Anyone tow with a minivan?: Grassroots Motorsports forum: Classic Motorsports

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May 20, 2010 7:10 a.m. Klayfish New Reader

Yeah, OK, so it ain't a manly SUV, but what can I say? I've got a wife and 3 young children, so our family hauler is a 2006 Kia Sedona. I've been looking out for a cheap HPDE beater to play with. I've seen several older ex-SCCA IT cars for dirt cheap that seem real interesting. Most are old econobox based cars. So stripped out and gutted, they probably weigh 1800-2100lbs.

Kia says the van is rated to tow 3500lbs. If I used a tow dolly, that would mean I'd be towing 2550-2850 total lbs. But I just wonder how capable a minivan really is of doing this? I've already got a class 3 hitch on it. I have a 4'x8' trailer I use to get mulch, haul little crap my wife buys for the house, etc... Including the trailers' weight, I've towed about 1200lbs total at the max. The van does it, but I questioned how much more it could really do. Maybe some of that was due to the trailer quality...it's built on an old snowmobile trailer axle with small wheels.

If I grabbed a tranny cooler from Jegs to help, do you guys think it'd be OK towing a small car on a dolly? The reality of my budget is that I'd only run a few times per year, so I won't be towing every weekend, just once in a while.

Anyone else tow with a minivan?
May 20, 2010 7:21 a.m. patgizz SuperDork

i would rather get a light trailer so i could have trailer brakes. i would not trust any fwd minivan to panic stop an additional 3k lbs. plenty of people do it though, sold a car to a guy who came with a caravan and a dolly to pick it up.

definite yes on big trans cooler.

i've put 6k lbs on my astro and definitely tested the limits of everything and would never do it again, but i was just running around the corner.

John Brown wrote:"Safety" is my second middle name, it's right after "Screw".
May 20, 2010 7:36 a.m. Per Schroeder Technical Editor/Advertising Director

I have been towing a 7x14 enclosed with my Oddity which has the tow package on it (coolers, hitch) and airlifts. The weight is well under 3k, but there's a huge aero issue.

I'm buying a small open trailer and a trailer-able car cover instead. Total weight with new set up should be well under 1500lbs. So, I could tow it with my MINI....

Per
May 20, 2010 12:20 p.m. Klayfish New Reader

The panic stop would be my biggest concern besides the health of the tranny. I'm trying to justify it to the wife by saying that it would only be a few times per year, so it should be OK.
May 20, 2010 2:17 p.m. ggarrard New Reader

I think the Sedona is considered one of the better vans for towing. We have a '01 Odyssey which are known to have weak transmissions, and have had no problems with it (I have an aftermarket oil cooler and Airlift rear bags). We tow a 4x8 utility trailer, a 16' boat, and a small tent trailer regularly. I've also towed several Z Cars on rental tow dollies, and my biggest concern has been stopping.

Last fall, I towed a 2500lb tent trailer without brakes (the van is not wired) about 100 miles on back roads, and I will NOT do that again. In fact I suggested that we need to get a "real" truck when we decide to travel with this new trailer/cottage on wheels.
May 20, 2010 3:39 p.m. Klayfish New Reader

ggarrard wrote: I think the Sedona is considered one of the better vans for towing. Last fall, I towed a 2500lb tent trailer without brakes (the van is not wired) about 100 miles on back roads, and I will NOT do that again. In fact I suggested that we need to get a "real" truck when we decide to travel with this new trailer/cottage on wheels.

Yeah, the Sedona's engine is around 260hp and similar torque. It's got power.

What you said is the real b!tch of it all. A U-Haul tow dolly doesn't have brakes. So I'd be towing 2700lbs without extra brakes. The U-Haul full size trailer does have brakes, but it weighs 1500lbs empty. So I can't pull one of them loaded with the van.

Need to go find me an old pick 'em up truck....
May 20, 2010 9:43 p.m. Jeff Dork

You can get brakes on a dolly. Wiring the controller is not hard, if I can do it anyone can. Trans cooler is a must.
May 20, 2010 10:19 p.m. Vigo Reader

TRANS COOLER x infinity.

I'd pull a small car+dolley with a sedona any day. If i didnt already have a dolley and was buying one, id definitely go for one with brakes.

I towed a neon behind a 97 grand caravan once with no issues. Ive done lots of towing with my dynasty too :P

And honestly, i somewhat distrust towing with our Dakota because even though it has bigger brakes, the balance isnt very good and it tends to lockup the fronts easily under hard braking vs the dynasty which actually uses all 4 corners to stop. Maybe not such a big problem on anything with ABS.