2012 Chrysler minivan towing?

rexlion wrote:
How would this be a safe rig? 400 lb hitch dry weight means it'll likely be 500 lbs or more once he gets it loaded for camping. With the soft rear suspension of a minivan and a receiver attachment that's probably rated for 350 lbs max, this is an accident waiting to happen! What if the receiver breaks loose from the van and the trailer careens across traffic and hits someone head-on? Or he's going around a curve and something in the suspension breaks, propelling the whole rig in the wrong direction?

That Pentastar is not a magic wand to make all the problems go away. All that frontal area will make the tranny hot as heck, too.

What if? What if any of these things happen to any tow vehicle? While I don't think this is the ideal setup it will not be unsafe to do so long as everything is properly installed and adjusted.

jerem0621 wrote:


Untrue about everything else about how terrible these vans are. I've had everything but a MDT as a TV and I enjoy towing with this Van as well as any of them.

Most people can't wrap their head around towing with a Minivan, thats okay. Low center of gravity, high HP (at least the modern ones), good handling, with a properly set WD hitch heavish towing is a pure pleasure.

The Pentastar has been a fantastic motor for me. So much so that I am really considering a Ram with the Pentastar as my replacement vehicle of my Town Car (talk about a terrible TV... that Town Car is terrible)

Pentastar in the Ram is rated up to 7,000 lbs towing.. very capable little motor.

JMHO based on experience...

Thanks!

Jeremiah

I don't argue the power. But just because the engine is the same in the van as the truck does not make them equal tow vehicles. Even if HP and torque ratings are the same, the programming is not. The difference in suspension alone makes a dramatic difference in towing experience and comfort level. As I said in the above reply I don't see a safety issue. Having towed by personal choice with a mini-van close to my capacities, and later with different trailer and a very capable SUV also close to capacities, I can say from experience that the difference in towing between being close to the limits and having a healthy margin is simply night and day. We're not talking about pop-up campers here, we're talking full height travel trailers. Big difference in towing experience. And you seem to recognize that based on your signature.

All that said the majority of those who start off with these close to the limit setups usually upgrade to a larger TV in 12-18 months. If for no other reason than not having to worry about every ounce loaded and the desire tow through mountains or go cross country.