blt2ski
Moderator
Joined 25 years ago
User Profile
User Widgets
All Activity
Re: Is MB GLE450 sufficient for pulling Bullett Crossfire 2220ML
Grit, The 2024 Subaru's don't give you an option of CD players anymore. Assume you would be paying for the new pay for radio option. So of course, CD's will not be in the vehicle. I was attempting to be rather broad in what went into the vehicle as far as my weights went. Maybe I should have used cassettes, or heaven forbid, them 8-track thingamajigs! Yes this thing is about the size of a tahoe or equal. It does have some ability to handle the trailer just fine! Some of the issues that may occur, if it has some kind of ride height airbag load leveling system, WD bars or equal will be out the door. Same with other full-size SUV's. Choose ones poison for what is best for you or me or __________! Marty352Views0likes0CommentsRe: Is MB GLE450 sufficient for pulling Bullett Crossfire 2220ML
Looks like you're looking at a 2220ML trailer?!? That should be very doable with your MB. The one thing to look at is where are the tanks, ie water gray and black. The heavy item storage. With a bath, side kitchen, if those areas are behind the axles, you can run into a low hitch weight issue. But if you can load forward of the axles, you'll be better off. I don't personally see an issue with you MB towing this trailer. Get somewhere, park the trailer, you have the MB to tour around locally. A class C, you have to tow a car around to your locally or take the MH. Danged if you do, danged if you don't. You'll probably put 800-1200 lbs of stuff in the trailer. 750-800 lbs of hw. 6500 or so on the axles. No issues. 2 People etc in MB at 600-700 lbs. This includes CDs, wife's purse, food for trip, first aid kit, jumper cables etc that we all put in our rigs. 1400 lbs in vehicle for people and hitch weight. Trailer at 26', probably as long as one wants on a 117" WB, but a proper WD/sway control setup assuming MB recommends one, you'll be styling! My last post I forgot to mention payload issues. That's usually more of a problem than tow ratings. Been there done that! Marty443Views0likes2CommentsRe: Is MB GLE450 sufficient for pulling Bullett Crossfire 2220ML
Having had an ML320 for 20 some odd years. If MB has the same type of tow ratings as back then, ALL of that model has a tow rating of 7700 lbs. In the owners manual, it states that if you want more performance, then make sure you buy the BIGGEST engine available. You can safely tow that trailer size with your MB. Similar to a 66 IHC travelall I had, best performance, was the biggest engine, most gears in tranny, and lowest overall low ratio to get bigger loads moving. Now things that can hinder performance, the BIGGEST is aerodynamics! This is worst on performance than overall weight. I drove from Seattle to Ellensburg a few times and back with a truck LONG gone. Towing two different trailers, both at 15K GCW. One was a 90+ sq ft frontal area boxy RV. The other an equipment trailer with maybe 70 sqft of frontal area. I got +2 mpg, and pulled a gear taller, around 7-10 mph with the equipment trailer, than I did the travel trailer. At the end of the day, you have more HP(2x) and dang near the same torque as the truck I was driving at the time. More gears in trans etc. I would pull a 7500 lbs trailer with your MB! no questions asked! My current GM 1500 with a 4.3 V6. Ive pulled an 8500 lbs trailer with it. Its pulls better than every BB, DIesel truck I've owned, but my Dmax! I still have that equipment trailer with the same mini excavator on it! I'm very happy with how it pulls. I'm at 285 hp and 300 lb ft of torque. I'd pull one of the newer trailer that was on the aerodynamic side too! While I agree to a point what the two previous posters said, I need to disagree as to HOW BAD it will be. SUV's can be great tow rigs for many reasons better than a pickup! In your case, the shorter rear overhang can be a blessing! Have fun. Marty534Views0likes0CommentsRe: Towing tire confusion
😂 😆 😂 17" tires on 20" rims...... I believe the few of us reading this, realized the OP would get appropriate rims for tire size choosen. At least I did, or assumed by his typing he knew this. Ultimately if you change tires, add overall weight, diam, you tow capacity goes down. Same diam or smaller with less weight, goes up! I'm assuming load capacity per tire is greater than the load out on them. Marty548Views0likes0CommentsRe: Towing tire confusion
Bid_time, If you look at the recent about 5-10 yrs ago, towing specs put out by ASE group, nowhere is it assumed that tire capacity per say is a limiting factor of one's tow rating. It;s generally speaking a performance factor. Acceleration, holding mph above 35 or 40 mph depending upon the total GCW of the vehicle in 100F temps on a 5% grade, NOT overheating mechanicals! Starting on in forward and reverse X times on a 12% grade and not overheating the mechanicals or brake fade. Ebrake holding gcw on an x% grade. Yes, you do need payload for the HW of the trailer plus # of occupant's times seatbelts at 150lbs per person. SOme cases, a 5W will be lower rated than a ball mount. a 10K trailer will need generally 10% or 1000 lbs to 15% 1500 lbs, vs a 5W at 2000-2500 lbs of HW for the 10K lb total weight trailer. If you only have 2000 lbs of payload, 3 seat belts, max trailer is around 10K in a ball or pintle hitch setup. A 5W is generally speaking out of the equation. Payload is the only real place tire capacity comes into play. As I noted, if tire capacity, axle, springs etc are too low for the payload needed, you have too small of the vehicle! doesn't matter if you are or are not towing. At the end of the day, if you do not have the payload needed for the HW of the trailer, you have no trailer tow capacity! Marty933Views0likes0CommentsRe: F450 tires. I should have done this years ago.
