Newbie. Fear tow vehicle underpowered

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by doc73

Hmm that is very interesting, thank you.. So how about that 13 ft tall 5er?

That was an eye opener for me as well.

As to the 13 foot high camper, with the more aerodynamic front cap on the new unit, the 3,000 pound heavier camper actually got 1/2 MPG better mileage going home.

Very happy with it so far.

PS - as to the thread; remember tow ratings are with a 150 pound driver, a full fuel tank, and nothing else in the car. Tow capability only goes down as weight is added to the tow vehicle.

[thecastle]

Originally Posted by InsistOnLiveMusic

New RV'er. Just purchased 2018 Flagstaff E-Pro GVW 3,800 lbs.

And got mid-sized SUV believing it can tow up to 5000 with "tow package". Yet, tow vehicle struggling 1st time bringing it home and on first outing in 5th and 4th gear.

2010 Hyundai "stock" Santa Fe, 4500lbs, 3.5 L engine, 6 gear overdrive with 'Prodigy' 7-pin harness brake controller, twin weight distribution bars and anti-sway bar.

Reading owner manual carefully, I NOW see, capability is 3500lbs with a tow package! Foolish me believing [internet] facts! Eh?

Humbly seek opinion: what is 'meant' by a tow package? Should I get bigger tow vehicle?

According to Hyundai's press release on your vehicle a towing package means
"The Trailer Prep Package, which includes a transmission cooler, upgraded radiator, upgraded fans and trailer pre-wiring, enables the SE model to tow up to 3,500 pounds and is standard on SE and Limited V6 models. "
https://www.windingroad.com/articles...-fuel-economy/

#2 according to e-trailer your vehicle is capable of 3500lbs of towing, and 350lbs of tongue weight, it increases to 5000lbs of towing and 500lbs of tongue weight with the use of a weight distribution hitch. https://www.etrailer.com/hitch-2010_..._Santa+Fe.htm?

Should I get a "bigger" tow vehicle. Thats not the question, the question is do I need a better tow vehicle, and the answer is only you can decide that. Bigger does not mean better, it just simply means bigger. There is a lot to making a good tow vehicle, tech features, built in anti-sway, power, fuel economy, ride quality, quietness, etc. etc.

Some many people on this forum believe your killing children and a danger on the road if you put you hitch mounted bike rack onto anything less than a ford F450 dully. The reality is a lot of pickups are lousy tow vehicles, due to little increase in payload capacity, ancient suspensions, tech that would seem modern on a 2008 BWW, engines straight our of the 90s, frames with as much rigidity as wet spaghetti. Which means a bouncy, jiggly ride.

Plus the downside of bigger, harder to park (always), lower fuel economy, longer breaking distances, poorer handling, higher center of gravity and more likely to roll over. Bigger blind spots... So that near miss in your santa fe becomes an accident in a truck, if you even see the other vehicle.

I would think with a good anti-sway hitch your santa fe will be just fine, comfortable, safe and reasonable fuel economy. The anti-sway weight distribution hitch is key on any tow vehicle where the trailer is more than 50% of the weight of the tow vehicle. After you do that, you'll be happy. It will also help you tow level with enough tongue weight to keep comfortable. I have a friend who tows all the time with is 95 honda accord which is a inline 4 front wheel drive and it does great. A lot of folks like to tow at or above the speed limits where an overkill tow vehicle can help.

Personally if your transmission is hunting keep the car out of over drive, that will increase comfort.

Make sure you don't overload the car, if you have 500 lbs of tongue weight you subtract that from payload capacity...

Bottom line try it out and decide if you like your car, but don't expect another tow vehicle will always be better.

I tow with a BMW X5M and I can tell you from experience it tows better than a 2018 F150 and 2016 Chevy Duramax. It rides better due to the stiffer suspension, it has self leveling which neither pickup offers as an option, it has surround view cameras, again not even an option on a chevy (tech from 1999 it feels like), the fuel economy is better than the F150. I also get less sway. So bigger sometimes is just bigger, but without advantage. Oh they both have less interior space...

