subaru impreza or suzuki sx4 as tow vehicles

All about towing and tow vehicles

subaru impreza or suzuki sx4 as tow vehicles

Postby steepski » Fri Aug 19, 2016 11:15 am

My girlfriend has a 2013 subaru impreza, and I have a 2009 suzuki sx4, both manual trans. Anyone used either of those as a tow vehicle? I'm intrigued by making a teardrop, but I'm wondering if one of our cars could handle the towing. I'm planning on keeping the build pretty light, keeping the size small, and using foamie construction.
steepski
Teardrop Inspector
 
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2016 3:21 am

Re: subaru impreza or suzuki sx4 as tow vehicles

Postby AzAv8r » Fri Aug 19, 2016 7:19 pm

It would appear Suzie SX4s make fine tow vehicles if you mind the weight:
http://tventuring.com/trailerforum/thread-1064.html
AzAv8r
Teardrop Builder
 
Posts: 41
Images: 6
Joined: Fri Jun 21, 2013 4:38 pm

Re: subaru impreza or suzuki sx4 as tow vehicles

Postby DrewsBrews » Tue Aug 23, 2016 10:58 am

I've pulled 2 road motorcycles on a harbor freight trailer with a 1st gen manual trans Scion xb (1.5l) from Cincinnati to Denver and back. That little engine wouldn't be able to handle mountains, but it managed to make the trip. Both your vehicles are heavier than the xb and have more power. I imagine they would do well pulling a foamie.
DrewsBrews
Donating Member
 
Posts: 264
Joined: Mon Jul 13, 2015 4:00 pm
Location: SW Ohio
Top

Re: subaru impreza or suzuki sx4 as tow vehicles

Postby Camp4Life » Wed Aug 24, 2016 10:39 am

It's easy to look up. A quick google of the SX4 says 2000lb trailer with 200lb tongue weight. All depends on the exact model you have though. It should state in your manual what you can tow.
Camp4Life
Teardrop Master
 
Posts: 223
Images: 4
Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2016 3:49 pm
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Top

Re: subaru impreza or suzuki sx4 as tow vehicles

Postby HarleyCamper » Wed Aug 24, 2016 6:40 pm

Our 2014 Subaru outback 2.5 liter/MT pulled about 3000 lbs of cargo from DC to Birmingham AL. Is was not pleasant when crossing the Appalachians as it was impossible to maintain speed uphill even downshifting along the way. Our drop will not be nearly as heavy and we are planning on using the Subaru to tow. Using my Tacoma is plan B though. Our Subaru is tow rated for 3000 lbs.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
HarleyCamper
Teardrop Advisor
 
Posts: 75
Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2015 7:34 pm
Top

Re: subaru impreza or suzuki sx4 as tow vehicles

Postby DrewsBrews » Thu Aug 25, 2016 7:09 am

I failed to mention the xb has a tow rating of 0.

Combined bike weight of ~1000lb plus ~350lb trailer, and with 250lb me, and a 300lb buddy.. along with all our camp gear to strap to the bikes for the trip.. I'm sure the little car was tugging around about 2000lb over it's curb weight of 2400lb. However I did add helper air bags to the rear end and higher load rating tires so I could air them up to handle the extra weight and keep it stable. Tow ratings are about more than just the powertrain/drivetrain. Vehicle weight, suspension capacity, brakes, tires, even the chassis wheelbase all play a part.
DrewsBrews
Donating Member
 
Posts: 264
Joined: Mon Jul 13, 2015 4:00 pm
Location: SW Ohio
Top

Re: subaru impreza or suzuki sx4 as tow vehicles

Postby Camp4Life » Thu Aug 25, 2016 10:59 am

DrewsBrews wrote:I failed to mention the xb has a tow rating of 0.

Combined bike weight of ~1000lb plus ~350lb trailer, and with 250lb me, and a 300lb buddy.. along with all our camp gear to strap to the bikes for the trip.. I'm sure the little car was tugging around about 2000lb over it's curb weight of 2400lb. However I did add helper air bags to the rear end and higher load rating tires so I could air them up to handle the extra weight and keep it stable. Tow ratings are about more than just the powertrain/drivetrain. Vehicle weight, suspension capacity, brakes, tires, even the chassis wheelbase all play a part.


That would be scary! AND dangerous... :frightened: I can tow 9000 lbs, and I towed about 8000 once and it was a little unnerving. Your vehicle won't react how it needs to in an emergency situation if you're overloaded, even if you use helper springs, airbags, weight distribution hitches etc etc. And if something ever happened, like an accident, even if it wasn't your fault, you might be SOL with your insurance company and have to pay everything out of your pocket. And by everything I mean paying for repair costs of all vehicles involved and any property damages. Safety (and common sense) first! :thumbsup:

:beer:
Camp4Life
Teardrop Master
 
Posts: 223
Images: 4
Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2016 3:49 pm
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Top

Re: subaru impreza or suzuki sx4 as tow vehicles

Postby yrock87 » Fri Aug 26, 2016 2:11 pm

My sister tows two dirtbikes on a little home built 5x5 trailer with her Impreza WRX, manual. it has more power and better brakes than the standard impreza but it wasn't a problem for her. each bike weights about 200 LBs and the trailer weighs about 250. so 650ish total.
The SJ Cruiser, my 5x10 Benroy build http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=64944
User avatar
yrock87
Teardrop Master
 
Posts: 286
Images: 97
Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2015 2:32 pm
Top


Return to Towing and Tow Vehicles

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests