Noob Intro

#13

Good info here!

Speaking of trailers, what do you guys use as a tow vehicle? I have a small truck with a towing capcity of 5000 lb, but I’m guessing a trailer plus a 2700+ lb car will get close to that limit.

#14

[quote=“Hank24” post=58040]Orginally, I thought SM was the way to go but talking with some BMW guys it seems like se30 is more of a “Spec” class. This appeals to me since I just want to go out and have fun driving.[/quote]Matt -

Come find me at Garage #17 at Charlotte. I have experience in both series and love them both. I wouldn’t say one is more spec than the other. There is a wide variety of budget and talent in each. Both can be a hell of a lot of fun.

#15

[quote=“MLC” post=58088]Good info here!

Speaking of trailers, what do you guys use as a tow vehicle? I have a small truck with a towing capcity of 5000 lb, but I’m guessing a trailer plus a 2700+ lb car will get close to that limit.[/quote]
This is not something to toy with. I’ve gone thru 4 tow vehicles, each one with more capacity than the last. You can never have enough towing capacity. And unless someone is pulling their car on a dolly, I probably have the lightest load in SpecE30 because my trailer is so small.

The trailer only has to wag your ass once on a descent before you start thinking about a dually with sway control and load levelers.

You can get a decent 1/2ton pickup for beer money these days. I don’t know much about GM trucks but older Dodge’s are garbage and Fords seem pretty good. Fish Bratton’s new Dodge is very nice but it didn’t come cheap.

#16

[quote=“MLC” post=58088]Good info here!

Speaking of trailers, what do you guys use as a tow vehicle? I have a small truck with a towing capcity of 5000 lb, but I’m guessing a trailer plus a 2700+ lb car will get close to that limit.[/quote]

My Dodge 3/4 ton diesel is my third tow vehicle as well. I was doing 500 mile pulls with a Jeep Commander that was rated to tow 8200 lbs. It got 4 MPG and was scary above 60 mph. My advice is to tow will something well over need capacity. If you get a truck, you might as well go with a diesel… My Dodge gets ~11 mpg towing around 80 mph and driving it is a breeze. I was literally worn out after long tows with the jeep. Getting too and from the track should not be the hardest part of the weekend and crappy tow vehicle makes it miserable.

#17

I have a dodge 1/2 ton with a 5.2 and a 5 speed. I get 10 mpg towing. The only good thing about it other than the 5 speed is that its not gm. I would have a powerstroke or cummins if i could find one with a manual in my price range.

Fish I don’t see how you get 11 mpg with the new dodge. The new diesels are supposed to get over twenty unless your trailer is much bigger than I’m imagining.

#18

:laugh: None of the newer diesels get near twenty mpg! I think the Ford and GM might get slightly better, but I prefer the Cummins. Without trailer, I get around 15 on the HWY and 12 in town. My trailer is 20 ft and weighs around 8500 loaded, but fuel mileage is the same when the trailer is empty. I guess it’s like pulling a big sail. For what it’s worth, I drive my tow vehicle like my race car. That’s right, fast!!!

#19

yeah, i really doubt the 20mpg number. i get 15 without trailer and around 11 with my 28’er with my 7.3 dually.

#20

unless you gotta have a late model truck it’s hard to beat a ford powerstroke 7.3 truck as a tow vehicle. my diesel excursion gets between 14 and 18 mpg (depending on speed and number of wheels on the rack) towing my car on an open trailer and is rock solid doing so. i’ve seen as high as 22 mpg unladen. and the 44 gal tank means a 700 mile tow range.

#21

If diesels arent that great why did a 99 ram 2500 down the road from me just sell for 13k when my 01 1500 isnt worth three? Seriously i want to know.

#22

who said they arn’t great? try pulling 10k + miles with a gasser and see what mileage you get.

#23

My Hemi powered jeep got 4 mpg while towing. The tow range was ~130 miles or so!

#24

4 MPG!!!:ohmy:

I have an '04 F150 and get 11-12 pulling at 75MPH. My trailer is pretty light, but I have a camper top and load the back of the truck down with my stuff. Hearing the diesel #s makes me feel a little better about the 1/2 ton gas route since they’re relatively cheap to buy!

If you have an open trailer, there’s no need for the bigger truck (than a 1/2 ton). Enclosed trailers change the game… need the big boys for those.

  • All that being said, I agree with Tower that the Excursions look like a great route to go. Hard to find a good one these days, and when you do they’re still pricey!
#25

I am interested in seeing the kind of gas mileage possible when towing with the new 2011 F150 with the 3.5L Ecoboost engine. It has a tow rating of 8500 if properly equiped. I’m currently using a 2010 Tundra with the 5.7 and 6 speed automatic (10,500 tow rating). I get 18 mpg daily driving and 12 mpg towing my open trailer and SpecE30 driving like Fish going 80 mph on the Interstate. To me picking a truck at this point is all about maximizing MPG, and I don’t want to own one outside powertrain warranty, so I will probably be hitting 60,000 miles on my Tundra by the end of next race season so I will be looking to buy.

