Montauk terminal velocity - Moderated Discussion Areas

  ContinuousWave
  Whaler
  Moderated Discussion Areas
  ContinuousWave: The Whaler GAM or General Area
  Montauk terminal velocity

search | FAQ | profile | register | author help

Author Topic:   Montauk terminal velocity

kwik_wurk posted 08-02-2011 02:18 PM ET (US)
I think I reached terminal velocity on the Montauk yesterday. --- 85 MPH...according to the Garmin -- short lived though
Fuel consumption was 18 mpg on flat land. Went down to 15.5 mpg over the passes. Without trailer Xterra gets 19 - 20.5 mpg, depending on who is driving.
(The exterior portion of the bearings only got a few degrees warmer than ambient.)
pcrussell50 posted 08-02-2011 02:24 PM ET (US)
We rented an X-Terra recently. It had a hitch, but I had nothing to tow with it, as it was just a business trip for the wife. BUT, it was VERY impressive. Made our old reliable v6, truck-framed, Explorer seem like crap. I know it would have towed my little boats, the biggest being a heavy classic 17, with yawning ease. When the time comes that we need to replace the Explorer, if we decide that the Honda Odyessy is just too big, we will look at the X-Terra.
-Peter
pcrussell50 posted 08-02-2011 02:28 PM ET (US)
I should say that it was impressive in all ways. Power, quality feel, well thought out. The only thing that was not so great, was something you can't hold against it anyway, nimble and sensitive road feel, where cars and minivans have significant advantages. Is it available in a 6-speed manual? If the Odyessy was available with a 6-speed, I'd do what I NEVER do, get rid of a perfectly good car, our Explorer, and get the stick shift Odyessy.
-Peter
Chuck Tribolet posted 08-02-2011 04:58 PM ET (US)
http://www.nissanusa.com/ will let you build your
Xterra or other Nissan. The Xterra S is available with a
six-speed manual. Alas, they don't put it in the Pathfinder.

