Towing big with the Path

Any topics related to 2005-2012 R51

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NYPathfinder
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Postby NYPathfinder » Mon Apr 04, 2011 3:04 pm

Towed my friends mustang around. Had about 30 psi.in the bags. I also have a 2.5in lift so I think my rear is a little stiffer. But it handled it better then I expected.
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volvite
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Postby volvite » Mon Apr 04, 2011 7:14 pm

kazeej wrote:
kazeej wrote: I installed mine last night. Riding to work this morning, I did notice it to be a little firmer. Could be all in my head - just knowing it should feel different makes it feel different. We'll see how it does this weekend. We're going tent camping. We carry about 400 lbs of gear with us. The first time we took the Pathy, I noticed it kinda dragged its butt when I loaded all the gear in the back. We'll see how she does this time.
OK, so we went camping and, as promised, here’s my report on how the AirLift bags performed. I weighed everything before it went into the truck, so I would know how much weight I would be carrying. The total was 782 lbs. Adding two people put us right at the max load specification. I had 30 psi in the bags, and left the rear tires at the normal 34 psi. On the 250 mile trip up, I could feel that the truck weighed a lot more – braking distance had increased, acceleration was a little slower, etc. I noticed a little bit extra body roll when going around turns, and the rear end was a little soft, but overall, it just felt like a loaded truck.
For the trip back home, I raised the air bags to 35 psi, and the rear tires to 40 psi. The difference was remarkable. There was almost no leaning in turns, and the overall feel of the truck was much more stable.
The AirLift bags did a very nice job at leveling the truck and making it very stable, even when loaded at capacity. Probably the best $85.00 I’ve spent.
The next test will be when I tow my 17’ heavy pig of a bass boat. Stay tuned…
Great feedback. More proof that these bags are needed.

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thejean
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Postby thejean » Sun Apr 24, 2011 9:10 pm

glockshooter wrote:For you guys with the lift bags, do they effect the ride? I use my pathfinder to haul wood pellets for our stove. I make 2 trips per ton, so I'm throwing 1000lbs in the rear at a time. My former ride, a ford explorer, did it no problem. The pathfinder, with 1400lbs of capacity, seems like it really squats. I'm figuring GVW minus the curb weight, so I should be within capacity. Should I add bags before my next load?
Not really. And I always left mine inflated, even in winter.

pbradley
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Great tow vehicle

Postby pbradley » Sun May 01, 2011 10:58 am

I have a 2009 V6 4WD S model. I also have an '07 Forest River Surveyor 264 with 4200# dry weight. We live in Colorado Springs and only increase in elevation when nwe go camping. This truck is a great tow vehicle, so far ahving onloy been 3 times (we just bought the trailer last year). Like many of you, I bought the PF because I like a functional daily driver and it has great towing specs as well as reviews. So far I always average 11.5 mpg on trips. These trips are into the mountains and the mpg is average for the trip both ways. We plan on camping every couple weeks with most trips being < 2 hours driving one way. I never break 60 mph and have an Equalizer hitch with WD and AS. So all of this to say, has anyone had any issues with towing heavier weights at higher altitudes? I plan to get the KN CAI to inclrease air flow but other than less air, I can't understand any reason altitude affects tow ratings. I am running Mobile Ultra 1 synthetic for motor oil and the rest of the fluids are still stock. I also thought about trying one of these throttle body spacers. I hear between the CAI and the TBS, I may be able to get 2 - 4 mpg additional as well as 15-30 HP and additional torque. So with all of that, any advice?

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disallow
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Re: Great tow vehicle

Postby disallow » Mon May 02, 2011 6:38 am

pbradley wrote:I have a 2009 V6 4WD S model. I also have an '07 Forest River Surveyor 264 with 4200# dry weight. We live in Colorado Springs and only increase in elevation when nwe go camping. This truck is a great tow vehicle, so far ahving onloy been 3 times (we just bought the trailer last year). Like many of you, I bought the PF because I like a functional daily driver and it has great towing specs as well as reviews. So far I always average 11.5 mpg on trips. These trips are into the mountains and the mpg is average for the trip both ways. We plan on camping every couple weeks with most trips being < 2 hours driving one way. I never break 60 mph and have an Equalizer hitch with WD and AS. So all of this to say, has anyone had any issues with towing heavier weights at higher altitudes? I plan to get the KN CAI to inclrease air flow but other than less air, I can't understand any reason altitude affects tow ratings. I am running Mobile Ultra 1 synthetic for motor oil and the rest of the fluids are still stock. I also thought about trying one of these throttle body spacers. I hear between the CAI and the TBS, I may be able to get 2 - 4 mpg additional as well as 15-30 HP and additional torque. So with all of that, any advice?
Couple questions:

1. what fuel do you run?
2. have you considered bullydog or superchips tuners that have a tune specific for towing?
3. is your trans cooler bypassed?

