rmayer1701 Posted March 20, 2015 Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 That's where these forums shine. I was able to bypass all the stumbles and get right to the dance. The C Max is my wife's car and replaced her 2008 Toyota Avalon. She has wanted a hybrid for years so we used the opportunity necessitated by our need for a toad and after much research, she settled on the C Max. It was quite a switch for her from the Avalon but she has come to love the car, affectionately calling it her "Little Toad". I have to be careful when I drive it. She knows how many leaves are on her eco bush and I'll hear about it if I make any of them disappear! Our first long tow will be when we attend the WIT Rally in July. If any problems pop up I will be sure and post them here. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Instr-Tech Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 Has anyone experienced the front wheel "Death Wobble" after turning a corner? I have a 2013 C-Max SEL with 30K miles on it that I have been towing behind my motorhome since it was new. The first season I towed it from Washington to Arizona for the winter and back to Washington with no problems. This past winter trip, on the way back north, I was turning left on a washboardy stretch of asphalt roadway and when I straightened out, the C-Max's front wheels went into the dreaded "Death Wobble". After I stopped and slowly started out again straight I had no more problems for 1200 miles until I got to my home-town and made a slow 90deg. left turn to enter my driveway. The "Death Wobble" happened again. Now this is only two times in 1200 miles, but it didn't happen at all during the first year/25,000 miles and now in the last 5000 miles, it's happened twice. My previous toads were Jeep Cherokees, and never had this problem in thousands of miles of being towed. Has anyone else had this problem? Is there some sort of steering dampener/shock absorber on the C-Max that might be wearing out. Both of my Jeeps had a shock absorber attached to the steering tie-rod to dampen steering movements and that seemed to work well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wab Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 We are towing our cmax for the first time. We have a 2006 Itasca Meridian 36 footer and our 2013 C-Max. We had Camping World install our setup, a Roadmaster Sterling towbar and a BrakeBuddy Stealth system. Followed everyone's advice and made sure we had a charge line installed. We were at the bottom of a freeway exit and had to turn left onto a new highway. When we started the left turn I saw (in the rear camera) the car starting to shake and jump kind of like a fish trying to get off the hook. The shaking became so violent it was shaking the motorhome, too. We stopped, of course, and checked the hook up. Everything seemed fine. We continued on our way with no further problems. Anyone ever hear of anything like this? I suspect it may have been caused by a combination of the decline of the off ramp and the slight incline of the road we were turning onto, but that's only a guess.I only find 1 other instance of the death wobble (post #132 pg 7) on this thread and none on the rest of the forum. The only problem we've had related to towing is the tires seemed to be wearing really fast.BUT after a 4 wheel alignment @ 20K miles the wear seems more normal. We have 37371 normal driving and 8463 towed miles. They ARE barely legal @ 45K so are not going to get anywhere near normal wear. wab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogersenergi Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 I'm using the Roadmaster Stowmaster All Terrain car mounted tow bar. I had the corresponding mounting bracket installed as part of my new car purchase in August of 2013. Used it a few times around town when I dropped the motorhome off for some maintenance work. I've now towed it behind the motorhome from the DFW area down to South Padre Island with no towing problems. The tow bar is rated at 55 MPH max which isn't that much of a limitation as wasn't going faster than 60 in my motorhome anyway. I'm concerned only that it's says not to back up; if I get into a tight place I'll have to disconnect the car to do any maneuvering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmckinley Posted April 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 All manufacturers caution against backing up. Unless it is done very carefully and not for long, the bar will get bound up and bend. Also, the toad wheels will most likely go to full lock either left or right and scrub mightily. What can be done, and I have done it, is tow the Motor Home backward with the toad to get out of a tight spot. Should only be in a straight line and on a flat surface. Requires someone in the motor home keeping it straight. Mentioning this method always starts a big frenzy on the RV forums, so let me say some things up front. I know your bar and hitch are rated for 5-8000 pounds - but you're not towing the motor home backward up the Rockies at 65 mph. You won't rip the baseplate out from under the toad. This operation is traction limited - your toad wheels will spin long before you develop substantial force. Cmax has around 2000 pounds on front axle - due to differential action only one wheel will pull - only 1000 pounds per wheel x .7 road coefficient of friction so only 700 pounds of pull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmayer1701 Posted May 8, 2015 Report Share Posted May 8, 2015 Hi Gang. Finally got to tow our 2014 C Max Hybrid on a 375 mile trip and wanted to share my observations. It was flawless except for getting to experience the dreaded "death wobble" on the 4 th right hand turn out of my neighborhood. It gave the coach a noticeable shaking and I came to a complete stop, then started up again and it went on rolling just like nothing had happened. It also did not happen after that for the remainder of the trip. I know Instr-Tech just posted on this and surmised that maybe he had a worn out steering damper with 30K miles on the car. Our C Max only has 5K so I doubt that is the cause. My receiver on the coach is one to two inches higher then the attachment point on my base plate so there is a slight downward slant on the tow bar. Whether that has any bearing on the occurrence is debatable but it would be interesting if anyone else who has experienced the wobble would post as to the pitch of their tow bars. Seems to me that I read