Your car can tow a trailer if it is equipped with the
3800
(L27)
engine and proper trailer towing equipment. To
identify what the vehicle trailering capacity is
for
your
vehicle,
you
should read the information in “Weight
of
the Trailer” that appears later in this section. But
trailering is different than just driving your vehicle by
itself. Trailering means changes in handling, durability,
and fuel economy. Successful, safe trailering takes
correct equipment, and it has to be used properly.
That’s
the
reason for this section. In
it
are many
time-tested, important trailering tips and safety rules.
Many
of
these are important for your safety and that
of
your passengers.
So
please read this section carefully
before
you
pull a trailer.
Load-pulling components such as the engine, transaxle,
wheel assemblies, and tires are forced to work harder
against the drag
of
the added weight. The engine is
required to operate
at
relatively higher speeds and under
greater loads, generating extra heat. What’s more, the
trailer adds considerably
to
wind resistance, increasing
the pulling requirements.
If You
Do
Decide To Pull
A
Trailer
If
you
do, here are some important points.
There are many different laws, including speed limit
restrictions, having to do with trailering. Make sure
your rig will be legal, not
only
where you live but
also where
you’ll
be driving.
A
good source for this
information can be state or provincial police.
Consider using a sway control if your trailer will
weigh
2,000
pounds
(900
kg) or less. You should
always use a sway control
if
your trailer will weigh
more than
2,000
pounds
(900
kg).
You can ask a hitch dealer about sway controls.
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0
Don’t tow a trailer at all during the first 1,000 miles
(1600
km) your new vehicle is driven. Your engine,
axle
or
other parts could be damaged.
Then, during the
first
500
miles
(800
km)
that
you tow
a
trailer, don’t drive over
50
mph
(80
h/h)
and don’t
make
starts
at
full
throttle. This helps your engine and
other parts
of
your vehicle wear in at the heavier loads.
Obey speed limit restrictions when towing
a
trailer.
Don’t drive faster than
the
maximum posted speed
for trailers (or no more than
55
mph
(90
km/h) to
save wear on your vehicle’s parts.
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