My Subaru operator's manual lists "towing capacity" (with dealer option tow package installed) as 2700 lbs. Is this wt. in addition to the carrying capacity of the car, or does the 2700# include passengers, dogs and cargo carried inside the towing vehicle?
I want to tow a hard-side pop-up trailer (dry wt 2128#). The Subaru
installed tow pkg is a 1 1/4" receiver, 4-wire plug and transmission
cooler... but the trailer prefers a 2" receiver, and 7-wire plug (incl. brake
controller & electric charge wires) I think I can have those installed, but
began to question if I have the right car/trailer match. There are many
opinions re - what weights can be safely towed and what factors influence
that... I'd just like to know exactly what maxm towing capacity means, so
I'm starting with this (hopefully) simple question:
It's my understanding that the two are separate, in other words, the weight in the car is not counted with respect to the trailer. BUT, you may want to be careful about two things, don't overload the hitch weight of 200 pounds or try to tow any trailer over 2,200 pounds which is more than 80 percent of the maximum trailer weight. It's just not a good idea.. The key is to watch the gross vehicle weight in your car that includes passengers and gear. I think the limit is around 950 pounds and that can add up quickly. Let's say that you and your spouse weighs around 350 -375 and you have 3 more passengers, do you see what I mean. It's very important NOT to try and get close to the maximum weight, leave yourself a little headroom, you will be better off , safety wise. My 2010 has a 2 inch receiver , factory installed, maybe someone put an aftermarket hitch on your car. Go check out Eckhart Trailers, they are super knowledgeable and can help you.
Trailer brakes are normally required for any weight above 1,500 pounds.
My car is a 2010 Limited 2.5 and CVT transmission and pulls my teardrop trailer well.
This should help you.,.... http://howto.curtmfg.com/Pages/index.cfm.25.html
One more thing, please tell me that you didn't install an aftermarket additional transmission cooler to your car? This is definitely not a good idea.... I was originally thinking of doing this, but, everyone including Subaru of America talked me out of doing it, because it creates an additional point of failure. Did you see my earlier posts? Hopefully this was helpful to you.
Thanks for your help; I believe I have the information I need now.
