Towing Q?

[AussieGaz]

hey guys i have a LX impreza 1996 model 1.6L engine will there be any problem towing a 600-650kg boat? the hayman and reece towbars are rated to max 750kg's

 

would i possibly wear out the engine? would i make it up a boat ramp with the front wheel drive?

 

cheers

[KiwiGL]

It will be a bit sluggish with the 1.6 and if it's a manual, taking off on a boat ramp with the boat on could be an interesting hill start. Otherwise, I've seen people use concrete boat ramps with FWD cars with no probs. If you're towing long distances with large hills and it's an auto you may want to consider a transmission cooler and an upgrade to disc brakes on the back for better stopping, but if you're only going a short way it shouldn't be a problem.

 

Personally I've towed my dad's 700kg aluminium boat and trailer behind a 2.0 manual AWD Impreza with no probs, but steep hill starts get the clutch smelling a bit (no dual range from 08 on in NZ).

 

I also tried towing my friend's rally car on a trailer; that was around a ton or 2000 pounds, and while that's fine for a braked trailer on my car (up to 1250kg braked) there was not enough torque or clutch for hillstarts.

 

Cheers.

[987687]

I tow a 1800lbs (over 800kg) boat/trailer combo with my GL... Which has an ea81.

But I also have a dual range and 4x4 which makes steep ramps a breeze.

 

But I'm an idiot, so you probably shouldn't take my advise

Edited December 15, 2013 by 987687

[AussieGaz]

cheers guys, its a manual, last thing i want to do is burn out a clutch, i might go with a lighter boat that weighs 500kg

[987687]

Dual range swap would be more fun, probably cheaper, and you wouldn't have to get a new boat

[idosubaru]

it's all about the grades of the roads you'll be traveling.

 

do you know what kind of boat ramps you'll be using?  nice, consistent, the same one(s)?  or lots of different ones? 

the FWD on boat ramp is definitely an interesting question.  due to the angle you'll have less weight on the front tires as well.  it's going to greatly depend on the boat ramps used.  some places have really sweet, smooth, perfect, low grade boat ramps. i have no doubt you'll come right up the really nice ones.  others have really wonky, tight, slight curve, very steep, and big drop offs for the boats...i wouldn't want to have FWD on the one i used earlier this year.

 

should be easy enough to google it though - i'm sure lots of RWD trucks have comments about pulling boats up ramps in RWD verses 4WD - i'd look for those kinds of discussions.

 

if you're towing flatland you can do whatever you want. flatland = weak sauce for towing. i wouldn't think twice about it. a properly balanced huge trailer can be moved ***by hand*** on a flat parking lot. pretty amazing actually. even a small engine easily moves huge loads on relatively flat ground.  i've towed other cars, 16 foot car haulers (i do not recommend that at all) with Subaru's...in mostly flat areas.

 

as soon as you start driving in the mountains everything changes.  have you ever ridden a bike - the difference between flat and a grade is enormous - same thing on your vehicle.

 

also - when are you likely to be towing?  boats are often towed in the summer which = heat which is hardest on fluids, transmissions, engines.  that's the problem for me towing a boat - i always want to use it when it's like 85+ outside which is always harder on the car.  on 2000-2004 Outbacks the cooling system is the weak part, but i'm towing a huge boat through the mountains.