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JBP · 05-31-2020, 05:45 PM

I have seldom towed over the recommended speed limit set by car manufacturer. One exception coming home with DW sick I ran at tire limit (75) across Eastern Colorado and all of Kansas. Had car checked the following week and no problems. I actually think that I was lucky. Outside temperatures were in high 80s. Had tail wind most of the way.
I paid dearly at the gas pump. Averaged about 4MPG. This was back when we were paying 3 plus at the pump.

scooteral · 05-31-2020, 05:55 PM

I live in California and usually run pretty close to 55. I have a 2003 Workhorse chassis and tow a 1986 Samurai. I have done some testing of MPG over the years and found that running at 65 costs me 3 to 5 MPG less mileage, so I run at 55 everywhere. I have everything I want with me, so I don't need to get anywhere in a hurry. Lots of vehicles pass me and I just watch them go. I occasionally get to watch the same vehicle pass me several times.

JC2 · 05-31-2020, 06:08 PM

I agree with what facts Pigman1 has said. We have a 2013 Equinox
AWD with the V6 motor and also have the 65mph max notation in the manual. I personally like running @ 65mph but have in the pas and in the future had it creep up to 68-70 or more for somewhat short periods. The manufacturer has put the 65mph max on towing the vehicle for a reason which I believe is to insure the trans receives proper lubrication, etc. As stated, the computer most likely knows "everything" about how you drive/pull the vehicle. Slow down a little(5mph or so) and enjoy the scenery.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pigman1

I can understand your concerns, but it looks like you have 2 issues. First being physical damage to the toad due to overheating, and like considerations. Just think about this hard for a minute. Pulling for uncounted hours at 65 is OK, but at 66 is not? We all know it doesn't turn into a pumpkin at 66, so how about 67, or 68 or, heaven forbid, 70? In reality if the manufacturer has a real issue he's trying to prevent from happening, he'll pick a speed well below the "aw-sh*t" speed where bad things start to happen. How much cushion did they put in? That's the question.

Your second issue about the manufacturers warranty is another point. Depending on how new your Equinox is and how many computers it's sporting, the vehicle may squeal on you. A couple of years after we bought our 2013 Bus we had it to Tiffin for a speedometer problem. The Tiffin techs hooked up their computer to check gauge accuracy and the boss played around for a minute or two. He turned to my DW and I and said something about "How did the rig handle at 82-83mph?" My wife got red in the face and "confessed" that she was the one flying low when I was sleeping as she tried to pass a fool on a downhill who didn't want to be passed. She's an excellent driver and I was not concerned at all, but the Bus kept a record of what went on. The moral... Your Equinox may squeal and your claim COULD be disputed. My choice would be to pull it at 70, but that's me. Your rig, your choice. Good luck, which ever way you go. BTW, we run at 70-72 conditions permitting, but no manufacturers limits. 110,000+ on this Bus, and 75,000 on the previous 2008.

farmerman · 05-31-2020, 07:31 PM

We tow an Acadia 70 MPH. 24k miles. No problem

farmerman · 05-31-2020, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Ted

Yes, "fitting in with the flow of traffic' is much safer then being 'that guy' and having people passing you all the time. If your passing a lot of people your going to fast and if a lot of people are passing you you are going to slow. Not hard to figure out but many can not grasp this simple matter and are stuck in ' im right no matter what' mode :(

Amen

Mr Lars · 05-31-2020, 08:41 PM

We use a tow dolly, so ‘towing speed’ is not that critical to the vehicle being towed. As for the overall speed we travel, we generally do the posted speed limit depending on road conditions. Traveling do far below the limit is boring and fatigue inducing for me.

olmsteaj · 05-31-2020, 09:24 PM

Perhaps not applicable to GM toad transmissions, but I have towed my 2012 Ford Focus with A/T over 60,000 miles. The operators manual says do not exceed 70 MPH. I normally cruise close to 70, with no adverse effects. If I tow for several hours at 75 MPH, the car transmission has a rank smell that lasts for several days. Short spurts to near 80 don't seem to bother the car A/T. during my experimentation days, I found that steady driving at 72 for over 2 hours would initiate the rank smell. I have to assume the rank smell is not a good sign. The good news is the tranny still works ok with an additional 79,000 "car only" miles on it.

