I found the site below in my search to see if my car is flat towable. I thought it might be useful for anyone who is also unsure. Go to the link and click on the "Dinghy Guide" on the right of the page that matches the year of your car. Hope this helps... http://motorhome.tl.com/dinghytowingguide/
Yes! I've pretty much treated my 08 AT Fit as FASable based on the restrictions in the manual for max speed and distance. But I don't FAS routinely due to its battery limits and the key start battery draw, especially at night.
Interesting that most GM cars are flat towable........guess they planned on them needing to be towed alot!
Does anyone engine off coast a Ford Focus? The owners manual (at least for the 2001-2007 models) says that flat towing is fine for the manual transmission but also says not to turn off the engine while moving (especially at high speed) to "make sure the catalytic converter and other emission control components continue to work properly". Would it still be ok to EOC the manual transmission Focus?
Absolutely, you can EOC that Focus to your heart's delight. And please do, as long as you are very familiar with the processa and are 100% comfortable with it.
Ok, thanks. Bump starts should be okay too, right? It recommends against push starting in the owners manual (as well as in manuals for some other cars) in relation to the catalytic converter. It seemed like they were only talking about automatics but it wasn't clear. And don't worry, I've practiced this stuff before and I'm really cautious when it comes to safety. I just don't know much about the mechanical side of things.
The note in the manual regarding engine off coasting refer to long periods of rolling with the engine off allowing the cylinder head and catalyst to cool to the point where it affects HC and CO levels when the car is restarted. The note regarding bump starting or push starting and the effect on the catalyst relate to potential misfire caused by not spinning the engine fast enough for it to 'start'. A misfire can dump fuel into the exhaust stream and overheat the catalyst. If your bump starts are smooth, with no engine stumbling, the risk is minimal.
Thanks. Yeah, I sucked at the bump starts at first but I think I've got it down now. Great forum - can't believe both my questions got answered so quickly.
I tried doing FAS today in my 2006 Nissan Quest SE, when I shut off the engine (in N) before long glides at about 35mph, there was a bit of a lurch. I noticed this on 3 or 4 attempts, and decided I'd better ask about it before doing it anymore. Any ideas? It doesn't seem to appear on this list, but then, why would someone tow a minivan??
I probably wouldn't do it in your van, except for the very slow crawls to a red light (from less than 15 mph or so) and may not do it at all. Others will likely chime in, but I think your best best would be to stick with NICE-on coasts and only shut down the ICE at a stop or very near it.
I don't know of any Nissans that are flat towable. The risk involved is usually excessive wear in the bushings because they run dry when the fluid pump isn't keeping the fluid circulating. The lurch shouldn't happen when cutting the engine, but it is possible that it could have a brain fart after restarting the engine and shifting back to D. Unless the manual specifically states, in the Recreational Towing section, that the van can be flat-towed (all four wheels on the ground), cutting the engine at speed is off limits.
Thanks guys, that was kinda my conclusion too. I did manage to get 27mpg over about 8 miles, doing NICE-on coasts about half the time. The normal 16.7mpg in city is just terribly painful, now that I am getting 40+ city with the HSH... not worth killing the transmission or something though...
New to the site. So where is the list??? Also, there are new terms (to me) like "EOC", "engine of coast" & "FASable"? Sorry for the newbie questions.
Beepa , you can find the glossary by looking at the blue menu at your upper left. This should explain a lot of these terms.
