Alie&Jim's Carrilite Posted December 17, 2016 Report Share Posted December 17, 2016 Let me get this straight, 2017 Smart cars CANNOT be towed 4 down. 2016 and earlier CAN be. Is this correct? or? Jim's Adventures Old Spacecraft.... Who knows whats next Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buscrusher Posted December 17, 2016 Report Share Posted December 17, 2016 The caveat (just a quick Google search formed this view) seems to be that the 2-pedal automated tranny is the one that is restricted to NOT being flat-towed. There is a 5-speed 3-pedal manual offered that I would conclude could be, such as the 451s like mine. DougFrequent "lurker"Occasional posterFirst step towards the RV setup complete: 1 smart car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl&Rita Posted December 17, 2016 Report Share Posted December 17, 2016 3 pedal smart? No such animal. The old, and really old body style (451 & 450) are flat-towable. The new supersized model isn't. I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 2000 Kenworth T 2000 w/N-14 and 10 speed Gen1 Autoshift, deck built by Star Fabrication 2006 smart fourtwo cdi cabriolet 2007 32.5' Fleetwood QuantumPlease e-mail us here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buscrusher Posted December 17, 2016 Report Share Posted December 17, 2016 3 pedal smart? No such animal. The old, and really old body style (451 & 450) are flat-towable. The new supersized model isn't.Yes sir, there is a 3-pedal. I've seen one in person. Scroll down to the transmission option, and you see 2 varieties...the Twinamic 6-speed, and a 5-speed manual. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_Fortwo http://int.smart.com/en/en/index/smart-fortwo-forfour-453/gearshift.html DougFrequent "lurker"Occasional posterFirst step towards the RV setup complete: 1 smart car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alie&Jim's Carrilite Posted December 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2016 So a 2015 2 pedal 5 speed is NOT 4 down towable? Jim's Adventures Old Spacecraft.... Who knows whats next Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buscrusher Posted December 17, 2016 Report Share Posted December 17, 2016 So a 2015 2 pedal 5 speed is NOT 4 down towable? From what I can see, the 5-speed manual should be safe to tow 4-down. The automated 6-speed is not. I've already heard accounts of where that was tried, and the tranny (Twinamic) was destroyed beyond repair. The 5-speed is a 3-pedal standard manual. DougFrequent "lurker"Occasional posterFirst step towards the RV setup complete: 1 smart car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alie&Jim's Carrilite Posted December 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2016 From what I can see, the 5-speed manual should be safe to tow 4-down. The automated 6-speed is not. I've already heard accounts of where that was tried, and the tranny (Twinamic) was destroyed beyond repair. The 5-speed is a 3-pedal standard manual. http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=77306&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fsearchresults.xhtml%3Fzip%3D77306%26showcaseOwnerId%3D0%26mmt%3D%255BSMART%255B%255D%255B%255D%255D%26listingTypes%3Dnew%252Cused%252Ccertified%26startYear%3D2014%26makeCode1%3DSMART%26firstRecord%3D0%26endYear%3D2017%26searchRadius%3D50%26makeCodeList%3DSMART&showcaseOwnerId=0&listingTypes=new%2Cused%2Ccertified&startYear=2014&numRecords=25&makeCode1=SMART&firstRecord=0&endYear=2017&searchRadius=50&listingId=441068438&makeCode1=SMART&modelCode1=FORTWO Can this be towed 4 down? Jim's Adventures Old Spacecraft.... Who knows whats next Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buscrusher Posted December 18, 2016 Report Share Posted December 18, 2016 http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=77306&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fsearchresults.xhtml%3Fzip%3D77306%26showcaseOwnerId%3D0%26mmt%3D%255BSMART%255B%255D%255B%255D%255D%26listingTypes%3Dnew%252Cused%252Ccertified%26startYear%3D2014%26makeCode1%3DSMART%26firstRecord%3D0%26endYear%3D2017%26searchRadius%3D50%26makeCodeList%3DSMART&showcaseOwnerId=0&listingTypes=new%2Cused%2Ccertified&startYear=2014&numRecords=25&makeCode1=SMART&firstRecord=0&endYear=2017&searchRadius=50&listingId=441068438&makeCode1=SMART&modelCode1=FORTWO Can this be towed 4 down? That appears be a 451...yes. If you want to tow a 453, to the best of my knowledge it would have to be the 5-speed manual only. DougFrequent "lurker"Occasional posterFirst step towards the RV setup complete: 1 smart car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtgeodog Posted December 18, 2016 Report Share Posted December 18, 2016 The 2016 and later cannot be towed 4 down. Garcia Motors in Albuquerque learned the hard way. ShortyO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdickinson Posted December 18, 2016 Report Share Posted December 18, 2016 I posted a response to this earlier elsewhere. 