I'm planning on towing my 07 FEH FWD four down behind my motorhome. There are several tow brake systems on the market. Any suggestions on what to use? What effect will the tow brake system have on the regenerative braking system? Do you think these systems will effect the braking system in a negative way? or possibly effect any warranty work that might be related to brakes? Thanks
Brian`

 

I've never towed behind a motorhome.
I thought all the stopping came from the motorhome.
What are you talking about?
The car being pulled behind should just be in neutral? Right?

BTW, there is a way to enable neutral without the key, if you wish to do so.
There is a little circle next to the gear shifter. Pull this disc out, and then press the button underneath. You can now shift to N.

Are you going to tow with all 4 wheels down?
Have you done this before?
Can you do this with the steering locked to keep the towed vehicle tracking straight?

 

Not if it's done correctly it doesn't.

I have a small motorhome & know exactly what he's talking about, but I've never towed my FEH so I'll let someone else answer that question.

~John

 

gpsman1 — Can you really tow a vehicle with its steering locked and all four wheels on the road? Try this with a shopping cart that doesn't have swivelling wheels (or one whose wheels don't swivel any more — you occasionally get stuck with one of those at the supermarket), and you'll see what I mean! The tires would get badly scuffed, and pulling the vehicle this way it might actually capsize it (and also destabilize the vehicle doing the towing)!

Stan

 

Point taken, but I do not think the shopping cart is a good analogy.
Think of the car towed behind as a trailer.
Trailers, even multiple axle ones do not have wheels that steer.
I think you would have a problem with very tight corners only.
Again, I'm not a motorhome owner, but most I've seen don't make sharp corners.

 

But trailers have axles that are very close together, and only in the rear. I don't have a lot of towing experience but I can't imagine you can tow a car four wheels down with locked steering.

 

Maybe you can't. I've just never heard definitive proof one way or the other.

 

I have a US Gear tow brake which hooks into the braking system of the Escape. There is nothing to set other than plug in the connector. I prefer this over the Brake Buddy as it doesnt need to be installed and setup. I have towed it only once and couldnt say how it affected the battery.

 

I have been towing a Suzuki Sidekick, 4 wheels down, for years. The FEH is relatively new and I have not put on a tow bar yet. The towed vehicle must be towed with the steering column unlocked as the front wheels turn to follow the towing vehicle. If left locked I understand that the steering column lock will probably break. The FEH must also be in neutral. I did not use separate brakes on the Suzuki as it is only about 2400 lbs. Anxious to see how the FEH tows and stops.

 

Somebody is going to find a way to tow a hybrid, but keep the regenerative brakes online so it can charge the motorhome one day.