Towing with Prius C

Apparently the alternative word for donkey gets automatically changed to "nice person" on this forum. Thus "my ample donkey" gets changed to "my ample nice person."

The Reese trailer hitch weighs about 13.5 lbs, btw.

 

Lot's of satisfactory reports here about the CURT hitch. It still makes me nervous thinking about towing a trailer. The fastening system to the C doesn't look too sturdy to me. I guess I am wrong in that assessment though...

 

I tow with no issues but watch all temps on my scan gauge. The Ecohitch can do 2000lbs with 200lbs tongue and the CURT is 1000lbs with 150lbs tongue.

 

i upgraded from my 2009 Yaris with 300,000 miles to my wifes 2012 Pruis C as my work car/truck for towing. wife got the new Tesla model 3. I tow a 4' X 4' trailer with 500+ to 700lb. inside the car i removed all the rear interior/ spare tire/ seats ect. Inside the car i carey 500+lb to 800lb depending on the job im going to. I will be adding a roof rack Yakima large 56'' wide cargo rack for a large van highly modified to fit. I will be adding a long custom made lumber rack 12' from front bumper attached to frame of car to the rear bumper frame of car. change transmission oil every 20,000 miles using vacuum easy and fast and cheap. I added rear air load lift bags in the rear springs filled with nitrogen. Tires upgread to 205/55/15 Yokohama tires ADVAN NEOVA AD08 R, Looking to upgrade struts and shocks to heavy duty track racing type. When breaks are needed will upgrade to CryoRotors high temp brake rotors with High temp racing brake pads. This is the same thing I did with my Toyota Yaris. I do not mind my fule mailage falling to 24 MPG when fully loaded or 36 MPG with only the trailer attached, with out the trailer and car fully loaded with tool I get between 39 to 54 MPG, empty 52 to 56 MPG. Much better then when I used to use a van , a truck or a SUV loaded 9 to 12 MPG at best in the hills of San Francisco and burning through a set of brakes & rotors every 13,000 to 18,000 miles. My fuel bill every month was $1200 to $1400 now gas is $275 to $325 monthly.

 

472372EB-25F1-4E37-9E03-90C6382C8D08 by lech auto air conditionin posted Aug 10, 2019 at 11:21 AM

Two boxes on the trailer when is 278 pounds other ones 231 pounds
Tools equipment and supplies just topping 800 pounds in the car.
Traveled with roof rack on car just had extension cords on the roof rack
Air conditioning turned to Max hi fan speed lowest temperature
Speed traveled cruise control set mix speeds between 55 miles an hour and 65 miles an hour
Gas mileage to averaged out at 33 miles per gallon

The vehicles arrived at the job site and stayed idling the entire day as a cold refuge to retreat for 5 to 10 minute breaks because we were also working up an addict pulling air conditioning lines for that LG heat pump it was 137° in the addict my car interior temperature was 67° car stayed idling for 10 hours . Would hang out in the car to have lunch and take ice water drink breaks.
YES The Prius is the right tool for the job !...




If anyone wanted to know where the technology came from the Prius prime with the type of heat pump solenoids that perform the refrigerant rerouting for reverse flow picture below. It’s a very ancient and simple technology it was just miniaturized and thrown into a car there’s nothing special about it except for the price if you have to replace the components . The American made heat pumps that most HVAC technicians are used to are very primitive caveman technology compare to the below photo .

 

Lech: you are overloading the drive train and brakes would be my last worry... the prius c really doest have a tow rating (yea. I know, some people tow but it isnt rated to tow anything) and the carrying capacity in the car is approx 800lbs, including the driver..the transmission will frack up with what you posted...

SM-S367VL ?

