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04-18-2015, 01:34 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 165
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Towing a car.
What is the best car to flat tow behind my FR3?
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04-18-2015, 02:28 PM
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#2
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HAPPY WHEN RV'ING
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Southern California
Posts: 646
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There are quite a few flat towables. We tow a 2014 Honda CRV EX-L. Jeep Wranglers are also very popular. Your best best is to check Motorhome Magazines year specific towable guide (i.e., if buying a 2010, look for the 2010 tow guide). The owners manual for most cars will tell you if it's flat towable.
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Smooth Roads, and, Drive 'em Safe
Curt & Isabel, & 9er (our Goldendoodle)
2014 Forest River FR3 30DS (Beasty)
2014 Honda CRV EX-L (toad)
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04-20-2015, 06:07 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Canada
Posts: 604
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We havent towed yet.. But we have a jeep wrangler and are trading it in for a Honda crv... After a few hours banging around in a motorhome.. We are not prepared to do it again in the jeep. So unless you are real rock crawlers at heart, it makes sense to go with the crv.. Easy on gas too whereas the wrqngler can almost compete with the motorhome
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04-21-2015, 10:41 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 165
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Quote:
Originally Posted by colourful64
We havent towed yet.. But we have a jeep wrangler and are trading it in for a Honda crv... After a few hours banging around in a motorhome.. We are not prepared to do it again in the jeep. So unless you are real rock crawlers at heart, it makes sense to go with the crv.. Easy on gas too whereas the wrqngler can almost compete with the motorhome
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Can the new crv be flat towed?
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04-21-2015, 10:47 AM
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#5
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Member
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 94
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Toad
We tow a 2015 Jeep Cherokee, previously towed a 2008 CRV
A 2015 Honda CRV can not be flat towed due to the fact that Honda has switched to a CVT transmission.
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2017 Berkshire XL 40 BH
2015 Jeep Cherokee Latitude
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04-21-2015, 11:44 AM
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#6
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HAPPY WHEN RV'ING
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Southern California
Posts: 646
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welder... The last CRV that can be flat towed is a 2014.
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Smooth Roads, and, Drive 'em Safe
Curt & Isabel, & 9er (our Goldendoodle)
2014 Forest River FR3 30DS (Beasty)
2014 Honda CRV EX-L (toad)
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04-21-2015, 01:09 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Canada
Posts: 604
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2015 crv can not be flat towed
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04-21-2015, 01:33 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 110
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We flat tow our subaru impreza sport. Only manual transmission subarus can be flat towed. My wife really likes it as her daily driver, and it is very easy to tow.
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11-17-2015, 01:02 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 247
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Does anyone tow a Ford Fiesta?
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11-17-2015, 01:21 PM
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#10
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Certified Curmudgeon
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Here
Posts: 3,999
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Quote:
Originally Posted by welder
What is the best car to flat tow behind my FR3?
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IMO the best car to flat tow is a Smart Fortwo Pure. It is so lite that you don't need supplemental brakes (some will argue that there are states that require them however they are not looking at the full requirement that substitute braking distance for weight). I get over 40mpg (yes, it takes premium). It's safer than a scooter. I don't end up being the duty driver as it only has 2 seats. The pup loves it in the back. Parking is a no brainer when you only need 1/2 spot. You know those parking gappers? I thank them for reserving a spot for me. Its cheap to buy and operate. It follows in the shadow of the coach. i.e. if your rear tires miss the curb the toad will too. Washing the windows = 1/2 car wash.
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Mike Dropped
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11-17-2015, 02:46 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Yorba Linda, CA
Posts: 275
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I'd say it depends on where you are going and what you will be doing. There was a prior post asking the same question. We go desert, mountains, and beach so our Jeep Wrangler suits our needs best and it seems made to flat tow. It can offroad or be a convertible when duty calls. My opinion is it is the best for those activities. I can't comment on what works best for travelling activities outside of that.
Good luck!
Antone
2015 Forest River FR3 30DS - No Ragrets
Toad - 2011 Jeep Wrangler
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11-17-2015, 10:30 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 3,464
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Duckogram
IMO the best car to flat tow is a Smart Fortwo Pure. It is so lite that you don't need supplemental brakes (some will argue that there are states that require them however they are not looking at the full requirement that substitute braking distance for weight). I get over 40mpg (yes, it takes premium).
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You guys down south missed the good ones.
Canada, and everywhere else but USA, got an 800cc diesel.
Guys were hitting 80mpg up here.
