1998 S70 T5 Towing another car

TwoVolvoGuy · Post by **TwoVolvoGuy** » 05 May 2014, 15:33

Hey guys. So I will be moving from the NYC area to Nashville for at least a year and I have run into an issue when deciding how to move my cars. I have a Mazda Miata but I can't drive two cars down at the same time. two trips is out of the question and I don't want to pay to move it.

I was thinking about towing the Miata (2250lbs) on a dolly down to Tennessee. I know the max towing the s70 is rated for is 3300lbs but is this realistic? Any and all related input is greatly appreciated.

Post by **JimBee** » 05 May 2014, 22:12

I don't have experience with this, but if I were going to do this, to reduce drag I'd increase the tire pressure of the rears on the Mazda, to 40 or so?

Post by **abscate** » 06 May 2014, 04:55

Your mileage will drop from roughly 30 to 15,mpg in my experience with this

NYC to Nashville roughly 900 miles, so 120 bucks of gas one way solo.

240 bucks gas towing, one way plus dolly rental of 100 USd. Probably still cheaper than uship, but not cheaper than giving it to a college kid for cheap travel.

Don't forget to add weight of dolly to tow rating.

Post by **tryingbe** » 06 May 2014, 07:34

Is the S70 going to be empty or is it going to be full of stuff?

Post by **chexny** » 06 May 2014, 13:38

Check the route/regulations. I dont think you can use a dolly on either the NJ Parkway or Turnpike. I think you have to use a flatbed/carrier trailer ie. all 4 wheels have to be off the ground as opposed to 2. That has to add to a significant amount of weight vs a dolly. Frankly you might not be able to have a trailer on the Parkway and have to take the Turnpike.

Post by **E Showell** » 06 May 2014, 14:16

Pretty sure no trailers on the Garden State Parkway.

Post by **matthew1** » 06 May 2014, 14:42

I have a bunch of posts here about towing a U-Haul trailer 1300 miles with my 850 T5. You can find them in a search.

Post by **polskamafia mjl** » 06 May 2014, 19:11

JimBee wrote:I don't have experience with this, but if I were going to do this, to reduce drag I'd increase the tire pressure of the rears on the Mazda, to 40 or so?

The Miata is RWD; is it wise to have the rears on the ground while towing?

Post by **tryingbe** » 06 May 2014, 19:25

No, you'll have to disconnect the driveshaft.

TwoVolvoGuy · Post by **TwoVolvoGuy** » 06 May 2014, 22:01

abscate wrote:Your mileage will drop from roughly 30 to 15,mpg in my experience with this

NYC to Nashville roughly 900 miles, so 120 bucks of gas one way solo.

240 bucks gas towing, one way plus dolly rental of 100 USd. Probably still cheaper than uship, but not cheaper than giving it to a college kid for cheap travel.

Don't forget to add weight of dolly to tow rating.

Just checked, 985 miles

I don't want to put the miles on the miata. It's my first car, now my weekend and project car. In a way the S70 is my project car in the summer when I drive the Mazda. I don't want to put the miles on either one but the miata cannot tow the Volvo

.

tryingbe wrote:Is the S70 going to be empty or is it going to be full of stuff?

I will try to limit the stuff in the S70 to just clothes and a laptop or two. The S70 is on it's original suspension however the brakes are all new with good quality parts.

chexny wrote:Check the route/regulations. I dont think you can use a dolly on either the NJ Parkway or Turnpike. I think you have to use a flatbed/carrier trailer ie. all 4 wheels have to be off the ground as opposed to 2. That has to add to a significant amount of weight vs a dolly. Frankly you might not be able to have a trailer on the Parkway and have to take the Turnpike.

I was aware of that and thankfully I only spend 5 miles on the parkway because most of the trip is on 78.

matthew1 wrote:I have a bunch of posts here about towing a U-Haul trailer 1300 miles with my 850 T5. You can find them in a search.

Will look for your posts, thanks Matt.

polskamafia mjl wrote:
JimBee wrote:I don't have experience with this, but if I were going to do this, to reduce drag I'd increase the tire pressure of the rears on the Mazda, to 40 or so?
The Miata is RWD; is it wise to have the rears on the ground while towing?

It's manual, so I would just leave it in neutral and let it roll.