 

San Francisco with Ali Steep Hill the taxis have to go back-and-forth to the airport loading up with customers and luggage driving like maniacs yet they take their vehicle for 375,000 miles until they are mandated by rules they have to retire the vehicle. And I did the exact same thing with my 2009 Yaris to 300,000 miles and now that vehicle is being used for heavy duty commercial business as a parts and equipment delivering vehicle with the same engine and the same transmission. I did that to my 1992 three cylinder Geo Metro for 337,000 miles. I did the exact same thing to my 1988 Chevy sprint three cylinder almost hit 300,000 miles but another car hit my vehicle and totaled it out. All vehicles live to the end of their life with the original engine and original transmission. And my two brothers who are in the same business with me today exactly in thing with their Geo Metro and small vehicle they got higher mileage than I did because they live in extra hundred miles away and commute daily all highway miles my miles are all city miles.
Since were fourth generation mechanic we learned not to follow the manufacturers recommended fluid change interval. And we do not use the recommended oil. If we did our engines and transmissions would’ve broken worn out like everybody else’s

 

There are rules out there that says you have to retire a vehicle? What kind of BS is that and who the F has the right to tell you to get a new car?

 

Relax, that's for commercially plated vehicles in taxi/livery service.

And I've been in some examples of what they're trying to shoo off the road with rules like that, and... I approve.

A seemingly arbitrary rule like "375,000 miles" is fairly easy to legislate.

"8 live births in the back seat" or "700 drunk people vomiting" is much harder to regulate but they are every bit as likely given the usage & service duration in question.

 

It only applies to taxis in San Francisco and many other cities for the safety of the public

 

Opps 200lbs tongue I mean.

 

Lech, your battery is mostly what you have to worry about. I love towing with the C but the battry heat is going to be high when you block the fan intake and exhaust in the cabin. You can do some mods to help if it's important to you.

 

Already done clearly open there’s not a feature nothing in the way why open to the cabin. My cabin temperature is always in the 60s. During my workday when I leave my house at 6:30 AM to 7:30 AM my vehicle stays running in Idalene all day long roughly 10 to 12 hour my air-conditioning stays on the maximum setting on re-cycle mode most of the time. Once you get your cabin temperature down and all your interior starts out cool throughout the day and you never allow the interior of your vehicle to climb it’s very easy to maintain a cool San Francisco temperature constantly just minus the fog.
Since the day I’ve purchased every one of my vehicles driving it off the showroom floor air conditioning button gets pushed in and never gets turned off compresses do not break they do not burn out they last the life of the owner and the life of the car. They only break 90% of the time due to the owner of lack of maintenance or the so-called semi poorly trained mechanic who improperly re-charge the air conditioning.
Never let the refrigerant level go low never introduce moisture never introduced air and you will have a lifelong compressor. And pulling a vacuum with a vacuum pump down to 29 inches of mercury is not a vacuum sufficient and does not remove moisture. Especially with ESTER oil or PAG oil. And pulling a vacuum for a given amount of time does not prove or mean that moisture was removed unless you have you use and no how to read a micrometer if not then the person is just guessing.

 

Shall we up the towing capacity of a Prius C to that of a semi truck lol

 

The Priussy is a 2/3 scale Prius, therefore....towing with one is 2/3 as wise as towing with an adult-sized Prius - ALREADY something that the mothership wants NOTHING to do with.

It's not personal.
It's an engineering thing.
"Science" may care about people's feelings, but physics doesn't give a rats.

You can "pull" something with a pint sided Prius, but there's a bit of a difference between "pulling" and TOWING.

To paraphrase the great philosopher and former mayor, Clinton Eastwood Jr.....

No.
It's not him being a sexist.
Most women are smart enough not to try this at home!

 

It really depends on what you use a hitch for. You can easily tow a motorcycle type trailer with any vehicle (the types of trailers you see being towed behind a motorcycle). You can also use the hitch for reasons other than towing such as an accessory rack for goods, bicycle rack etc etc. Also, if you live in a cold climate and get stuck in the snow, the hitch can be used to pull the car (very gently) backwards if stuck in snow or ice.

 

Concur!

Most people use a hitch for towing.
That's the subject of this thread.

Towing is towing.
You CAN use a tow truck for vehicle recovery, dog walking, etc...but that isn't 'towing' either.

Towing is towing.
Pulling is pulling.

If you don't know the difference?

Keep pulling.