I live in an area where the standard issue vehicle comes with a tow hitch and a labrador retriever. The rule of thumb advice that I get consistantly about surge brakes is if your vehicle weighs twice the weight of what your towing then there's no need for the surge brakes. Pure country physics... the mass of the #ss is greater than the swag of the drag.... Joe M17 Seafrog ----- Original Message ----- From: sarah steffensen To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Sent: Friday, May 21, 2010 11:15 PM Subject: M_Boats: tow vehicle the problem with pick ups etc... as tow vehicles is that they are truly awful to drive most of the time. i suggest a saab 9-3, 99-03 addition. they have an impressive 3500lb tow weight. i picked up my montgomery 17 in California and drove home to Oregon through the mountains without a problem and have driven it around the state a few times. i got around 20 mpg while towing! i get around 24-29 in mixed driving depending on the mix. the 200hp turbo charged car is a joy to drive and will get you through snow and rough roads. i am always amazed how much gear fits inside this hatchback car. watch out for "gunker" engines, a problem with some of these cars. these are also very safe cars to drive. i also always have the surge break argument rolling around in my head, but the few quick stops i have had worked out o.k. one, of course, also needs a mechanic who knows what they are doing nearby. we have many choices in western oregon. just because you have to sometimes tow a boat doesn't mean you have to drive a boring car around. _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats Remember, there is no privacy on the Internet!