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Rodfac View Drop Down
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Joined: 12 May 2017
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Posts: 3 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Tow Vehicles, Keep what you have or Upgrade?
    Posted: 07 Apr 2018 at 8:20am
We've got a 2107 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 5.7L Hemi engine...towing capacity is 7000 lbs. Our 178 tows easily behind it using an E2 Trunnion 6k WDH. We've got 6000 miles of towing it now, from here in Ky to New England, and most recently, a trip out to Nevada and back through Texas. Fuel economy averaged ~14 mpg for the entire trip when towing at 60-61 mph. When not towing, the Jeep averages 18.5 mpg around town, and ~21 on the Interstates at 70 mph.

This combination, (the Jeep with its big engine, and a trailer that weighs ~3400 lbs), is a good one for us...easily controllable, even in stiff cross winds and with plenty of umph for the western mountains. 

Rod
La Grange, KY
2017 R-178; TV: 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee w/5.7L Hemi
Thank a vet for your freedoms, not a politician, nor "community organizer".
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mcarter View Drop Down
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Joined: 07 Apr 2016
Location: Greenbrier, TN
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Posts: 3419 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Dec 2017 at 5:15pm
Here's the Ford stats:

3.3L V6: 290 hp, 265 lb-ft

2.7L V6: 325 hp, 400 lb-ft

5.0L V8: 395 hp, 400 lb-ft

3.5L V6: 375 hp, 470 lb-ft
Mike Carter
2015 178
" I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability."
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LvyaRain View Drop Down
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Joined: 30 May 2017
Location: Oregon
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Posts: 10 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Dec 2017 at 4:30pm
Congrats on your 190...and thanks for your info on the RTL-T.  Happy trails. 
Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. Ferris Bueller
Honda Ridgeline AWD
Future: RainPod 179 or 182G
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GlueGuy View Drop Down
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Joined: 15 May 2017
Location: N. California
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Posts: 2660 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Dec 2017 at 1:59pm
Originally posted by Olddawgsrule

The F-150, V6 or V8? Eco or not?

I like the V6 Eco, but that whole turbo-charger thing hits me as equal when it comes to MPG to a straight V8.
A friend has one, gets great mpg, but he doesn't tow...
The 3.5L EcoBoost will blow the doors off the V8. Don't get me wrong, the V8 is great, but the 3.5L EB has at least 100 ft-lbs more torque at 1500 RPM as the V8, and the torque curve is flat almost all the way to redline. It pulls "like" a diesel without the added expense.

I know a lot of people will express the turbos add complexity and reliability issues, but I think these feelings are overblown. Diesel engines, almost all now in production, are turbocharged, yet you never hear the same issues brought up with them. In addition, big rigs are pretty much all turbo-diesels, and they go for hundreds of thousands of miles. I would say all the early (meaning 20+ years ago) issues with turbochargers has been worked out in the time since.

BTW - The 2.7L EcoBoost is no slouch either. The only issue I have with it is very low compression braking ability (not enough cubes to help much).
bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost
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Leo B View Drop Down
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Joined: 13 Jan 2012
Location: Lyndonville, VT
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Posts: 4517 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Dec 2017 at 11:30am
Back from our Cape Hatteras trip. It went excellent. We average 13.5 to 14.5 mpg down and back. It handled great, was passing vehicles going up some of the large hills on I-81 and I -64. 
Really happy with the extra room and towing ability.
Leo & Melissa Bachand
2017 Ford F150
2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk
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2015 Rpod 179
2010 Rpod 171
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RichF View Drop Down
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Joined: 17 Nov 2017
Location: South Carolina
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Posts: 5 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Dec 2017 at 11:01am
Originally posted by LvyaRain

Has anyone tried a 2017 or 2018 Honda Ridgeline AWD with a 179 Rpod?
3.5 liter direct-injected SOHC-VTEC V6 engine
280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque.
It's rated to tow 5000 pounds.

