JamesM56alum said:
This is a pretty touchy subject with some people, iv worked in shops most of my life im a mechanic by trade and pulling boats with cars is not a good idea. One reason is stopping, just because you can pull it with no problem doesnt mean you should because you also have to worry about stopping it, front disc rear drum brake systems are horrid on cars and small vans, the brakes are already maxed out just from the weight of the car and the passengers in it, i cant tell you how many brake jobs iv done on front disc rear drum when either the pads glaze over because they over heat or the rotors are a very pretty shade of blue/black because the persons calipers sized up an they warped the rotors.
Tranny problems are an issue also, take the ford windstar for an example, the 3.0 ford engine and transmission that are in the van is the same exact engine and tranny thats in the ford taurus, the van weighs about 1200lbs more, so pulling with the van to begin with is a bad idea because the trannys are already stressed because they werent designed to put up with that much load and added heat.
And last but not least, trailer sway.. light cars and vans cannot handle the trailers when they dogtrack down the road "Sway back an forth" the assend of the vans and cars will start swaying with the trailer and boom you're out of control and if your lucky in the ditch.
This video is a great example why u shouldnt pull with anything less than a SUV or smaller pickup
https://youtu.be/mfLnLwFcSBc
Im not trying to piss any one off that does, just trying to shed some educated light on the issue at hand.
Okay, just because I like a good debate...
You don't recommend cars towing, but based on your statement and example, "Tranny problems are an issue also, take the ford windstar for an example, the 3.0 ford engine and transmission that are in the van is the same exact engine and tranny thats in the ford taurus, the van weighs about 1200lbs more, so pulling with the van to begin with is a bad idea because the trannys are already stressed because they werent designed to put up with that much load and added heat." it would seem that the Taurus would be the better vehicle, of these two, to tow with.
And the video is very much on the extreme end of car towing. He was pulling 2500+ pounds with a station wagon. Seems pretty crazy in my book.
wihil said:
I tow my 12'er with a first gen 1.8lr Honda CRV (which might as well be a Civic with a detuned Integra motor). Pulls it along just fine, and with the pseudo 4 wheel I haven't had an issue at ramps. I'd feel okay pulling up to a light 16' with it, but nothing heavy that's for sure. I'd probably not stick it quite so deep in the ramp either.
The only thing I can't stand about it is how often if shifts around when going into the wind/up/down hills, but to be fair that stupid car is always shifting (thanks in part to poor gearing and a high reving motor, way to go Honda).
Revving to 8600rpms on my Honda K20 is nothing but fun! Way to go Honda, lol. :twisted: