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So, an interesting exchange took place the other night. I was showing the GF pictures of the Honda Airwave that is supposedly being tested as their new hybrid, when she said something about it looking like an R-class. (And by the way...EWWW to the R class.) Then she off-handedly said something about needing a larger car in a few years. Wha? Her Prius is barely four months old and spends most of its time with just her, a few odds and ends, and maybe a rescue dog. I couln't get her to commit to any particular reason, so I was left to be dumbfounded for a little while. Then it hit me what she's probably talking about: our trip[s] back home to New England. The issue is that two people, two crated cats, and luggage are no sweat. But throw in a 75lb black lab and you start to get short on space. Even a small SUV would be short on space. So that got me thinking.

What If I could just tow the stinkin' luggage? That would be pretty sweet. I'm thinking a lightweight, aerodynamic trailer tucked in behind the Prius would add the necessary cargo volume. And though Toyota advises against towing, I can't imagine anything horrific happening to the drivetrain because of a 200-400lb trailer with minimal aerodynamic drag. And with the new SGII I should be able to monitor the system well enough to stay ahead of any trouble. FE will take a little hit but not as bad as trading a Prius for something stupidly big, or even just renting something stupidly big.

So I think there's a very real possibility that this will become a project. And I'm 100% sure that somebody out on the internet has done it before, so the info should be readily available. I know that Coastal makes 1.5" and 2" receivers. The ball and wiring harness shouldn't be too hard to find. The only thing I don't know anything about is the trailer itself. I've seen those little teardrop campers, and I basically need that but empty and maybe even a bit smaller. I should be able to either build or buy one.

Thoughts? I know some of you are thinking "just leave the animals" but trust me, it won't happen.

Why yes, it has been done, Tim!

http://www.evnut.com/prius_hitch.htm

Occational need is the perfect friend of rentals. Why spend money & resources on a trailer you will rarely use when you can rent/borrow a vehicle for the occational long haul trip? It may not get as good of mileage as you would like, but overall it may be more sound.

This kind of reminds me of the minature version of "big truck/suv to haul my boat", which seems reasonable until you realize they haul it to the lake at the beginning of the season & haul it away at the end. These people should rent a truck for thoes needs. Others who have to take their boat home weekend make more sense, but they usually have smaller boats which can be hauled by more reasonable cars.

Maybe you should consider the larger hybrid-suv in a few years. If plug in hybrids become available, and the range of the vehicle under electric power only is sufficient for most daily chores, it might actually get better mpg than your not plug-in prius, although I'm sure there will be a PHEV prius or equiv by then too.

I know their are trains you can take which can haul your car, but its usually expensive & impracticle except on special regular runs. Makes you wonder why someone hasn't combined a bus with a car trailer. Image getting to a stop near/on the interstate, and then your car is loaded along with 10+ others for a long trip. Remember the phrase, "leave the driving to us"?

I saw a Prius with a trailer hitch on it whiz by me on I-95 yesterday.

As for needing a larger vehicle in a few years, it may not be pets she's thinking about......

If you get the trailer hitch then think of getting a folding hitch carrier to put the luggage on. I have a model called Everthere that folds, is made of aluminum, weighs only 25 pounds and carries 400. Try www.everthere.net.

But I really agree with lightfoot, and even then the Prius should be big enough.

Wayne

Pets, not pets, whatever...either way the daily needs are easily served by what we have. My problem with getting a rental for this kind of trip is not just fuel economy but expense. 800mi each way up and down the eastern seaboard in something like a minivan for a week or more is a pretty expensive proposition. Over the long-haul I think I would be better off with a permanent solution.

The hitch carrier is a neat idea. The only thing to consider is that it would put the load directly on the suspension and well behind the rear axle vs. on its own set of wheels with only 40-50lb worth of tongue weight. On a car that's rated for something like 800lb of capacity it might be better to take the hit on drag in order to prevent overloading the suspension. OTOH if it hitch carrier works for you then it would work just fine for me. How does the car handle the extra load?

