Flat towing vehicles

[Scorpio117]

Hello, I’m looking for some advice on a vehicle to flat tow (dinghy tow) behind my 24 foot Jayco. I have a list of cars that can be dinghy towed. If anyone knows, is there a big difference in towing a 4500 pound car versus a 3500 pound car? How different is the gas mileage and handling between these 2 vehicle weights?
Any advice/opinions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you. Lynda
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[LukeDagny]

I have one point of reference. A friend of mine tows a Grand Cherokee behind his Greyhawk. He said he looses 1 MPG. He's a cautious driver.

[Scorpio117]

Thank you, good to know. Not as bad as I thought.

[Stavman]

I dont notice mine hardly at all

[CAG]

Do a search using the search feature, or even Google and there are vast, threads on this topic covering flat towing, dingy towing et al.

[Scorpio117]

Thank you! Good to know

[DustyGeek]

I have a somewhat comparable real world example.

We towed a 2010 Toyota Prius and a 2016 Chevy Volt on a dolly, between the dolly and the vehicles, those were both around 3800 lbs. We then switched to flat towing a 2019 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited at the end of 2019, which weighted in at 4900lbs the last time I went over a scale.

All this was towed behind a 2018 Thor Miramar 37.1, which was on a V10 based 24K F53 with an 8k towing capacity.

I can say I didn’t notice any real difference in drivability when towing any of them.

Looking back at my data, it looks like I was getting 6.6-6.7 MPG in 2018 and 2019 (almost all Prius/Volt) and 6.1-6.2 in 2020 and 2021 (all Jeep). While a clear difference is towing the Jeep, it’s hard to say whether there are other differences to explain the difference in gas mileage (lighter/heavier foot, less/more mountains, less/more towing).

[Scorpio117]

I appreciate all of the information! I’m looking at either a Buick Enclave (4500 lbs) or a Chevy Equinox (3500ish lbs). Now with what you wrote I can consider both. Thanks again

[ependydad]

Once you pick the car, I found this article helpful for learning about everything that goes into picking a flat tow setup:

https://learntorv.com/flat-tow/

[Scorpio117]

Perfect, thank you

[201822j]

I tow a 2 door jeep wrangler. I use a footwell inertia braking system. It has a wireless monitor so I can see when it is applied. My E450 22j with V10 goes down to 8-9 mpg towing, so it costs me about 1 mpg to tow. I really don't notice much difference accelerating or stopping. The V10 is over kill without towing but just right with a tow. Every once in a while I'll notice the "Tail wagging the Dog" in strong cross winds but otherwise I think the drag helps the RV steer straighter down the Hwy. It stops well and pulling away at a light feels the same. I use a Blue Ox tow bar and a wireless lightbar on the jeep and the braking system is a Roadmaster Even Brake

[dvspl]

Assuming your Class C weighs about 14,500 loaded, I don't think the difference between 18,000 and 19,000 combined weight (~5% difference) will have much effect on gas mileage. Frontal plane area (wind resistance) likely has the biggest impact on gas mileage.

[Scorpio117]

Thank you. I love the picture of your RV and jeep, that’s exactly what I’m looking for.

[Scorpio117]

Good to know, thank you

[Joey55]

My flat tow is a little different. I flat tow a 2017 Smart Car and I can't even tell it's back there. Absolutely no gas mileage difference and I have to look in the rear monitor to tell it's still back there. I've towed all over the US with this car and never had a problem. I wouldn't like the hassle of using a tow dolly and this vehicle is so light it doesn't even require braking assistance.

[Scorpio117]

Thank you!