Tow Vechile - Pathfinder

[Looneytoon]

I have not been able to find much in the search engine................

Wondering how many of you use a Nissan Pathfinder to tow with.  I am considering purchasing one (240hp) to pull my PU into the mountains of NC and VA.

I have been using a Mazda 3000 2WD, but only has 160hp.  Some of the back mountain roads are pretty steep with lots of hairpin turns, so the Mazda was really struggling.

Thanks for any help you can offer..................

[fritz_monroe]

I don't have a Pathfinder, but I don't think you are going to have any problems towing with a Pathfinder.  What are you towing?

[Recumbentman]

I myself have been looking at this SUV and the Ford Explorer. My concern with the pathfinder is that the specs. state that it takes premium unleaded, instead of the cheaper unleaded. you can get the Explorer with the V8 and get the same gas mileage as the pathfinders V6. The 4runner would be my 3rd pick.

[homecrew]

We have a 2001 Pathfinder LE 2WD V6 3.5L. This sounds like what you are mentioning. We pulled a 2001 Rockwood 2280 most everywhere. We only ran into an issue with coming down a steep grade mountain where we ended up pulling over and letting the brakes cool down a bit before continuing.
 
When we moved up to a hybrid we did need to get a more powerful engine and tow vehicle, though. We pulled the hybrid with the Pathfinder for a small timeframe but it was not as comfortable as I would like.

[Looneytoon]

I will be pulling the Tracker and I am estimating the tow weight of the pu to be around 2400 lbs of trailer and items loaded in the trailer.

Thanks for your input...........................

[flyfisherman]

I use to tow a 96' Coleman/Fleetwood  "Yukon" (about 2500 GVWR)  with a GMC Sonoma, 4.3 V-6, automatic, 3.42 AXLE, H.D. suspension - many considerable places in the eastern Tennessee & western North Carolina mountains. That 4.3 V-6 had some serious low RPM torque to it, i.e., it would reach it's max torque at 2800 rpm (if I remember correctly, 180 hp). For mountain grade climbing it did it's job well.
 
Know nothing about the performance of Nissan's V-6,  but maybe the above will give a little bench mark.



Fly

[brainpause]

I use to tow a 96' Coleman/Fleetwood  "Yukon" (about 2500 GVWR)  with a GMC Sonoma, 4.3 V-6, automatic, 3.42 AXLE, H.D. suspension - many considerable places in the eastern Tennessee & western North Carolina mountains. That 4.3 V-6 had some serious low RPM torque to it, i.e., it would reach it's max torque at 2800 rpm (if I remember correctly, 180 hp). For mountain grade climbing it did it's job well.
 
Know nothing about the performance of Nissan's V-6,  but maybe the above will give a little bench mark.



Fly

For the 1995 models, the 4.3 had 160 HP and 235 ft-lb of torque. I had one in my 95 S10 and loved the cubic inches. Had a 3.08 rear, and it was a dog to tow something. Although I did tow too much.

I could be wrong on the rear end gearing, but that's what I remember. It also might have been the 3.42. I just know it was a little tall for some trailers.

Speaking of, here is an interesting comparison, and why you CAN'T depend on engine size to determine your tow ratings:

1995 S10      V6 4.3L 300/3000# tongue/tow rating
1998 Frontier I4  2.4L 350/3500# tongue/tow rating

The difference? Only about 20HP, and around 50-70 ft-lb of torque. The real difference? A 3.08 (or 3.42) rear on the S10 vs. 4.37 on the Frontier.

Larry

[homecrew]

I would say that we were in the 2,500 lb range. The popup with the options and a/c was around 2100. We had it packed and carried wood so it added a bit of pounds. We also had the two of us, our daughter and 2 dogs in the car at the time with a bike usually riding on top of the Pathfinder. It was still pretty much a breeze except for some of the mountains like the one going up to Bear Den. I just had to lower the gear and take my time.
 
The hybrid on the other hand start at 4,000 lbs. That, along with all that we carry, really taxed the engine where I was always wanting more power.

[flyfisherman]

For the 1995 models, the 4.3 had 160 HP and 235 ft-lb of torque. I had one in my 95 S10 and loved the cubic inches. Had a 3.08 rear, and it was a dog to tow something. Although I did tow too much.

I could be wrong on the rear end gearing, but that's what I remember. It also might have been the 3.42. I just know it was a little tall for some trailers.

Speaking of, here is an interesting comparison, and why you CAN'T depend on engine size to determine your tow ratings:

1995 S10      V6 4.3L 300/3000# tongue/tow rating
1998 Frontier I4  2.4L 350/3500# tongue/tow rating

The difference? Only about 20HP, and around 50-70 ft-lb of torque. The real difference? A 3.08 (or 3.42) rear on the S10 vs. 4.37 on the Frontier.

Larry

If that '95 S-10 had a 3000# tow rating, then I would agree it must have been a dog. Was it a standard tranny?

If I recall correctly, my Sonoma had a 6400# tow rating!


Fly

[brainpause]

If that '95 S-10 had a 3000# tow rating, then I would agree it must have been a dog. Was it a standard tranny?

If I recall correctly, my Sonoma had a 6400# tow rating!


Fly

Yes, it had the standard tranny.

But I must politely say that I think you are mistaken about the 6400# rating. I doubt I would have put 6000# behind mine, even if the gearing was right. That would be a lot of weight on an S10.

I do know some later models had ratings around 5000 or 5500.

Larry

[flyfisherman]

Yes, it had the standard tranny.

But I must politely say that I think you are mistaken about the 6400# rating.

Larry

Well, what I had was a 2000 Sonoma and I've already listed what it had ... 4.3 V-6, automatic, H.D. suspension.

Here, ckeck it out for yourself ~


http://www.trailerlife.com/towratings/tr_index.cfm


Scroll down to the S-10/Sonoma equiped as I've described.

[wynot]

If the Pathfinder has the engine from the Maxima, yeah, it'll take premium.  From the folks around me that have them, everyone of them complains about the gas mileage - makes our V-8 Tahoe a fuel economy and power champ running on regular.  One of them gets about 9 mpg (not towing) - according to them, they're getting rid of it.

[campingcop]

I had a 98 Pathfinder that was used to pull my Jayco Sg10 for 4yrs and also pulled my Coyote hybrid for 1 year.   It had a V6 not sure what the HP was but I know that the HP was increased with the new models.

[Wild Wild Qwest]

The newer 4.0L Pathfinders are rated to tow 6000lbs. You should be fine towing your Tracker. However, I would suggest finding out the true weight of the pop up to be sure and purchase enough tow vehicle now so you can support a larger trailer in the future, if necessary. Then, if/when you decide to buy something larger and heavier, you won't need to buy another TV.  

Did I mention that we love our Mountaineer!

Good luck!

[homecrew]

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