New owner of 171

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   I haven't had any problems with sway either, but I added a friction sway control just as a safety measure. It seems to make it squiggle less when the wind hits it hard, but otherwise you don't even notice it (until it gets wet and then it makes squeaky noises).

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bhamster Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 19 May 2011 Location: Washington Online Status: Offline Posts: 165	Topic: New owner of 171 Posted: 30 May 2011 at 10:02am
	I haven't had any problems with sway either, but I added a friction sway control just as a safety measure. It seems to make it squiggle less when the wind hits it hard, but otherwise you don't even notice it (until it gets wet and then it makes squeaky noises).

Kickstart Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 20 Sep 2010 Location: Ocean Shores, W Online Status: Offline Posts: 267	Posted: 29 May 2011 at 5:09pm
	Hey bhamster & g4royce. I had some good luck with the Derale transmission cooler. I put about 100,000 miles on a '92 S10. A good deal of it was towing a 20' Layton, which was a bit of a reach for the S10. I had a Derale, which is a stacked plate design and a little better quality than your standard over the counter cooler. The transmission on the S10 never gave me any trouble-no burned fluid, no shifting problems, nothing.

g4royce Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 20 Nov 2010 Location: PortStLucie FL Online Status: Offline Posts: 335	Posted: 29 May 2011 at 4:30pm
	Nope. Just the factory hitch rated for 3000lbs. It tows really level and I haven't noticed any sway at all, even when towing through wind and rain.
	ChaiPod 2009 RP152 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe 3.5L V6

bhamster Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 19 May 2011 Location: Washington Online Status: Offline Posts: 165	Posted: 29 May 2011 at 4:24pm
	I'm probably around the max (2700), but since there are no structural differences between the 2.5i and H6, I'm not too worried about approaching 3000 for short distances. I think they bumped it down to 2700 because it wouldn't be much fun towing more, not because it's unsafe. In fact, the exact same Subaru outback is rated for almost 4000lbs in Europe. I just don't put anything in the back of the outback (except my 40lb dog) so that the tongue weight doesn't become an issue. The suspension drops a little bit, but it handles the weight pretty well. I'm only planning on using the outback for a few years until we get a bigger car. It's just not in the budget right now and this seems to work for now. Are you using any sway control?

techntrek Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9062	Posted: 29 May 2011 at 4:23pm
	With 250 horsepower, relax. My minivan is rated for 3500 pounds and only has 215 horsepower.
	Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual

g4royce Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 20 Nov 2010 Location: PortStLucie FL Online Status: Offline Posts: 335	Posted: 29 May 2011 at 3:59pm
	I actually traded in my 2.5i just a few days before I bought the Pod. I was worried the 4cyl wouldn't pull it. I'm actually still pretty nervous pulling with the H6 but I don't have much experience towing with anything else and everyone is telling me to relax. I'm still glad I went up to the H6 though, it has a higher tow rating (3000) and quite a bit more HP (~250). You must be pulling right at your max tow rating I would guess. I get about 26MPG highway not towing, and about 12MPG towing. 12MPG seems to be what everyone gets no matter what you tow with which is interesting to me. I think the bigger tow vehicle just means less wear and tear on the vehicle. I'm going to order the Derale cooler this week and get a friend to help me install it. Then I'm going to enjoy Podding this summer and stop worrying about wrecking my transmission :)
	ChaiPod 2009 RP152 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe 3.5L V6

bhamster Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 19 May 2011 Location: Washington Online Status: Offline Posts: 165	Posted: 29 May 2011 at 3:05pm
	g4royce- How much of a difference was there between the 2.5i and H6? Has your MPG changed at all? We used a Derale 8000 series transmission cooler. It just goes in front of the radiator and you splice it into the return line from the stock cooler (so it goes through both). I found some instructions online that showed you how to do it by removing the grill. Well on mine (2008) the grill doesn't come off unless you remove the bumper first. So rather than take the entire front of my car apart I slid the cooler through the vent opening by the license plate and did more of an arthroscopic surgery. My hands hurt like hell from contorting them through the opening, but the install went smoothly and everything is working well. It probably took 2 hours to do the whole install. Make sure to buy some extra subaru ATF though.

g4royce Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 20 Nov 2010 Location: PortStLucie FL Online Status: Offline Posts: 335	Posted: 29 May 2011 at 2:05pm
	I'm towing with a Subaru also but I traded my 2.5i in for the 3.0L engine. I'm kinda glad I did too. My next move is to add a transmission cooler. What kind did you get? Any comments would be appreciated.
	ChaiPod 2009 RP152 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe 3.5L V6

Kickstart Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 20 Sep 2010 Location: Ocean Shores, W Online Status: Offline Posts: 267	Posted: 23 May 2011 at 12:19am
	Over the years we've done all of Judd's five star parks, and they're all good! My wife loves Cape Disappointment-make sure you visit the Lewis/Clark Interpretive Center. Her favorite of all, though is Pearrygin in the fall-see Judd's back cover. We did the North Cascades Loop last fall-Deception Pass, Pearrygin, Steamboat, and Lake Easton. That's a wonderful camping trip with 3 great parks, but the passes are tough to pull. We are pretty lucky in this state, as there are so many nice places to camp.

bhamster Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 19 May 2011 Location: Washington Online Status: Offline Posts: 165	Posted: 22 May 2011 at 10:06pm
	Thanks for the suggestions. I just checked out those campgrounds and they look fantastic. Let us know how Kalaloch goes. It's funny you suggested Judd's book since that's the first thing we bought after getting the pod. It's been very useful already. We're going to try and visit all of the five-star campgrounds in his book.