We tow a 2007 Keystone Passport 280BH, dry weight 4508lbs. Loaded, its about 5500lbs. I live in the flat prairie, and have to say I would not be terribly comfortable doing mountains or high altitudes with this setup. Though it does get awfully windy here, which contributes to the towing experience. I also have a WD hitch, and run Airlift 1000 bags in the rear.

If its really windy, I will often gear down to 3rd to ensure I'm not losing speed and to prevent the transmission from hunting for gears.

t

07SECrownie
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Postby 07SECrownie » Tue May 03, 2011 11:34 am

We plan on towing our '97 Crownline 202 bowrider with our 07 Pathfinder. It wieghs 3100 dry and I was thinking it would be 4500# with the boat loaded down and ready to go for the weekend. Also, we will have camping equipment in the PF with possibly 4 people total. Seems to meet all of our needs.

Hopefully I can install the transcooler bypass here soon abd get the Airlift 1000's in.

Brokentoy1
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Postby Brokentoy1 » Tue May 03, 2011 8:41 pm

07SECrownie wrote:We plan on towing our '97 Crownline 202 bowrider with our 07 Pathfinder. It wieghs 3100 dry and I was thinking it would be 4500# with the boat loaded down and ready to go for the weekend. Also, we will have camping equipment in the PF with possibly 4 people total. Seems to meet all of our needs.

Hopefully I can install the transcooler bypass here soon abd get the Airlift 1000's in.
I have a Baja 212, and we pull it all over the place with our Pathfinder. The boats dry weight is 3,550 and I am guessing on the trailer, loaded it is very close to 5,000. Our truck is a bone stock 2010 V6 4x4.

07SECrownie
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Postby 07SECrownie » Wed May 04, 2011 6:35 am

Yeah we did a bunch of research and found that the Xterra would be a tad small so I convinced the wife to like a PF. I think the max trailer length from Nissan is said 18' for X and 22' for PF. I wouldn't think the boat would be too much for it. I have drove my fair share of sketchy vehicles and I understand the limits of them, so I will be able to drive it safely.

Thanks for the response.

CPLTECH
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Postby CPLTECH » Wed May 04, 2011 11:28 am

I took our 20’ Jayco Hawk [~2800#] last fall for the first time with the 2006 PF. For some unknown reason the engineers thought it best not to allow 4th gear torq converter to engage fully while towing. For that reason, the PF got about the same MPG at 60-62 as the larger 98 Tahoe. I had an S10 Blazer that did slightly better, but the more I reflect back, the temp gauge would start to climb if I stayed above 57MPH. That scenario makes me think that wind resistance drastically increases above 55. I was intrigued by some comments in an R-Pod trailer forum [a trailer that resembles an old-time upside down bathtub] where mileage did not improve as they were led to believe. Some computer aerodynamic tests were done that showed increased resistance above 55 despite the design. So this summer, I will see if I do better at 55, despite the slippage and heat producing slop of 4th gear. You can be sure that the next vehicle TC lock-up will be questioned before purchase.

07SECrownie
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Postby 07SECrownie » Wed May 04, 2011 5:19 pm

Side note, where in ohio are you CPLTech? I am in Fairfield Twp.

CPLTECH
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Postby CPLTECH » Wed May 04, 2011 6:03 pm

07SECrownie wrote:Side note, where in ohio are you .
Look in your PM box

07SECrownie
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Postby 07SECrownie » Sun May 08, 2011 5:47 pm

The boat hooked up to the PF.

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volvite
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Postby volvite » Sun May 08, 2011 8:09 pm

Nice. Wish I was going boating with you. :D

07SECrownie
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Postby 07SECrownie » Mon May 23, 2011 4:43 am

Got the AirLift 1000 installed and it helps a bunch, towing at 70 on the highway last nice with some strong crass winds, 45 mph.

Install was real easy and helped a bucnh.

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NYPathfinder
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Postby NYPathfinder » Mon May 23, 2011 6:45 am

picking up my parents boat from the shop that fixed it. I believe its a 24ft four winns.I could be wrong on the length.also not so sure on the overall weight but you can tell it was back there. When I picked it up the guys actually asked me if i was gonna use my truck to pull it.They didnt think i would be able to lol
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