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Bruce_H_'s avatar
Bruce_H_
Explorer
Aug 04, 2013

Zero to Sixty When Towing

I'm curious as to what constitutes a good number for acceleration from 0 to 60 when towing your travel trailer. What sparked my interest was a recent test of the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the PentaStar V-6 in Consumer Reports. CR reported that the JGC pulled a 5,000 lb. trailer from 0 to 60 in 18 seconds, which it said was very good. So, for the heck of it, I tried that with my Honda Pilot towing a 3,500 lb. travel trailer, and got 22 seconds.

So, what kind of acceleration performance should one look for to determine if the tow vehicle has enough power (and the right gearing) to adequately tow its trailer?

Bruce
Tow Vehicles

49 Replies

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  • Tankcar's avatar
    Tankcar
    Explorer
    Aug 04, 2013
    Hi.
    Going from a standing stop to the other side of the intersection before the light changes to red.
  • APT's avatar
    APT
    Explorer
    Aug 04, 2013
    0-60 @ WOT is usually quite meaningless. So few people, even RVers, ever see the north side of half the engine's redline. And that is why I feel the SAE towing spec is also meaningless.

    But for comparison, these half tons were about 18s pulling themselves plus 8500 pounds. And these HD trucks were in the 22s range towing 10k pounds.

    Most people care more about how they tow at 606-65mph. How responsive is the throttle. How much does it slow down on hills, or how high en engine must spin to maintain 60mph up grades.
  • rhagfo's avatar
    rhagfo
    Explorer III
    Aug 04, 2013
    Well never timed it but so far seem to be able to be doing 60+ by the time I am at the merge area of an on ramp.
  • Taco's avatar
    Taco
    Explorer
    Aug 04, 2013
    I never timed my truck. All I know is that I'm not an obstruction to other motorists and don't have to use full throttle leaving a stoplight to get to speed. That is good enough for me.
  • sch911's avatar
    sch911
    Explorer
    Aug 04, 2013
    FWIW Although not officially endorsed by any of the big 3 the SAE J2807 trailer towing specification defined the maximum 0-60 MPH acceleration time of 30 seconds with the rated load on level ground....
  • jims1's avatar
    jims1
    Explorer
    Aug 04, 2013
    Well in 4wheel drive to keep the back tires from smoking to much, in a straight line, If I can spool the turbo's up to 12-14lbs and launch hard, and hit the nitrous in 2nd gear, I might make a 1/4 in about a minute 45seconds!! This CarriLite is a heavy thing to get moving..
  • kalynzoo's avatar
    kalynzoo
    Explorer
    Aug 04, 2013
    Are you kidding...maybe 15 to 20 minutes. :B But really, I don't think I would measure the acceleration with the second hand. If I were to floor it coming out of a start the noise you would hear would be the gas being sucked into the engine. :E
    Since my max comfortable cruising speed in between 55 and 62mph, I truly sneak onto the freeway at about 50mph find a sweet spot and just settle down for a one to two hour leg of the trip.
    But enjoy your day on the track and Happy Trails.

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