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Thread: flat towing / dinghy towing a 2015-17 Nissan Micra

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  1. #1
    Administrator MetroMPG's Avatar
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    flat towing / dinghy towing a 2015-17 Nissan Micra

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    Small, light, inexpensive cars are favourites of RV owners for "dinghy towing" or "flat towing, four down" behind their campers. (In other words, towing with all four wheels on the ground, as opposed to putting the car on a trailer or tow dolly.)

    The 2015 Micra in the Americas (including Canada) uses the same drivetrains as the 1.6L Nissan Versa, so we can look to that car for information:

    UPDATE: from the 2015 Micra owner's manual...

    Manual Transmission (if so equipped)
    ● Always tow with the manual transmission in Neutral.
    ● After towing 805 km (500 miles), start and idle the engine with the transmission in Neutral for two minutes. Failure to idle the engine after every 805 km (500 miles) of towing may cause damage to internal transmission parts.

    Automatic Transmission (if so equipped)
    To tow a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission,an appropriate vehicle dolly MUST be placed under the towed vehicle’s drive wheels. Always follow the dolly manufacturer’s recommendations when using their product.
    Automatic transmission: No ...

    Not surprisingly, the 4-speed automatic can't be flat towed, according to towingworld.com.

    Why not? Most automatic transmissions require the engine to be running when the vehicle is moving because the engine drives the transmission's oil pump which lubricates internal parts. If the engine's off while the car is moving, the transmission can be damaged.

    Manual transmission: Yes, but ...

    The manual transmission can be flat towed in neutral on 4-wheels, with the condition that the engine must be started and idled in neutral for 2 minutes every 500 miles / 800 kilometers to circulate transmission oil for proper lubrication.

    Source (pdf): http://towingworld.com/resources/2012_dinghy_towing_guide1.pdf‎

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Micra S manual: 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.5 mpg (Imp) ... 20.0 km/L ... 47.0 mpg (US) ...


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    Junior Member vskid3's Avatar
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    Link doesn't work for me, but it did when I found it on Towing World's site. You might need to just link to the resources page in order for others to open the PDF.

    I wonder why the manual Nissans need the engine ran occasionally, but most of the other manual transmission cars don't have that requirement. Is it a design difference, or Nissan just covering themselves?

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    Administrator MetroMPG's Avatar
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    Thanks - fixed the link.

    As for the 500 mi / 800 km start-up requirement... I've never seen that before either.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Micra S manual: 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.5 mpg (Imp) ... 20.0 km/L ... 47.0 mpg (US) ...


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    Administrator Daox's Avatar
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    Seems a bit odd. 500 miles is really pretty far. Fire up the engine once a day basically?

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    Yeah that seems odd. I had thought most manual transmissions don't pump oil and simply "splash" the oil, so I wouldn't think that just firing up the engine would actually do anything without driving it. I could be totally wrong on that though.

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    Member Darcane's Avatar
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    That's definitely a negative for a Toad (as they are often called here in the states), but how often are you traveling more than 500 miles in a day?

    The low cost may make up for the minor annoyance.

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    Senior Member AlphaMicra's Avatar
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    Wouldn't it make more sense to convert the Micra into a camper?



    http://thelatebay.com/index.php?thre...-camper.31169/

    In our culture obsessed with absurd excess, the Nissan Micra is my counterculture car of choice.
    Be sure to visit my blog at mymicra.com!

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Micra SV manual: 6.4 L/100 km ... 44.3 mpg (Imp) ... 15.7 km/L ... 36.9 mpg (US) ...


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    Great information! I wouldn't think it out of the ordinary to run the car every 500 miles, exploring wherever one stops. Strange, but doesn't seem like a deal breaker to me.

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    Administrator Daox's Avatar
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    The Micra will find its way into the hands of RVers for sure. Its just too inexpensive to pass up. When you're just looking for a little run about, you probably aren't looking to spend a few thousand more than you plan to if you can get away with it.

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    Flat towin a 2016 Nissan Micra

    We have a sto master fold up towing bar we need a adaptor plate to install where do we find them. The manual says we can flat tow but we can't find anyone that can help us...standard transmission
    Last edited by arizonadiane; 01-19-2017 at 11:22 AM. Reason: forgot to put in standard transmission

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