Any 1 tow there boat with a car?

[pvamax]

i towed our family's glasstron GS205 (mercruiser 5.7l I/O) a few times with my F-150 to and from storage and to the boat shop. loaded up fully wet, the boat and trailer weighed close to the max rated tow weight of 5000lbs, and THAT was a handful to haul down to a stop, even with surge brakes, towing close to the limit, i can't imagine people towing twice the limit, and at highway speeds no less.

OK lets see, ratings aside, a 5000lb f150 towing a 5000lb boat vs a 3000lb car towing a 2000lb boat. Take a stab at which tow vehicle is gonna get tossed around more here...

 

[Strizzo]

i'd say the little car with tiny brakes and tiny tires, and no trailer brakes. it would brake no problem, it was also actually RATED to tow that weight, so the engine cooling system, and transmission were up to the task, unlike the cadavalier

 

[moochy]

I tow my 180 challenger with a 09 Mazda 6 wagon. 2.5 lt naturally aspirated 4 cyl. Rated to tow 1500 kg. I trade in September and will probably go for a cx5. The 6 does. Good job of towing and pulling out of the water though.

 

[LouDoo]

I think the problem, and what a lot of people don't understand is it's not about the size of the engine or transmission it's a safety issue. Hell I can tow my PWC with a 16HP lawn tractor. It's about handling and stopping power. The tow vehicle needs to be heavy enough to provide steering, handling and stopping power.

Lou

 

[pvamax]

I think the problem, and what a lot of people don't understand is it's not about the size of the engine or transmission it's a safety issue. Hell I can tow my PWC with a 16HP lawn tractor. It's about handling and stopping power. The tow vehicle needs to be heavy enough to provide steering, handling and stopping power.

Lou

This is true, and of course the unibody isnt exactly the best for bolting on a hitch and bunch of weight. The SS cobalt has a big upgrade in suspension and brakes over the base models as well, I would not consider towing over the rated limit with a base model that has rear drums and smaller front rotors and pads.

 

[Strizzo]

I wouldn't recommend towing over the rated limit at all. obviously it can be done, its just not very smart.

 

[tealracing16]

I have a question regarding towing with a car. I usually tow my stuff with our suburban but was thinking about getting a hitch for my Fusion. I looked up the information in the owner's manual and it says it can't tow anything, even though I can buy a hitch aftermarket. My question to you guys who tow with a small car: What does the manual say and do you guys just kind of ignore it or is it rated to pull that much weight. I only have a 1996 XP, but also have access to an 18' boat and my snowmobiles, utility trailer etc.

 

[Dr Honda]

It's not safe... and it will void your warranty. The aftermarket hitches are designed so you can put on a cargo tray, bike rack, or other such device.

I can get a 24K Lb 5th wheel hitch that will fit my truck... but it's still only good for about 8k.

 

[tealracing16]

Alright thanks. I don't have a warranty but I agree with what was said before about towing too much. I was just hoping with only being an XP somebody might think it would be ok.

 

[pvamax]

Alright thanks. I don't have a warranty but I agree with what was said before about towing too much. I was just hoping with only being an XP somebody might think it would be ok.

Quick search around the net, ran into this...

 

[Dr Honda]

With all of this said... I would say, that a single 2-Stroke ski... on a single trailer would be OK on almost any car. BUT... a new 4-tec ski will be too much for anything other than a full sized car.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

Alright thanks. I don't have a warranty but I agree with what was said before about towing too much. I was just hoping with only being an XP somebody might think it would be ok.

you can tow an xp with anything (this is My opinion)
it weighs nothing, i'd try it with pretty much any car except maybe a smart car or one of those new fiat 500's.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

With all of this said... I would say, that a single 2-Stroke ski... on a single trailer would be OK on almost any car. BUT... a new 4-tec ski will be too much for anything other than a full sized car.

and I agree here, although on my last ride to the kissimmee river a guy (very experienced rider) showed up with a Toyota corrolla pulling a FX SHO with no issues, and he drives all around the state like this.

I've also towed my 96 Challenger boat with my Lexus ES300 4dr, 6cyl, I've towed a good 500 miles with the lexus to several ramps and i've had no concerns, I am a little conservative with concerns about braking so I definitely don't tailgate

 

[tealracing16]

You guys are super, I have found an imense amount of information on this website. Thanks for the info.

 

[Seadoobuddy]

I read in the paper today that the new 2013 Ford Escape with the 2 liter eco-boost engine will tow 3500Lbs, the most in it's class.

 

[pvamax]

I read in the paper today that the new 2013 Ford Escape with the 2 liter eco-boost engine will tow 3500Lbs, the most in it's class.

Pricing looks very good for its class too!

 

[russianphil18]

what do u guys thing of a '98 integra stick shift pulling a '97 xp?

 

[John in Valley Forge]

For the guys who are towing WAY past the legal load... I would recommend putting trailer brakes on the boat trailer. At least then, you will have the extra help in stopping.

^^^^^^^^What he said^^^^^^^^^

I've got a Ford Explorer rated to pull 5,400 pounds. My boat is about 3,000. Still, after I pulled it once, I went and got brakes for it. Cheaper than replacing the rotors on the truck every few months.

 

[DrMarc]

I pull my double trailer around all summer with my two seadoos on it... Gotten a few looks from my local lawmen, but never been stopped.

Sometimes a sandy ramp makes getting them out of the lake a bit of a smoke show, but never had too much of a problem.


But I wonder what they say if they say this rig!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyVXoFvUBn0

 

[LouDoo]

I can't tell from the pic. what vehicle that is, it's a VW something??

Lou

 

[DrMarc]

I can't tell from the pic. what vehicle that is, it's a VW something??

Lou

Its an 02 Golf Turbo Diesel Coupe

 

[DrMarc]

what do u guys thing of a '98 integra stick shift pulling a '97 xp?

It would do it, especially on an aluminum trailer.. The old ski's barely weighed 500lbs

 

[LouDoo]

I looked an O2 VW Golf Turbo Diesel, in the US it's not rated, however in Great Britain its rated for 1000lbs., which is 1 ski, with trailer and gas. I wouldn't push it with two.

Lou

 

[DrMarc]

I looked an O2 VW Golf Turbo Diesel, in the US it's not rated, however in Great Britain its rated for 1000lbs., which is 1 ski, with trailer and gas. I wouldn't push it with two.

Lou

The dry weights on my skis are 414 and 434 lbs so 850 ish total. And I think the spec I found for the Eurpean cars was 1500 lbs w/o brakes and 3500 lbs with trailer brakes. And it will clearly move 3500 lbs no problem, just see my video above!

Nonetheless I've used that car to pull double trailers, sometimes with heavier skis too, at least 10,000 miles and never had a problem.

 

[jasman18]

The cobalt max towing capacity is 1000 lbs. that boat DRY without anything, weighs 1450 lbs. Add the trailer, liquids and your gear and you are easily at 2000, twice the max.

Actually that platform is SAFETY rated to tow well over 2000 lbs.
You can't just Google your car model to get an accurate tow rating. All newer cars in America are stamped with an arbitrary tow rating of 1000 lbs now.