank as close to my destination as possible and possibly disconnect the toad and have the co-pilot drive it in the rest of the way.

Mike W · 07-14-2005, 08:42 AM

I have a 37' 2004 Alegro Bay built on the Workhorse chassis. I also have a 2005 MDX setup for towing. Very bad combination. It presents no problem in the flatlands, but almost any grade is a struggle, both from a power perspective and a braking perspective.

Before I had the MDX, I towed a 2003 TLS with absolutely no problems.... that seamingly little weight variance between the two was a HUGE difference. Much more than I would have ever expected.

I'm keeping the MDX.... it's a great vehicle, but it's not a toad for a gasser. I'm now looking for a very light weight toad option.

Catdave · 07-17-2005, 04:09 PM

I just drove from Alaska to Florida with my '04 Allegro Bay 37DB (W22) pulling my full-size 4900 lb. 4WD Silverado ext. cab pickup as a toad. I could tell the weight was there as opposed to no toad at all, but the 8.1L didn't seem to mind at all. Engine temp never went any higher than it does when not pulling a toad (which is to say it never budged from the normal position) and the rig still pulled 6% grades at around 50mph. Used SMI braking in the toad and it worked well, and engine braking down mountain grades was excellent. We're moving a lot of our stuff so I was overweight (29,500 lbs. GCW) but the 8.1L/Allison combination performed flawlessly for the entire trip.

I've since traded that coach off (3 days ago) for a DP, but have nothing but good things to say about the powertrain.

Good luck,
Dave

Cherokee9 · 07-18-2005, 07:08 AM

TriumphDriver, I am currently towing a Honda Pilot (GVWR 5950lbs) with my Itasca 33v on a W22 chassis. I know that I am probably pushing the limit, but have had no problems so far. I hardly know that it is back there...but have not been through mountains yet...just some pretty high hills in Georgia. I would think that the Acura MDX would be comparable to the Honda Pilot.