2016 can be towed 4 down. The 2017 cannot absolutely not be towed 4 down. Any doubt, contact Greg in the Service Department at Three Point Motors in Victoria. I have the first one out of the box and have been warned. I have also seen firsthand the one that an RVer bought and did tow 4 down. The transmission is toast, dead. 2 other transmissions have been hooked up but they can't get the car to talk to the trans yet. Tow it and you may as well write it off. The car was bought back by Three Point and the very annoyed customer went elsewhere. If you want a picture of the car I can probably get it. My understanding is the 'no tow 4 down' info was not widely distributed. The disaster that beset this RV er is how Three Point found out. Victoria is fortunate to have Canada's # 1 Smart Car dealer. Also a hitch can be fabricated to fit the 2017's. Mine is rock solid and comes out of the middle of the bumper and at 18" above the ground. My understanding is everything is bolt on. This for those who want to winch on the car or carry a bike rack or pull a small trailer. Jack is correct, the car has lots of power to climb the ramps, but not all may want to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buscrusher Posted December 18, 2016 Report Share Posted December 18, 2016 I did some more digging, and found a thread pertaining to the discussion. As of the date of the thread, the short version was, if you travel more than 30 miles and more than 30 mph with any 453, you voided the warranty. This was a detail I did not know previously... http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/forums/f417/453-dct-flat-towable-no-102930/ More digging in the same forum came up with the following...and my beliefs were upended again... http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/forums/f208/453-official-flat-tow-instructions-126097/ DougFrequent "lurker"Occasional posterFirst step towards the RV setup complete: 1 smart car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alie&Jim's Carrilite Posted December 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2016 I posted a response to this earlier elsewhere. 2016 can be towed 4 down. The 2017 cannot absolutely not be towed 4 down. Any doubt, contact Greg in the Service Department at Three Point Motors in Victoria. I have the first one out of the box and have been warned. I have also seen firsthand the one that an RVer bought and did tow 4 down. The transmission is toast, dead. 2 other transmissions have been hooked up but they can't get the car to talk to the trans yet. Tow it and you may as well write it off. The car was bought back by Three Point and the very annoyed customer went elsewhere. If you want a picture of the car I can probably get it. My understanding is the 'no tow 4 down' info was not widely distributed. The disaster that beset this RV er is how Three Point found out. Victoria is fortunate to have Canada's # 1 Smart Car dealer. Also a hitch can be fabricated to fit the 2017's. Mine is rock solid and comes out of the middle of the bumper and at 18" above the ground. My understanding is everything is bolt on. This for those who want to winch on the car or carry a bike rack or pull a small trailer. Jack is correct, the car has lots of power to climb the ramps, but not all may want to do so. Thanks Roger, The car I pulled up and we have looked at is below NADA , was a trade in for a 2017 model, and still has the new car "Smell". Mercedes did all the maintenance/oil changes as well. Jim's Adventures Old Spacecraft.... Who knows whats next Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuke-E Posted December 18, 2016 Report Share Posted December 18, 2016 Jim-- My parents tow theirs just fine, and I've already done the hard part for you as far as wiring. They have the most convoluted way of doing combined brake and turn signals, but it's really easy to hook up to once you know where to do it. Here's the link: http://rvnerds.com/2016/06/20/wiring-a-us-spec-smart-fortwo-451-for-flat-towing/ As far as getting the car ready to go, it's key on, shift to neutral, key off and wait for display to shut off. There's no steering column lock to worry about, so no need for the key to be in the car or to do anything to keep the battery from going dead. 45' 2004 Showhauler -- VNL300, ISX, FreedomLine -- RVnerds.com -- where I've started to write about what I'm up to Headlight and Fog Light Upgrades http://deepspacelighting.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdickinson Posted December 18, 2016 Report Share Posted December 18, 2016 A&J, no problem, I should specify "2017 no tow" is for automatics. No knowledge on towing standards. My guess is if you mess with wiring, warranty would be voided. Someone will tow it, whether we hear about it or not is a different matter. When I was told by both Service and Parts bosses at TPM, it wasn't so much what they said or how they said it but the looks in their eyes that told the tale. I saw the car up close, it looked very sad. It's mothballed in storage, I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buscrusher Posted December 18, 2016 Report Share Posted December 18, 2016 Not sure if this will work... http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/forums/attachments/f208/22137d1476194765-453-official-flat-tow-instructions-453flattow_ke_pm.pdf This is the PDF on how to flat tow a 453... DougFrequent "lurker"Occasional posterFirst step towards the RV setup complete: 1 smart car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noteven Posted December 19, 2016 Report Share Posted December 19, 2016 Smart cars have their own engine right? you don't pedal them ... Signed, NotSmart about Smarts "Are we there yet?" asked no motorcycle rider, ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buscrusher Posted December 20, 2016 Report Share Posted December 20, 2016 Smart cars have their own engine right? you don't pedal them ... Signed, NotSmart about Smarts Haha...funny stuff. Reminds me of being asked if it's electric...while the fuel nozzle is in at the gas station... The answer..."Yeah...I just put in $15 worth of electricity"... Back to the topic at hand for a moment...I was totally surprised to find out that smart is publishing the towing mode for the dual-clutch model and NOT endorsing towability for the fully manual car. If I could get my phone to copy and paste out of the PDF I would have put the text in the body of the previous post where I put the link. DougFrequent "lurker"Occasional posterFirst step towards the RV setup complete: 1 smart car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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