somewhere that you want the car attachment to be level with or slightly lower then the receiver. If not that, then I would suspect that maybe the return-to-center on the steering is slower on the C Max then some other toads when not power assisted and that is what causes the wobble to happen.The Toad-Charge system kept the starting battery topped off so we did not have any problem when it came time to unhook the car. It started right up with no funny messages on the instrument panel. It also did not accrue any miles while being towed. What I did notice is that the hybrid battery was down to about a 35% charge and almost all the leaves were gone from the "eco bush". This did not create any problems and the battery level came back up after a short drive. I believe this happened because we have the SMI Air Force One braking system and as per SMI's recommendation, the vacuum line from the controller is not hooked up to the brake booster on the car. That essentially makes the brakes non assisted which apparently disables the regenerative charging system. With the regenerative system, the brake pedal is very sensitive, especially as the car comes to a complete stop, and I now believe that is why SMI recommends not connecting the vacuum line on the Hybrid model. I'm guessing that using the vacuum assist would cause the car brakes to lock up more often then not because the SMI progressive brake controller is not precise enough to properly control the pedal on the Hybrid. Just my guess, but anyone who has the Hybrid knows what I am talking about with the brake pedal.So, there are my observations, and I hope they are useful! Other then the wobble, it was a great first towing experience with zero problems thanks to all the useful info I got from this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymkrieg Posted May 10, 2015 Report Share Posted May 10, 2015 The attach point at the car should never be higher than the attach point at the motorhome. Any height difference of 4" or less is acceptable, ie motorhome attach point is higher. Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmayer1701 Posted May 10, 2015 Report Share Posted May 10, 2015 Thanks Gary. I figured that my tow setup was probably OK. I can theorize a lot of different reasons for what causes the wobble. It is basically the same as if someone was in the car deliberately yanking the wheel back and forth. My return to center idea seems to make the most sense as it only happens after some turns at slow speed. We made a couple of stops during the trip with several right and left turns and it didn't happen again.The most dangerous aspect about it is that you have to come to a complete stop to get it to quit which is not the best thing to do if you just turned onto a busy highway! Knowing that it can happen will make me wait for a clear shot to pull out from now on. At any rate it is not a deal breaker as far as using the C Max as a toad. On a slightly different note, I wanted to mention that just before this trip I went to a Love's Truck close to my house and had them install Centramatic wheel balancers on the coach. Our Itasca had a slight shake in the steering wheel at 65 mph, and now it is smooth as silk! We're talking $623 for three sets installed to protect eight tires for less then the replacement price of two tires. If you are not familiar with these, check out their web site and watch their video's. What they do is pretty impressive. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmayer1701 Posted May 13, 2015 Report Share Posted May 13, 2015 Made the return trip home today with no wobble and zero problems. Also, the hybrid battery level and eco bush had not changed this time so the last time may have been a fluke. I think the C Max is going to make a great toad. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heb1024 Posted July 10, 2015 Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 So just checking here - when towing the c-max on a tow dolly, are there any battery concerns? I have seen the posts on flat towing talking about the battery problems. I just traded my mini cooper that I had been towing on a tow dolly for a 2013 c-max, and was planning to tow it on the tow dolly also. Just wanting to make sure before I went on my first trip with it (beginning of August).Thanks for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FordService Posted July 10, 2015 Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 So just checking here - when towing the c-max on a tow dolly, are there any battery concerns? I have seen the posts on flat towing talking about the battery problems. I just traded my mini cooper that I had been towing on a tow dolly for a 2013 c-max, and was planning to tow it on the tow dolly also. Just wanting to make sure before I went on my first trip with it (beginning of August).Thanks for your help! Hi heb1024, You can read up on towing in your Owner Manual starting on page 248. Recreational Towing Note: Put your climate control system in recirculated air mode to prevent exhaust fumes from entering your vehicle. See the Climate Control chapter. Follow these guidelines if you have a need for recreational towing, such as towing your vehicle behind a motorhome. We designed these guidelines to prevent damage to your transmission. You can tow your vehicle with all four wheels on the ground or with the front wheels off the ground by using a tow dolly. If you are using a tow dolly, follow the instructions specified by the equipment provider. You can also reach out to your dealer for additional towing questions. Meagan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryinredding Posted July 23, 2015 Report Share Posted July 23, 2015 We have been towing a 2013 cmax energi on a tow dolly for almost 2 years. There have been no problems towing the car. No extra miles accrue. The only problem is when it is wet the car can slip going up on the dolly. We have been on a 3 month vacation and we are going to have our car wired for 4 wheels down when we get home. There was too much rain on this trip and it was sometimes hard to find pull throughs to accommodate our length. Having to remove the dolly and push it around is a young persons game. When this happens it takes days for my husband to recover. But the car towes grest on the dolly. Absolutely no battery problems. Just put ramps down,drive up, set the brake, put car in park and turn off, put on safety chains, wheel basket straps, tighten down, remove ramps and release