First off, it is a light boat. An '07 SeaDoo Speedster 215hp supercharged (16.5'). I think the boat is around 1800lbs so with the trailer maybe 2500lbs at most. Tongue weight is maybe 200lbs at most.
Currently we tow the boat with our '99 Wrangler, which we keep around as a toy for off-roading, some city use, and top-down fun. It is okay to tow to the local lakes but not far. I live in Denver, and sometimes need to tow over the continental divide for longer trips. the 4.0 in the Wrangler is pathetic (especially with 33" tires to turn) and gunning up high mountain passes I dip down into 3rd gear to maintain 45mph. No joke. We borrowed my wife's dad's Nissan Titan V8 and it pulled easy and hard up the steep grades, holding 80-85mph.
I've got a fun fast car for a daily driver and it's not suitable for towing, and the wife drives a nice Honda Accord V6. So we don't have any great tow vehicle. I'm thinking of trading in her Accord for an '04-'06 FX45 so that she gets an upgrade in vehicle and AWD and I get something nice to tow the boat for longer trips. She doesn't really want an SUV but since the FX is more of a cross-over and the 45 has good power, I think she'll go for it.
So, should I even be thinking FX45 at all for towing a boat? I'd need a hitch, more frequent changes of diff and/or tranny fluids (and maybe different fluid types). What else? Trans cooler? Is the tranny pretty robust in these things? Not sure if ground clearance would be an issue for launching. Thoughts?
Currently we tow the boat with our '99 Wrangler, which we keep around as a toy for off-roading, some city use, and top-down fun. It is okay to tow to the local lakes but not far. I live in Denver, and sometimes need to tow over the continental divide for longer trips. the 4.0 in the Wrangler is pathetic (especially with 33" tires to turn) and gunning up high mountain passes I dip down into 3rd gear to maintain 45mph. No joke. We borrowed my wife's dad's Nissan Titan V8 and it pulled easy and hard up the steep grades, holding 80-85mph.
I've got a fun fast car for a daily driver and it's not suitable for towing, and the wife drives a nice Honda Accord V6. So we don't have any great tow vehicle. I'm thinking of trading in her Accord for an '04-'06 FX45 so that she gets an upgrade in vehicle and AWD and I get something nice to tow the boat for longer trips. She doesn't really want an SUV but since the FX is more of a cross-over and the 45 has good power, I think she'll go for it.
So, should I even be thinking FX45 at all for towing a boat? I'd need a hitch, more frequent changes of diff and/or tranny fluids (and maybe different fluid types). What else? Trans cooler? Is the tranny pretty robust in these things? Not sure if ground clearance would be an issue for launching. Thoughts?