What about a large roof rack for the luggage? I've used these a few times and they are very usefull. Thule makes many many models of all shapes and sizes. It will be a hit to your FE, but not that much. It's cheap and versatile, I have two crossbars and onto these I can mount different stuff on them (I have a couple of bike racks and an aerodynamic luggage rack). Plenty of room for pets once you've gotten rid of the luggage, I think.

Roof rack luggage might be OK for a quick city trip, but will do horrible, unmentionable things to your FE on a long trip. Try lopping off 10%-15% of your FE right off the top of a 500 mile highway trip @ 60-62 MPH.

I thought about the roof-top carrier but ruled it out on account of aero drag. My goal is to gain the capacity with as little added resistance and stress to the car as possible.

Hi Tim:

___Boy I hate the phrase “ needing a larger car in a few years.” My wife with my blessing bought into that line of garbage with the MDX and she drives it around as with her as the only person in the vehicle 99% of the time. Do not let your GF (future wife by the sounds of it :)) get hooked into that line of thinking.

___Now about the Prius. There was a guy towing some wheels on a small and lightweight trailer setup 2 years ago. I have seen those mini aero trailers (someone posted a pic of one here last year IIRC) and they certainly did not look to add all that much drag either. When trailering the vastly overweight landscape trailer and gear w/ the 2.3 in the Ranger, I am deadly cautious about accel’s and top speeds (never exceeding 52 mph) while taking accel’s up in the slowest means possible and to hell with traffic backups. She is meant to pull just 1/3 of what I load her up with but when done very carefully, she does well. The FE stinks as I used to do a lot more trailering then I do today but with a very gently foot, a Prius could tow with a minimal of problems on hers or your part if you take it easy. The Prius was rated at 1,000 #’s cap w/ a 45 or 55 mph max, right? A 500 # aero trailer (w/ gear) should not be any trouble as long as you take it easy and I mean take it easy. That 65 mph + stuff w/ a load like that would be really pushing the Prius HSD and all those micro hits will take their toll near EOL.

___If you watch the weight, one of those hitch mounted carriers would limit aero drag and may be the right solution. For the Class III hitches, you can place upwards of a few hundred pounds on those things but a Prius’ frameless Class I hitch would be limited by a huge amount by comparison. If you can carry (2) bikes from a carrier attached to one, I am sure 75#’s would be ok? Analyze the bejesus out of this however because the last thing you would want is for a hitch mounted carrier to break free from your Prius causing a heck of a lot of damage and your GF going nuts as her clothes and other less sundry items are scattered down the Interstate for upwards of ¾ of a mile while in the middle of a road trip :rolleyes:

PS: Adding a simple hitch to anything is about as easy as plugging in a light socket. Do not pay to have one installed. A wiring harness on the other hand can be a bit more … let us just say … “fun” ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

So, an interesting exchange took place the other night. I was showing the GF pictures of the Honda Airwave that is supposedly being tested as their new hybrid, when she said something about it looking like an R-class. Then she off-handedly said something about needing a larger car in a few years. Wha? Her Prius is barely four months old and spends most of its time with just her, a few odds and ends, and maybe a rescue dog. I couln't get her to commit to any particular reason, so I was left to be dumbfounded for a little while. Then it hit me what she's probably talking about:....


Men. They are soooooo dense sometimes :D:D:D

Men. They are soooooo dense sometimes :D:D:D

Sometimes? I don't get it? :confused:

;) :D

rent a behemonth for the road trip.

I give the same answer to people who MUST have 4 wheel drive because they going skiing once a year.

"I like living in my own world. They know me there."

Putting luggage on the roof will clobber your FE. On my Outback, I can't much better than 25 mpg with bikes or a cargo box on the roof. Don't do it.

