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Np300 towing issue

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13K views 24 replies 7 participants last post by  landmannnn  
#1 ·
Hi guys

I really need some help here. I have upgraded from a 2008 auto hilux to a navara 2017 auto st with upgraded adjustable bilstein bullbar and Bigger wheels and Tyres and Idrive basically the same mods my hilux has.

the reason I upgraded is I have a new van coming which with motor bikes loaded in the back of the van will be between 2.4 to 2.7 ton and the hilux is maxed out towing my current van at 2 ton which I just sold a week ago btw

both vehicles are my every day driver and I’ll sell the Hilux soon when I Did pull My old 2 ton enclosed trailer with the hilux 3 speed with overdrive from a full tank 72 litre I was getting 350klm on the highway and when driving without a trailer on the highway I’ll get 520 klm so lots of accessories on it and big tyres so thats why it’s low and now my I drive home the np300 I just bought and with all the same mods I got 700klm from the tank I’m happy enough with that im thinking with the same 2 ton trailer my hilux pulls and drops about 33% economy the navarra mighg drop from 700klm a tank to 500klm!!

here is my big problem I put on a 12 by 6 enclosed hire trailer empty it weighs around 800kg and straight away the np300 struggles gear box had fits wouldnt get out of 5th gear regardless if I’m sitting at 100 or 110kph on a flat highway going up small inclines slams into 4th gear revving at 3500rpm if I try to keep it in 6th manually and flat ground there is no improvements in driving or fuel economy. Now here is the next issue the fuel dropped to 370klm when I got 700klm with no trailer when I loaded up about 400kg in furniture so now the trailer weighs 1.2 to 1.3 ton maximum and the car got worse driving home at 90kph to 100kph fuel dropped to 325klm for the tank I’m gutted i can’t even imagine trying to pull my new van when it arrives which will be double the weight of the hire trailer

Before I bought I’ve read on plenty of forums people towing up to 2.5 ton with np300 as I’ll be using this everyday and only towing occasionally I went with the Nissan for comfort and economy etc thinking it would tow ok.

I have a month left on the warranty any advice here before i take it to Nissan? Do I need to take out the idrive bigger wheels will they honour the warranty?

I took off the trailer and jacked up the hockey wheel to spin the front wheels hoping the trailer wheels were an issue bearings etc they spun freely I couldn’t do the rear axle

the car is brilliant to drive without a trailer and I don’t have Another Trailer to hook up I thought I’d ask people here for confirmation there np300 tows well? I guess next step is to hire another trailer and test it againOr maybe someone here has had the same issue
 
#2 ·
Should have bought a D40. Pull 2.5 tonne and forget it's there!

Na, sorry, I personally think you need to call Nissan rapid if you are in warranty. Not your problem.

What size are your wheels you fitted?
 
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#4 · (Edited)
Yes, and a better truck in my opinion, and I choose it over the new model. But that's by the by.

And tyre side wall size?

(EDIT: After re-reading updated thread, as to avoid contradicting myself elsewhere in the forum - engine simplicity is admirable in the D40. The NP300 is an outstanding truck)
 
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#7 ·
landmannnn said:
I've not heard any complaints about the NP300 towing capabilities.
Something isn't right I think.
Click to expand...
I can confirm that mine doesn't like towing too much. 2.7t on the back and the gearbox has no idea what's happening. Try putting it in manual in 7th, it loses a tiny bit of speed up a hill and it just rams it into 4th at 4k RPM... whilst I have it in "manual". Fuel consumption isn't great either but I've never calculated actual consumption when towing. It's definitely a LOT worse than the old D40. Oh, and it struggles to pull anyway. Again, the D40 seems better in every way.
 
#9 ·
For every person that says they tow 2.5 ton and it’s fine I read a lot on forums before there is someone who says it’s no good I’m leaning towards a lot of people don’t really have much to compare it too or have different interpretations of what’s good or not much idea.