Chuck
jharrell posted 08-04-2011 12:34 AM ET (US)
I have always been a Nissan fan, probably because my first car was a 12 year old Datsun pickup. It's body was rusted out but mechanically it was in great shape, had a 4 cylinder engine with 8 spark plugs, auto parts guys used to look at me funny when I would get new distributors for it.
I've had Dodges and Toyota pickups, but this last time I went back to Nissan with a Titan, best truck I've owned, the engine is amazing although not great on gas(better than the 360 in my dodge though). Build quality and interior just feels so much better.
Pulls my Montauk like it's not there, although I don't want to test terminal velocity with it, it would prob hit a 100 with the wheels gone on the trailer, the engine is a monster.
I wish Nissan would bring the DFI version of the engine over from the Infiniti qx56, 400hp and 20mpg on the highway from that beast.
The V6 in the Xterra is a great engine by all accounts, I believe the Titans V8 is nearly the same engine with two extra cylinders.
Don't they sell a Pathfinder with the V8 now? That would be a fun vehicle, almost bought one instead of the Titan, basically the same price at the time.
pcrussell50 posted 08-04-2011 02:13 AM ET (US)
After having had BMW straight sixes, which might as well be turbines, I hate v6's... but I have come to realize they are a fact of life these days, and have been around long enough that suitable engineering band-aids have been developed to make them liveable... in "appliance" vehicles, which much as I like the X-Terra, it still is.
BTW, I have that dual-plug Nissan 4-banger (with a vane style air meter), in the '86 Stanza 4wd wagon I use to tow my boats to the harbor. That thing has been a stalwart workhorse. It also did 10ppm of HC out of 120 allowable on it's smog test a few months ago. Not bad for a 27 year old car.
-Peter
PeteB88 posted 08-04-2011 06:27 AM ET (US)
Why would you tow anything at 85 MPH? I'm not impressed, sorry - I've seen a few trailer accidents in my day and they are almost always catastrophic and avoidable usually the result of over speed, inexperienced driver or equipment failure due to poor maintenance, overloading or inferior equipment.
I would not want to be around any vehicle towing a boat at 85 MPH. Slow it down.
Sourpuss1 posted 08-04-2011 07:38 AM ET (US)
IF you do it safely, any speed is OK! Hard to do safely with larger (20'+) boats.
Your vehicle discussion reminds me of a trip I took to California when I was a teen (1984?), to transport a vehicle east. Being from the Detroit area, we were shocked by the number of imported cars on California's highways. I don't work for a car company, but I still wouldn't buy any vehicle that wasn't produced by an american company, in the US. Like all commodities, this is getting more difficult every day...
PeteB88 posted 08-04-2011 12:23 PM ET (US)
Sourpuss, you're getting close to the edge with the politics, I can agree but would be more inclined if and when the American auto companies bring the JOBS back to America and places like my home town Lansing, Flint and Detroit. I know GM made a commitment to invest in Lansing in mid-90s to build Cadillacs and I know the Delta plant builds SUVs but those corporate decisions had serious negative impact on our state. When I moved back to Michigan there were 20,000 GM jobs. There might be a quarter of that number now best case.
The good news is it seems quality is improving but the West Coast has been import heavy for 40 years - It will take a long time for that to change if it ever does. That said, I would consider a Ford F150 for a new tow vehicle which would be my first US car since late 70s when I sold my Olds Vista Cruiser for a Datsun after being blown away by GF's Toyota Corona. I blame the US automakers for their lack of commitment to quality (Demming method) way back, not listening to customers (On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors - De Lorean), loss of commitment to community (they used to build communities - Flint Michigan) and greed. Perhaps those days are past but the impact on our state is permanent. For now, I have a US made, Canadian made and Japanese made vehicles in my driveway.
jharrell posted 08-04-2011 12:25 PM ET (US)
My Titan was made in Mississippi, my Dodge was made in Mexico...
pcrussell50 posted 08-04-2011 12:31 PM ET (US)
American car companies are run by bean counters. German car companies are run by car lovers. The Japanese are more split. None of this should be a surprise either. It shows in their products.
-Peter
Stevebaz posted 08-04-2011 07:00 PM ET (US)
I have been extremely happy with my 2001 Nissan Pathfinder. It tows my Montauk with ease. The little 3.5 liter 250 HP is a pleasure to drive. I don’t do 85 since I would have any control of the trailer. With the up lift of the hull and the tires not touching the ground the wheel bearings won’t get warm. With all kidding aside I wish American cars were made in America instead of just assembled here. I know that Americans can make the best products in the world. But until Politics gets out of Manufacturing we are stuck with purchasing the best bang for the buck whether it is assembled here or abroad. Remember our port workers are Americans too.
Chuck Tribolet posted 08-04-2011 07:16 PM ET (US)
Stevebaz: I've got an '01 Pathfinder too. 198,000 miles, about
a third of that towing the Montauk.
250HP? You have a stick shift like me. The Automatics were
240HP, but more torque. '01 was alas the last year for the
stick shift Pathfinder. I keep hoping Nissan will put that
nice six-speed in the Pathfinder, but no such luck so far.
I've a suspicion they don't have enough manufacturing
capacity on it, or you would be seeing in the low-end xterra
too (they could probably drop the price $500-1000)
Chuck
PeteB88 posted 08-04-2011 07:27 PM ET (US)
My 4 Runner works great and is one tough SOB
kwik_wurk posted 08-04-2011 09:15 PM ET (US)
And no I don't generally tow at 85 MPH, but on an empty freeway (3 lanes to myself). I pushed the rig a bit going down a small hill and popped up to 85 rather quickly. --- I typically tow around 62 or 74 MPH on the freeway. Depends on the traffic and what gear I can be in.
Speed is a relative thing. I was just in France, and found traffic moving at 150 KPH or 95 MPH on the freeway. (Granted I wasn't towing anything.)
The Xterra has a 4.0L engine, with a 6 speed. Couldn't find the newer 4L engine with a stick in the decent pathfinder, and the armada was just too big. I love the engine so far ask me again in 100K miles.
And the trailer is over-sized for the Montauk, works for boats up to 19' long, I think 3000lbs. And the bearings are cool because they run with low load and are in perfect shape. I jacked the trailer up and gave the tires a spin and no sound, and kept on spinning. (I really doubt windage provides that much lift to unload a trailer, it is behind a vehicle. Otherwise the crosswinds would blow the trailer into the other lane.)
contender posted 08-04-2011 09:23 PM ET (US)
Chevy 4-door cab long bed diesel allison 6 speed trans. 4x4, pulls anything, and carries everything. Could not be happier...
Chuck Tribolet posted 08-05-2011 10:42 AM ET (US)
Kwik_wurk, Nissan hasn't put a stick shift in the Pathfinder
since '01. You couldn't find a 4L stick shift PF because
there are none, at least in a USA model.

Chuck
Stevebaz posted 08-05-2011 11:09 AM ET (US)
Chuck I stand corrected I have an automatic. I gave up stick when I got the Nissan. It’s just too much trouble in So-Cal traffic for a stick. My days of stick shift are over. Too bad they goofed up the Pathfinder after 2004. It’s the perfect tow machine for the Montauk. My Pathfinder is 4-wd so I don’t worry about bad ramps. I can carry 4 adults comfortably with all the stuff necessary for a good day on the boat. The back windows are very well tinted so stuff locked up at the ramp isn’t too noticeable. It will climb our mountain passes at freeway speeds with overdrive off loaded down and towing the Montauk. With 5,000 lbs tow capacity I am not overloading anything doing so.

