Towing at night in hot weather

[path1]

I'm at Yuma now and many people are taking off and going back home. Several wait till after dark. I asked others about this and was told "its 20 degrees cooler". Mid 90's to 70's. OK, I understand 90 versus 70. Others have said "its easier on your equipment". Others have said it is "more comfortable" for them to drive in cooler weather.

When I came here when it was already sort of hot. Went thru Las Vegas and it was hot. All my gauges were right where they usually are. Tire temps were normal on the shaded side of RV and not that much higher on the sunny side.

Some of the hills getting into Las Vegas started my cooling fan. But all gauges were normal.

I must be missing something?

What am I missing?

[kohai]

Homer wrote:
I have hooked up test gauges to my system to double check the on board gauges. I was really surprised by the difference in water temp and the oil pressure between the test gauges and the on board gauges. On board were showing normal range, test gauges showed substantial difference on the negative side.

My FIL was a VW factory trained mechanic. He said once VW set their dials to report the actual readings of what the engine was doing and it caused a lot of people to bring the cars in thinking something was wrong because the dials change frequently.

It got old fast so VW changed it back so the dials show less -- more like it is either broken or it is fine.

[mabynack]

I use to drive at night. The only issues I had was finding fuel on the back roads and finding an RV park to let me in before mid afternoon. The fuel issue has pretty much been resolved. There are a lot more stations open all night.

[chevor]

Its a race

[B_s_Bunch]

What are all the people that are driving during the day thinking??

[mgirardo]

I prefer towing/driving at night because there are less people on the roads. For me, temperature is not a consideration. I like to set cruise control and not turn it off until I get off the highway. Driving at night generally offers that, as long as there aren't any major accidents. If I'm familiar with the route, I prefer to drive at night.

When we towed our travel trailer with our Nissan Xterra, we couldn't run the A/C because the engine would run hot. If others have the same issue, then driving at night would definitely be a plus if daytime temps are above 70 degrees and the sun is shining.

-Michael

[chevor]

My biggest problem with night driving is the people traveling with BRIGHT LIGHTS and their quest for the BRIGHTEST BLINDING lights available.

[All_I_could_aff]

The main thing is when it's really hot, just take it easy a little bit. All your mechanical bits, including your tires, will thank you for it!

[muelldawg]

When I balance out the increase danger of night driving v day driving (even hot) it is an easy decision. I drive during the day.

I doubt if many have driven in any hotter day time temperatures than we have. And we have had no issues.

[Lorne_Lorraine]

tpi wrote:

But all gauges were normal.

Oh and this...

Lot of vehicles these days have dumb gauges that appear steady but reality is they just don't move from either one position (Ford oil pressure), or they have a huge dead spot around normal range (Ford coolant temperature). Note I'm singling out Ford, but there are others.

That's why I installed a scan gauge in my 03 Ford Class B for the first time I took it through the western mountains. Dash gauges never moved. Scan gauge told a different story. As I understand it the stock coolant temp gauge on my Ford won't move up until you are on the verge of overheating.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

The one thing which I've found towing in 100+ degree temps in Texas is how very hot it gets in the closed TT.

Temps over 140-150 are common when I open the door after towing for three or four hours.

The fridge temps can rise too high and food gets spoiled.

It takes three to four hours to cool the TT down to near 80 with 50 amp power and both ACs running full blast.

That said - I try to never tow at night.

When we have to move in that Texas heat - I try to get on the road near dawn and be at a destination by noon. Sometimes that doesn't help much with nighttime lows near 95 degrees.

But sometimes that just isn't possible and we deal with it.

One other thing I've seen in those temps is tire temperatures above 120 degrees.

[wnjj]

dahkota wrote:
During the summer, for us, it isn't the engine that gets overheated, its us. With a truck/tt combo, there was no problem. With the Class A, driving south or west, I feel like an ant under a magnifying glass. And I like it hot. We can put the a/c on max and turn on the fans, but the temp in the mh creeps up into the 80s. Add in the heat from the doghouse... It just isn't a very fun way to spend the day. So, drive early in the morning if going west, in the afternoon if going east, any time going north, and just hope for the best going south.

That analogy cracked me up. 🙂

[dahkota]

During the summer, for us, it isn't the engine that gets overheated, its us. With a truck/tt combo, there was no problem. With the Class A, driving south or west, I feel like an ant under a magnifying glass. And I like it hot. We can put the a/c on max and turn on the fans, but the temp in the mh creeps up into the 80s. Add in the heat from the doghouse... It just isn't a very fun way to spend the day. So, drive early in the morning if going west, in the afternoon if going east, any time going north, and just hope for the best going south.

[Bionic_Man]

I'm 40 years old, have good eye sight, good overall health, and only tow at night when I have to. Even with perfect vision, you just can't see as well at night as during the days. Critters are more likely to be on the road, if you have a blow out you won't see it in the mirrors, etc.

My vehicles are new, and run fine in the heat of the day. One concession I will make while driving during the day is I will slow down. I have LT tires on my trailer, and usually tow around 70 MPH. If it is above 100* I slow down to 65. Above 110*, I will slow down further. Still better than driving at night.

[wa8yxm]

Well... On a motor home there is a fairly large GREENHOUSE called the cockpit.

Driving at night is way more comfortable.

Also...I used to prefer night driving for other reasons.. But as I age, that has changed somewhat.