I think my 285/70/17 and bar are also creating more drag and it’s maybe tipping it over the edge waiting for Nissan to get Back to me about covering more investigation under warranty so will go back with a trailer and stock wheels to put on afterwards and see if that settles down the transmission and car overall
 
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#12 ·
We tow all the time up to max weight and beyond no issues ,dont even know its on the back , We have plenty of towing experience and the Nav is every bit as good as the Discoveries previously used and if anything more stable.
We have manuals and I suspect the auto box could be an issue as the seven speed has to much safety built in to its software as its near the maximum torque it can cope with.
 
#15 ·
The gross trailer weight of the fifthwheel is 4.5t but being a fifthwheel it puts 1t of this onto the bed of the truck thus reducing the towable weight to 3.5t. The gross train weight has been increased to 7t by chassis bracing and rear airbags and the whole lot comes in just under the 7t.
 
#17 ·
Yeah it does it’s not just me you speak to a lot of people Dyno tuning or 4wd shops and they bag the **** out of np300 one shop who gets great reviews over here dynoing all 4wd and someone with a np300 recommended to me as really improving there car told me politely the np is a pile of **** and he would prefer to have my old 08 hilux to tow even with a rating of 2.2 ton he said he would take it towing 2.7 ton over the np lol

He said the np gear box is **** and maxed out which I didn’t need him to tell me that which in turn creates problems soon as you tow anything. He gets big increases with Dyno and dpf delete but even he was telling me to sell it and buy another brand.

It seems strange to me why anyone would spend money upgrading to 7 ton with a 2 ton car 4.5 ton 5th means with fuel and 3 people your car is illegal not to mention a pile of **** to drive. The only reason I bought the navara is because it’s 98% a daily driver and I thought it will still be able to pull my 2,7ton when needed

Anyway I read a lot of forums people saying they tow 2,5 ton and it’s fine this fuel economy etc and it’s partly why I bought it mine has lift big wheels so i knew that would effect it but not as much as it has.

I think it’s the best choice as an everyday car but I’m very disappointed now I have looked further than peoples internet opinions regarding towing after speaking to a couple of tuners about gearbox being the massive weak link internet opinions sort of got me into this when I shouldve listenened to a couple of the after market 4wd shops who told me stay away from np300 before I bought it.
Anyway I will change the 285/70/17 nitto ridge grapplers for a slightly less aggressive and less heavier tyre down to 265 and less circumference won’t make a huge difference but experts been telling me there is no real room to play with regarding the box.

After that I will most likely have to do a Dyno tune which hopefully should help the gearbox behave a bit more civilised
Anyone thinking to buy a np and use it for towing I would say do not buy it at all! as a regular driver it’s great.
My opinion and as a comparison is towing 2 ton with a 2008 hilux auto and towing 4.5 ton empty 5th with a f450 and the np is **** comparing to both those vehicle for towing
 
#20 ·
Is it possible that Nissan put a different map on the auto transmission for the Australian market to protect it from the harsher environment?

I run a D40 V6 with the same Jatco 7AT and it does appear that the Australians have issues with it on the V6 diesel - (erratic gearchange around 40mph, not locking in first low being two examples).
 
#22 ·
landmannnn said:
Is it possible that Nissan put a different map on the auto transmission for the Australian market to protect it from the harsher environment?

I run a D40 V6 with the same Jatco 7AT and it does appear that the Australians have issues with it on the V6 diesel - (erratic gearchange around 40mph, not locking in first low being two examples).
Click to expand...
Maybe it is one tuner told me he can dyno it think from 300nm to 450 but cannot adjust the gear box he said it really needs a locker but no one makes one.
 
#21 ·
There’s a lot of tuning companies out there that will be negative about a vehicle because they haven’t got the knowledge to tune or upgrade them and will just advise people to buy a vehicle they know about. I drive a company Ranger and my Navara beats it hands down in every area but the Ranger still does the job but someone else would slag the Ranger off but I am not one of them.
The OP’s comment on my set up proves his ignorance with such matters as my Nav is my wife’s daily so we need descent fuel economy solo the whole rig is totally legal having taken it over an axle weigh bridge and as I said before drives really nicely solo and towing.
I looked at American pickups but there payloads are not enough unless you go for the larger trucks then your into single figures for fuel economy.
I think the OP should get his Nav looked at by someone who knows what there doing because it’s doesn’t seem right.
 
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