Unfortunately, notuch is going on here. To lock these, weods, who's left per say. Need people above to program this into the system. Ie no reviving post over 12 months like it was. My literal only option is to delete the offending post(s). I have not had the beef to delete anything since the new format. I've seen the buttons to do so. It's not as simple as the older format. I check in every few days now. Take care of the one post that shows up. I'm close to leaving per say.2.8KViews1like0CommentsRe: F450 tires. I should have done this years ago.
way2roll, We moderators do not have a way of fixing the issue talked about, ie stopping the ability to pull up a post from x months/years ago! If we are going to blame someone, blame the upper management folks, and or the designer of this platform for allowing it....or upper folks have not turned off that ability. With this said. I've really only had issues with one brand of 19.5 tires on my Navistar since I bought it in 93 or there about. That was MIchelins XRV in an 8r19.5. hwy tire, soft is warm IC! On the other hand, I have some predecessors to the XDR2 that the OP talks about on the rear. THey've been great tires. 60+K miles, got them in 03, still have a few miles left in them! then again, I don't drive this thing much, so I am not driving 60+ MPH across hot asphalt in the AZ to Texas deserts at 100+F. I would suspect I would have issues with them by now! I've switched to 225-70-19.5 tires. I'm positive my suspension is heavier than the 450 mentioned at 24K total front and rear. Marty2.9KViews0likes2CommentsRe: Appropriate tow vehile
I would suggest a 2500 for a dodge. "Generally speaking" as the 1500 dodges have usually been the softest, lightest capacity and payload of the full size 1500 models. You will probably want a minimum of 1800-2000 lbs of payload. 1000 lbs for 4 people, and 1000 lbs for a ball mount. 1500 if you go 5w. Yes my 1000 lbs of people may be too much....but include extras such as food, books, first aid kits etc, not included in normal weights with clothes on. Most of us have 5-20 lbs of clothes on. Summer shorts tee shirt, to winter with boots, coats etc. My GM handles 2000 lbs just fine, including people, Ball hw etc. I have a 4000 lb rear end capacity. I've seen dodges as low as 3000. GM has an option for a 450/, Ford iirc a 5000 lb RA. Even my 4.3 V6 has the power to pull 7-8000 lbs better than many BB V8s of your! In your case, mine too, the old 8600 8 lug suspension 25 would be perfect vs the monster gcwr with a bit more, but not that much more payload than today. Keep some of this in mind too Marty444Views0likes0CommentsRe: Towing tire confusion
BenK a past poster on here, possibly RIP as he was dealing with some BIG C issues. He helped design competition bicycles. He noted that the athletes would notice 1-2 ounces of less weight in a moving part, ie tire wheel combo, gears etc. vs it took 2 lbs to notice the reduction of weight in a non-moving part, ie the frame! So, a non-moving to moving part ration of 16-32 to one! Let's assume this ratio hold true in our trucks. If we reduce the tire and rim weight by 1 lbs, that is a saving of 16 to 32 lbs of weight equal in the bed. Two drive tires we have a total of 32-64 lbs saving equal. 4 tires on a dually, 64 to 128 lbs. Or as I did on my 05 DW DA combo, I kept the same tire size, a 215-85-16, went from a polyester sidewall tire, to a steel sidewall tire! Toyo M55's to be exact. They were 10 lbs heavier than the typical steel tread, polyester sidewall tire. 40 lbs of tire, equals around 640 to 1280 lbs of non-moving weight! I lost around .5-1 mpg. To say at times I noticed this, I did, a lot of times no. Bryan who also used to post on here, noted the same difference in MPG when he did the same with his totally customized DW E350 ext van when he put Toyo M55's on his rig. He had a 6.8L V10 with a 4sp auto IIRC. BUT, mpg wise, I sure did. I did the same with my current 1500, went up an inch diam, but the tires are 10-12 lbs heavier being 10 ply 285-65-18 vs stock 265-64-18 XL tires. Ive lost 2-3 mpg depending upon driving conditions, and