Hi,
I want to tow my tent-camper with my 97 4d Sunfire, but my towing capacity is only 1000lbs?? The tent-camper weight is 1400lbs, im a public danger? The capacity of the hitch is not exedeed
Please help me!
GM recommends 1000 lbs due to the following:
HP, tq, braking capacity, gearing
Personally, I've hauled 2k+ lbs with a 2.2 OHV manual, granted the acceleration was the best.
If you are not doing any steep grades, 1400 shouldn't be an issue. Be sure to give yourself
plenty of room for braking. I'd invest in a tranny cooler first, though, even if the towing is occasional.
Kardain wrote:GM recommends 1000 lbs due to the following:
HP, tq, braking capacity, gearing
Personally, I've hauled 2k+ lbs with a 2.2 OHV manual, granted the acceleration was the best.
If you are not doing any steep grades, 1400 shouldn't be an issue. Be sure to give yourself plenty of room for braking. I'd invest in a tranny cooler first, though, even if the towing is occasional.
GM also says do not tow with the 3 spd auto AT ALL, NONE, NADA, etc.
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the B&M ShiftPlus helps with towing too
Ronin J wrote:Kardain wrote:GM recommends 1000 lbs due to the following:
HP, tq, braking capacity, gearing
Personally, I've hauled 2k+ lbs with a 2.2 OHV manual, granted the acceleration was the best.
If you are not doing any steep grades, 1400 shouldn't be an issue. Be sure to give yourself plenty of room for braking. I'd invest in a tranny cooler first, though, even if the towing is occasional.
GM also says do not tow with the 3 spd auto AT ALL, NONE, NADA, etc.
Again, occasional use, flat road (or light grades), staying below recommended capacity, properly distributed weight, tranny cooler even... shouldn't have a problem. If you have a 4spd, don't use OD.
GM also says don't tow with a manual. Reason - the clutch doesn't like it.
Uhaul says don't tow over 45mph
Alot of places/companies use the "don't" card as liability limiters.
If your not eceeding the capicity of the hitch, you should be safe from bashing into others on the road as long as you can stop and your rear suspension doesn't bottom out. I would stay off the freeways and take into account everything everyone else said about making sure the car won't blow up (everyone is right so far). My dad has pulled 2 motorcycles on a modified snowmobile trailer with his stock 93 Sunbird convertible w/ a 3.1 V-6 and 4-speed automatic transmission but you can definaly tell the trailer is back there and he doesn't do it anymore. Personally, I wouldn't use your car as a tow vehical at all, even if you take every percaution, it's still going to be hard on the car.
1400? Tail wag the dog? I pulled a 700 pounder once. Once. Spooky. As heard on Car Talk, "I have a 1990 Ford Tempo, should I pull a trailer with it?" "No. Okay, next caller". Same applies to a Cavvy. The only thing I ever pulled with mine (1994 wagon, 2.2) was an empty trailer, about 300 pounds. Car wasn't happy with that. "If the car is straining it's a safe bet your wallet will be next".
I had my 2.0 sunbird loaded completely full a few times when I was moving and I could tell a significant difference even with a 5-speed. Just imagine having a trailer behind the car. I'm willing to bet that my 2.4 I have know would do a lot better, but I still wouldnt do it. You really should have a more powerfull 6 cylinder at the very least for pulling a trialer. Even 4 cylinder S10's like to throw trannys when used for tow vehicles.
I have a hitch if you need one.
my 90 daytona with the 2.5L N.A and 3 spd auto was pathetic..... i could feel it was under huge stress with 8 ish people squished in the car. Id never pull anything behind a car....defiantly not a 4cyl!!!!
