1998 Mercury Villager Tow Miata and Trailer

So how do you feel about a 1998 Mercury Villager towing a miata on a trailer or tow dolly. The van has a tow rating of 3500 lbs so that would be fine LBS wise. But how about how well it will tow anyone done this?

TIA....

As long as you trailer or tow dolly isn't heavy, it should be fine. Just don't drive it like you're driving a miata and leave a bit of space.

aeronca65T tows his Midget race car on a dual axle trailer with a (newer) Ford Windstar. I know that the Villager is not a Windstar but it's the closest real-world example I could use. According to him, a lot of vintage racers are using minivans (I'm sure someone is using a Quest/Villager) as tow vehicles. Miata's fall into a similar weight category as a lot of vintage racers.

You might want to message him for first hand experience.

I had to pull a Neon home on a tow strap this week behind our '00 Villager & it was no prob, so I'm sure you'd be ok with a dolly.

I would be concerned with heat buildup in the trans as much as anything. I have no easy solutions to suggest for this but it's something to keep in mind.

An auxilliary cooler will help the transmission live.

iceracer wrote: An auxilliary cooler will help the transmission live.

That and regular fluid exchanges. Is it Mercon V?

I flat towed a GTI with a '98 Windstar, including a trip to New Hampster International. As long as you take the precautions mentioned you should have no problem.

shadetree30 wrote:

iceracer wrote: An auxilliary cooler will help the transmission live.

That and regular fluid exchanges. Is it Mercon V? I flat towed a GTI with a '98 Windstar, including a trip to New Hampster International. As long as you take the precautions mentioned you should have no problem.

Thanks, also do you think it would make it over the grapevine here in LA? From sea level to about 4500 feet then back to sea level.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ridge_Route

Update on villager GRM tow vehicle

It really works well for the miata on the dolly, I replaced the tires, shocks, flush the trans fluid and added a full size spare (it only had a "dounut" tire) I added some lead tongue weight on the dolly and got some "D" rated trailer tires.

Here is the best part with all the seats out of the van I can carry all of my tires and tools to the track inside and still put spare tires on the roof rack if needed. On the last trip to Button Willow I got 19mpg with this setup.

http://www.brakefade.com/files/pics/Auto/Mercury_Villager_1998/Towing/Mercury_Villager_1998_Tow_dolly.JPG

What more could you ask for, total investment:

Van $1,200 class III hitch $160 tires: $300 tow D tires: $180 rear shocks: $50 trans flush: $40 steel wheel: $30 Lead: FREE