ANYTIME

Long time member here (18 posts since 04). I am more of a reader, not too much of a poster. After selling my 03 IS300 SportCross, I'm back for more Lexus fun!
I am considering a low mile 99 RX300 AWD to tow behind my motorhome. I have a tow dolly that I would like to tow it with (you tow with the front wheels only on the dolly). I am not sure how Lexus set up the AWD on this car. Does it have a viscous coupling or does it drive all wheels, all the time? Would anyone suggest towing with the front wheels on the dolly? Or do I need to get a disconnect for only the rear drive shaft? I have read a little about towing all four down, but nothing about only with the rear down. Some members here have been towing four down with no problems.
Damn, the car I find is not FWD, it has to be AWD! It's a friend and a one owner with 60k on it
I would be towing only a few hundred miles a year.
Thanks in advance,
John

salimshah

For an AWD with fronts off the ground, you have to mess with plumbing. Owner manual talks about it and the only thing I recall is that they have to flat-bed when towing.


Salim

Raoul

With a curb weight of over 3900 lbs the RX wouldn't be my first choice for a dingy vehicle.

Sounds like a nice buy though.
Considering the drive shaft adjustments and overall weight, and since it's just a few hundred miles a year,

I'd kick somebody out of the RV and have myself a convoy.

ANYTIME

Stolen from another thread. I wonder how easy and or costly it would be to do this?

Lil4X

I'd probably prefer to flatbed it, the potential consequences of dollying and dragging that viscous coupling for more than a couple miles - especially when it is basically out of sight behind you - is too horrible to contemplate. Smoke and flames come to mind . . .

As Raoul said, for no more than you will use it, you might consider convoying. We used to do that with our motorhome and it worked quite well, especially in traffic. Dad would drive the bus and I would tag along behind in a small car - maintaining CB or FRS radio contact. He had the advantage of altitude, towering over the road he could see a mile ahead, and especially in heavy rain, he was well up out of the spray. I just followed along behind letting the folks up front navigate and stand watch.

If Dad wanted to change lanes with that behemoth, he could alert me, I'd slip over and block a space for him to pull into my lane. It worked like a charm and no one else on the road ever got upset because they didn't know about the collusion between us.

It made travel on crowded freeways faster and less frustrating - and by trading vehicles every couple of hours, it broke up the trip into manageable stages with different seating positions and a change of companions.

ANYTIME

Been there, done that with convoys! Wife needs to be in the FUN BOX (MH lic plate) to watch the little one
They go in the back and watch TV, sleep, go to the bathroom, cook, etc. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Replacing the CRV with a RX300 soon, and it's going on the tow dolly....

HarrierAWD

You cannot tow the RX300 like the CR-V. The RX300 has full-time AWD that cannot be disengaged (without major surgery.) The CR-V has part-time AWD in which the rear wheels are engaged only when the ECM detects a wheel spin.

If you want to tow an AWD SUV, consider a Saturn VUE which can be towed on all 4 wheels.

ANYTIME

The AWD is now not being considered, only the FWD version. Saturn VUE, that's a good one! (joke that is)

toy4two

Lexus even revised their owners manual after 2001 to remove the part about how to tow behind an RV. It will destroy the car, do not do it.

HarrierAWD

Yes, the VUE is a crappy vehicle compared to the RX300 and CR-V, but it's the only SUV that can be towed flat on 4.