[Ejs4029]

Back in 2004 we had a Toyota Forerunner with the V8 engine and factory tow package and it was rated for 7K we towed a 2006 25ft Fleetwood Prowler that weighed in at 5,700lbs (CAT Scaled) and had no issues....We used that TV for about a year before I traded it in for a 2006 Chevy 2500HD pickup we really wanted the space to take firewood and other items with us and didn't have the room with the Forerunner.

[CampingMyLifeAway]

I was told a WDH does not increase your tow weight.All it does is redistribute the load evenly on the axles.It lets you tow your vehicles load rating.With just my tow vehicle hooked up to a regular hitch it sagged considerable.With the WDH there was a noticeable difference.The height difference between my front and back was only one inch.Are you sure you read that right from E-Hitch?

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by CampingMyLifeAway

I was told a WDH does not increase your tow weight.All it does is redistribute the load evenly on the axles.It lets you tow your vehicles load rating.With just my tow vehicle hooked up to a regular hitch it sagged considerable.With the WDH there was a noticeable difference.The height difference between my front and back was only one inch.Are you sure you read that right from E-Hitch?

You were told correctly.

A WD hitch does NOT reduce the tongue weight; it just determines what portion of it is carried by the front and trailer axles. The receiver and frame still "see" 100% of the tongue weight.

The GVWR needs to include the "real" (100% of the actual tongue weight) because you can not be SURE that the tires and rear axle are the ONLY thing that determines what the GVWR is on your tow vehicle.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by CampingMyLifeAway

I was told a WDH does not increase your tow weight.All it does is redistribute the load evenly on the axles.It lets you tow your vehicles load rating.With just my tow vehicle hooked up to a regular hitch it sagged considerable.With the WDH there was a noticeable difference.The height difference between my front and back was only one inch.Are you sure you read that right from E-Hitch?

Originally Posted by Herk7769

You were told correctly.

A WD hitch does NOT reduce the tongue weight; it just determines what portion of it is carried by the front and trailer axles. The receiver and frame still "see" 100% of the tongue weight.

The GVWR needs to include the "real" (100% of the actual tongue weight) because you can not be SURE that the tires and rear axle are the ONLY thing that determines what the GVWR is on your tow vehicle.

I hate to say it, because I think etrailer is a great company, but I believe they are wrong in this case. I believe max Santa Fe towing is 3500 lbs, period.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

I hate to say it, because I think etrailer is a great company, but I believe they are wrong in this case. I believe max Santa Fe towing is 3500 lbs, period.

I agree.

[rskeans]

Having been there, done that, a longer WB and stiffer tires are very important. I bought my first TT in 1992, I had a '92 Bronco. Great vehicle, but not for towing. To keep it fairly steady I had to max out the tire pressure which I believe was 50#. Bought an F150. The longer WB did help, but still short of power for the western hills. All problems were gone when I went up to an F350. Towing became a non-issue.

My recommendation would be not to skimp on the TV. It will probably last longer than a couple RV changes. The idea of an RV is to have fun and enjoy. That's hard to do when getting there is a 'white knuckle' experience.

[aeblank]

Originally Posted by rskeans

Having been there, done that, a longer WB and stiffer tires are very important. I bought my first TT in 1992, I had a '92 Bronco. Great vehicle, but not for towing. To keep it fairly steady I had to max out the tire pressure which I believe was 50#. Bought an F150. The longer WB did help, but still short of power for the western hills. All problems were gone when I went up to an F350. Towing became a non-issue.

My recommendation would be not to skimp on the TV. It will probably last longer than a couple RV changes. The idea of an RV is to have fun and enjoy. That's hard to do when getting there is a 'white knuckle' experience.

Nope. Just need a technology packed BMW. [emoji12]

[thebrakeman]

I would only stick with the Santa Fe if you are able to stay off of expressways, and stick to 55mph 2-lane roads (and be ready to let it slow down going uphill). As has been said, the faster you try to go, the problems are exponentially worse. If that's not an option, find something with a 5,000 lb max tow rating or better, and has the ability to hold any gear.


I've actually heard good things about the Traverse (Acadia, Enclave, etc), and have a camping friend who tows a Roo 233 with an Enclave regularly with no issues. I do know that these CUV's have an optional tow package (for 5200 lbs IIRC), and without it they are limited to 3500 lbs. So know what you are getting.


