Re: towing capacity limits?
In my experience, manufacturers typically do NOT use any complex formula's for assessing what thier vehicles can safely pull. And with todays legal environments, safely is THE key word here, NOT just what will not make it fail from a break-down perspective.<br /><br />There some "rules of thumb" guidelines that most manufacturers engineers, use to establish the initial base parameters, but eventually it boils down to a vehicle dynamics engineer (those are the guys and gals, who put the vehicle to the limits of it's handling, under controlled conditions), hooking up a variety of trailer sizes.. (Length, axle configurations, weight, and center of gravity load balance configurations), then performing "limit handling" maneuvers, to assess the vehicles reactions to as wide a range of situations, conditions, and loadings, as it is desired to be qualified to handle.<br /><br />Then, since these guys and gals are typically folks with not only LOTS of trailering experience, they also are those with some of the best reaction and driving skills within thier respective engineering organizations (other wise they would be working in another area), they narrow down to what they feel is an acceptable set-up (or range of set ups). Following that, under the same controlled conditions, they get a wider audience of drivers into the vehicles, to perform some of the same maneuvers, in attempts to make sure they have not missed, some "driver-induced quirks", that may cause specific trailer handling issues.<br /><br />ONLY after a apprpriate sizing is selected, from a safe towing perspective, do manufacturers typically begin to develop and test for things such as required cooling packages, etc...<br /><br />As a consumer, if you are willing to operate outside the guidelines established by your vehicles manufacturer... Then also be willing to live (or NOT live) with the consequences...<br /><br />That applies to trailer towing as well as it does to use of appropriate lubricants for your vehicle.<br /><br />Good Luck to all... Please practice safe trailering practices and ettiquette...
