Diesel GMC Canyon Towing Escape 21

[cpaharley2008]

Less than 60 days before the next race starts....

[JPSpins]

Did you add air to the Canyon's tires as per the Escape Owner's Manual's recommendations?

[CRJ]

Originally Posted by JPSpins

Did you add air to the Canyon's tires as per the Escape Owner's Manual's recommendations?

Not aware of Escape's recommendations however I definitely add additional air to my tires whenever carrying a load. This last trip I had 40 in the front and 44 in the back. Max I believe is 50 or 51. With the WDH I did find the same weight on both axles so I should have the same on all tires.
With the tire pressure monitoring I noticed no appreciable heating of the tires however it wasn't hot and was very wet.
No noticeable ride degradation when empty which was nice.
CJ

[JPSpins]

Originally Posted by CRJ

Not aware of Escape's recommendations however I definitely add additional air to my tires whenever carrying a load. This last trip I had 40 in the front and 44 in the back. Max I believe is 50 or 51. With the WDH I did find the same weight on both axles so I should have the same on all tires.
With the tire pressure monitoring I noticed no appreciable heating of the tires however it wasn't hot and was very wet.
No noticeable ride degradation when empty which was nice.
CJ

Ok, thank you. I guess we'll just have to wait and see once ETI installs the hitch and hooks everything up.

[StanLewis]

Originally Posted by JPSpins

Did you add air to the Canyon's tires as per the Escape Owner's Manual's recommendations?

I didn't add any air when we brought the trailer home, and had no problems, no overheating, etc. Of course it was February and we drove through rain almost the entire 3200 km. I'll most likely bump the pressure up a few pounds all around on our next trip and see if it makes any difference.

[JPSpins]

Originally Posted by StanLewis

I didn't add any air when we brought the trailer home, and had no problems, no overheating, etc. Of course it was February and we drove through rain almost the entire 3200 km. I'll most likely bump the pressure up a few pounds all around on our next trip and see if it makes any difference.

Quite the water test then...3200 km in the rain...no leaks I guess! Thank you for the information. JP

[JPSpins]

Originally Posted by StanLewis

I didn't add any air when we brought the trailer home, and had no problems, no overheating, etc. Of course it was February and we drove through rain almost the entire 3200 km. I'll most likely bump the pressure up a few pounds all around on our next trip and see if it makes any difference.

Hello Stan,
I think you could soon author a Canyon for Dummies! Hopefully other Canyon owners will be in a better position to contribute. I am looking forward to it!
So, today I am wondering if you (or anyone) know anything on the truck's capacity to charge the trailer's batteries, on a cloudy or rainy day drive for example. Thank you. JP

[JPSpins]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Why not? We don't have a free trade agreement with Australia (yet - TPP is not in force). Is there another reason for an exemption?

The CBSA Duty and Taxes Estimator says that $800 worth of auto parts from Australia would cost $90.40 for an Alberta resident, which would presumably be $40 of GST (we don't have PST) and $50.40 of duty.

"Believe" is the operative word based on conflicting Gov. of Canada web pages. I requested info from CBSA and I am still waiting. Unofficially, word was that if manufactured in Australia duty would be minimal plus Cdn taxes. There is also the possibility that the package might fly right through because of staff shortages at CBSA (based on recent press reports), staff focussing efforts on mailed drug intercepts.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by JPSpins

"Believe" is the operative word based on conflicting Gov. of Canada web pages. I requested info from CBSA and I am still waiting. Unofficially, word was that if manufactured in Australia duty would be minimal plus Cdn taxes. There is also the possibility that the package might fly right through because of staff shortages at CBSA (based on recent press reports), staff focussing efforts on mailed drug intercepts.

Hi: JPSpins... I "Believe" that the duty, at first, was in place to protect the retailer. Now it seems to protect the "Taxman"!!! You're missing the chance to be a test case here!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[JPSpins]

Originally Posted by escape artist

Hi: JPSpins... I "Believe" that the duty, at first, was in place to protect the retailer. Now it seems to protect the "Taxman"!!! You're missing the chance to be a test case here!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

LOL! I bought my Milencos on KiJiJii...my "duty" was to myself!

[StanLewis]

Originally Posted by JPSpins

Hello Stan,
So, today I am wondering if you (or anyone) know anything on the truck's capacity to charge the trailer's batteries, on a cloudy or rainy day drive for example. Thank you. JP

Here's what I think I know about charging the trailer battery(s) with the tow vehicle, Canyon or otherwise:

The issue when trying to use modern tow vehicles for charging the trailer battery is that the ECM will cause the TV alternator to reduce output voltage whenever it senses that the TV battery is fully charged, and this reduced alternator voltage is only sufficient to provide a trickle charge to the trailer batteries. However, in the Canyon, if you are running in tow/haul mode, the programming keeps the alternator output voltage at a higher level sufficient to charge the trailer batteries.

What I know for sure is that we operated the refrigerator on 12v power at setting 4 while traveling, and the batteries stayed at full charge even though we were mostly in cloudy/rainy conditions. So my guess is that yes, the Canyon will charge the trailer battery(s) provided you use tow/haul mode (or at least tow with lights on; see page 252 in the Canyon owner's manual).

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by StanLewis

Here's what I think I know about charging the trailer battery(s) with the tow vehicle, Canyon or otherwise:

The issue when trying to use modern tow vehicles for charging the trailer battery is that the ECM will cause the TV alternator to reduce output voltage whenever it senses that the TV battery is fully charged, and this reduced alternator voltage is only sufficient to provide a trickle charge to the trailer batteries. However, in the Canyon, if you are running in tow/haul mode, the programming keeps the alternator output voltage at a higher level sufficient to charge the trailer batteries.

