Towing a 4500lb TT with an SUV

[ChristyAndJorda]

We currently tow our 17ft ultralight TT with a 2007 Honda Pilot. It is rated to tow 4500lb, we are 3500 dry and about 4350 loaded. We know we're near the top of our capacity, and had planned to tow close to home until we upgrade vehicles, but with work from home privileges during the pandemic, we took it on a now or never 2 month social distancing trip out west. She's doing it, but the mountains are a strain and the gas mileage is terrible. When we get home, we know we need to upgrade tow vehicles. We are looking for recommendations.

My strong preference is for a large SUV. My husband drives when we tow the trailer, so when we park the trailer, I do all the local driving. I am more comfortable in an SUV. I like that our cargo is accessible from inside the car. We also both like that if we want to leave the trailer at camp and have a more rugged overnight adventure (where it would be difficult to tow the TT), we can sleep in the back of the SUV.

Ideally we would like to get 12-15mpg or better. Do you have any recommendations for a large SUV that could do this? Or are we looking at a truck as the only option for these mpgs? If you think we need a truck, what do you recommend? We are probably looking for a somewhat older model as this will be our 3rd vehicle and the TT is primarily for recreation (1-3 week trips) and not full time travel (2009-2013 ish).

[mm047]

I tow my Flagstaff 21 FBRS with my 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee V6. I got both is 2016, and have logged about 18,000 miles with them latched up. The tow rating on the Jeep is 6200#, and the Carrying Capacity is low at 1050#. Between a tongue at 550 and two people at 350, and almost nothing else in the Jeep we are OK. The TT is at 5100# loaded for boondocking.

I tow all over the west, so mountains and wind are always with me. I average just a little over 12mpg, and I like to drive it at 62MPH. I have little trouble with wind and trailer sway. I just slow down. I good hitch properly set up is the key. I have the Equal-I-Zer 4 point, which is a really good hitch.

[falconbrother]

I tow 5800 dry with my 1500 Suburban a lot and have been doing so since early 2017. I mostly tow with little or no water on board, certainly not full tanks. I figure my actual weight is more like 6500 to be safe. We're probably under that. Our weight rating is 7200. To be honest that Suburban handles the weight fine, especially with Sumo Supersprings. But, I would rather have the 2500. All of the extra tow capacity you can get will make it more pleasant of an experience.

Forget gas mileage. Safety and lack of stress is way more important. For that weight range a Suburban or Expedition would do great.

BTW, I don't get much different gas mileage towing then when not. I'm not in a hurry. I drive 65 MPH pretty much all the time on the interstate. If I get to a hill where some speed wants to drop off I will let it a little bit. My driving style is vacation style driving..I'm not in a hurry to get there or get home. Plus, I like my transmission, etc, etc..

[Jebby14]

fill it up, refull at half tank. is it really an issue in the end? RV's are right up there with boats for money pits and we all know boat stands for
break out another thousand........

[CFerguson]

In my years of towing TTs and with discussions in CGs with others, a decent rule of thumb is that you will get about half your normal gas mileage when towing a TT.

[Grit_dog]

aj, Christy ghosted this thread a couple weeks ago. No need to argue with the weight ninnies. Well, it's always fun I spose.

[ajriding]

Gdetrailer wrote:

OK, that certainly is sending mixed messages to the OP.

On one hand you admit the OPs Pilot may be at the top of it's rated range and the other hand you are telling the OP that it might be cheaper to continue on using their Pilot until the end of it's life in spite of it's maxed out capability and "white Knuckle driving experience in order to "save some money" on trade out time.

Saving them a couple of pennies loss in a vehicle UPGRADE now most likely will result in HUGE losses in money down the road continuing to use the Pilot at it's max capability..

The cost could be transmission, brakes, engine, cooling system and many other high wear parts at the most inopportune time.?

Always someone that wants to say doing anything is dangerous and you could die! Might be the mask cutting off oxygen to the brain, lol...

You might be right, or might be wrong. Some cases you would be right, some cases you will be way off. It all really depends on each individual situation...
A full-timer driving 50,000 miles per year will want a big diesel 3/4 ton truck to pull a little trailer, but a person just going on a few short trips here and there will be fine with whatever will tow the trailer. It all depends. Not mixed signals, just sound advice to consider. For towing only short trips occasionally then coming out of pocket thousands and thousands (not pennies) to get an ample tow rig might not make any sense.

Repairs on the Pilot? Maybe none that are going to be unusual if minimal towing is involved. Brakes should never be an issue if the trailer has properly working brakes.
Transmission? Yes, it will wear out faster, but so will a trans on a 3/4 ton truck wear out faster from towing vs not towing. Everything wears out faster towing. This is not necessarily detrimental.
It all comes down to the math for how much towing is going to be done and if an upgrade makes sense for the extra cost. It may, or it may not.

[Bionic_Man]

The 3.0 diesels would be a good fit for you. If you are looking used, you are limited to the EcoDiesel. If you are wanting an SUV, you have eliminated the RAM 1500 and only have the Grand Cherokee remains. I have an EcoDiesel Grand Cherokee. Probably my favorite vehicle I have owned.

