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fbirch
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| Posted: Dec 25 2019 at 6:02pm | IP Logged
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I’m in the market for a truck and looking to make a purchase near term, perhaps the next few days. I’m wondering if a Frontier would serve my needs and I’d appreciate feedback from the knowledgeable folks here.
My usage will be 95% daily commuting. I live in and work within the confines of a city, hence my reason for not wanting a full size truck. I will also use it for occasionally hauling small cargo (mostly, tires and wheels for my race car) that will easily fit in the bed.
Approximately 2-3 times per year I need the ability to tow my race car to a track in a neighboring state – about a 5.5 hour drive at the 65-70 MPH speed limit. The trailer I’d be using weighs just over 2000 lb and the race car weighs about 2800 lb, call it 5000 lb total towed load to be conservative. I will also need to haul about 350-400 lb of related paraphernalia, plus my 165 lb self. So 5500–5600 lb in all. The route is mostly flat or gentle hills.
Would a Frontier be adequate for this role, or would I be pushing too close to the practical limits of this vehicle? From what I’ve been able to read, the Frontier is the most well-sorted and bulletproof of the current midsize trucks. Reliability is paramount for me. If a Frontier will work for my needs, I’d like to get one before they change the design.
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Rubble
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| Posted: Dec 25 2019 at 9:48pm | IP Logged
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fbirch wrote:
I’m in the market for a truck and
looking to make a purchase near term, perhaps the next
few days. I’m wondering if a Frontier would serve my
needs and I’d appreciate feedback from the
knowledgeable folks here.
My usage will be 95% daily commuting. I live in and
work within the confines of a city, hence my reason for
not wanting a full size truck. I will also use it for
occasionally hauling small cargo (mostly, tires and
wheels for my race car) that will easily fit in the
bed.
Approximately 2-3 times per year I need the ability to
tow my race car to a track in a neighboring state –
about a 5.5 hour drive at the 65-70 MPH speed limit.
The trailer I’d be using weighs just over 2000 lb and
the race car weighs about 2800 lb, call it 5000 lb
total towed load to be conservative. I will also need
to haul about 350-400 lb of related paraphernalia, plus
my 165 lb self. So 5500–5600 lb in all. The route is
mostly flat or gentle hills.
Would a Frontier be adequate for this role, or would I
be pushing too close to the practical limits of this
vehicle? From what I’ve been able to read, the Frontier
is the most well-sorted and bulletproof of the current
midsize trucks. Reliability is paramount for me. If a
Frontier will work for my needs, I’d like to get one
before they change the design.
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FBirch,
If the Utility Trailer is Open, I don't see a problem,
but I would hit the OverDrive Button to take it out of
Overdrive.
If the trailer is enclosed the maximum Trailer Frontage
is 60 sq ft. Flat Faced Front Trailer, will be the
hardest to pull and one that has an Angled Front will
help a lot.
If Gas Mileage is Important and you don't need 4wd,,
get the SVV6 2WD King Cab. I have an SVV6 2WD King Cab
and my Average MPG is 20.4, but that doesn't include
much towing my Utility Trailer. The MPG is going to go
down quiet a bit Towing a Utility Trailer. The SVV6
King Cab 2wd Has a 2.937 Rear End Gear Ratio which gets
the best MPG of all the V6 Gen 2 Frontier's. The 4X4's
get the worst MPG and has a Rear End Gear Ratio over
3.0 as well as the Crew Cab's.
You will need Trailer Brake's and Get the Nissan Class
IV Receiver. You will need something to Balance the
Truck like a Weight Distributing Hitch, UNLESS you are
able to get the Truck & Trailer Balanced by placeing
the Load on the Trailer to get balanced. I expect
you'll need the Weight Distributing Hitch though.
I personally think that the Frontier will get it done,
but not by much. In other word's you'll be operateing
at close to Max Tow Rateing, but it will do it,, as
long as you don't get into a Hurry and Plan Your Trip
Time with Plenty of Extra Time to get there and back.
You may not need the Extra Time,, but Plan on it anyway
to keep the Stress Level Normal.
In getting a Midsize it's a compromize to getting a
Full Size Pickup.
If you do decide to get a Frontier, Now is the Time
cause I've been told the Gen 3's are coming; Maybe as
soon as February or March 2020, but may also be later
on in 2020.
The Selection of 2019's are as good as it's going to
get so if you want to get a New Gen II Now is the
Time. We just don't know much about what the Gen III's
will be, How Much, & How Durable. It took Nissan about
5 year's to get the major bug's out of the Gen II's.
For me it came down to between a '13 Silverado V6 Work
Truck or the '13 SVV6 KC 2WD Frontier; I'm glad that I
got the V6 Frontier. This is my 2nd Nissan Truck since
1993. I drove that '93 for 20 year's before getting
the current 2013. So far so Good on the '13, but it's
still early.
Good Luck on Your Next New Truck,
Regards,
PS: I forgot to mention that there is a Break In
Schedule as described in the Owner's Manual and also a
Prescribed Break In Method for Trailer Towing as well.
If you want your Frontier to Last, My Advice is to
follow the Break In Method to the Letter and Alway's
use a Geniune Nissan Oil Filter.
__________________
Barney
2013 SV V6 Frontier KC/AT/2WD; Previous 20 yrs ~ '93 I4 Hardbody KC/AT/2WD, Sold.
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fbirch
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| Posted: Dec 26 2019 at 9:28am | IP Logged
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Thanks for the reply. My car trailer is open, so the only wind loading would be a little bit from the car on the trailer (lowered E36 M3 race car).
Sounds as if a Frontier would be somewhat marginal for my towing needs, however infrequent they might be. That's too bad, because I like everything else about it, and couldn't care less about fuel economy. I really don't want to daily drive a full sized truck, so I'll probably just rent one the few times per year that I need to tow a trailer.
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Nissan Frontier Forums : Frontier Towing / Hauling
Topic: Will a Frontier suit my needs?
