Towing 4 Wheels Down

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4ducksrus

4ducksrus

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Joined
Nov 17, 2010
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814
Which cars can be towed 4 wheels down without talling miles on the odometer?
 
Generally, any car that can be towed 4 down with an electronic odometer won't show the towed miles.  There are some others with mechanical odometers as well, but I don't know of any comprehensive list.  Do you have any specific cars in mind?
 
The Motorhome Magazine Dinghy Towing Guide lists all the vehicles that can be towed without mods. A great many more can be towed with the use of a transmission lube pump or driveshaft disconnect. Almost none of them accumulate miles while towing (I say almost, because I don't have feedback on every single model). Electronic speedos don't accumulate miles when the engine isn't running and I don't know of any vehicles made in the last 10 years with a mechanical speedo. There's probably one somewhere, but I haven't heard of it.

http://www.motorhomemagazine.com/dinghytowingguide/
 
Our 2006 Saturn Vue manual tranny.

But we do have to stop every 7 hours and run the engine, hubby said its to oil, humm, forget what it is, but I'm guessing something in the transmission, just run it for 3 minutes or so. I will ask him in the morning.
 
I tow a 2003 Toyota Tacoma.
Owners manual says not to, but you can. I have towed mine over 8,000 miles with no problem.
Just put the transfer case in neutral, transmission in Park, unlock steering wheel and be on your way!
 
The problem with towing a vehicle that is not designed for it is that you don't know what long term damage you may be doing. The issue is heat and wear in the transmission due to lack of internal lubrication. You may be able to tow for many thousands of miles, but you may also be shortening the life of your transmission by 10's of thousand s of miles at the same time. I don't know if that is the case with Nomad's Tacoma, but it is always a risk if the manufacturer does not approve towing.  An example: Honda allowed 4-down towing for years but back in 2006 Honda decided they were experiencing too many transmission failures and now prohibit towing except on one model (the CRV).
 
Thanks Gary, good to know.  It seems to be that the toad most used is the CRV, so I'm assuming there must be some merit there.  Do you know if when towing the CRV is it accumulating miles?  That seems to be one of the questions that no one seems to address.  Thanks again.
 
The CRV does not accumulate miles on the odometer, nor does most any modern car with an electronic odo/speedo.

I don't know that the CRV is the most used toad, but it is a very popular one. There are many others available, though. Ford and GM have quite a few models that are towable without modifications.
 
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