If you are willing to go new, GM's version of the 3.0 diesel will find its way into their full size SUVs.

[LVJJJ]

If you're worried about gas mileage, you are not having fun RV'ing. Fill 'er up and never look at the numbers on the gas pump.

Been towing for years, started with a 1965 Chevy Van (flat front) with a 292 inline 6. Towed 24' TT's all over western USA, believe it or not always got 10 mpg towing. Current TV is '94 GMC K1500 Suburban with new 383 stroker, 9.5 mpg towing go fast as I want except for steepest mountain passes then go about 52 mph in 2nd. (Keep it under 65 mph at all times). Love our 42 gallon gas tank.

[emilymoore]

I pull a 4000lb with a GMC 6.0 eng. Yukon Denali. It does a great job. You will lose speed on hills. you can also get help from the ***Link Removed***.

[Durb]

Durb wrote:
Look at the Canyon/Colorado pickups from General Motors with the 4 cylinder Duramax diesel. As I recall, Trailer Life magazine tested one with a Lance trailer behind it and reported results similar to what you are looking for. Mid size and available canopies may fill your other needs as well.

I did some research for you. Go to trailerlife.com, select 2020 towing guide then "over achievers" The truck with the small Duraxmax turned in 16.3 towing MPG with a 5,047# trailer. Not bad.

[BarabooBob]

I drive a 2011 F150 Supercrew cab, long bed with 3.5L EcoBoost, 6 speed as a daily driver & towing a 3500 pound TT. The truck is a max tow with all of the towing toys. When on the highway without the camper, doing 70 mpoh I get about 20 mppg. If I slow down on state roads I sometimes get 22 mpg. When towing, I get 9.5 to 11 mpg doing 60 mph. To stop some of the complainers, I stay off of the Interstate when possible so the slower speeds are not a problem most of the time. My adult kids love using the truck for road trips because the back seat area is huge and comfortable.

[Gdetrailer]

ajriding wrote:


It is less safe to have that Pilot towing at the top of it's rated range, than using a big truck or suv to tow at the low end of its range, but...

If the Pilot is towing it, though slow on hills and white knuckle at speed, then it may be cheaper to rag this vehicle out to the end of its life than to sell it and buy another vehicle.

OK, that certainly is sending mixed messages to the OP.

On one hand you admit the OPs Pilot may be at the top of it's rated range and the other hand you are telling the OP that it might be cheaper to continue on using their Pilot until the end of it's life in spite of it's maxed out capability and "white Knuckle driving experience in order to "save some money" on trade out time.

Saving them a couple of pennies loss in a vehicle UPGRADE now most likely will result in HUGE losses in money down the road continuing to use the Pilot at it's max capability..

The cost could be transmission, brakes, engine, cooling system and many other high wear parts at the most inopportune time.

However, the tragic cost may come at the expense of the OPs and or other motorists lives when that vehicle/trailer combo comes unhinged and causes an fatal accident.

If the OP does not feel comfortable driving a poorly handling tow vehicle combination then they should stop driving it and get a more capable vehicle that is more suited for their trailer.

SAFETY should come first, not money.

I have in the past driven poor tow vehicle/trailer combos, but I did not know better, it is not fun, it does not "save money" having to fix things that should not have broke and under the wrong conditions may test out and exceed the OPs driving skills beyond expectations.

A properly matched tow vehicle/trailer combo should never result in a white knuckle experience under normal circumstances (weather, driving conditions, at highway speed, ect).

A badly matched combo starts out from the beginning with poor handling and white knuckles below or near highway speeds. If OP does not feel comfortable at highway speeds then why tell them to continue driving this combination?

[Jebby14]

I have a 2016 f150 5L (super crew and 4x4)
wife has a 2017 explorer (3,5 NA)

mine:
was cheaper to buy (both bought new at end of the year)
is cheaper to insure
gets better gas milage (even with the 5L by quite a bit)
has more room
does more stuff
has a bigger backseat for the kids
tows better

last tow vehicle was a V8 jeep WJ (older grand cherokee)

and that's all with the 5.0L and the 6 speed.
current models are 10 speed, pairing that to the 3.5 eco is about as much fun as you can get out of a half ton.

[ajriding]

What mileage are you getting?
When towing, usually a big V8 with a lot of power, though it get horrible mpg's regularly, it will get good mpg compared to a smaller eco motor that has to work too hard when towing...
Do math, you will drive the vehicle more as a non-tow for regular life than you will for towing, ??? So, the over-all scheme is that the non-towing mpg will matter more than towing probably.

It is less safe to have that Pilot towing at the top of it's rated range, than using a big truck or suv to tow at the low end of its range, but...

If the Pilot is towing it, though slow on hills and white knuckle at speed, then it may be cheaper to rag this vehicle out to the end of its life than to sell it and buy another vehicle.

Any of the mid-sized trucks will tow this just fine (Tocoma, Frontier, Jeep, Colorado...) and their suv versions should be the same.

Diesels will get better mpg almost always, but diesel is now $1 more per gallon plus DEF for newer diesels, so that gain is lost in cost.