[V8] Towing Capacity

Thu Nov 4 15:23:00 PDT 2010

This is something I've looked into a few times.  Engine power has little to
do with the tow rating a manufacturer puts on a vehicle.  It's not the
brakes that are different between those two, either.

For example, The Audi V8 engine has around the similar power of a mid-90s
Toyota Land Cruiser.  That Toyota is spec'd to tow 5,000lbs in the US, but
the same vehicle is spec'd to tow 6,400lbs in the rest of the world.  There
is no real Gov't or industry guidelines on this, I think it's just a
liability fear that makes them down-rate it for the US. I've also done some
hauling with the same 5,000lb load with a V8 Toyota Land Cruiser, and a Jeep
Grand Cherokee.  Both are manufacturer rated at 6,500lbs in the US.  The
Jeep wheezed and flailed with the 5,000 lbs; the Toyota could have done
twice as much.  It's really what the manufacturer puts on it and their own
internal guidelines; tow capacities are not entirely comparable from vehicle
to vehicle.

Besides power and brakes, there's also the issue of frame construction.  A
unit body vehicle can't take the punishment that a ladder-frame truck can.
Ride height also has a bit to do with it - a low vehicle is at a physical
disadvantage when connecting to a trailer and can't handle the weight as
well.  Unless that Volvo were built with a ladder frame, I'd be seriously
leery of towing over 3,000lbs with it.  Remember also that boat trailers,
because they go in the water, use less effective impulse brakes and not
electric brakes like heavier carge, car, or horse trailers.  If you were
towing it often, I'd get a cheap tow vehicle instead.  The best you can
really say is they are consistent within a manufacturer.  Among US
manufacturers, I've learned Dodge is just ridiculously optimistic, Ford is
about right, and GM is conservative.

I wanted another tow vehicle recently, and I wanted it as cheaply as
possible, so I did months of comparison shopping.  Couldn't afford a V8
Toyota Land Cruiser, which is by far the best non-pick up tow vehicle out
there, so I went with a 1998 Acura SLX (which is just a dolled-up, fancier
Isuzu Trooper).   Now that I have a few thousand miles on it, have been
through all the systems, etc., I would highly recommend one as a "value" tow
vehicle and off-road capable vehicle.  The 1992 to 2002 models (Isuzu, 96 to
00 for Acura) are very good trucks and could tow that weight with ease.
Isuzu's widthdrawal from the US passenger car market has made them a
stunning deal for what they are.  They are very cheap, and a well maintained
model will run a very, very long time.  The 92 to 97 models had 3.2L V6
engines that can handle that tow weight well.  The 98 and later models had
more powerful 3.5L DOHC V6's, but either will tow that weight easily.

On Thu, Nov 4, 2010 at 2:09 PM, Dag Bøsterud <
dag.boesterud at consulgranada.net> wrote:

> Here in Europe this has to do with what the manufacturer approves the car
> for.
> My 1990 Audi 100 TQ Sport is approved for towing 1700 kg (3750 lbs) when
> the
> trailer has brakes,
> and the 92 V8 4.2 I owned a couple of years ago was approved for the same.
>
> I know that the w124 Mercedes-Benz 300 TDT is approved for towing 5070 lbs
> (2300 kg),
> and these are all similarly sized cars.
>
> Maybe you guys in the US of A have some strange rules regarding this... :)
>
> /Dag
> 1990 Audi 100 TQ Sport Exklusiv
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Paul Jager" <pjager at telus.net>
> To: <V8 at audifans.com>
> Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2010 7:32 PM
> Subject: [V8] Towing Capacity
>
>
> >I have a 3500 lb boat so was getting a hitch for either the Volvo V70R or
> > the V8.
> > Checked the V8  specs:  1500 or 2500lbs on brakes, tongue 150 lbs (or
> > thereabouts)  is surprisingly low.
> > I think the Porsche 928 can tow more.
> >
> > Volvo does 3500 lbs for a trailer on brakes. So it can two the ski boat.
> > Must be a brakes issue for the V8. Certainly has the power to haul.
> >
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