Another option would be 1 of the recent mid-sized pickup offerings, like a Colorado, or the upcoming Ranger. My neighbor has the latest Tacoma, and LOVES it. He only tows a single jetski trailer, but I think any of these would be great for your 3800 lbs max-loaded trailer, and get decent gas mileage as a daily driver.

[JohnD10]

According to Hyundai's press release on your vehicle a towing package means
"The Trailer Prep Package, which includes a transmission cooler, upgraded radiator, upgraded fans and trailer pre-wiring, enables the SE model to tow up to 3,500 pounds and is standard on SE and Limited V6 models. "
https://www.windingroad.com/articles...-fuel-economy/

#2 according to e-trailer your vehicle is capable of 3500lbs of towing, and 350lbs of tongue weight, it increases to 5000lbs of towing and 500lbs of tongue weight with the use of a weight distribution hitch. https://www.etrailer.com/hitch-2010_..._Santa+Fe.htm?

Should I get a "bigger" tow vehicle. Thats not the question, the question is do I need a better tow vehicle, and the answer is only you can decide that. Bigger does not mean better, it just simply means bigger. There is a lot to making a good tow vehicle, tech features, built in anti-sway, power, fuel economy, ride quality, quietness, etc. etc.

Some many people on this forum believe your killing children and a danger on the road if you put you hitch mounted bike rack onto anything less than a ford F450 dully. The reality is a lot of pickups are lousy tow vehicles, due to little increase in payload capacity, ancient suspensions, tech that would seem modern on a 2008 BWW, engines straight our of the 90s, frames with as much rigidity as wet spaghetti. Which means a bouncy, jiggly ride.

Plus the downside of bigger, harder to park (always), lower fuel economy, longer breaking distances, poorer handling, higher center of gravity and more likely to roll over. Bigger blind spots... So that near miss in your santa fe becomes an accident in a truck, if you even see the other vehicle.

I would think with a good anti-sway hitch your santa fe will be just fine, comfortable, safe and reasonable fuel economy. The anti-sway weight distribution hitch is key on any tow vehicle where the trailer is more than 50% of the weight of the tow vehicle. After you do that, you'll be happy. It will also help you tow level with enough tongue weight to keep comfortable. I have a friend who tows all the time with is 95 honda accord which is a inline 4 front wheel drive and it does great. A lot of folks like to tow at or above the speed limits where an overkill tow vehicle can help.

Personally if your transmission is hunting keep the car out of over drive, that will increase comfort.

Make sure you don't overload the car, if you have 500 lbs of tongue weight you subtract that from payload capacity...

Bottom line try it out and decide if you like your car, but don't expect another tow vehicle will always be better.

I tow with a BMW X5M and I can tell you from experience it tows better than a 2018 F150 and 2016 Chevy Duramax. It rides better due to the stiffer suspension, it has self leveling which neither pickup offers as an option, it has surround view cameras, again not even an option on a chevy (tech from 1999 it feels like), the fuel economy is better than the F150. I also get less sway. So bigger sometimes is just bigger, but without advantage. Oh they both have less interior space...

And all of that is why free internet advice is worth every penny you spent on it!

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by thebrakeman

I would only stick with the Santa Fe if you are able to stay off of expressways, and stick to 55mph 2-lane roads (and be ready to let it slow down going uphill). As has been said, the faster you try to go, the problems are exponentially worse. If that's not an option, find something with a 5,000 lb max tow rating or better, and has the ability to hold any gear.


I've actually heard good things about the Traverse (Acadia, Enclave, etc), and have a camping friend who tows a Roo 233 with an Enclave regularly with no issues. I do know that these CUV's have an optional tow package (for 5200 lbs IIRC), and without it they are limited to 3500 lbs. So know what you are getting.


Another option would be 1 of the recent mid-sized pickup offerings, like a Colorado, or the upcoming Ranger. My neighbor has the latest Tacoma, and LOVES it. He only tows a single jetski trailer, but I think any of these would be great for your 3800 lbs max-loaded trailer, and get decent gas mileage as a daily driver.

Read my post #40. I towed a Roo 19 (smaller than a 233) for one season with a Traverse. That was more than enough for me. Bought a 1/2 ton Silverado and I was a LOT happier. Problem isn't the weight so much as the drag.