Is new SUV towing tech any good?

[phrench]

Originally Posted by Larryneu

Phrench,
I'm surprised your Palasaide didn't come with the 7 pin already installed with the factory tow set up.

Great information, thanks. Hyundai, for whatever reason, offer a tow package rated to 5000 lbs but no 7 pin connector. Where I live it is against the law to tow over 3000 lbs without trailer brakes!?! Thanks Hyundai.
From forums I have read that the Telluride 7 pin is plug and play with the Hyundai. Makes sense since they are largely the same vehicle. I ordered 1 from Kia to use for my Palisade.

[Larryneu]

Thanks. Wasn't aware that the Palasade didn't come with 7 pin. Agree, trailer brakes are a must!

[phrench]

Does the self levelling suspension "fight" with the wd hitch at all? I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around setting up the wd system for a dynamic suspension. Do you let it self level and then set up your wd? Do you set up your wd and then let it self-level? Which way gives you a better ride and safer tow experience? Does it even matter?

[Larryneu]

I spoke with KIA Service before installing my WDH and the answer is NO. Once the WDH is set up per the hitch manufacturers directions the self leveling will not activate as the rear of the vehicle is already on the level or near enough to level that the system will not try to correct itself. With the WDH installed the rear of my vehicles drops less than a half inch form normal and I've noticed its still at the half inch mark when I get to the final destination.
Basically just set your WDH up as the vehicle is already in its natural state of rest. Get the vehicle and TT on a nice level surface so you can get all your measurements per the hitch directions and set up the hitch. My hitch set up relatively easy as the instructions are written well.
The "Self Leveling shocks" are very basic and in my opinion should not be called Towing accessories. Without a trailer they will level pretty well with a normal heavy load in your vehicle but if your near towing capacity weight they will never bring the rear up to level.

[Larryneu]

https://blog.fcpeuro.com/everything-...eveling-shocks

Nice article on the self leveling shocks.

[pgandw]

Prior to the Palisade, I had a Kia Carnival (base model) as tow vehicle (Sedona minivan replacement). Worked quite well, but the lane assist electronics did NOT like the trailer body sitting close behind the vehicle. Towing from Colorado to NC, in Kansas, the lane assist took a dump (we didn't know that was the problem) and flashed all kinds of errors across the screen. After about 30 minutes on the side of the road, got the computer to reset. We found a Kia dealer about 30 miles away with a tech that was used to towing. He came up with the theory about the trailer being in constant view of the sensors, but Kia Engineering wouldn't validate his theory. Computer was cleared and reset, drove with lane assist off for rest of trip. In October, took a trip from NC to Indiana. Coming back, forgot about lane assist needing to be off while towing (DW really likes it on) on the WV Turnpike. Crested steep hill and lane assist caused computer to dump again, turning off all but engine and transmission. Engine was put in "limp" mode momentarily due to ESC being triggered off. Regained engine and drove carefully to next exit. Could not get computer to reset, then finally remembered the lane assist. Turned off lane assist and drove back to NC uneventfully. Kia Engineering (dealer bumped it to Kia Engineering) claimed our installation of a brake controller (installed by U-Haul) was the cause of our problems, and refused any further warranty work or research for issue.

We sold the Carnival for $2K less than we paid for it because DW did not like using a FWD vehicle to launch boat at ramp (and the ill feelings brought on by Kia Engineering). Bought the Palisade as the new TV. It may or may not have the same issue. Our Flagstaff A-frame camper has a very short A-frame tongue in front of the camper body (to make it fit in garage), so the camper body is quite close to the rear sensors in the new tow vehicles. Towing boats and utility trailer - the body of the boat/load is much further back and tongue is much longer, so have not encountered the issue except with the camper.

Just to point out the issue. If when backing, the steady warning alarm sounds continuously, chances are the trailer body is close enough to cause problems with the rear lane and other sensors. With my utility trailer, I only get the steady alarm when the trailer is at an angle to the vehicle. At present, I only have Kia/Hyundai vehicles, so can't speak for other makes.

All that said, I love having backup cameras and sensors when towing. Makes hookup alignment a breeze.

Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
2022 Hyundai Palisade SEL
living the dream camping and boating in NC

[NavyLCDR]

Most people I know turn off some or all of the driver assistance "programs" when towing. I turn off parking assist so I can hitch up and back up with the trailer uninterrupted. My lane departure warnings work correctly when towing. I get false blind spot detections occasionally but that is only a little yellow icon on my mirrors and the false warnings are much less inconvenient than disabling the system. 2015 GMC Yukon Denali here.

[phrench]

I just ordered an Andersen hitch. I had a bad experience with my last Equalizer so I will give it a try.
I have been reading 100’s of pages of manual for my new Palisade. It’s a Calligraphy model which = a multitude of warnings and safety gadgets. I expect it will take some trial and error to sort out what needs to be turned off while towing. Despite the supposed tow package, there is minimal information on towing in the manual. It has 6 different drive modes and not one of them says “towing “. It’s rated for 5000# and my loaded trailer is around 3500#. We shall see how it goes.

[jlynn721]

Originally Posted by phrench

I have a new 2022 Hyundai Palisade on the way. It has a tow package, auto-levelling rear air suspension, and sway control based on the vehicle's traction control system. Does anyone have experience towing with this or a similar setup and care to comment on it's effectiveness?
I have a GeoPro 15 TB single axle that tows around 3500 lbs with about 400 lbs tongue weight. The vehicle is rated to tow 5000/500.
I haven't bought wd or sway control as I thought perhaps the tv technology would make it redundant. Wishful thinking?

This vehicle will be OK for towing a small trailer or pop-up. That’s about all.

[gw1800]

A WDH on a unibody SUV may cause more problems than you think. I doubt that the Pallisade has a full frame. That means there may be twisting of the body.

Check the owners manual and see if it has anything about WD hitches.

[Mr Towed]

Originally Posted by phrench

I have a new 2022 Hyundai Palisade on the way. It has a tow package, auto-levelling rear air suspension, and sway control based on the vehicle's traction control system. ......

I would add that sway control based on traction control is useful but for emergencies or to compensate for a poorly balanced trailer, if it activates you’ll probably know it and that will be a good sign that your trailer is not balanced properly or your WDH system is not setup properly. Our F-150 has a similar system and it kicked in after we added some weight to the rear. At that point we realized that we had been very conservative in the tensioning of our WDH and it was barely doing anything. We needed to move weight forward and increase the tension on the WDH, as well as adjusting the hitch ball height to level the trailer better. In short, if the sway control activates, it is doing so because something bad is about to happen and it is preventing it from happening, so no, it is not a substitute for WDH and proper setup. I’m harping on this because you mentioned several things that indicate you are taking weight off the front and adding weight to the rear, so as much as you may want to reduce tongue weight to match the vehicle’s capacity, you can be creating a much bigger problem in doing so. I understand you may know some of a lot of this but I’m just putting it all out there for anyone else who sees this.