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The amount you can safely tow
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Posted by Noel [Email] (more from Noel) on Fri, 16 Feb 2007 05:22:32 Share Post by Email
In Reply to: Re: Why can't sedans/wagons have higher tow ratings?, steve, Thu, 15 Feb 2007 16:46:08
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is a combination of factors.
The weight of the vehicle doing the towing, how much its frame/unit body is designed to carry and tow, the size of its brakes, the engine and drivetrain limits, etc.

AFAIK, the limit for a passenger car (not a truck based SUV) the Gross Vehicle weight and towing capacity is some percentage above the curb weight of the vehicle and varies by vehicle. Some cars are not intended to be used for towing, and it will say so in the owner's manual. Trucks, since their frames can be built to handle greater weights, can pull a bigger load, and have drivetrains and braking systems designed to make it safe to do so.

We used to have a Ford Explorer, with which I sometimes hauled a utility trailer with 3000+ pounds of topsoil. The 4200 pound truck hauled this easily. You knew it was there, but the load was still only 60% the weight of the truck.

I have hauled the same weight with my Saab 9000, which weighs in at 3200 pounds and you REALLY knew the load--almost equal to the car--was back there, because I was approaching the limit of what the car can take.

A lot of this is physics, especially when it comes to stopping, but also design. Unit body cars or wagons that can haul a bigger load are a lot heavier than a car with lower towing capacity. A minivan that can haul 4500 or 5000 pounds weighs a lot more than a 3400 pound Saab wagon.

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