Hop to:

Contact Us | RETURN to ContinuousWave Top Page

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Freeware Version 2000
Purchase our Licensed Version- which adds many more features!
© Infopop Corporation (formerly Madrona Park, Inc.), 1998 - 2000.

Author	Topic: Montauk terminal velocity
kwik_wurk	posted 08-02-2011 02:18 PM ET (US) I think I reached terminal velocity on the Montauk yesterday. --- 85 MPH...according to the Garmin -- short lived though Fuel consumption was 18 mpg on flat land. Went down to 15.5 mpg over the passes. Without trailer Xterra gets 19 - 20.5 mpg, depending on who is driving. (The exterior portion of the bearings only got a few degrees warmer than ambient.)
pcrussell50	posted 08-02-2011 02:24 PM ET (US) We rented an X-Terra recently. It had a hitch, but I had nothing to tow with it, as it was just a business trip for the wife. BUT, it was VERY impressive. Made our old reliable v6, truck-framed, Explorer seem like crap. I know it would have towed my little boats, the biggest being a heavy classic 17, with yawning ease. When the time comes that we need to replace the Explorer, if we decide that the Honda Odyessy is just too big, we will look at the X-Terra. -Peter
pcrussell50	posted 08-02-2011 02:28 PM ET (US) I should say that it was impressive in all ways. Power, quality feel, well thought out. The only thing that was not so great, was something you can't hold against it anyway, nimble and sensitive road feel, where cars and minivans have significant advantages. Is it available in a 6-speed manual? If the Odyessy was available with a 6-speed, I'd do what I NEVER do, get rid of a perfectly good car, our Explorer, and get the stick shift Odyessy. -Peter
Chuck Tribolet	posted 08-02-2011 04:58 PM ET (US) http://www.nissanusa.com/ will let you build your Xterra or other Nissan. The Xterra S is available with a six-speed manual. Alas, they don't put it in the Pathfinder. Chuck
jharrell	posted 08-04-2011 12:34 AM ET (US) I have always been a Nissan fan, probably because my first car was a 12 year old Datsun pickup. It's body was rusted out but mechanically it was in great shape, had a 4 cylinder engine with 8 spark plugs, auto parts guys used to look at me funny when I would get new distributors for it. I've had Dodges and Toyota pickups, but this last time I went back to Nissan with a Titan, best truck I've owned, the engine is amazing although not great on gas(better than the 360 in my dodge though). Build quality and interior just feels so much better. Pulls my Montauk like it's not there, although I don't want to test terminal velocity with it, it would prob hit a 100 with the wheels gone on the trailer, the engine is a monster. I wish Nissan would bring the DFI version of the engine over from the Infiniti qx56, 400hp and 20mpg on the highway from that beast. The V6 in the Xterra is a great engine by all accounts, I believe the Titans V8 is nearly the same engine with two extra cylinders. Don't they sell a Pathfinder with the V8 now? That would be a fun vehicle, almost bought one instead of the Titan, basically the same price at the time.
pcrussell50	posted 08-04-2011 02:13 AM ET (US) After having had BMW straight sixes, which might as well be turbines, I hate v6's... but I have come to realize they are a fact of life these days, and have been around long enough that suitable engineering band-aids have been developed to make them liveable... in "appliance" vehicles, which much as I like the X-Terra, it still is. BTW, I have that dual-plug Nissan 4-banger (with a vane style air meter), in the '86 Stanza 4wd wagon I use to tow my boats to the harbor. That thing has been a stalwart workhorse. It also did 10ppm of HC out of 120 allowable on it's smog test a few months ago. Not bad for a 27 year old car. -Peter
PeteB88	posted 08-04-2011 06:27 AM ET (US) Why would you tow anything at 85 MPH? I'm not impressed, sorry - I've seen a few trailer accidents in my day and they are almost always catastrophic and avoidable usually the result of over speed, inexperienced driver or equipment failure due to poor maintenance, overloading or inferior equipment. I would not want to be around any vehicle towing a boat at 85 MPH. Slow it down.
Sourpuss1	posted 08-04-2011 07:38 AM ET (US) IF you do it safely, any speed is OK! Hard to do safely with larger (20'+) boats. Your vehicle discussion reminds me of a trip I took to California when I was a teen (1984?), to transport a vehicle east. Being from the Detroit area, we were shocked by the number of imported cars on California's highways. I don't work for a car company, but I still wouldn't buy any vehicle that wasn't produced by an american company, in the US. Like all commodities, this is getting more difficult every day...
