Tow vehicle suggestions

[SBR70.3]

As my affinity for HPDE has quickly turned from hobby to obsession, I have been researching a vehicle to tow my car(s) to the track. This wasn't much of an issue the last few years when I was using Conti ECS02 tires, but now that I am addicted to Potenza RE71RS's, I'd like to minimize the mileage of them on the street. I do have a rather bad ass 2023 Explorer ST that I have used to tow my GTI to the "local" track (approx 90 miles one way). That car is a good 500 lbs lighter than my Mach 1 and I felt my ST was adequate towing it. However, I am looking at going to some tracks that are further away, e.g. Ozarks, Eagles Canyon, COTA and I am not comfortable with my ST towing a car that far.

I am looking for suggestions for a good towing vehicle. I really do not want to sell/trade my ST for an Expedition Limited Stealth because I hate soccer mom-school bus-SUV's and those things are massive. I have been looking at trucks but it seems like car manufacturers recently started sucking at making engines.

Chevrolet: The 3.0 Duramax and the 6.2 are grenading. The 5.3 still has issues w/AFM. I am not sold on a 2.7 turbo in a full size truck to be used for towing.
Ram: Beautiful truck, but it depreciates quickly and Stellantis reliability............Also, I don't like how the Hurricane I-6 doesn't have an oil dipstick.
Toyota: Apparently pure shit. The older V8's seem to be appreciating.
Ford: Raptor is out of the question for various reasons that have nothing to do with towing. The 10 speed auto in the Mustang and Explorer is sketchy, as we all know. How are they in the F150?
Nissan: Titan can be found for a good price, has a reliable 5.6 V8/9 speed auto from what I have read. I found a nice Pro-4x in Tulsa. Towing capacity isn't up to par w/GM, Ford, or Ram.

What about mid sized trucks? The Gladiator Rubicon has a tow rating of 7k lbs, but the payload is only 1,200-1,300. The Colorado's interior is too cramped for what I will be using the truck for. The Rangers are decent, but again.....payload?

Also, this vehicle will be a section 179 deduction for my business, so finances aren't all that much of a concern. However, I'd rather have a more "basic" vehicle. Can't roll up in a Ram Rho next week and not have my employees ask for a bigger raise than what I just gave them.

Right now, I am leaning towards the F-150 Lariat, Ram Rebel, or Titan Pro-4x. Thoughts?

Sponsored

 

[Fordphanatic]

F15o with the 3.5 EcoBoost. Finish it off with a Livernois tune and you will have a badass tow vehicle that is more than enough for what you're doing. Honestly the tune just cleans up the 10 speed transmission and a few other nannies. The truck is great without the tune. But completely awesome tuned.

 

[OldbutNew]

You think the Expedition is massive? School bus huge? It's actually smaller than that F150 you're considering. My wife had the same misconception until I parked an Expedition in the same garage space as the F150 Supercab I was replacing. It's a good bit shorter. And the turning radius is WAY smaller. I have a '23 Expedition Limited, 3.5 EB 10R 4X4. With the tow package it's rated for 9200. I towed a 2000# Suretrac open trailer with my Fox on it many times. Total weight about 5200. Plus luggage for 3 in a VRBO for a week in the East Tennessee mountains and have NO issues. Power, brakes, handling, full marks. AND I have room for gear inside instead of in the bed. I can also go three rows when I need a "Bus". Go drive one.

 

[LOL WUT]

I have a Diesel Gladiator Rubicon and while I do tow my 22’ trailer and SXS with it (roughy 4800-5000lbs depending on gear) I don’t know that I’d want to tow a Mustang behind it for more than an hour or two. It’s an awesome vehicle for many reasons but I can’t imagine it being a great option when compared to the competition for towing purposes.

I should state that mines lifted on 37s so that makes it a worse tow vehicle lol. However even in stock form I don’t think it’d be confidence inspiring with a $60k toy behind it.

 

[navbtcret]

I tow my 2021 GT500 with my 2024 F150 Platinum Powerboost. with the tow package. Obviously, you know it is the hybrid and it tows without any issues. I put over 4000 towing miles on it this past year and now that I just retired this year, I will probably double that milage this year. With the car and trailer I am pulling 6000 lbs. Another added bonus is with the powerboost I get close to 14 mpg while towing the car.

 

[Johnny maverick]

I'm steering towards a f150 3.5 powerboost with the max tow and 7.2kw built in inverter. My friend has one for his 7k lbs camper. It tows it no problem and it's great especially for the off grid camping and track days. Going down tonight to see if I can get an end of year last minute deal.

 

[Bob Lob Law]

After multiple half ton tow rigs, I bought a '22 F250 with the 7.3 gas and It would be hard to buy a half ton for towing after that!

 

[Bridgie]

What trailer will you be towing as well as the car.? open or closed.?
Ability to support the extra weight and tongue capacity should should be considered.
My Ram 1500 with tow pack was really not man enough with regards to stability. I now have a Ram 2500 gas Power wagon.
The rig towed fine as far as pulling it in the 1500, but front end lightness.

