4 cyl can tow!

[jerem0621]

My little 2013 Sorento had its first towing test tonight right up to its max tow rating of 1650 lbs. it was probably loaded at about 2000 lbs total including the trailer. There were 44 boxes of 8mm laminate flooring on the trailer.

The trailer was loaded appropriately and was slightly nose down orientation before I loaded it tonight. I forgot to accommodate for the weight. I will correct that issue. The skid of flooring was slightly forward of the axle. It was extremely stable not one hint of sway.

The little 4cl pulled the load extremely well and exceeded my expectations. (ya gotta have a truck to tow anything right?) I had my wife and our two sons in the Sorento. 6 rolls of underpayment and two more boxes of flooring in the trunk.

I am confident that this little rig would handle a 1500-2500 ish lb pop up without even blinking. Especially with a transmission cooler. (Which I have not added)

I have a nice Curt 3500/350 lb WC only round tube hitch and a vehicle specific 4 way wiring harness.

I will probably add brakes to this utility trailer and to a future pup which means adding a brake controller. No biggie really.

The Crossover design seems to be a stable towing platform. Coming from a F350 with a 31 ft TT I had my doubts about the Unibody. Granted we are not talking about a 5-10k lb trailer.

When I was installing the hitch I was somewhat surprised at the beefy structure under this rig. The rear suspension is independent and handled the trailer extremely well.

Anyway. Here's a pic of our little rig all hitched up. I can't wait to get a PUP and get back out there camping.



Thanks,

Jeremiah

[Camper_G]

I say go for it!

If you are comfortable with it and you select the right weight pop-up than why not? Your not asking it to tow a TT or 5th with a large frontal area that would add considerable drag. Granted with a 4 cylinder, I would opt for a small pop-up, so you can account for gear, occupants, ETC.

After going Tent Camping, using P-ups and TT's, I'm a TT fan myself and enjoy TT camping the best, but if you don't want to invest in a TV large enough to handle a small TT, then why not? At least your getting out camping which is the most important thing!

Let us know how you make out if you get the trans cooler, electric brakes wired up, ETC.

[John___Angela]

Go for it. If this little 3 cylinder diesel can do it I'm sure you can find a pop up that works for you. This one comes in just under 600 with the Kayak and loaded to go with fridge/freezer full.

[Heavy_Metal_Doc]

jerem0621 wrote:

I'm going to talk to Kia about adding a transmission cooler, heat kills any transmission. I'm also going to get a scan gauge II to keep an eye on transmission temps while pulling.

Cheers!

Jeremiah

You can ask, but my experience with dealers is that they will want to just stick to the book. If the owners manual talks about adding a cooler, then you will probably be okay with them doing it. If not, then you will be just as well off to DIY it or find a competent general mechanic who can decipher the layout of the existing equipment and then add in a decent aftermarket cooler.
You will probably only need a very basic kit like this:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hda-403/overview/

I did this to a few vehicles over the years before I ever bought anything with a factory towing package that already had a trans cooler.

[bmanning]

I have to LOL as OP has posted his thoughts on a largely positive towing experience...

...yet others with 0hr 0min 0sec towing with his vehicle of choice are chiming in with why it wasn't a positive experience (trans, braking).

As I posted on another thread earlier, real world beats theory yet again.

I'll never get why a 4cyl small vehicle towing within its limits is a horrible idea, yet a "HD" (light duty in reality) pickup that's overloaded is perfectly ok because it's a HD pickup.

Jerem I have no doubt that you & your family will have just as much fun camping with your Kia & a popup as you did with your dually and large RV.

[Sandia_Man]

Go for it, it's your car and money to do as you wish. Most any vehicle can tow any rig (see Toyota tow Space Shuttle) and the load shown in the photo is not much of a challenge even with just a 4 cylinder. Transmission cooler will help but heat is not the only thing that shortens a transmission's life. Hope you find a rig that suits you and your Kia's towing capabilities. Happy Camping!!!

[jerem0621]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. To say that this vehicle was straining would be a gross exaggeration. It did great. Brakes are an absolute priority for me.

I am not interested in the bigger rigs. We sold our big RV and are tickled to death to be in the smaller cars now.

I'm going to talk to Kia about adding a transmission cooler, heat kills any transmission. I'm also going to get a scan gauge II to keep an eye on transmission temps while pulling.

Cheers!

Jeremiah

[Shadow_Catcher]

We have a large teardrop trailer that we tow with a Subaru Outback H6 rated at 3,000 lbs and the key 'with brakes!
I have the largest transmission cooler that will fit and switched the transmission to synthetic oil and use a 60 40 mix of antifreeze which gets the boiling point up to about 260F and I have an Ultraguage that tells me the actual coolant temperature. The tear has an all aluminum frame and is about 1700 lbs loaded.
Last summer we traveled from near Toledo Ohio out to the west coast and back, and there were a number of times we had to switch off the AC to keep for over heating and drop to third gear in the passes. We camped at Tioga lake at 10,000 and just barely made it into camp steep grade with the foot to the floor in first gear, (altitude with a non turbocharged engine. Descending Tioga pass the next day about 4,000 feet and a sharp drop with trailer brakes the tow vehicle brakes were smoking.
The 01 H6 Subaru was about 225 hp at sea level and I went to lengths to keep it in one piece and happy. Can you get away with towing with a Kia, yes probably but you need to take extra care, switch to synthetic oils, get the transmission cooler and do NOT over load it.

[PapPappy]

The other issue is braking. I had a little 4-cyl. Geo Tracker, and it was fine towing my utility trailer with our lawn tractor and some yard equipment, when we'd go take care of the MIL's yard.
But, I loaded it up with some free manure that a stable was getting rid of, and they dropped a bucket load in the trailer (not sure of the weight), and it towed fine, until I went to stop.....then, I realized just what all that extra weight meant to the brakes. I did stop, and didn't have any panic stops....and drive with lots of room between me and the cars in front.....made it home safe and sound.

I'd recommend a braking system with any larger towable you get....such as a P'Up. You'll be glad you did.

I agree that you will be putting a strain on the tranny and engine, but it's your car.....and you may find that once you start camping, you want to upgrade, and you'll be upgrading the tow vehicle too.

[old_guy]

I don't think I would make it a habit of using this as a tv. you being over weight can only do harm to the transmission. Trust me I know, I traded in a van I used to tow my little boat on a trailer and the new owners had to get the tranny fixed. the little trannys they put in are just plain junk and do not hold up very long.

[rexlion]

Yup. If you keep the frontal area low, like with a popup, you should be able to have some fun with that Kia.