My local U-Haul shop has these available for rent:
http://www.uhaul.com/trailers/sport-trailer.jpg
Look at "The U-Haul Sport Trailer" on the right side of this page: http://www.uhaul.com/trailers/

Or, you could buy one of these:
http://www.thuleracks.com/images/products/thumb/665.jpg
http://www.thuleracks.com/product.asp?dept_id=11&sku=665

Putting luggage on the roof will clobber your FE. On my Outback, I can't much better than 25 mpg with bikes or a cargo box on the roof.
I would certainly expect a big FE hit from a cargo box, especially on a vehicle like the Prius that has good aero and also already gets high MPG.
But I'm a bit mystified that I get 32-36mpg from my MT 2003 Subaru Outback with the 2.5L four when hauling a rowing shell on the roof. This involves Yakima crossbars, usually a small Yakima plexi deflector, a special aluminum frame, and a 26 foot boat (albeit rather small in frontal area and only about 30 lbs weight) in a padded fabric cover. Sometimes a second frame with a 32 foot boat as well.
Hopefully I don't just have the ScanGauge mis-set: I did select 2.5L engine size. No data for trips without boat(s) because then I take the Insight.

Then she off-handedly said something about needing a larger car in a few years. Wha? Her Prius is barely four months old and spends most of its time with just her, a few odds and ends, and maybe a rescue dog. I couln't get her to commit to any particular reason, so I was left to be dumbfounded for a little while.

One word: CHILDREN

This is probably what she's talking about. Two adults, luggage, pets, and 2.3 kids would be a tight squeeze.

BTW- Hope you have a good couch :D. Asking about the letters E, P, and T might also be advised.

Men. They are soooooo dense sometimes :D:D:D

But you love us anyway. I apologize to the women out there for spoiling your fun, but figured I'd get brick straightened out before he told his GF to put her new "baggage" in an aero-shell.

figured I'd get brick straightened out before he told his GF to put her new "baggage" in an aero-shell.

When I was a boy we called that a "character building experience." They should be so lucky as to get an aero shell! We got the roof rails and as much security as your own grip could provide. Sissy kids weren't allowed in my town. Or at least they didn't get to go on vacation.

**ahem**

I found this:
http://www.golittleguy.com/cms/available-models/model-information/travelmate-2.html

360lb dry weight, tear drop design, pretty healthy interior volume. Not cheap, though. Vs. $20/day for the u-haul you have to take a lot of vacations for a brand new one to be worth the investment.

One word: CHILDREN

This is probably what she's talking about. Two adults, luggage, pets, and 2.3 kids would be a tight squeeze.


That's what I was thinking too. Tim, we're about to find out how two adults, one large dog, and one baby, plus luggage, does in a Prius for a three hour trip. Of course, this won't go into full effect until March, but it will be here before we're ready. ;) My wife and I have decided that one way to cut down on what we pack is to just do laundry at our destination. We'll pack two days worth, and launder at night. I know my family doesn't mind me throwing in a load or two when I visit - I even offer to wash their clothes too.

This guy:
http://www.plusaf.com/prius/prius.htm

pulls one of these:
http://www.oldinc.com/pmt.htm

long-haul behind his Prius:
http://www.plusaf.com/prius/shakedown.jpg

Hi Tim:

___I was thinking of a trailer I had seen that is smaller and far more aerodynamic then that box? Let me do a little searching this evening and see what I can find …

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi Tim:

___Wow, I missed most of page 2 when responding. WriConsult has it nailed. Put some RE92’s on that thing at maybe 70 #’s and the Prius may not even know its back there :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Ok, I was surfing PriusChat and found Darrell's setup. So here it is, ultimate aero trailer on a budget:

Stick this:
http://www.yakima.com/Product.aspx?id=185

To this:
http://www.sportsrig.com/choose.html

And I've got a low-profile lightweight aero rig with decent capacity for under 2 grand.

Food for thought:

http://metrompg.com/offsite/crx-trailer.jpg

DIY aero modder extraordinaire Phil Knox made this trailer for his CRX HF and claimed the car's mileage was unchanged when towing it, despite the added weight & rolling resistance.

He shaped the trailer carefully enough to improve the overall Cd of the CRX+trailer package vs. the CRX on its own. I guess the aero improvement cancelled out the weight+RR penalties.

Harder to do with a Prius, of course, since its aero is already superior to the CRX...

Ok, I stand corrected. /\/\That/\/\ is the ultimate aero trailer on a budget.

Hitch a Yaris 3 door up to the PII.

If you don't need alot of room, there are some smaller trailers for motorcycles to haul around that might suit your needs also.