Hi All We are looking at buying a Class A RV & wonder if our 2006 Prius can be towed behind the RV on a car dolly, with both front wheels up off of the ground ? Any info & first hand experiences being shared would be greatly appreciated. And, yes we have reviewed our owners manual. Thanks !! Bill in FL
Interesting...so you use an RV that gets 10 mpg, then make up for it by using your Prius which gets 50 mpg. Isn't that called a paradox? Haha, sorry. I can't answer your question. I have no experience, but it's an interesting idea.
Yes, you can tow with the front wheels on a dolly. DO be careful that there is still sufficient ground clearance in the rear as the Prius doesn't have much to begin with. Also note that the front wheels will be higher than the rears, so the rear alignment will be off (both camber and toe-in) so watch for tire wear. If you don't notice much then it's probably ok. Note that it's difficult to leave the Prius in "N" so if the dolly manufacturer wants that, you'll have to work to get it. There is a fuse that can be pulled that prevents the car from engaging "P" when you power off. I don't remember which one. Your dealer may be able to tell you.
Good point David, you need to have the trans in neutral to prevent park pawl damage. Other than that, as above and then there is how to get the lights working down the back? Or do you use a light board? If there is a fuse you can pull to stop the trans engaging park then it might be worth adding a switch to that circuit rather than pull a fuse each time.
Please keep the great info coming & thanks !! If the car is in N when I shut it off, how can it switch into any other gear with power off ? For lights I figure to put the parking lights on when towing as the RV's rear lights shine above the Prius - I think. And, we also have a 2 WD Highlander Hybrid & wonder if we can tow this the same way - front wheels up ? Any thoughts here ?? Thanks !! Bill in FL
When you hit the power button when in anything but park, it puts it in park before powering down... unless you can find a way around this.
The P CON MTR fuse and P CON relay control the flow of 12V power to the shift control actuator assembly. However if you remove either this will cause a DTC. If any DTC remains after the P CON MTR fuse is reinserted, you'll have to disconnect the 12V battery negative terminal for a few minutes. If your HiHy has 4WD-i then I would not suggest trying to tow it with any wheels on the ground. If front wheel drive, then a similar concept in principle would apply. I've noticed many RVers towing Saturn vehicles with all wheels on the ground. Looks like this is one feature that differentiates Saturns from most automatic transmission vehicles.
If you are going to leave the parking lights on the Prius on, remember the 12v. battery is very small and won't last long at all. I also have friends with an RV that ow a Chevy Cavalier. He's a retired Big Truck mechanic who says the Cavalier transmission pump runs even when in neutral so that is the reason GM cars seem to be the car of choice towing behind an RV with all 4 wheels on the ground.
If it were my car, I'd get a trailer to drive it up on. It keeps it clear of most of the road debris. It keeps it simple re no wheels turning. The trailer has lights. Much better solution, faster to load/unload, etc. Only downsides are the trailer is larger so harder to find a place for it, it's heavier, and it's probably a bit more expensive.
OK guys, I have seen several threads about using a Prius as a tow vehicle, but no details other then "you can't", "dolly only", "you can if...". Why can't a Prius be "forced" into the COAST MODE so that all 4 wheels are disengaged (or in reality are they) and towed four wheels down? Similar to a very long coast. It would SEEM that the coast mode would be ideal for towing a Prius. I assume it is not done for some reason. Who knows the details for why not????
I don't know what a "COAST MODE" is. I know what the N gear selector position is. Perhaps that is what you mean. The reasons why it is not advisable to leave the car in N for a prolonged period of time are 1) the traction battery does not have an opportunity to be charged when the gear selector is in N and 2) MG2, which is always spinning when the front wheels are in motion, may produce excessive voltage while not under load, when the car is traveling at a rapid speed.
The short answer is for the Prius, there is no such thing as neutral. The longer answer is this: MG2 (Motor Generator 2) is ALWAYS attached to the front wheels. This isn't a big deal. The engine and MG1 are also always attached to the wheels also. This means that, whenever the Prius is moving, the engine and/or MG1 must be spinning. If the engine's spinning, you'll get pumping losses from the engine (it will drag the RV) at least. You'll also get unnecessary wear. If the engine's not spinning, you end up spinning MG1. Quickly. Really quickly. When the Prius is running, its computer is really careful to NEVER let it go over 42(?) mph without the engine turning. This is done to ensure that MG1 doesn't spin too fast. If you tow the Prius over 42 mph without the engine spinning, your risk having MG1 spin too quickly and fly apart. This is one reason it's a bad idea to tow the Prius without a dolly. Also, I have no idea whether the transmission will properly pump fluid around if the engine's never running (but this is a small issue compared to MG1 flying apart).
