How is the Chevy Traverse towing 5000 lbs?

[ssstar3]

I've been researching RVs and TT's for over a year and have finally decided I'm happy in the Airstream 23 ft Serenity. Now I need a vehicle to tow it and came upon the Chevy Traverse which seems like it would theoretically work. Has anyone actually used this vehicle for towing that much weight?

[Grit_dog]

For shorter trips to the campground I would say its ok provided you stay within reason with the weights.
If you plan on long road trips, IMO a unibody fwd "car" chassis is not the way to go. Harder to upgrade tire, suspension, trailer brakes etc. and then after you do that , it's still a unibody.
I think it will put undue wear and tear on the vehicle if used for long trips. Think trans cooling, light duty cv joint final drives etc.
IMO a body on frame construction that has the advantages of a truck design, like a Tahoe is a better choice. Will make the towing experience more pleasant too especially for a newb to towing.

[tcc11tcc]

Make sure the Tahoe has the proper gear ratio and tow package. I learned that the hard way recently.

[SkiMore]

I assume that if you had a 5000# trailer (loaded) that you would want a truck rated higher than 5000#. How much margin do you want?

The wheelbase issue that "Deb and Ed M" mentioned was interesting. How would you know what would be sufficient?

[bikendan]

rockportrocket wrote:
I find it hard to believe that one would even try to haul something like that with a tv as posted. Do people just don't care as long as it fits there lifestyle? Surely when it was posted, the OP knew what the answer was. Really?

i think that people are just uninformed as to what you really need to make towing safe and comfortable.
and it doesn't help that the auto/RV industry and their dealers lead the public on, about towing capabilities.

look at how many brag about their trailers are 1/2 ton towable or minivan towable!:S

i've lost count on how many posts i've seen where the owner is upgrading their tow vehicle because their current one is overwhelmed, due to buying too much trailer for the vehicle to handle.

[rockportrocket]

I find it hard to believe that one would even try to haul something like that with a tv as posted. Do people just don't care as long as it fits there lifestyle? Surely when it was posted, the OP knew what the answer was. Really?

[bikendan]

ike1450 wrote:
We have a 2009 Chevy Traverse with a tow package, a distribution kit, GVRW is 4808and brake control. Would that make a difference when pulling a Rockwood Roo 23SS? We have not taken the camper out yet, but understand that we may have to get a heavier tow vehicle (Tahoe or something similar). Our camping is mainly on flat roads and average 2-3 hrs. of driving time. Thoughts and suggestions please? Thanks.

basically your Traverse can tow about the same as the older v-6 Explorers.
there's a member of the Hybrid forum here, with a 23SS and he towed it for a short period with his v-6 Explorer. he soon found it was overmatched.
both of our 23SS's weigh over 5000lbs. loaded for camping and yours will too. so, with any passengers, you've already exceeded the max capacity of your Traverse.

you should have posted your questions on the Hybrid Forum, before you bought the 23SS. we would've advised you to get a smaller hybrid, if you plan to keep the Traverse for towing.

[poppin_fresh]

I'm towing a Starcraft 18SB with my 2012 AWD Traverse. My camper supposedly weighs around 3,000lbs unloaded, but I have not scaled it to be sure or know what our loaded weight is. It is also pretty tounge heavy for its size at 450lbs according to factory literature. I dont have WDH hitch and it does set the rear some, but I wouldn't call it excessive by any means.

As far as towing it does ok on most of the roads here in Vermont, but the interstate is a little different story when the hills and air resistance team up. It will tow at 65 fine on the flatter stuff, but it does require a lot of RPM to get up and over the hills. In a flatter state it would probably be fine towing right up to its max GCVW, but in hillier terrain it will probably be doggy when maxed out.

I havent done enough long trips to comment on fuel mileage, but if I had to guess its probably around 10-11.

[westend]

Is that a FWD Traverse?

[ike1450]

We have a 2009 Chevy Traverse with a tow package, a distribution kit, GVRW is 4808and brake control. Would that make a difference when pulling a Rockwood Roo 23SS? We have not taken the camper out yet, but understand that we may have to get a heavier tow vehicle (Tahoe or something similar). Our camping is mainly on flat roads and average 2-3 hrs. of driving time. Thoughts and suggestions please? Thanks.

[kc81c]

i wouldn't suggest it. My wife owned both a traverse and a acadia the GMC version. Once don't remember the reason why but I towed my small 6X10 3000# end dump trailer with it. It did ok but braking wasn't great and with probably less then 10% tongue weight it squatted pretty good. I don't have a lot of faith in that engine either my wifes traverse got a short block due to a broken rod at 32000 miles, and my moms enclave the buick version got a short block at 37000 miles also a broken rod, so we traded the acadia off at 34000 before warranty ran out. She got a Expedition EL 4x4 5.4L funny thing is our mileage is the same. There are a lot of vehicles that will get the same mileage, cost the same or less, and do a lot better job of towing that trailer.

[Quantum82]

We tow our Jayco 213EXP with our Traverse. Tows fine, I'm able to tow at 65mph wihtout any issues. Hills are fine, it does downshift to maintain speed. Have never been in the mountains, but I wouldn't hesitate to do so. I installed a Scangauge II to monitor the transmission temp. The Traverse fits our family's needs that's why we bought it.

I get about 9-11MPG towing, 18MPG in town and 24MPG on the highway solo. I'd love an F150 Ecoboost, but that just doesn't fit our family needs right now.

[Ron3rd]

sayoung wrote:
We own an all-wheel drive Traverse and we like the car but we wouldn't tow a golf cart trailer with it.Get a Tahoe or Avalanche is my suggestion or like us,Duramax dually for the tow jobs and the Traverse to go out to eat.

X2, the wife loves her new Traverse but we would not consider towing anything with it. That's not what it's made for IMO.

The member that suggested the Tahoe has a good idea. The mpg of the Traverse is 16-17 mpg overall.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

My personal experience:
My 2008 Trailblazer was rated to tow 6800 lbs. Every now and then, we'd hook up our open car hauler carrying hubby's race truck - the total weight on that was around 4800 lbs. Certainly within the ability of the Trailblazer - BUT: the shorter wheelbase on the SUV caused the old "tail wagging the dog" on occasion (which is pretty unnerving). A Traverse is only 5" longer than a Trailblazer (113") and a trailer has a MUCH higher center-of-gravity than a car hauler.

We sold my Trailblazer and bought a cab-and-a-half small-V8 Silverado (143" WB) and never had a moment's problem after that. The longer wheelbase made a HUGE difference. And the truck got the same fuel mileage as the Trailblazer, too.

[sayoung]

We own an all-wheel drive Traverse and we like the car but we wouldn't tow a golf cart trailer with it.Get a Tahoe or Avalanche is my suggestion or like us,Duramax dually for the tow jobs and the Traverse to go out to eat.

[rexlion]

A stock Traverse, no way. However, if Can-Am can make modifications (stronger hitch receiver attachment for one thing), then maybe... but it still will be sluggish and straining.

I tow up to 4000 lbs (cargo trailer for work) with a similar vehicle, Toyota Highlander, and I would not want to add much more. You're going to be yanking at least 5500 lbs and probably 700+ tongue weight by the time you're loaded.