First time towing with the new van, not fun!
So I got to tow with our new van for the first time today. It was one of my worst experiences towing ever. The engine and transmission seemed to run great, but the steering was miserable. To be...
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Not necessarily on the front axle, but YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES on the tongue weight.
Current best practice for WD hitch setup is to bring the front end back to NO MORE THAN unloaded ride height. Theoretically that will leave you very close to unloaded weight on your front axle.
Many newer vehicles come with the recommendation to only restore HALF WAY to the original ride height, which would mean your front axle would be lighter with the trailer hooked up, than not.
The reasoning behind it is that the front axle is already near capacity with the engine and passengers aboard. There isn't usually a whole lot of "wiggle room" for adding weight to the front end, while there's far more available on the rear.
In many cases also there is a rubber bump stop (aka "jounce bumper") in the front suspension on most pickup trucks that is engaged at unloaded ride height. Trying to compress the front end lower than unloaded ride height can overload the front suspension and cause damage, because you can just keep cranking and cranking on that WD hitch until something snaps, and the truck just will not go below unloaded ride height in front.
Current best practice for WD hitch setup is to bring the front end back to NO MORE THAN unloaded ride height. Theoretically that will leave you very close to unloaded weight on your front axle.
Many newer vehicles come with the recommendation to only restore HALF WAY to the original ride height, which would mean your front axle would be lighter with the trailer hooked up, than not.
The reasoning behind it is that the front axle is already near capacity with the engine and passengers aboard. There isn't usually a whole lot of "wiggle room" for adding weight to the front end, while there's far more available on the rear.
In many cases also there is a rubber bump stop (aka "jounce bumper") in the front suspension on most pickup trucks that is engaged at unloaded ride height. Trying to compress the front end lower than unloaded ride height can overload the front suspension and cause damage, because you can just keep cranking and cranking on that WD hitch until something snaps, and the truck just will not go below unloaded ride height in front.
