Max towing for 2014 V6 Jeep Grand Cherokee
We have a 4000 dry wt travel trailer that our Toyota 4 Runner, rated at 4700 lb has trouble towing. Has anyone experience using a V6 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2014 or 2015 to tow this weight?
Forum Discussion
sch911 wrote:Campfire Time wrote:sch911 wrote:
I am a Jeep engineer.
The 2014 JGC is rated at 6200# towing.
You're an engineer. You of all people should know there is a lot more to towing a travel trailer than the tow rating. Have you actually towed a travel trailer that size with said TV? Not on a proving ground, but fully loaded on a trip with hills and wind?
That trailer at 4k "dry weight" is more likely over 5k loaded. While I don't doubt for a moment that the GC will tow the trailer safely, personal experience tells me that the closer you get to rated capacities, the less pleasant the overall towing experience is. In this case the OP should plenty of reserve capacity and the towing experience should be pretty decent.
Yes I have as a matter of fact! If fact that's my job. I've tested the JGC to much higher weight levels than that in much hotter climates than you can imagine. This is a fine combination of TV and TT. The fullly loaded 5K figure is really still 1200# below the rated towing weight. End of story! Oh, and in case you're one of those who say that you should never exceed 80% of the tow rating, you're wrong. I am done debating. I have said what needed to be said.
The OP hasn't said what year the 4Runner is, but just for an idea about its engine I looked up the 2011 model: 270 HP, 278 lb-ft torque. This is being compared to the GC V6 which has 290 HP and 260 tq. My question is, will 20 extra horsepower (but less torque) truly create a noticeably different towing experience? I am looking to buy a V6 GC for my next tow vehicle, too, but after towing roughly 3000 lb for about 140,000 miles with my Highlander (270 HP/ 240 tq) and finding the HL sorely lacking at high altitude on long grades... and BTW my trailers had less frontal area than what is being discussed here!... I would have thought that a 4700 lb., 8' wide TT would make the GC V6 performance seem quite lackluster. Can the 8 speed transmission and 20 more HP really make such a dramatic difference? If so, why?
