Hello,
I have a 98 Limited and am trying to decide if it would be safe to tow my car from Tampa, FL to Atlanta, GA. I thinking about renting a u-haul car trailer (about 2000lbs) plus the weight of the car (about 3700lbs). I know the truck is only rated to 5000lbs and that has to include gear and 2 people, but is it too much to ask to pull 6000lbs that far? I'm not really worried about the brakes as I switched to the Tundra fronts and converted the rears to disc so it'll stop strong, but what about the suspension and tranny?

Thanks Jason

 

You'll be alright, I think. I promise you that it won't be fun...at all. Just take it slow, and stop early. I also suggest a Tranny Cooler as a must-have.

Is a tow dolly a possibility for you? (less weight)

On another note...can you tell us about the rear discs?

 

i just towed a jetta on the u-haul trailer from seattle to san diego with an escalade and i felt it, i still relly knew it was there on hills but never once could not keep speed, but thats with a 6.0 V8 not a 3.4 V6. i would look into a tow dolly. U-haul will probably not rent you that trailer anyway, i wanted to pick up the trailer with my tacoma and they said no, they check to make sure your vehicle is safe to tow that much weight.

 

he he he... you got nothing to worry about....i pulled a 96 saab..with a tow dolly(front wheels on dolly)for 10 hrs....my rig was a 92 4runner medalist(limited edition with 5 spd..only made 800 here in canada)with 5 adults and fully packed...connecticut to toronto...hills?.catskills!!!!..funny thing ..i saved gas comming back with the car...kept it under 100 km/hr...yea....figure that one out....yea that's 3.0 litre slow bucket that everyone hates.....i put 300 000 km..before it got stolen....

 

I can use a tow dolly, I just wasnt sure if it was a safer alternative. It has a dry weight of 650lb so I would be under the rated 5000lb then. I've never towed a car before, but have LOTS of time pulling my boat.

As far as the rear disc go, the calipers and pads I picked up from NAPA there the front calipers from a older monte carlo. The brackets, brake lines and rotors are I purchased from SKY Manufacturing. I knew from the get go that I didnt want to hook up the parking brake so that made the job alot easier. The only part I had to have done for me what pressing off the drum backing plate, and while that was being done I had them change the wheel bearing also. The pedal has a little more travel, but the brakes feel much better. I mainly did the swap because I keep getting leaky axel seals and now I can change them in about 15mins and dont have to mess with the PITA drums.

Jason

 

ya tow dolly is a lot lighter, the u-haul autotransport is a heavy trailer at 2000 since that is with nothing on it

 

if you lie to them telling your towing vw bug you can get the dolly. = D

my friend has done that many times.

 

I'll be suprised if Uhaul even rents you a trailer. Most of the time they won't unless your tow rig far outweighs the towed vehicle.

 

i second the tranny cooler. Have towed with a U haul tow dolly before on my 3rd gen. They rented me the tow dolly to tow a dodge neon. It will be a slow process but it is doable.

 

Ditto, tranny cooler is a must have but you should be able to do it with a tow dolley, don't bother trailering the car completely, it will just add unnecessary extra weight which won't help if you encounter any hills. Also be sure to use the ECT button when towing.

 

When you folks say "trani cooler" is that for a standard or just an auto?