F4Gary · 05-31-2020, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by olmsteaj

Perhaps not applicable to GM toad transmissions, but I have towed my 2012 Ford Focus with A/T over 60,000 miles. The operators manual says do not exceed 70 MPH. I normally cruise close to 70, with no adverse effects. If I tow for several hours at 75 MPH, the car transmission has a rank smell that lasts for several days. Short spurts to near 80 don't seem to bother the car A/T. during my experimentation days, I found that steady driving at 72 for over 2 hours would initiate the rank smell. I have to assume the rank smell is not a good sign. The good news is the tranny still works ok with an additional 79,000 "car only" miles on it.

That smell is most likely from rubber dust and other road surface stuff that collects on your exhaust system.
When you are driving the toad, it gets burned off immediately, but when you tow it, it collects and they takes a while to burn off the next time you drive it.
Our CRV used to do this until I took the full width flap off the back of the motorhome.

LarryGee · 06-01-2020, 06:51 AM

Correct. This is why some vehicles, like my Sonic, the manual says to run the engine for five or 10 minutes every 300 to 400 miles.

This is so the pump can lubricate the transmission, Which isn’t happening when being towed.

We start the vehicle at every gas stop.

Grandpa5x · 06-01-2020, 07:00 AM

Don’t forget Big Brother is watching you, your key is on when towing so that means the computer that records everything is powered, so if there was a warranty issue Chevrolet would simply download the info from the computer and see you were towing several hours above the recommended speed and could deny your claim. Just a thought

richguess · 06-01-2020, 07:09 AM

My 2001 Chevy Tracker manual says to limit towing speed to 55 mph. It also requires a start up every 200 miles. I tow it at 60mph all the time, no problems. Occasionally I exceed that, but normally I try to enjoy the ride, mileage is better, etc. Have no idea how that translates to an Equinox.

Pigman1 · 06-01-2020, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tireman9

You might ask your alternate driver if they feel it is OK to exceed the MAX speed rating of your tires?

Same answer as my answer to the OP on his question. It's not like that speed was run for hours on end. It was to get past an idiot who was playing games and once past, the fool dropped way down so he could delay others. As I said, whatever limits are published those speeds do not cause you to turn into a pumpkin when you exceed them for a few minutes or so. Extended period... Then a concern perhaps it depends on what it is, but neither DW or I operate that way, so I have ultimate confidence in the way she drives. We both had a good laugh about her red face, but it definitely was not a concern for either of us, just a surprise that the Bus went around telling tales. This lady knows how to drive this heavy rig very well indeed, and does it very well, be it on a wide open desert interstate or driving the same rig through the center of Atlanta in rush hour traffic.

vadertime · 06-01-2020, 08:40 AM

I keep my MH around 60-65. The CAT diesel seems to purr like a kitten right around that range which is between 1800-2000 rpms. Also, sinde the tow dolly doesn't have brakes, one has to be extra vigilant when coming to a stop even with air brakes.

Unplanned Tourist · 06-01-2020, 09:24 AM

I tow my Ranger that has a max tow speed of 55 mph.

It's not unusual for me to average 60 mph for a couple hours at a time if we are on a 4 lane.

I probably have towed it around 20,000 miles and it has 32,000 km(20,000 mi) on the odometer now. So it has a total of around 40,000 miles on it with no problems at all.

The only problem I have had is forgetting to bleed the vacuum from the brake booster!

I had ran the engine like Ford suggested.

A coyote ran out in front of me at 60 mph and I hit the brakes, hoping to miss it.

Nope, got it all spread out under the rig!

The Brake Buddy did it's thing, applied the brakes, locking up the rear wheels.

2 flat spotted tires later, I learned a lesson!

Now and then speed will creep up to 70-75 mph on a long straight downhill run.

Happy Glamping.