brake. That's it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmayer1701 Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 Hi Gang!We made the 1465 mi round trip to the WIT Rally in Forest City IA flat towing our 2014 C Max Hybrid with not one single problem, including the "death wobble". The only change I made to my set up was to install a 4" drop receiver to get my tow bar closer to a level configuration. We stopped overnight both directions and left it hooked up. All I did was start the car and run it for 3 or 4 minutes with some gear changes thrown in each morning before taking off. We never had any battery issues so the Toad-Charge is apparently working as advertised and the odometer is not accruing mileage while towing. The SMI system also worked flawlessly with the vacuum hose capped off and not plumbed into the C Max brakes. I now feel very confident with this towing set up and using the C Max as a all wheels down toad. Nail56 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmckinley Posted August 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2015 Hi heb1024, You can read up on towing in your Owner Manual starting on page 248. You can also reach out to your dealer for additional towing questions. Meagan Good luck with asking your dealer about towing. Also, the Owners Maual has been changed at least once. The early manual was just wrong about the procedure. If you have an earlier version, be sure to download the latest version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlan603 Posted August 17, 2015 Report Share Posted August 17, 2015 With all of the C-max towing from all the different Brands. Does anyone have a recommended placed to install the Brake Away Switch? I am in the process of installing the RVI system for my 2015 C-Max Energi and I can't seem to find a mounting place on the front grill? Would like to hear how others fixed this issue.dlan603 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymkrieg Posted August 17, 2015 Report Share Posted August 17, 2015 I attached the breakaway switch to the electric pin connector that is attached to your base plate. I used two strong, very tight, plastic cable ties. I tested it it did not move when I pulled the pin. Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmayer1701 Posted August 17, 2015 Report Share Posted August 17, 2015 I used Blue Ox products exclusively. The base plate has two stand-offs made of all thread to mount accessories such as the 6 way connector. My SMI Airforce One brake away switch came with a mounting bracket and the install tech mounted it to one of the stand-offs with a couple of jam nuts to hold it in place and allow clearance at the back for the wires. Nice neat and rigid installation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlan603 Posted August 18, 2015 Report Share Posted August 18, 2015 Thank you both for the information. I have Road Master and it has the stand offs to attach the cable. Great ideals I will attach mine there also.Will let you know how works out. Hopefully I will never need to see if it works!dlan603 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebourlet Posted August 25, 2015 Report Share Posted August 25, 2015 Towed my 2014 CMax Energi for the first time yesterday. First time I hit the brakes the alarm went off on the car. It sent a text message to my wife the alarm was going off she called from work all worried. Figured out I have to leave a key fob in the car while towing. Never read that anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebourlet Posted August 25, 2015 Report Share Posted August 25, 2015 With all of the C-max towing from all the different Brands. Does anyone have a recommended placed to install the Brake Away Switch? I am in the process of installing the RVI system for my 2015 C-Max Energi and I can't seem to find a mounting place on the front grill? Would like to hear how others fixed this issue.dlan603Just installed a Roadmaster plate to use with a ReadyBrute Elite . Had to have a place to mount the brake cable . Made a plate out of aluminum that bolts to the center electrical mounting pins and allows me to mount the six pin as well as the brake cable. I can post photos tonight if you wish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlan603 Posted August 29, 2015 Report Share Posted August 29, 2015 I don't need picture, Thank you for the offer. I think I am going use garymkrieg ideal and use some zip ties to the bottom of power connector. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlan603 Posted August 31, 2015 Report Share Posted August 31, 2015 Ok today was a big day. I hooked up my enegi behind my Excursion and towed it around for 30 miles. Everything went well with 1 exception. I installed anew RVI brake 2 had the setting on 5 psi Active brakes high sentivity. The problem I kept loosing signal with the car. Every time I stopped got out a reset the RVI communication would re pair. I am going to contact RVI tomorrow. Does any one know if the 12 volt socket in the consol times out? I could not find that in OM. The little light on the plug I could not see in bright sunlight. However when I opened the door the light was on and the lights on the RVI was blinking. Once I reset everything it was good for about another ten minutes? Any help would be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill-N Posted August 31, 2015 Report Share Posted August 31, 2015 Does any one know if the 12 volt socket in the consol times out? Yes, that 12V outlet times out, as does the outlet in the armrest. However, the outlet in the cargo area is live all the time. Or so I'm told. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wab Posted September 1, 2015 Report Share Posted September 1, 2015 (edited) Yes, that 12V outlet times out, as does the outlet in the armrest. However, the outlet in the cargo area is live all the time. Or so I'm told. It stays on in our 2013 hybrid.Over 10K towed miles, most towing days are over 10 hours.We use a 12v extension cable from the rear. Edited September 1, 2015 by wab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlan603 Posted September 1, 2015 Report Share Posted September 1, 2015 Bill-N,,,, Wab,, Thank you for the reply. I didn't know there was a plug in the back. I will used your suggestions and get an extension cord for the rear plug. Now I need to go find it :) . Thank you again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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