What I know for sure is that we operated the refrigerator on 12v power at setting 4 while traveling, and the batteries stayed at full charge even though we were mostly in cloudy/rainy conditions. So my guess is that yes, the Canyon will charge the trailer battery(s) provided you use tow/haul mode (or at least tow with lights on; see page 252 in the Canyon owner's manual).

Have never heard of this before; how would one verify the alternator is sufficiently charging the dual 6V with solar shut off while in tow mode? It seems like a lot of distance to the rear of a 21 where the batteries are to push enough charge to compensate for the fridge using DC, however if true this could be a preferred method while towing when using a vehicle such as a Canyon.

[StanLewis]

Quantitative verification would require a more elaborate experimental set-up than I'm willing to do, but I confess to wanting a little more certainty myself after J-P's question caused me to actually think about what happened on our trip home and do a little additional research. Qualitative proof should be a little easier to come by; I think on our next trip, coming up soon, I'll do a more purposeful and controlled experiment and see what happens.

[JPSpins]

Originally Posted by StanLewis

Quantitative verification would require a more elaborate experimental set-up than I'm willing to do, but I confess to wanting a little more certainty myself after J-P's question caused me to actually think about what happened on our trip home and do a little additional research. Qualitative proof should be a little easier to come by; I think on our next trip, coming up soon, I'll do a more purposeful and controlled experiment and see what happens.

Thank you! So, for the additional research are you hoping for more rain and clouds to eliminate the solars? ;-)
It would be nice to have more info in the manual. They remove the guesswork from operating the sound system but towing gets a few lines here and there.

[Sean Murry]

Would like any feedback on overall impressions with the GMC Canyon diesel. Aside from the great towing characteristics, how is the truck performing otherwise. Has it had any reliability issues? Anything that you find annoying, such as gear hunting which appears to be an issue with the gas version. I am seriously thinking of going with this vehicle to tow a Escape 19, but with it being relatively new to the market, would like to have some real life feedback.

[CRJ]

Sean,
I suggest you check out the forum Coloradofans.com. there is a section devoted to peoples towing as well as the diesel variant of the trucks.
So far I have had zero issues with my truck which was within the first 500 produced however I've only got 7500 miles on it. I have read others with 25K without issues. Of course there have been some problems like anything else that has several thousand units.
It's a very pleasant vehicle to drive and very quiet. Seems more like a SUV than a truck to drive with outstanding fuel economy. Plenty of power and acceleration for my needs. If one doesn't need a full size it seems to be a very good option.
cj

[Sean Murry]

Thanks CRJ, I will check out the colorado forum. So far I have only heard of a few people with issues, and seems to be mainly sensors etc. The day to day driveability does seem to be better than the gas version, at least as far as the gear hunting is concerned, which also appears to be a problem with the new Tacoma. Manufacturers are pushing for better mileage and setting transmissions to go to the highest gear all the time. The beauty of the diesel is the torque, which seems to eliminate the gear hunting scenario. I don't want a full size and my wife really doesn't want a full size, so the Canyon seems like a really good choice.

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by Sean Murry

......The day to day driveability does seem to be better than the gas version, at least as far as the gear hunting is concerned, which also appears to be a problem with the new Tacoma. Manufacturers are pushing for better mileage and setting transmissions to go to the highest gear all the time. The beauty of the diesel is the torque, which seems to eliminate the gear hunting scenario.

Our Buick Enclave was always diving into 6th, drove me nuts and ended up paddle shifting which isn't why I bought an automatic. The Yukon is precise and can leave on cruise control most of the time without chronic downshifting.

Seem to remember some FCA models that had a re-program to deal with the shifting issues described above.

[StanLewis]

Originally Posted by Sean Murry

Would like any feedback on overall impressions with the GMC Canyon diesel.

I concur with what CJ said. I have 10k plus miles (nearly all highway, including two round trips from Albuquerque to Chilliwack) with no problems. Coloradofans.com forum is a good resource - you can bet that if there has been an issue, and there have been some, one or several people will have posted about it. Just be aware that a significant plurality of heavy users on that forum are "truck guys" who sometimes express very loud, very certain opinions in inverse proportion to any actual understanding.

For me, the biggest issue has been acclimating to the momentary hesitation you get when accelerating from a stop. In normal driving, it's no issue, but if you need/want the truck to move now there's a heart-stopping instant of nothing before the torque kicks in. Of course, once it does you jump like a scared rabbit for the first couple hundred feet.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by StanLewis

I concur with what CJ said. I have 10k plus miles (nearly all highway, including two round trips from Albuquerque to Chilliwack) with no problems. Coloradofans.com forum is a good resource - you can bet that if there has been an issue, and there have been some, one or several people will have posted about it. Just be aware that a significant plurality of heavy users on that forum are "truck guys" who sometimes express very loud, very certain opinions in inverse proportion to any actual understanding.

For me, the biggest issue has been acclimating to the momentary hesitation you get when accelerating from a stop. In normal driving, it's no issue, but if you need/want the truck to move now there's a heart-stopping instant of nothing before the torque kicks in. Of course, once it does you jump like a scared rabbit for the first couple hundred feet.

Hi: StanLewis... Try squeezing the trigger a couple of times when you need the go power. I do it with my non diesel tug!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie