R Ving with 911 in tow

[tevake]

I brought up this idea some time ago, and got pretty negative response here.
Add too many miles, trash the front of the car, unnecessary risks, etc.
It took me some time to pull it together but I'm now on the road with the SC in tow, and loving having it with me.
After a spring trip in Colorado it was clear that some improvements in the motorhome were on order before I would be comfortable towing with it

Engine power seemed inadequate, cooling was an issue even in cool spring conditions, and braking left a bit to be desired too.

So may was spent dealing with these issues. It turned out that the tuning settings for the engine were all out of whack , via the hand held display from the Holly throttle body fuel injection. these were dialed in to spec. And what a difference that has made.
Dealing with the cooling issues was a little more involved.

A new high efficiency radiator core added 20% better cooling capacity, new gates water pump! lower temp thermostat! new hoses all helped turn the cooling around.
It used to run at 205+ all the time, climbing when pushed or driving in hot weather.
I've now driven 700 plus miles in summer temps and have not seen 200 yet

Turns out the brakes in the tag axel had been removed by PO. Replacing them has really added to the coach braking power. Funny the tag axel brakes are drum brakes electricly driven. While all the others are discs hydrolic ly driven. Much better now!

The job site.

Preparing to tow involved changing the struts behind the front bumper on the SC
And doing some reinforcing on the rear frame of the coach.

Now on the road and in north Ca coast all via hiway 1, true reward for the effort.




To be honest the are a couple of new rock chips. And the first night out crossing the desert from Az. A hard line from the trans to the radiator to the rad sprung a pinhole leak and coated the right side do the coach and the whole car behind in a fine film of oil. A sad sight in the morning. Really made me think of all the neisayers earlier.

A big thanks to Todd ( 9dreizig )here for the bra he sent, if I could get the trunk lid to close with that part on it would cover the critical part of the hood.
So keep an eye out for me in the PNW over the coming month as I'm heading as far as the Puget sound, and then who knows where.

Cheers Richard

[tabs]

Why not an enclosed Trailer?

[tevake]

First there is the 4/5 thousand dollars for a trailer, plus reg. and ins.
Then there is the parking issue while camping in tight parks. Most are quite tight here along the coast.
Also at the time that I was thinking about this plan. I wondered about the coaches ability to even tow the weight of the car.

Another member here posted that while R V ing with a car in a trailer that the trailer was a pain to deal with while parked .

[DanielDudley]

Good for you, Sir.

Easy does it.

[Seahawk]

Love it.

I'll be in Wenatchee, WA from the 13th of this month for a week.

If you are close let me know!

[varmint]

sell the rv. cruise around the country in the porsche. stay in nice hotels. probably cheaper.

[Baz]

Aloha and good to hear from you, Rich.

Respect to you for your touring endeavours!

I look forward to future reports but please be careful posting pics like this one so you don't end up here!

[tevake]

Thanks for the kind word guys!
Yep Baz, I knew someone would notice that. I started that day in HalfMoon Bay at first light, to get thru S F while the city was sleeping. And it worked well. No traffic even on the bridge. Only a handful of others at the usually very busy view park near the bridge that early. I had parked back in the appropriate place. Then paused for the pic on my way out.
As I continued over the hill towards Stinson Bch. It occurred to me that the crowds would not be at the Muir Woods yet, so stopped in to feel the magic of the redwoods in peace and quiet. Sweet!

Paul, I would like to meet you in person, you are among my favorite posters here. But I'm aiming to check out the Traffic Jam in Hood River then try to make the vintage races in Portland mid July.
So will not be up near Seattle till later. After driving slowly up the Olympic peninsula .
Cheers Richard

[tevake]

Early morning in Muir Woods was magic.

Little did I know that there are extensive redwood forests farther north. I stayed deep in one by the Gualala river. Where the vintage RV loving folks that run the park scrambled to find room for me, so they could check out the old airstream motorhome.

Pulling into the woods of that park.

I've been staying at the fairgrounds in Ferndale thru the 4th. It's a mostly preserved Victorian town from the mid to late 1800s. They still have a classic American Lafrance fire engine since new in 1923

And put on a wonderful small farming town parade for the 4th.

I had no idea there were still Abalone like this to be had any where on the west coast

[Jay Auskin]

Nice setup, and well done! Most people are on this site because they like wrenching on their pcars. Who cares if something wears out?

[Hendog]

It's just stuff meant to be enjoyed, and that's what you're doing. Good going! Enjoy!

[LakeCleElum]

Richard - Keep the pic's and reports coming. Hope our schedules work out to meet up. Let me know if you need direction about the Oly Penn; I grew up in Pt. Townsend.....

I'm glad you took Hwy 1, my fav road in the whole county....

[porsche4life]

Glad you are having a good time Richard! I like your setup, an airstream with a 911 in tow seems hard to beat...

[cantdrv55]

Hello fellow Airstreamer. Your set up is too cool. Have fun and safe travels!

[tevake]

Originally Posted by varmint

sell the rv. cruise around the country in the porsche. stay in nice hotels. probably cheaper.

You are probably right Varmint. If just traveling was the point.
However since my unexpected Divorce a year and a half ago the stream has been my full time home . And now the vehicle of choice while looking for a new place to settle into a new life.

Just some explanation as to where I've been for the last while, and why I've not been doing much posting here.

At any rate,
It's proven to be a comfortable abode, and is becoming a nicer way to travel the country for a look see. I've lived aboard sailboats for many years so the motorhome is a familiar shape and size.

This is also something of a homecoming tour of the mainland as I haven't lived here until recently, for the last 40+ years.

Thanks Sid and all for the props. The rig with SC in tow is proving to be quite the ice breaker. And an absolute magnet to international travelers. So far on this trip Ive had fun encounters with folks from Sweden, Denmark, Germany , even had an 85 year old man from China and his Grandson aboard for a visit during a pause along the Big Sur coast. The Europeans just can't believe that towing a car with the motorhome is allowed here. Apparently its not done in Europe.

[tevake]

Hey, Can't drive55
Tell us a little about what sort of airstream you sport about with.
Don't you find the airstream community a bit like the Porsche folks here on Pelican?
Diverse, yet tight knit and supportive.

Cheers Richard

[porsche4life]

Richard, I'm doing more research on the airstream motor homes. I like the idea of the ones with the cummins diesel, but I'm afraid the lack of tow capacity would be a deal breaker. I'd like to be able to tow a 24' trailer with a car and a few toys at some point down the road..... Back to the drawing board... Air forums is a great site, and in reading posts I've seen a few from you. An RV is in our future, hopefully it's an airstream!

[cantdrv55]

Hi Richard. Yes, the Airstream community is very much like the Pelicans. They are a bunch of DIY's that help each other out. Lots of rally events and caravans too. Are you a WBCCI member as well?

I have a 2011 28' Flying Cloud and I pull it with a Nissan Titan. The set up works well for. Next time you are in the SF Bay Area, let me know.

[Christien]

How much of an extra cost/hassle would a trailer that got all 4 wheels off the ground be? The reason I ask is because you're using up tires by towing it, as well as turning parts of the transmission, plus adding miles to the odometer. I've always thought towing a car on a full (open) trailer would be a much better idea, no?

[porsche4life]

I think the big issue with that would be the weight. From what I've read, he is pushing the weight limit already. Adding 1500lbs or more of trailer would only make it worse.