2015 RAM 3500 CCSB CUMMINS
2016 Sabre 36QBOK
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2017 Dynamax Isata 4
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11-18-2015, 12:26 PM
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#13
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Certified Curmudgeon
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Here
Posts: 3,999
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenny kustom
You guys down south missed the good ones.
Canada, and everywhere else but USA, got an 800cc diesel.
Guys were hitting 80mpg up here.
2015 RAM 3500 CCSB CUMMINS
2016 Sabre 36QBOK
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Tell me about it! Is it true that supplemental brakes are required in Manitoba?
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Mike Dropped
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11-18-2015, 04:11 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 3,464
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Duckogram
Tell me about it! Is it true that supplemental brakes are required in Manitoba?
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No idea!!!
2015 RAM 3500 CCSB CUMMINS
2016 Sabre 36QBOK
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2017 Dynamax Isata 4
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11-18-2015, 04:14 PM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 3,464
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Towing a car.
http://www.rvda.ca/ProvBrakeReqts.asp
Looks like just bc.
This site is cool. You can click on all the places you will be visiting, and it will tell you minimum requirements.
They say yes, for Manitoba.
http://www.brakebuddy.com/towing-laws
2015 RAM 3500 CCSB CUMMINS
2016 Sabre 36QBOK
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2017 Dynamax Isata 4
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11-18-2015, 04:39 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Whereever our Berkshire is Parked!
Posts: 7,082
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wana65stang
Looks like Newfoundland needs brakes on towed veh also.
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We have done a lot of research on TOADS and braking systems as we plan to upgrade to a MH in the future. I have asked a lot of questions on this and other Forums and the hands down winner for a towbar & braking system is the ReadyBrute Elite and, at @ $1,100 it is markedly less expensive than, say, a Blue Ox/AirForce One combo.
ReadyBrute™ Elite RV Tow Bar - NSA RV Products
RE: Brakes. It's not so much as you are "required" to have independent brakes; more like you need them for safety's sake. The brakes on a tow vehicle or motorhome are designed by the vehicle manufacturer to stop the weight of that particular vehicle, not the additional weight being towed behind it. This additional weight adds a substantial increase to the distance required to stop safely.
Here is a quote from Mark Polk, a RV safety specialst at KOA:
"Tests performed on a flat stretch of dry pavement have shown that an unhitched motor home traveling at a speed of 50 mph needed an average of 132 feet of braking distance to reach a complete stop. Under the same speed and surface conditions, but with the added weight of a small car in tow, the stopping distance of the motor home expands to an average of 209 feet. A significant distance! In an identical test performed using the Roadmaster BrakeMaster™, the coach and towed car averaged a stopping distance of 137 feet. That’s a mere 5 feet more than the unhitched stopping average"
Also, "One problem with this is that it might be legal to tow a 2,000-pound trailer with no brakes in the state where you live, but as soon as you cross the state line of a bordering state it is illegal to tow the same trailer without brakes. Add to this your insurance company, who may not cover you in the event of an accident involving a trailer with no braking system. Again, the most important reason is for your safety and the safety of others"
Finally, here is a map of Brake Laws in the US and Canada:
State and Province Towing Laws - NSA RV Products
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Bob & Anne-Marie [BamaBob & 6 Actual]
| 2017 Berkshire XLT 43A with Ultrasteer Tag | Blue Ox Avail + KarGard II |
| SMI AF-1 Air Brake | 2016 Jeep Cherokee Overland TOAD | Pedego Bikes |
Nights Camped: 2013 - 24 • 2014 - 42 • 2015 - 56 • Jul 2016 - Fulltime •
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11-18-2015, 06:46 PM
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#17
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Certified Curmudgeon
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Here
Posts: 3,999
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Thanks for the link Kenny kustom although BC does not require brakes for my application. As for the US state laws, you have to actually read the language in the statute and understand the meaning of the words used. i.e., a vehicle on a towbar may not be considered a trailer.
Example: NC is yellow on the map indicating 1000 lbs. But for a toad, it's 4000 lbs.
NY reads 1000 lbs as well but that does not pertain to towed cars!
The safety issue mentioned above is a good point which I certainly contemplated. So I looked at the numbers. My unit is rated for 18k with a max GCVW of 23K. The coach tips the scale at 14,500 wet & loaded. The Pure is 1410. Thats over a ton under the GVWR for which the braking capacity is designed for.
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Mike Dropped
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11-18-2015, 07:44 PM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 3,464
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I agree. Regardless of weight, the more brakes, the better!!!
2015 RAM 3500 CCSB CUMMINS
2016 Sabre 36QBOK
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2017 Dynamax Isata 4
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