yes, my 285/305 4.3 V6 notices it a bit. BUT as also noted, I have a 6 sp auto, with 4.10 first gear, 3.42 rears, effective now a 3.23. I still out pull my BB 454's with TH 400 auto, 4.10 axle vs 2.48 first gear is tranny is taller than current setup. Along with three more gears to work with. 50 extra HP help, but down 80 lb ft of torque, but the gearing is an actual net torque multiplication, so easier to get the trailer at the same total weight going. A bit easier with the stock 265 tires too. Next time around, I'm hoping I can find a 285 in an XL, or drop to a 275- 65-18. I can find these 2-3 lbs heavier than the stock tires. This is also one of the many reasons semi's are going with super singles. You can save 100-150 lbs total between the single 20" wide tire with aluminum rims, vs 4 10" tires on steel rims. Thats approx. 800-1200 lbs of unsprung weight gone! More payload, less HP needed to move the load! For us driving 10-15000 miles a year, probably not worth it, but long haulers drive 80-120K miles a year, even local drivers can do 50-70000 miles a year. a .5 to 1 mpg increase, ie 8 to 9 mpg, pretty decent savings! Choose your poison, I'll take the lighter tire setup frankly! Also as far as GCWR goes, its a performance rating only! IF one chassis has a 12K lb rating, same chassis etc with a bigger motor, springs, tires, axle ratio, transmission is rated at 15K lbs. The 12K rated one will pull it safe and sanely, you will just be slower! OR, an equipment trailer vs RV TT, I got 1-2 mpg more, pulled 3-6% freeway grade faster and a gear taller at the same GCW! That was due to aerodynamics. Ea additional 3 sq ft of frontal area, is the same as adding/subtraction 1000 lbs to the vehicle total. I pulled upwards of 12K with my 96 6.5TD K3500, its rating was 12500, a BBV8 was highest at 20000 lbs. Other than HP, same torque with both, I'd go a bit slower with less hp....... Many ways to look at how well your vehicle may tow! Marty1.2KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Towing tire confusion
Reality, put a smaller diam tire, your actual ratio will get lower numericly, making it easier to start a given load, you are running a few rpm more which equates to more HP at a give speed .... From a manufactures warranty ratings standpoint, yes those tires can change the ratings. As a 2" smaller diam Ture will make a 3.73 effectively a 410. Like wise, a 2" diam larger tire will make a 4.10 effectively a 3.73. Something you're not taking into account, tires with the same diam, say 31.5" iea 265-75-16 vs a 265-70-17 vs a 265-65-18. The 18" tires will be overall lighter assuming the same rim metal. As rubber tire part is heavier than aluminum. Steel rims it's the other way. The 18 will be slightly heavier. You need less HP to turn lighter rim tire combos, which gives you a higher trailer tow ability. Also, a 65 series tire vs a 70, 75, series tire with leads sidewall, braking and acceleration are better due to less tire flex. A 235-85-16 tire, vs a 265-75-16 tire. Same diam, same sidewall height, but one tire is an inch wider, has better handling than the narrower one. I had 235 snows, and 265 summer tires on two trucks. The 265 8 ply tires handled loads way better than the 235 10 ply tires. Both had 3000 lb capacities. Reality, put whatever tire you want into on. A lighter overall combo, slightly wider has usually been better for me. Tow ratings, are not enforceable from a cveo/Leo standpoint. Only axle ratings are used. You will NEVER hit the max to be consider over weight where you will have issues with an enforcement officer. Marty1.3KViews1like1Comment
Groups
Fifth Wheel Group
Interested in fifth wheels? You've come to the right spot.Mar 31, 202519,010 Posts PNW Group
The Pacific Northwest is the best of many worlds. ID, MT, OR, WA, WYDec 21, 202412 Posts Pet Owners
Notes from the road with the best travel companions around.Mar 18, 20252,081 Posts RV Newbies
We all start out new. Share lessons learned or first-time questions!Mar 20, 20254,030 Posts Travel Trailer Group
Prefer to camp in a travel trailer? You're not alone.Mar 27, 202544,028 Posts