--------------------------------------------------------------
2000 Cavalier z24-5 spd, 2.4L
stock....for now, no big things in mind just intake....muffler....short throw shifter...clear climates........supercharger!!!(if i ever get the money lol)
i towed a 91 escort gt w/ my 92 dodge shadow up a 3/4 mile hill none the less. did a whole 25 mph up that hill. i had it flat to the floor. didn't hurt the car one bit. so considering your car has a few more ponies than my old shadow and you're towing 1400 lbs not 2500 lbs u will be fine. don't put your foot in it too hard, rev past 5k and leave yourself a little cushion for breaking. you'll be ok. but remember it's not a peterbuilt, it's a 4cylinder passenger car lol
People say that what doesn't kill you in this life
will make you stronger. I'm not sure if that is true
or not, but i do know one thing-You have to learn from
it and it has to make you better.......it has to.......
So no towing with a 5spd 2.4? CAn u put a cooler and a MTX?
let me go get my riding lawnmower, i will tow your sunfire and your camper tent
if you want to tow something get a bigger more capable car that is safer
Kardain wrote:Ronin J wrote:Kardain wrote:GM recommends 1000 lbs due to the following:
HP, tq, braking capacity, gearing
Personally, I've hauled 2k+ lbs with a 2.2 OHV manual, granted the acceleration was the best.
If you are not doing any steep grades, 1400 shouldn't be an issue. Be sure to give yourself plenty of room for braking. I'd invest in a tranny cooler first, though, even if the towing is occasional.
GM also says do not tow with the 3 spd auto AT ALL, NONE, NADA, etc.
Again, occasional use, flat road (or light grades), staying below recommended capacity, properly distributed weight, tranny cooler even... shouldn't have a problem. If you have a 4spd, don't use OD.
GM also says don't tow with a manual. Reason - the clutch doesn't like it.
Uhaul says don't tow over 45mph
Alot of places/companies use the "don't" card as liability limiters.
uhaul says that about everything
JBO since July 30, 2001
I towed a 18 wheeler once, it was interesting.
2001 Chevy Cavalier (Sandrift Metallic) 8 OHV of raw fury!
GM Power wrote:I towed a 18 wheeler once, it was interesting.
... digs through smiley collection ....
"Ah yes. This one will work!"
Worst tow I ever did was a 17' runabout into Canada with a 2.2 FI 5sp Plymouth Horizon.
The boat, trailer, and everything in it went 2650 at the scales. Car weighed 2100, rated to tow 1500 lb.
After my surprise at the scales, I moved a bunch of batteries, etc, into the car, maybe 400 lb worth, so the car outweighed the boat, but not by much. I would NOT do that again without trailer brakes. Made it through Michigan's lower peninsula in 5th gear, but one or two hills knocked me down to 50mph or a bit less. Several 4th gear hills in the upper peninsula, and when I hit some mountains in Ontario, it was heavy throttle to hold 50mph uphill in 3rd, then shut off the ignition and leave it in 3rd to get down the hill without taxing the brakes. Driving in traffic in Sault Saint Marie with that rig is something I never want to repeat. Tiny brakes which fade in a single 80-0 stop with an empty car do not like stop and go traffic with double the weight. At least the car had 750lb cargo springs on the back and rode level.
The situation described here is borderline. 2600lb car, 1400lb trailer. A 2.2 would be marginal at best (with a 5sp) in a 4k rig, 2.4 would be better. If you're doing it once, drive slow and careful. If it's going to be a regular thing, use electric brakes with a Jordan Ultima controller, put overload springs or air shocks on the car, and think about using a bigger car or a lighter (maybe A-Liner?) trailer. And put a tranny cooler on that Sunfire if it has an auto tranny.
Drive safe.
Mic.
Mic wrote:use electric brakes with a Jordan Ultima controller...
Darn, where's that "edit" button?
Brain fart there, meant to say Tekonsha Prodigy. The Jordan is OK, but I like the inertia sensing Prodigy better than the Jordan Ultima 2020, which uses a cable to the brake pedal.
At any rate, when you tow something that's heavy in relation to the tow vehicle, you should use a controller that activates the trailer brakes in proportion to how hard you are trying to stop the car, and the two I mentioned are top of the line controllers.
Prodigy
Ultima