#26

Actually, it is rated up to 11,300 with the longer wheelbase and 3.73 diff. But with the gas sipper 3.15 diff you are right.
F-150 towing info

That is the truck I’ve been lusting after. Anyone want to overpay me for a 2005 X5 4.4 with 85k miles? :laugh:

#27

a friend of mine (just started spec3 in MA) recently bought a brand new ecoboost f150, he loves it. it’s a DD as well as a tow rig for his car, currently on an open trailer but i think an enclosed might be on the way. built in camera makes solo hookups a snap and the integrated brake controller is nifty. and the tow mode is more than an overdrive lockout, it controls other factors that improve towing.

gasser excursions are cheap and easy to find, diesels much less so. and many of those are the dreaded 6.0, not the earlier 7.3.

#28

[quote=“thornton” post=58106]4 MPG!!!:ohmy:

I have an '04 F150 and get 11-12 pulling at 75MPH. My trailer is pretty light, but I have a camper top and load the back of the truck down with my stuff. Hearing the diesel #s makes me feel a little better about the 1/2 ton gas route since they’re relatively cheap to buy!

If you have an open trailer, there’s no need for the bigger truck (than a 1/2 ton). Enclosed trailers change the game… need the big boys for those.

  • All that being said, I agree with Tower that the Excursions look like a great route to go. Hard to find a good one these days, and when you do they’re still pricey![/quote]

We get about 11MPG with 01 F350 towing 11K (two cars, 36’ enclosed tag)

#29

[quote=“Steve D” post=58109]Actually, it is rated up to 11,300 with the longer wheelbase and 3.73 diff. But with the gas sipper 3.15 diff you are right.
F-150 towing info

That is the truck I’ve been lusting after. Anyone want to overpay me for a 2005 X5 4.4 with 85k miles? :laugh:[/quote]

Thanks for the link. I hadn’t seen that. My build would have to be the SuperCrew (my daily driver and other car is Cayman R) 4x2 with 145 inch wheelbase which you can get 8500, 9800, or 11300 depending on rearend. I wonder which would get the best gas mileage when towing. I think I would have to get the 3.15 to maximize MPGs on the daily.

#30

I do not have trailer or tow vehicle, so it can be done, but you do have to deal with the associated angst… I have been able to do 4-5 events each year over the last 3 years, and i’ve been lucky, I have never had a real problem, and have always been able to drive home (have actually driven home on my toyos a couple of times when I did not want to change tires on a hot Sunday afternoon)… with the 4 door, I can pack track tires, tools, and even camping gear all in the car (not much in the way of spare parts, but Bitsy is a tough bitch!)
Road Atlanta is about 30 miles from my house, and when AMP gets done (looks like next year), I will have two tracks within a short drive, but I have also gone as far as 5hrs to CMP. I would love to have a trailer and tow vehicle, but I could buy several years worth of toyos with the same money.

#31

You are an inspiration to me!
Along with the Rev Al.

#32

IMO diesels have some charms but some folks seem to kinda go overboard on the rah rah diesel.

I certainly accept that diesels get better gas mileage, but it’s not crazy better. Gas engines are pretty efficient and if it requires 100hp to pull your rig down the road then there’s no way the diesel engine is going to provide the 100hp while burning 1/3rd less fuel. The thermodynamics just don’t work out. So sure diesels get a bit better gas mileage but maybe it’s along the lines 10-15% better, 20% top.

If diesel technology was 1/3rd more efficient than gas technology, no one would be driving gas cars.

Since diesel is ~10% more expensive that really eats into the gas mileage advantage.

What diesels have is torque, especially low rpm torque. But most of that is due to the turbo charger and the fact the diesel engines are long stroke engines. Again, it’s not the magic of diesel.

If I had a 300hp V8 and you had a 300hp turbo 6, you’d get 10-15% better mileage too. You’d be compressing fewer cylinders of F/A, pushing fewer piston rings and compressing fewer valve springs.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have a diesel truck. At least I think I would. There’s been so many changes in diesel technology in the last decade because of emissions control laws that I don’t know what engines will last and what ones won’t.

Diesel engines have a reputation for lasting forever. But there’s two caveats…my perception is that when they need repairs it’s expensive. And, there’s no telling if the newer generation of diesel engines will prove as durable as the older generation engines.

Don’t get me wrong…if I had was pulling a big trailer, I’d want a diesel. But diesels demand a helova price premium and in the cold light of day it might not be worth it.