Cars that can tow

A few replies below, thanks for moving the discussion along.

Currently tow with a Honda Pilot. Rated for 3500, tow a 17 Whaler type boat (loaded 2200?) and a 21' speed boat (~2500). I towed the skiff with a 4cyl 5spd 99 Honda Accord, and it was fine for my usage for years. The Pilot tows OK, but they put in such soft rear springs for a car-like ride that you can really feel (and see) the tongue weight.

I've got a Saab 9-2X (WRX wagon). Tried towing my small pontoon boat, maybe 1600lb but tons of windage. The turbo starts spooling up at ~50, and it has a short wheelbase. Wasn't super confident for more than a local trip.

Also this:

No preference on S60 vs. S80; its just what comes up in lists of "cars that tow". I think the Fusion is the same platform as the S60 (and RR Evoque?), but they have very different ratings. I'm sure it is lawyers and marketing, more than capability.

Budget is open, say $20k +/- $10k. Would replace the Saabaru as daily.

My parents have had minivans, and we towed with them for 20yrs. They work fine, and are a great practical solution for many needs. Great road-trippers. I just have no need for the space, and would prefer a car for most of my driving needs.

A few friends have beater trucks. Problem with that approach is having another vehicle to insure, store, & maintain (wanting to go the other direction), and you are stuck taking your beater on vacation.

I'd dig the Mercedes E or BMW 5(sedan or wagon), minus all the electonic doo-dads to fail. Will look into this further.

mad_machine wrote: the Volvo 850 & S70/V70 can tow 3300 with trailer brakes on a 2" ball

Yep. Had an 850 GLT wagon and if it wasn't so...European, meaning $$ and frequency of repairs as it aged, I'd still have it. I'm in somewhat the same boat as the OP and his opinions align with mine, re: vehicles, so, following this thead is relevant to me.

The Volvo RWD platform was pretty good as cars go for towing. I'm sure they all recommend using trailer brakes for anything over 2,000 lbs though. You could get a 940/V90 up til 1998 and they're still very robust cars with a few luxe features. Make sure to add some upgraded rear springs.

Not a wagon, but what about a Lincoln Town Car?

The first step is getting the lightest trailer, traillerex aluminum 4 wheels, brakes on all 4.

Trailer is about 700 pounds, with a fairly light race car, should be able to tow without having a truck.

I used a Volvo 850 turbo coupe, now I use a BMW X3.

This isn't quite a car (debatable?), but I've been amazed that an Audi Q5 / SQ5 is rated at 4,400lbs towing!

Would handle tremendously better than an American land barge you despise, and with a 2.0T would knock down solid highway mpg's, or the SQ5 variant would provide some giggles.

Only 5500? Cayennes are rated for over 7000.

mad_machine wrote:

Toyman01 wrote: Slippery, cars that tow = full size American to me. I've pulled a 2500# boat behind a small car, it sucked. I've pulled a 3000# boat behind a mid-size SUV, it sucked. Also, boat trailer and trailer brakes don't belong in the same sentence, especially near salt water, because they don't last. That means something that can stop that 3000# boat straight up. That moves most of his list to the not acceptable column IMHO.

what part sucked? I towed by 3200 pounds displacement sailboat down from Lake Champlain atop a trailer of unknown weight to Atlantic City, except for a couple of climbs out of the Valley the lake is in, my "mid-sized" Disco handled it quite well.. especially considering the trailer had inoperable brakes. As for brakes, I think anything over 3000ish pounds is required to have working trailer brakes.

I bet your Disco tows better than the 93 Explorer I was using at the time. The V6 in it was probably one of the wimpiest engines Ford ever produced. It also had poor stability under braking. Not near enough mass to stop a 3000 pound boat. That's when I bought my first Econoline.

This is SC brake requirements for trailers. It pretty much says a 3000# boat is going to require brakes unless you are towing it with a F350 dually. I have never had a boat trailer with working brakes so I've apparently broken that law many times.

3,000 lbs. gross weight - all wheels Under 3,000 lbs. gross weight - no brakes as long as total weight of trailer does not exceed 40% of gross weight of towing vehicle when connected to trailer and able to stop within 50 feet.

Tow ? Just put it on the roof.

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/10400370_662224040583893_1674593859791050002_n.jpg?oh=3f3610e52da9e33074593130057d070a&oe=5711DD65

While I was not there to see this, I do recall Larry, the guy on the roof, driving into Loudon with a sedan, trunk removed, rear wheel in the trunk, front wheel on the roof. Nothing was ever going to stop him from getting to the track.

This pic is from 90/91, before I started racing in 92.

Moral of the story, if you have the will, you will find the way.

Steve

Charger wagon. Lexus LS400/430. Hearse.

Toyman01 wrote:

mad_machine wrote:

Toyman01 wrote: Slippery, cars that tow = full size American to me. I've pulled a 2500# boat behind a small car, it sucked. I've pulled a 3000# boat behind a mid-size SUV, it sucked. Also, boat trailer and trailer brakes don't belong in the same sentence, especially near salt water, because they don't last. That means something that can stop that 3000# boat straight up. That moves most of his list to the not acceptable column IMHO.

what part sucked? I towed by 3200 pounds displacement sailboat down from Lake Champlain atop a trailer of unknown weight to Atlantic City, except for a couple of climbs out of the Valley the lake is in, my "mid-sized" Disco handled it quite well.. especially considering the trailer had inoperable brakes. As for brakes, I think anything over 3000ish pounds is required to have working trailer brakes.

