[A/S] re:Older tow vehicles

["vrmanac" <andy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I may be able to add a little to this discussion. We have used cars 
to tow Airstreams continuously for the last 30 years. I have towed 
with cars from every model year from 1966 thru 2005. 

The cars built up to 1971 were quite powerful and pretty good tow 
vehicles. A base axle ratio was a 2.73:1 and with a towing package 
you generally were given a 3.23:1. In 1972 as emission controls 
started to become standard horsepower began to fall off quite 
dramatically. A 455 CID engine that was 370 HP in 1971 was down to 
185 HP by 1976 and performance had dropped off considerably at the 
same time the tires had been made larger and standard axle ratios 
had changed to 2.29:1 or 2.41:1. Many people that towed Airstreams 
in those days never bothered with the towing package option which 
was fine in the 60's but if you go a mid 70's with the tall gears 
and the low powered engine you had a real slug that could not pull 
the skin off a banana.

When cars were downsized in 1977 and the 350 engine was going to be 
the largest available most people never gave them a chance and we 
were no different we assumed that since the 455's would barely to 
the 350 would be terrible. At the time you could purchase a 1/2 ton 
Suburban with a 454 and it quickly became the tow vehicle of choice 
for many. Since you did not need to suffer through a stiff 3/4 ton 
it was a pretty easy switch to make and many people never towed with 
a car again.

What was interesting was that the 350 engine in a 1977 downsized car 
actually performed much better than the 73-76 models with 440-460 
engines did. Even though the engine was smaller it still had 170 HP. 
It had 70 ft lb. less torque but the tires were 10% smaller and with 
the cars cleaner aerodynamics and better gearing they would out 
climb and out accelerate the behemoths that they replaced.  Today 
even V/6 engines are producing well over 200 HP and with the advent 
of 4 and 5 speed transmissions gear ratios of 3.66:1 are quite 
common. The Intrepid that have been towing with so much over the 
last 10 years would easily outperform a 1975 full size car while 
using about ½ the fuel. 

There is a misconception that the cars were much heavier. They were 
larger but most full size cars in the 60's weighed  4000-4500 lbs. 
About the same as most modern full size cars such as a STS Cadillac 
or one of the new Chrysler 300's. When the big bumpers were added in 
1973 weight did increase to 5000 for a short while before the cars 
were downsized.  If you think about it those cars had a heavier 
engine and were longer so what steel was in them was spread over a 
larger area which made the body structures weaker. You could feel 
the twist in the body when you made a sharp turn with the torsion 
bars done up and after 30,000 miles those old cars were pretty well 
full of rattles even with their very mushy suspension. 

It is easy to assume that the strength of a car comes from the 
frame. Even on a car with separate frame rails the real strength 
comes from the body.  A ¾ ton pick up has a huge frame under it but 
you can easily see how much the box moves in relation to the cab 
when you hit bumps. Interestingly one of the things we used to do 
was weld the rear body mounts solid so they would not crush under 
the pressure from the torsion bars. So even though those old cars 
had a frame the strength came from the body. Today's cars have 
stiffer suspensions with much more shock control and tires with far 
more grip. The body has to be much stronger to withstand the forces 
that these suspensions can exert.  

The rear overhang used to be huge over twice as long as today's 
cars. Today we have rack & pinion steering, 4 wheel independent 
suspension with no side sway and low profile performance tires with 
massive grip and very little side sway. Much larger 4 wheel disc 
brakes give superior stopping ability. From a safety, handling and 
stability point of view today's cars are far superior to any car 
made in the 60's and 70's. In fact a modern sedan towing an 
Airstream can likely out handle and out stop a lot of older cars and 
some new SUV's solo.

Since last November we have been towing with the new Chrysler 300C 
and Dodge Magnums. They may well be the hottest vehicle we have ever 
towed with, The Porsche Cayenne may have a slight edge in 
performance but it is not by much and it is twice the price. The 300 
does 0-60 in 23 seconds with a new 34' and it will pull past 80 MPH 
with ease.  Our 8.0 Liter V10 Dodge pick up could not duplicate 
those numbers.  Fuel mileage is not as good as the Intrepid was but 
considering the performance it is still very good. It runs 21.7 MPG 
at 75 MPH running solo and 12.6 MPG towing a new 34 at 62 MPH. 

If you would like to tow with a car you do not need to nurse a 28 
year old tow vehicle it is quite possible with a modern state of the 
art sedan. The 300C is connected to a 34 Airstream out front most 
every day. Everyone that drives it comes back with a huge smile on 
their face, come in and take it for a spin if you are in the London 
area.