sandalwood Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 Thinking of buying car to tow. Current thinking Lexus IS 300 sport but wonder if ride too hard for oldies? Nice hybrid small. Would appreciate views! Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 First question, can it be towed 'four down'? Many hybrids cannot but I don't know about the Lexus. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandalwood Posted August 16, 2020 Author Share Posted August 16, 2020 What is. Four down please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 All four wheels on the road, ie not on a trailer. Assuming you mean to tow on an 'A' frame that is! Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboyprowler Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 We are going through the same conundrum, whether to buy a trailer and tow a car on the few times we may need one, or to just hire for a period or day as needed at the site. Costs are a major factor here, and unless you will be touring extensively for long periods (Brexit permitting!) then the hiring option looks more promising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancepar Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 "4 wheels down" AKA "Flat tow" and "Toad" We have a Toad and if we ever were tempted to take it abroad we would hire a trailer. When in the UK with an A frame it is considered to be a trailer, not so on the Continent. We went for the lightest Cabrio that seated two and had room for dogs in the back., It's also my daily. It weighs in at 1095Kg (Lexus 2095Kg) it's also a short arse, and the ride is hard, but we are use to that with my P&J. The 451 has a maual gear box and clutch that uses robotics to change ratios so can be towed without problems unlike the latest Smarts that can't be flat towed. Towing forward, without problems, but reversing a Toad is another matter, we avoid it if possible. My old school A frame is a tad on the heavy side and uses over-run braking like a caravan. There are now lighter more modern systems that use vacuum and electronic braking. HTH B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 17, 2020 Share Posted August 17, 2020 sandalwood - 2020-08-16 9:24 AM Thinking of buying car to tow. Current thinking Lexus IS 300 sport but wonder if ride too hard for oldies? Nice hybrid small. Would appreciate views! Regards A current-model Lexus IS 300h F-Sport is a 4-door saloon and is hardly “small”, being over 4.6 metres in length and with a minimum kerbweight of 1620kg. If towed on a suitable trailer, I’d expect the total weight of car + trailer to approach two tonnes. There are data on the vehicle here https://www.parkers.co.uk/lexus/is/review/ Personally, I wouldn’t consider towing this car on an A-Frame due to the likely difficulty of modifying the vehicle to accept the frame and the complexity of producing a technically-acceptable braking system. (I do wonder if "Thinking of buying car to tow” actually means "Thinking of buying car to use for towing”. This would be a totally different matter and the enquiry about ride-quality more understandable.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Den Posted August 17, 2020 Share Posted August 17, 2020 Hybrid cars are not recommended to be towed. The regeneration will be trying to charge the battery. Should a hybrid break down its recommended to not to be towed or suspended by leaving 2 wheels in contact. Thus a car transporter should be the only method of recovery, other than for recovery to a safe zone, ie on a live motorway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malo37 Posted August 17, 2020 Share Posted August 17, 2020 Pop a TUKTUK on a trailer. Cheap, lightweight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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