I bet your Disco tows better than the 93 Explorer I was using at the time. The V6 in it was probably one of the wimpiest engines Ford ever produced. It also had poor stability under braking. Not near enough mass to stop a 3000 pound boat. That's when I bought my first Econoline.

You are right, just looking at the kerb weights and towing capabilities, the Disco is better at something. Just sitting at the kerb, she weights almost a thousand pounds more and full up gross weight is almost a ton more.

the Ford V6 has 160hp and 220 pounds torque vs the Disco's 217hp and 300 pounds torque.

Ian F wrote:

Vigo wrote: Also, why not keen on an old magnum? The 5spd used with the 3.5s and 5.7s is the same basic transmission used in Sprinters and SRT8s if that tells you anything about ability to handle weight/load.

Funny... Sprinters have a reputation for transmission problems. A lot of the FedEx centers near me are phasing them out due to high maintenance costs, although a friend said the drivers generally like them compared to other vans.

The only common problem I'm aware of is the torque converter clutch, which doesn't have to turn into a rebuild unless you have no financial incentive to give a E36 M3 and just ignore it (delivery drivers). If you know of other problems I'd like to hear about it.

My magnum had the 42rle which is definitely 'weaker' although I've towed up to 5000 lbs on occasion with the same basic trans in other vehicles.

Transmissions have only one torque input: the throttle pedal. The only way to hurt a transmission while towing is with the throttle pedal. #drivermod

Minivan. It can tow that easily and doesn't have to be dorky...

Toyman01 wrote: This is SC brake requirements for trailers. It pretty much says a 3000# boat is going to require brakes unless you are towing it with a F350 dually. I have never had a boat trailer with working brakes so I've apparently broken that law many times. 3,000 lbs. gross weight - all wheels Under 3,000 lbs. gross weight - no brakes as long as total weight of trailer does not exceed 40% of gross weight of towing vehicle when connected to trailer and able to stop within 50 feet.

The last clause makes me think they also want you going slowly enough that you can stop in 50 feet. It's "and" not "or".

I am not sure how you could prove that, but driving at speed on highways would not meet that clause by default.

Interestingly, the "when connected to trailer" part makes me think that the tongue weight counts towards your vehicle's weight. At 10% tongue weight, that means a 3000lb trailer would need only a 7200lb truck, not a 7500lb one!

Also, last night I saw a Fiat 500 towing a twin axle car hauler. It was empty, but an empty car hauler is still probably more than a 500 is rated for.

Another "I don't want any of the vehicles that are made for this or make sense" thread. You want to tow 3000 pounds, you need a light truck, CUV or minivan or a body-on-frame V8 powered car. Period. Anything else is a compromise.

The best combination of DD mileage and reliability would be a small, 2WD, 4-door diesel truck, which are hard to find in the US.

I put up a photo of the Porsche 928 on the previous page, but I finally had a little time to try to find what the internet says the actual numbers are. Keep in mind that I don't have the owner's manual.

It seems the numbers (from here) are:

Max. trailer load: without trailer brakes 750kg/1653lb (up to grades of16%) with trailer brakes 1600kg/3527lbs (up to grades of 16%) Max towing weight: 3470kg/7650lbs Max tongue weight: 50kg/110lbs (information is from 928 Porsche Workshop Manuals)

So, that seems like a legit answer.

FWIW a New Beetle is also rated to tow something like 5000lb in Europe.

I would think anything with a TDI badge would work quite well right about now, not to mention they cad be had for lesser amounts of $$ due to diesel gate.

Knurled wrote: FWIW a New Beetle is also rated to tow something like 5000lb in Europe.

Seen in Dresden, Germany:

Mike wrote:

Max. trailer load: With trailer brakes 1600kg/3527lbs (up to grades of 16%) Max tongue weight: 50kg/110lbs

That right there says a lot about the apparent difference between American and European thoughts/attitudes toward towing...how many average American drivers would carefully balance 3572lbs of towed weight to only have 110lbs on the tongue?

For that matter, think about the braking technique required when towing that much weight with such a light vehicle - a panic stop could cause a wheelie!

Don't lower speed limits also come into play there? Stopping from 35 vs stopping from 55 and such.

In reply to Chadeux:

The motorway limits are HIGHER in many parts of Europe. IIRC the speed limit on a lot of autoroutes is ~81mph.

Knurled wrote: In reply to Chadeux: The motorway limits are HIGHER in many parts of Europe. IIRC the speed limit on a lot of autoroutes is ~81mph.

True, but most of them limit towing vehicles to 50.

http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/overseas-holidays/advice-and-information/compulsory-requirements/speed-limits

MattGent wrote: A few replies below, thanks for moving the discussion along. Currently tow with a Honda Pilot. Rated for 3500, tow a 17 Whaler type boat (loaded 2200?) and a 21' speed boat (~2500). I towed the skiff with a 4cyl 5spd 99 Honda Accord, and it was fine for my usage for years. The Pilot tows OK, but they put in such soft rear springs for a car-like ride that you can really feel (and see) the tongue weight.

What about stiffer springs for the Pilot?

Wall-e wrote: What about stiffer springs for the Pilot?

Or airbags?

It looks like the kits run about $100 without a compressor.

You can air them up using the same compressor you use for tires before towing and lower the pressure when unloaded to preserve ride quality.

A little work could make the Pilot the right tool for the job.