Looking for SMART car information
Does anyone here tow a Smart car? We are interested in any information pros and cons of towing one, and how you like driving one of these little guys on the road. Thanks!!!
Forum Discussion
gotsmart wrote:Skid Row Joe wrote:
...
They are very difficult to tow
Wrong. In addition to the towbar installation, one only needs to a a $20 battery disconnect switch - as recommended in the owners manual.
-put the key to position 1 in the ignition
-put the shifter to "N"
-turn the key to the off position
-wait about 30 seconds for the digital display on the dash to go blank
-disconnect the battery (or use a switch)
done
in that their wheels/tires are different sizes, as well as their wheelbase is so short,
OE rear: 175/55/15 on a 15 inch by 5.5 inch wheel
OE front 155/60/15 on a 15 inch by 4.5 inch wheel
Mercedes did this to promote understeer in the car which it considers safer that oversteer. I'm running 195/55/15s on 15 by 5.5 inch wheels in all 4 corners. The car handles much better the the OE setup.
that the front wheels basketball bounce on tight turns.
That has not been my experience when towing my smart. I'm using a 4 inch drop receiver to keep my towbar level at the base plates on the car. I've seen motorhomes pull into the resort with towbars in receivers 8+ inches above their car's base plates - not just smart cars. There are motohomes out there where the receiver is too high off of the ground.
The safeguard is to tie-off the steering wheel with bungee cords, and pray to God they work.
I don't use a nylon bungee. I use this rubber bungee. It grips the steering wheel and keeps the car from wagging the MH when driving at highway speed in the rutted truck lanes. If the roads in OR and WA didn't have ruts, I would not need the bungee.
Many of the Mercedes Benz dealerships do not like the fact MB builds and sells an entry level city car that does not offer much margin for sales commissions. They barely acknowledge that smart cars are a Mercedes brand. Your post reminds me why my smart has never been to a MB dealer for service.
You basically have to be an engineering graduate to hook one up, is why there's so many pitfalls to deal with them. It's unfortunate that this car is tied directly to Mercedes-Benz, from everything I've read about their reliability and difficulties.
