New member with some question about MY17 Isuzu MU-X when towing

Isuzu cruising · Newbie

New member with some question about MY17 Isuzu MU-X when towing

Ian G · Senior Member

Hi welcome to the forum. I assume you have the 6 speed auto
I recommend you fit something like a scangauge to monitor your transmission temp and fit a transmission cooler

5th and 6th are both overdrive, 4th is 1-1, I usually lock mine in 4th, you may use a little more fuel but your transmission will be cooler and below your coolant temp ( I have a cooler though) In drive it will hunt between 4th,5th and rarely 6th, torque converter is slipping and your transmission temp will increase

Mine has always towed fairly level, though I have a GVM upgrade, I also have airbags. Airbags are not an issue on the MUX as they have rear coil suspension, the D Dax is a different story with leaf springs, I suggest you talk to a suspension provider and get some advice, I have found Pedders helpfull

I also have an acceleration controller, each to there own, I find it handy at a roundabout to avoid the initial delay. Just my thoughts Ian

Isuzu cruising · Newbie

Many thanks Ian - all suggestions are welcome - did not realise that with overdrive

Possum3 · Guru

Welcome to the Forum, I'm a welded on Nissan fan, so I'll leave MUX alone.

vince56 · Senior Member

Hi IC and welcome, Just remember that airbags will take weight off your front wheels, in essence you are making the weight "revolve" around the rear axle.
Have a look at this: www.youtube.com/watch

KJB · Guru

vince56 wrote:
Hi IC and welcome, Just remember that airbags will take weight off your front wheels, in essence you are making the weight "revolve" around the rear axle.
Have a look at this: www.youtube.com/watch

?????????

vince56 · Senior Member

Bad wording there, I should say that with airbags the weight is removed from the front axle and transferred to the rear axle.

-- Edited by vince56 on Thursday 29th of February 2024 04:10:55 AM

Rodsvan · Veteran Member

My understanding of acceleration (throttle) controllers is that they just increase the amount of acceleration input to the car (hard to explain simply). You could achieve the same result by just pushing your foot further on the accelerator pedal.

KJB · Guru

vince56 wrote:
Bad wording there, I should say that with airbags the weight is removed from the front axle and transferred to the rear axle.

-- Edited by vince56 on Thursday 29th of February 2024 04:10:55 AM

Air bags do not "redistribute" weight (they only act to "help" or "lift" weak,saggy,soft springs).

A Weight Distribution Hitch (WDH) will "redistribute" axle weights.

-- Edited by KJB on Thursday 29th of February 2024 08:37:35 AM

Possum3 · Guru

Rodsvan wrote:
My understanding of acceleration (throttle) controllers is that they just increase the amount of acceleration input to the car (hard to explain simply). You could achieve the same result by just pushing your foot further on the accelerator pedal.

Throttle controllers eliminate even minor changes to acceleration - for example on rugged terrain when vehicle bounces/jerks/sways the foot operated pedal is unintentionally moved up and down - this in turn snowballs the jerkiness.

Ian G · Senior Member

Yes I wouldn't use a throttle controller on a 4x4 track or a wet slippery road, you can turn them off with the push of a button. Isuzu have an annoying throttle lag so they are useful in traffic particularly at a roundabout etc.

vince56 · Senior Member

KJB, watch the video

Jaahn · Guru

KJB wrote:
vince56 wrote:
Bad wording there, I should say that with airbags the weight is removed from the front axle and transferred to the rear axle.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Air bags do not "redistribute" weight (they only act to "help" or "lift" weak,saggy,soft springs).
A Weight Distribution Hitch (WDH) will "redistribute" axle weights.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As KJB said air bags do not change the weight distribution. They just help lift the weight on that axle if that is needed.

Putting a heavy trailer hitch on the ball redistributes the weights between the car axles and the trailer because the ball is a distance behind the rear axle. And the attitude of both can change which affects the weight distribution in a small way.

I did watch the video. I must admit that I did not take notes when the conclusions were shown. But you should if you think it said some thing else. A bit confusing to follow and in pounds too !

Jaahn

-- Edited by Jaahn on Thursday 29th of February 2024 02:54:41 PM

-- Edited by Jaahn on Thursday 29th of February 2024 03:22:28 PM

Isuzu cruising · Newbie

Thanks heaps everyone - watched the video that shows definite benefits in using weight distribution hitch by moving more weight back to van axle and keeping weight on the front wheels. There is considerable discussion on this forum re voiding warranties etc if Weight Dist. bars are used. Airbags look to introduce issues with weighton front wheels and does nothing to change the weight on the back axle, just the height. A trip to Pedders looks likely.

Are We Lost · Guru

Isuzu cruising wrote:
Towing alignment is not level so assuming I need to change the rear (coil) suspension but have no idea what to. Have heard that airbags are a no-no. Isuzu do not recoomend weight distribution bars and I do nto have a lot of heavy items stored in front

Where did you hear that Isuzu do not recommend using a WDH? I don't know about the the MY17 model, but the brochure for the current model shows a WDH as an optional accessory.

Getting the rig level is not the important thing. If the MU-X sags at the back that is a symptom. The cause of that symptom is what you should be looking at .... weight distribution. If you get heavier springs or air bags you will just be masking the problem. It will still be there .... too much weight on the back axle vs the front.

Pedders salesmen would love to sell you gear that will level the rig but it will do nothing to fix the light steering and front brakes locking due to weight being lifted off the front wheels. With a less than 2 tonne van it's surprising that the sag is a problem .... unless the towball weight is high for that, or you carry a lot of stuff in the back of the MU-X. Maybe a weigh bridge would be a good idea before doing anything. Do you know the procedure for weighing the different axles?

Isuzu cruising · Newbie

Thanks for that - it is not a major problem but the Nissan held it very level. With a tandem van and as little wieght as possible in the front compartment, I may be overstating the issue. I am sure there will be a lot of retailers out just looking for people like me to sell unnecessary stuff to. The MU-X with coils seems pretty soft withnothing towed. My brother has a D-MAX which has leaf springs and hhe upgraded to 300-400kg springs instead of the standard up to 300kg but a different vehicle for a different purpose

watsea · Guru

Are We Lost mentioned that the current model was offering a WDH as an accessory. That is interesting news.

In 2019, when I was looking at towing vehicles, my recollection was that the MUXs were not recommended to have a WDH if they used the standard MUX towbar. I understand the WDHs caused cracking in those towbars, probably not enough strength detail with the short length hitch receiver.
At the time, Hayman Reese supplied and fitted their towbars (suitably built for a WDH) for the 2019 model MUX for a cost similar or less than the dealer fitted MUX towbars

Are We Lost · Guru

For those who may be interested, here is the link that includes the WDH accessory.