Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Info & Discussion Forum

Decided to buy a toad...a '07 Saturn Ion, even with side curtain air bags, that is silver and is a good looker with the '04 RSB...my question is: for those that tow toads, will the Born Free factory installed rear wheel debris guards be enough protection against debris/etc from being thrown upon the front of the Ion? Thanks Tom Hayworth North Carolina..Go Wolfpack!

It has been for me. I've towed our Honda CR-V more than 15,000 miles with no additional protection and no damage.

Hi Tom -- I tow a PT Cruser and have not had any problems -- Bob Newby

Tom;

I towed my Grand Cherokee last year with my Born Free and had no problems.

I previously towed it and 2 other Jeeps with other motorhomes without any issues. At one point I was concerned and bought a full width flap (heavy rubber strips about 6" wide) and while driving on the highway I could see the flaps sailing almost straight out the back. Didn't see what protection they were offering, so I removed them.

I also tried one of the vinyl "bras" on the front of my Cherokee. The instructions clearly state it has to be removed on a regular basis since sand and debris can get between it and the vehicle and scratch the finish. It was also very hard to stretch it to fit, especially in the cooler weather. That also went in the "why did I waste my money" pile.

We'll see this year how the Wrangler makes out

John

Tom,

I haven't accumulated a lot of towing mileage but, with a couple of round trips between Apollo Beach, FL and Greenville, SC and several trips between Apollo Beach and Dothan, AL, I haven't noticed any damage to our Wrangler.

Jake

I only have 4,000 miles on my 2008 President. 2,000 of them towing a car. The car got dirty, but nothing that would not wash off.

With my previous motorhome, I previously tried a bra on the car. Big mistake as indicated by the previous response. I did not remove the bra often enough a sustain some finish damage.

I did install a brush on the rear of the previous motor home. I thought it helped because it was on the coach when I sold it after 11 years. But I never tried riding on the back bumper to see if it sailed straight out back. It was quite stiff and I suspect it worked better than flexible rubber strips. But we still had to wash the car.

Here is some advice I received sometime ago after trying a bra on my previous 1998 Chevrolet Malibu toad. I damaged the finish with the bra also.

So anyone that wants to install a bra on their toad to protect the paint finish on the front should do this first. Buy some sandpaper and use it to scratch up the paint on the front of your toad. You will get the same results installing a bra but the sandpaper will cost you much less.