On our way to road Atlanta

 

[NightmareMoon]

I’d much rather have a cheaper trim on an F250 or F350 than a Lariat F150 for towing.

i would not do anything midsized. I have a Tacoma and tried towing with it for 1 day (with a brake controller, mustang on a lightweight AL trailer), and it was pretty clear the suspension, brakes, and engine were not adequate. I’d need suspension upgrades like airbags at a minimum just to make it more stable. Took forever to get up to speed on anything more than perfectly level ground.

go half ton or larger. Preferrably larger. I’ve borrowed a F350 on two occasions to tow the mustang and it was a non-event, even with a heavy long steel trailer.

 

[luc]

It seems that max tow rating have been going down, no up, through the years
About 20 years ago I was towing a triple axle Tpd trailer weighing about 10k lbs fully loaded with my tool and race car
My tow vehicle was a 01 3/4 ton Yukon xl with the 8.1 and full floater rear axle
Rated at 12k lbs
Great tow vehicle but only around 7mpg fully loaded

 

[TonyT930]

As my affinity for HPDE has quickly turned from hobby to obsession, I have been researching a vehicle to tow my car(s) to the track. This wasn't much of an issue the last few years when I was using Conti ECS02 tires, but now that I am addicted to Potenza RE71RS's, I'd like to minimize the mileage of them on the street. I do have a rather bad ass 2023 Explorer ST that I have used to tow my GTI to the "local" track (approx 90 miles one way). That car is a good 500 lbs lighter than my Mach 1 and I felt my ST was adequate towing it. However, I am looking at going to some tracks that are further away, e.g. Ozarks, Eagles Canyon, COTA and I am not comfortable with my ST towing a car that far.

I am looking for suggestions for a good towing vehicle. I really do not want to sell/trade my ST for an Expedition Limited Stealth because I hate soccer mom-school bus-SUV's and those things are massive. I have been looking at trucks but it seems like car manufacturers recently started sucking at making engines.

Chevrolet: The 3.0 Duramax and the 6.2 are grenading. The 5.3 still has issues w/AFM. I am not sold on a 2.7 turbo in a full size truck to be used for towing.
Ram: Beautiful truck, but it depreciates quickly and Stellantis reliability............Also, I don't like how the Hurricane I-6 doesn't have an oil dipstick.
Toyota: Apparently pure shit. The older V8's seem to be appreciating.
Ford: Raptor is out of the question for various reasons that have nothing to do with towing. The 10 speed auto in the Mustang and Explorer is sketchy, as we all know. How are they in the F150?
Nissan: Titan can be found for a good price, has a reliable 5.6 V8/9 speed auto from what I have read. I found a nice Pro-4x in Tulsa. Towing capacity isn't up to par w/GM, Ford, or Ram.

What about mid sized trucks? The Gladiator Rubicon has a tow rating of 7k lbs, but the payload is only 1,200-1,300. The Colorado's interior is too cramped for what I will be using the truck for. The Rangers are decent, but again.....payload?

Also, this vehicle will be a section 179 deduction for my business, so finances aren't all that much of a concern. However, I'd rather have a more "basic" vehicle. Can't roll up in a Ram Rho next week and not have my employees ask for a bigger raise than what I just gave them.

Right now, I am leaning towards the F-150 Lariat, Ram Rebel, or Titan Pro-4x. Thoughts?

Yup. Toyota Tundra with the V8 is the way to go.

 

[RobZ71LM7]

The 13th gen F-150 3.5 Ecoboosts have issues. I've had a '17 and currently have a '19. They all will or have had to have the cam phasers replaced if gen 2 2017+. That gen also has the 10R80 which is a ticking time bomb in these trucks due to CDF drum. Both issues I believe were fixed in '21+ with the 14th gen. If the new F150's are truly fixed you're fine. The GM trucks (I'm an ex GM guy) will require lifters at some point or if 6.2 they may grenade. I'd avoid the small diesels. Ram I won't comment on as I don't have recent experience and I'm biased against them-perhaps unfairly.

For reliability and low maintenance costs I think a big gas powered 3/4 ton is probably the way to go.

The most reliable 1/2 ton trucks of the past 10 years:

Tundra V8 (I hear of issues on the new ones-not sure if overblown, but I hear of too many issues)
'15-'17 F150 5.0 V8 (6-speed) and some 2.7's
GM's are okay if you get a good transmission and can tolerate lifters

 

[RTR077]

I have the Nissan Titan PRO-4X

It wasn't my first choice. I wanted a F150 Tremor, but the out the price cost and 0% APR swung it.

3 years later I am very happy with it. They are no longer making them, so I suspect the market is low and you an probably pick up a new left over.

If cost is priority I would consider the Titan.

 

[NightmareMoon]

By buddy got a Titan based van the Nissan NV. Bit of a unicorn to find but great Titan like towing capacity and you can build out the interior to be as much or as little of a camper as you like. Pretty sweet. Looks like a sprinter until you get close and realize how much bigger it actually is.

No longer in production so you’d have to find one used.

 

[1 old racer]

I have a titan pro and have towed my 26 ft RV without any issues for the past 10+ years. I did install a extra trans cooler just to give it a little extra temp control and a full set of EBC yellow stuff pads to provide more bite when braking with the heavy loads. I will be happy to endorse the Nissan Titran pro 4x and a great tow veh.

Sponsored