PeteB88	posted 08-04-2011 12:23 PM ET (US) Sourpuss, you're getting close to the edge with the politics, I can agree but would be more inclined if and when the American auto companies bring the JOBS back to America and places like my home town Lansing, Flint and Detroit. I know GM made a commitment to invest in Lansing in mid-90s to build Cadillacs and I know the Delta plant builds SUVs but those corporate decisions had serious negative impact on our state. When I moved back to Michigan there were 20,000 GM jobs. There might be a quarter of that number now best case. The good news is it seems quality is improving but the West Coast has been import heavy for 40 years - It will take a long time for that to change if it ever does. That said, I would consider a Ford F150 for a new tow vehicle which would be my first US car since late 70s when I sold my Olds Vista Cruiser for a Datsun after being blown away by GF's Toyota Corona. I blame the US automakers for their lack of commitment to quality (Demming method) way back, not listening to customers (On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors - De Lorean), loss of commitment to community (they used to build communities - Flint Michigan) and greed. Perhaps those days are past but the impact on our state is permanent. For now, I have a US made, Canadian made and Japanese made vehicles in my driveway.
jharrell	posted 08-04-2011 12:25 PM ET (US) My Titan was made in Mississippi, my Dodge was made in Mexico...
pcrussell50	posted 08-04-2011 12:31 PM ET (US) American car companies are run by bean counters. German car companies are run by car lovers. The Japanese are more split. None of this should be a surprise either. It shows in their products. -Peter
Stevebaz	posted 08-04-2011 07:00 PM ET (US) I have been extremely happy with my 2001 Nissan Pathfinder. It tows my Montauk with ease. The little 3.5 liter 250 HP is a pleasure to drive. I don’t do 85 since I would have any control of the trailer. With the up lift of the hull and the tires not touching the ground the wheel bearings won’t get warm. With all kidding aside I wish American cars were made in America instead of just assembled here. I know that Americans can make the best products in the world. But until Politics gets out of Manufacturing we are stuck with purchasing the best bang for the buck whether it is assembled here or abroad. Remember our port workers are Americans too.
Chuck Tribolet	posted 08-04-2011 07:16 PM ET (US) Stevebaz: I've got an '01 Pathfinder too. 198,000 miles, about a third of that towing the Montauk. 250HP? You have a stick shift like me. The Automatics were 240HP, but more torque. '01 was alas the last year for the stick shift Pathfinder. I keep hoping Nissan will put that nice six-speed in the Pathfinder, but no such luck so far. I've a suspicion they don't have enough manufacturing capacity on it, or you would be seeing in the low-end xterra too (they could probably drop the price $500-1000) Chuck
PeteB88	posted 08-04-2011 07:27 PM ET (US) My 4 Runner works great and is one tough SOB
kwik_wurk	posted 08-04-2011 09:15 PM ET (US) And no I don't generally tow at 85 MPH, but on an empty freeway (3 lanes to myself). I pushed the rig a bit going down a small hill and popped up to 85 rather quickly. --- I typically tow around 62 or 74 MPH on the freeway. Depends on the traffic and what gear I can be in. Speed is a relative thing. I was just in France, and found traffic moving at 150 KPH or 95 MPH on the freeway. (Granted I wasn't towing anything.) The Xterra has a 4.0L engine, with a 6 speed. Couldn't find the newer 4L engine with a stick in the decent pathfinder, and the armada was just too big. I love the engine so far ask me again in 100K miles. And the trailer is over-sized for the Montauk, works for boats up to 19' long, I think 3000lbs. And the bearings are cool because they run with low load and are in perfect shape. I jacked the trailer up and gave the tires a spin and no sound, and kept on spinning. (I really doubt windage provides that much lift to unload a trailer, it is behind a vehicle. Otherwise the crosswinds would blow the trailer into the other lane.)
contender	posted 08-04-2011 09:23 PM ET (US) Chevy 4-door cab long bed diesel allison 6 speed trans. 4x4, pulls anything, and carries everything. Could not be happier...
Chuck Tribolet	posted 08-05-2011 10:42 AM ET (US) Kwik_wurk, Nissan hasn't put a stick shift in the Pathfinder since '01. You couldn't find a 4L stick shift PF because there are none, at least in a USA model. Chuck
Stevebaz	posted 08-05-2011 11:09 AM ET (US) Chuck I stand corrected I have an automatic. I gave up stick when I got the Nissan. It’s just too much trouble in So-Cal traffic for a stick. My days of stick shift are over. Too bad they goofed up the Pathfinder after 2004. It’s the perfect tow machine for the Montauk. My Pathfinder is 4-wd so I don’t worry about bad ramps. I can carry 4 adults comfortably with all the stuff necessary for a good day on the boat. The back windows are very well tinted so stuff locked up at the ramp isn’t too noticeable. It will climb our mountain passes at freeway speeds with overdrive off loaded down and towing the Montauk. With 5,000 lbs tow capacity I am not overloading anything doing so.