Tow Vechile - Pathfinder

[wynot]

9 mpg?? Wow, that's terrible. I get 19 not towing and I was getting 11-12 when I was towing the popup.

I'm just passing on what I was told by them.  My Tahoe does a lot better than that and usually gets over 15 towing with 3 bikes mounted on the front of the Tahoe.

[Looneytoon]

All great points, here.

I was considering the Tahoe, but is was a little over my budget.  Besides that, is was way too big for the wife.  She really liked the Pathfinder and it has pretty good resale value.  It will run fine on regular gasoline around town and on flat runs.  Premium is recommended for full/better performance and will be used whenever we make a trip into the mountains.

It has 240hp with the AT and will give me my 25% safety gap.  So, I picked one up.

I have read in many spots on these forums about moving to a larger trailer at some point.  Our plans in that area would be moving up to a 5th wheel and we are planning to buy a new diesel truck and trailer in about 3 years.  Who knows what will have changed by then..............

Thanks so much for all of your help!!!

[wynot]

All great points, here.
 
I was considering the Tahoe, but is was a little over my budget. Besides that, is was way too big for the wife. She really liked the Pathfinder and it has pretty good resale value. It will run fine on regular gasoline around town and on flat runs. Premium is recommended for full/better performance and will be used whenever we make a trip into the mountains.
 
It has 240hp with the AT and will give me my 25% safety gap. So, I picked one up.

Unfortunately, there does tend to be reality with the regular vs. premium requirement.  As the engine gets more miles on it, it tends to let you know that it isn't happy running on regular - my Audi which is designed for either (premium preferred), downshifts a lot more on regular than on premium, and tends to get a little less fuel economy on regular.  I work near DC and live in the mountains in Western MD, and drive it every day.
 
If you live around Charlotte, you'll be running premium all the time...otherwise merging onto 77 or 85 will take years from your life.     (We lived in Columbia for years).

[fritz_monroe]

... with 3 bikes mounted on the front of the Tahoe.

Not to steal the thread, but how are these mounted?  We will need to do this on our Armada soon and I want to figure out how I'll do it before the time comes.  And do you cover the bikes to avoid the bugs?

[wynot]

Not to steal the thread, but how are these mounted? We will need to do this on our Armada soon and I want to figure out how I'll do it before the time comes. And do you cover the bikes to avoid the bugs?

Hi Fritz,
 
Since the Tahoe is based on a short wheelbase Chevy pickup, I can use a front receiver hitch with a standard bike rack.  I don't know if Titans have front receivers available or not.
 
Bugs aren't that big a problem, but you get a whole new set of things to deal with.  Bike racks move side to side and front to back a lot.  The first 10 miles I drove with it was extremely terrifying, until I got my strapping just right and it didn't move.  Need to rachet strap it down and tight to the recovery hooks on the front.  It also extends the front end out about 3 ft.  I had two locations I could mount the receiver hitch, higher or lower.  Difference of about 4 inches.  I chose lower, which makes me very aware of how far down it is, but it also keeps the tops of the bikes lower too, they sit at about an inch to two inches above the hood line.  Amazing just how much lower the front receiver sits than the rear one.
 
And of course, it does not help your night lighting in the rain.  Normal driving, you can easily see turn signals and lights, but it does block some of your headlight illumination on wet, dark nights.

[Dog]

Looneytoon
The pathfinder will work good but a few modifications that should be made,,drilled/slotted rotors & ceramic pads,this will increase breaking on hills,if you dont have trailer brakes please get some,anytime you're
towing 1/2 the weight of the tow vehicle you need breaks,especialy if towing in mountains,,I tow my pup-up with an extended cab silverado(5.3 295hp v8)no breaks,and get 18 mpg on the highway(including family and firewood),I also have a s10 blazer(190hp vortec)I only get 13 mpg(without family and firewood)I dont feel comfortable towing distance,,if you'll be doing alot of camping(more than 3-4 trips)you might want to consider something a little larger,I just went last week to chicago and towed back a car and truck was full of parts,,still got 16.5mpg,,,,the pathfinder is a good vehicle just use good discretion,,,,,,,,,You will get alot of advice here,alot good and a lot bad
and of course the ones that know it all,,,good luck and have a great camping season,,,
,and to the s10 folks, 4.3 are 160 hp,4.3 vortecs are 190 hp,it is the gear that makes the diference,,,

[wynot]

Looneytoon
The pathfinder will work good but a few modifications that should be made,,drilled/slotted rotors & ceramic pads,this will increase breaking on hills

I would hope that anyone towing would downshift their transmission rather than use their brakes going down mountains to keep the speed under control.  My brakes are used on the highway only to slow down for exit ramps, the occasional person forcing a rapid speed adjustment, and emergencies.

[Dog]

I would hope that anyone towing would downshift their transmission rather than use their brakes going down mountains to keep the speed under control.  My brakes are used on the highway only to slow down for exit ramps, the occasional person forcing a rapid speed adjustment, and emergencies.

And I hope you in front of me on that exit ramp,,,,,,,,,,,

[flyfisherman]

and to the s10 folks, 4.3 are 160 hp,4.3 vortecs are 190 hp,it is the gear that makes the diference,,,

Golly gee ... and here all the time I thought the GM Vortec 4.3 (90 degree) 160hp  V-6 engine came out in 1985!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_Vortec_engine#4300


Like you said ... there are sure some know-it-alls on this board for sure.


Fly