Tow Vehicle Roundup had a good review, but r-pod owners forum are the REAL "testers!"

Do any of ya'll have a Ridgeline? 

I have a 2017 Ridgeline RLT-T AWD. I just purchased a 190 last week and only have about 75 towing miles with the RL.  I towed mostly on flat land and some hills and got 16.5 mpg on the mpg gauge.  I don’t have a lot of experience towing but the RL accelerated and stopped well. On some hills it did drop down a gear. I really like the RL it has the benefits of a truck and rides like a Cadillac. Honda does not recommend a WDH and I have not installed one.  I have a 2” drop ball mount and Pod and RL line up well the tongue weight  does not drop the RL rear much.
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dr2428 View Drop Down
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Joined: 13 Aug 2016
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Posts: 70 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Dec 2017 at 6:28am
Search the forum for Ridgeline and you'll find several entries and I think most are happy with it's performance. Just don't expect high performance. We tow our 179 with a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe with 290HP and a 5000lb tow rating. It does very well, I can maintain 60-65 uphill and it feels very stable with the Equalizer hitch. We have a situation that limits us to an SUV otherwise I would have a 1/2 ton pickup at minimum. I've only been on 100 mile or less trips but am confident I could travel with my setup, I think it would be meager in the mountains. Don't believe the faction that says the truck is the only way but they have a point, a truck is a better option if possible. I've only checked the mileage once and got 13-14mpg.
2017 RPod 179
2018 Chevy Colorado Z71 4x4
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LvyaRain View Drop Down
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Joined: 30 May 2017
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Posts: 10 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Dec 2017 at 3:11pm
Has anyone tried a 2017 or 2018 Honda Ridgeline AWD with a 179 Rpod?
3.5 liter direct-injected SOHC-VTEC V6 engine
280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque.
It's rated to tow 5000 pounds.

Tow Vehicle Roundup had a good review, but r-pod owners forum are the REAL "testers!"

Do any of ya'll have a Ridgeline? 
Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. Ferris Bueller
Honda Ridgeline AWD
Future: RainPod 179 or 182G
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Joe-n-Terri View Drop Down
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Joined: 12 Oct 2014
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Posts: 53 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 2017 at 8:32pm
Late addition to this thread, actually haven't been on forum much since the FB group got going, thought everyone had moved. Anyways we decided on a 2014 Town and Country with factory tow package and 2015 179. Like the others it did ok for local (Florida), stuff and I would get between 12 and 15 mpg towing and 29 highway not towing. Took a trip out west, not camping and while driving my sister Arcadia through the mountains around Phoenix I thought no way will I be comfortable out here in the T&C. A few months later we run across a good deal on a 15 Ram Crewcab Eco diesel so we upgraded. We just got back from a 2000 mile round trip from Florida to Tennessee to Michigan and back and I averaged 15.5 pulling the 179 and I get 30 highway not towing with all the torque in the world. Now that we have extra towing capabilities we're thinking of upgrading the camper as well. 
Joe & Terri
2015 179
2015 Ram 1500 crew cab/ eco diesel
2005 Ram 1500/ Tekonsha Controller
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mjlrpod View Drop Down
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Joined: 27 Sep 2016
Location: Massachusetts
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Posts: 1215 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Sep 2017 at 12:39pm
I also have a 4L 6cyl Frontier. I dont climb any huge mountains, but i do travel the western mass, Upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire area, which is a little mountainous, and I can make the continuous climbs fairly easily. I can gain speed as i climb if i want, or i can just stay fairly steady. I have never gone above 4000 R.P.M. and rarely ever reach that. when i climb the passes in these areas i find that about 3200 R.P.M. gets me thru anything. Obviously on the mostly flat lands i travel near the beaches and coastline are super easy to travel. If i drove in mountains everyday, I probably would want my NEXT vehicle to do a little better, but i'm totally happy with my T.V.
2017.5 Rp-172
2020 R-pod 195
2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl
I'll be rpodding
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