Towing a Travel Trailer with a Pontiac G8

[syndrome85]

Hello all. I have a general question about towing a 2,600 lb (when completely empty) light weight travel trailer with a 2009 Pontiac G8. The manual on the G8 says about towing: It should never weigh more than 2,000 lbs. But even that can be too heavy. I tried to explain this to the person that has this set up, but they told me that has to do with a class 1 trailer hitch. He insisted that his towing setup (hardware) is well equipped to handle the trailer, cargo (both in the trailer and in the car), 2 adult passengers, and an infant. My concern is that they are putting their kid (and themselves) in serious danger by towing this trailer with the current set up. I wanted to know if anyone else has experience with this or with dealing with someone like this. The G8 has a brake controller installed and the tongue weight on the trailer is 312 lbs according to the trailer manual. Can someone please let me know if i am way too worried about this? Do you think this is a safe set up? Is there something else i am missing? Please let me know.

[Bird_Freak]

I know the car also. performance sedan. The hitch would be my only concern. Could be your brother knows what he is doing and you should myob before there are hurt feelings.

[dodge_guy]

Thanks guys. I see some know the vehicle pretty well as I do.

Like I said the G8 in question will handle that small TT all day. As long as the hitch is mounted properly then it is a non issue.

[ZeeLet50]

The G8 V8 is a capable motor (LS2). Its a 4000lb car with 360hp and 385 tq motor. Its the car version of the 6 liter( L96)in the 3/4 ton trucks. There is an aux trans cooler standard but it is small or at least mine had one. Brakes are good sized disks all around. Aftermarket pads really help them stop better. My only concern is the hitch and mounting points. The car is similar to the Impala SS that just got discontinued. Guys have supercharged the motor to put out over 500 HP without doing work on the trans. So I am thinking the car itself will be OK but would worry more about the hitch/connection, tongue weight and handling.

[EstorilM]

This is definitely the V8 (G8 GT?) If so then the 6L80 trans is the same in the Tahoe, Escalade, Yukon, Hummer H2, etc.

V6 is a very different story, as the 5L40 is rated for GVWR up to 4000lbs - barely the car alone.

As a performance car, you gain some of the margins back for towing. Totally depends on which version of the G8 though. The GT has large brakes and the entire driveline is fairly stout.

Of course this all relies on having a solid solution for hitch mounting.

[EstorilM]

Huntindog wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
In fact it has a tranny cooler in the radiator.

Ummm. As far as I know, all auto tranny vehicles have an tranny cooler in the radiator!

It has a serious shortcoming for towing service.
It can only cool down to the temp of the antifreeze!
Towing tranny coolers are in addition to that. They cool by airflow OUTSIDE and before the radiator.

Generally speaking, most newer high-performance automatic transmissions will operate at-or-above coolant temperatures. I've had older vehicles with external trans coolers, and all the newer versions of said vehicles (with higher all-around ratings) now have integrated coolers.

Assuming your coolant is a set temperature (ie. obviously regulated by tstat to stay exactly the same) then clearly everything was designed for the trans to operate at the same temp as well.

If you start bumping up coolant temps that's an entirely different issue / system, but generally that's not a problem.

Trans coolers were a big deal in mid-late 90's and early 00's trucks / SUVs etc, but it's quickly becoming cliche now. At least from what I've seen / experienced.

[Community Alumni]

I'd also be concerned about rear-end gears; they generate a lot of heat when towing.

[Jebby14]

he has all the power in the world. he has a fair wheelbase. he does not have the trans for it nor the suspension. he may get away with it but is WAY outside margins. Another factor is his insurance would likely not pay out in an accident due to his negligence. Tough situation OP good luck.

[Huntindog]

dodge guy wrote:
In fact it has a tranny cooler in the radiator.

Ummm. As far as I know, all auto tranny vehicles have an tranny cooler in the radiator!

It has a serious shortcoming for towing service.
It can only cool down to the temp of the antifreeze!
Towing tranny coolers are in addition to that. They cool by airflow OUTSIDE and before the radiator.

[dodge_guy]

westend wrote:
Is this a RWD or FWD vehicle?

It's a RWD!

[TurnThePage]

I would not worry about the safety aspect of it. If it's properly set up, it will stop and steer just fine. In my mind the main concern will be wear and tear on the G8.

[westend]

Is this a RWD or FWD vehicle?

[Lwiddis]

Hey, Turtle, you say what you wish...but I'm trying to prevent an accident...injury...death. I'm not callous..insensitive...unconcerned.

[ScottG]

The big issue is the cooling system which isn't rated for towing that much weight. The engine alone does not have a tow rating - the whole package does.

[rexlion]

G8 is a 4000 lb vehicle with nearly 115" wheelbase and a low center of gravity. It should be stable with that TT. Brake size unknown, so that is a caveat. The big factor IMO is the hitch receiver attachment. Even a class iii receiver needs strong attachment points. I do not know what he has under there and how strong it is. Can-Am builds custom receivers based on how they can get strong bolt points. Some cars have thin sheet metal that can tear over time if subjected to such towing stresses. My advice to your bro is to crawl under the car and inspect the underside frequently, unless he has already addressed this issue in the installation.

Beyond that, if he wrecks his tranny, it is not a safety issue. I think they are reasonably safe as long as the TT does not detach at highway speed and careen into oncoming traffic.

[dodge_guy]

GWolfe wrote:
The G8 was made by Holden, an Austrailian auto manufacturer, there the V8 is rated to tow around 3500lbs, the V6 goes up to almost 5000lbs.

Here is what I found. It is called the Commodore down there, the link mentions a towing kit, probably like a tow package here.

If your brother could actually find a properly rated hitch it might be OK for short close to home trips but without a tranny cooler and extra engine cooling he may be pushing his luck. I used to tow a Coachmen 16B with similar specs as his and it was an easy tow but I had only towed it with half ton pickups.

Good luck to both you and him.

Thanks for the look up. I'm in a campground right now and any signal is slow. I knew the G8 came from Australia, and I knew they were rated for more over there. The only difference is the name. I would tow a 16ft 3k lb TT all day long with a V-8 G8! In fact it has a tranny cooler in the radiator.

Just because it isn't a truck doesn't make it a bad TV! We've been brainwashed here to believe anything other than a truck can't tow anything. In fact the Crown Vic used to be able to tow 5k lbs. but one year they derated them and nothing changed. In reality they realized people were buying the more affordable crown vic instead of the more expensive trucks. This made everyone think think the cars couldn't do it anymore. It's all just a show. Trucks are more profitable. That's part of the reason they want you to buy one to tow something.

I'm not saying towing a 10k lb trailer with one is ok. But a little understanding is smart.

I for one don't believe a V-8 Pontiac G8 towing a 16ft 3500lb is crazy!