Towing Performance

[Trimble T]

I have a 2012 Newmar Canyon Star with the V10 engine. I currently tow a 2014 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk (Weight approximately 4300 lbs). It is a strain on the coach in mountain areas. I have thought about purchasing a toad at about 3000 lbs. My question is, will I see a large improvement in towing performance with the lighter toad?

[Tha_Rooster]

You should see a slight improvement. Do you know your towing capacity? 4,300 should have been your upper limit.

[JohnBoyToo]

You will take a large hit on replacing that new a vehicle....

A couple of things:

Have you pared down the weight you DO carry ?
Maybe 50 or 100 pair of the wife's shoes can be left at home

Thought about ensuring the V10 is doing all it can ?

Tuneup, better intake and exhaust, consider a 5 star tune to get 20-30 more hp ?

[barmcd]

I'd say not much as I don't notice any real difference in performance in my coach with the toad or without. We're pulling the same Jeep Cherokee. We have a DP so it's a little different, but that's 4300 vs 0 lbs.

[l1v3fr33ord1]

Trimble T-

I did not look up the hitch rating for your coach. However, the GCWR - GVWR calculation for it is 4,000 pounds. What that means is if your coach is loaded to its full GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) then your current toad exceeds the allowed towing weight by 300 pounds (4,300 - 4,000). Going to a lighter toad will put you in better shape in that regard.

Our toad weighs about 2,800 pounds with cargo (and no people). Our coach is shorter than yours, with the same powerplant, so our HP/weight ratio is higher. The coach is a bit peppier when not towing. That said, I don't expect you'll feel a significant difference in towing effort for a loss of 1,000 to 1,300 pounds in the toad. Some, maybe.

[Waiter21]

I doubt the 1300 lb difference will be noticeable. Maybe a tiny bit, but no drastic improvements.

[SuperGewl]

I don't k ow you mean by improvement? I tow a 2014 Trailhawk and have towed it across country without any issues. As far as stain on the engine I have not seen any, the engine works as expected. I do have a 5Star Tune also so that helps but what really helps is finding the engines sweet spot and keeping it there. The other thing is don't be in a hurry, I set the cruise control for about 57.

[Trimble T]

Thanks for all of the comments. I thought the reduced weight would have limited difference. I know I am on the upper limits with the 4,300 lbs. I plan to weight the coach separately from the toad in order to get the total weight. This will tell the tale on the overall weight issue.

[Cacique]

Just came back from a few days in the keys and testing all towing equipment. I am on a 2009 Pace Arrow 38P on a W24 with the workhorse/8.1 vortec towing a Nissan Xterra fully fueled and with two bikes. Towing on open terrain with winds agaist i was amazes at what i got. Here is the proof. at 55 mph less then 1800 rpm doing around and above 9 mpg is trully amanzing. on cruise control and did not even feel the toad behind.

[Mr_D]

I went from a '05 Honda Odyssey (about 4,500#'s) down to a '14 Honda CR-V (about 3,300#'s) and don't notice any difference.

[Cacique]

well you drive a 650 hp diesel RV I drive a gas one

[sca]

We don't have a class A, but our 2010 32' Class C with V10 does reasonably well towing either our Prius (2,400lbs) or our Odyssey (4,600+ lbs).

I can't really tell much of a difference (in power or mpg) between towing our Prius vs the Odyssey. I can 'feel' the Odyssey back there more on windy days, bumpy roads, and hard stops (pushing & bucking ), but power wise it's about the same.

Yes, there are grades where it is to the floor and we can only maintain speed or are slowly loosing speed. Only once (Raton Pass) do I ever remember dropping all the way to second gear before we equaled out speed loss, but I also remember not getting a good running start on that grade and having crazy 40+mph winds. On mountain grades I try to keep the rpm's around 4,000 - 4,500 (5,000 max for short burst/shifting) and just let it find the gear it needs to be in for that rpm range.

Cursing speed is 62-65mph as that puts my rpms slightly above 2,500 which seems to be the sweet spot power wise for our V10. Anything less than say 2,500rpm and it's downshifting all the time.

[SuperGewl]

Must be nice having that Vortec 8.1 ltr monster. I tow and I get around 6mpg. Now you must remember wherever I go I travel thru the mountains so get a grip. I try to keep it at ~57mph but I have a lead foot.
I have towed across country and averaged 6.9mgp.
I don't even notice it back there, the V10 handles well (for a FORD). The hills I have traveled affect this MH the same as they affected my 5th wheel, with the exception of being able make a few hills with less fuss.

[seadaddler]

I drove diesel trucks for a living and less weight will make a difference and diesel pushers always do better and way better on hilly roads.
I drive a 99 gas 34 class A and pull a Honda Fit and it pulls real nice but when
Climbing hills my ford V10 does work real hard and slow and mpg suffers for sure.
When going from Fl. to NY I use 95 and prefer 77 to 81 but my RV works too hard and want it to last as long as it can.
When going by car I go 77 to 81.
Believe me less is always better.
Nick