Jeff95M030

Thinking of trailering my 95 968M030 to track events and am being told that a lighter Trailex trailer is the way to go - no need for anti-sway or weight-distributing gear on my (weak) Toyota 4-Runner tow vehicle. The car/trailer ought to weigh in at 4000lbs. The Toyota manual says 5000lbs max, and use anti-sway gear for anything over 2000lbs. Trailex says no need for anti-sway gear on their trailers. Who's right? Anybody have relevant experience with a similar tow setup? Thanks... Jeff

Skip

They're correct, you don't need one... UNTIL, you're doing 65 and the wobble starts to make the rear of the vehicle uncomfortably light. Years ago, my Dad jack-knifed a Morgan on trailer combo being towed behind a Jeep Cherokee. Added sway bars when the repairs were complete and swears by them now. The Toy can handle the load surely... just not as much in the comfort zone as a F-350

Good Luck!

Skip

Julian Allen

I agree with Skip. I think even 4000 lb trailering can benefit from some sort of sway bar. I've been very happy with the Reese cam type system which is available in weight classes from lighter weight to very heavy. I think their web site is Reeseproducts.com. Usual disclaimers, no financial interests, just very satisfied.

adie

I know your going to shoot this one down but I've been doing it for years now, I remove the front bumper and attach a v frame to the bumper brackets and tow the car on all it's wheels, you need the steering lock off but that's hardly a problem, it's stable up to 90+ mph apparantly and is super cheap, you may not be able to do it there but in the UK it makes the car a 4 wheel trailer thus allowing you to go to the speed limit.

addictionms

I started out using a 4Runner that was supercharged and still found it lacking, so I have upgraded to a 2500 Dodge Ram Diesel. I think you can survive with the 4Runner but there soon come a day (if you get hooked into racing) where you can not get all the "stuff" you need into the 4Runner and a big truck is the way to go. If however you are just toying around and only go once every couple of months, you should be all set but be sure the trailer has brakes, the 4Runner is not enough truck without them.

brucemckenney

I've been recently towing a 944 Turbo race car weighing about 2500# on a trailex weighing 800# with a surge brake. This behind a "94 Explorer. It pulls fine ( no overdrive) but it does need air shocks to lift the rear. If your tow vehicle is comparable, you'll be fine. No need for sway control.

DERSIX

The aluminum Trailex trailer can not handle the anti sway bars because they will distort the "flexible" aluminum trailer. I tow a 9146-6 with a Jeep successfully at 80 MPH with no swaying, but I have at least ten percent tongue weight and make sure the loaded trailer is level to the raod surface by placing a level on the fender. You must distribute the weight of the car evenly on all four trailer tires. This is critical for the aluminum trailers..not so critical for the steel trailers.

Norik

Does anyone know how a Ford F150 4X4 with the 5.4L engine will handle the same setup (968+trailer)? Is it worth supercharging the Ford or going for the F250 diesel?

Adam Richman

Does anyone have experience with using a Ford Expedition to tow? I am probably leaning towards a non-lightweight trailer (cost concerns).

What I have been eyeballing:
Ford F150 Crew Cab
Toyota Tundra Extended Cab
Ford Expedition

The problem with the first two is that they won't fit into my garage. Any thoughts?

NickA

I have a 2001 Expedition XLT with the 5.4l engine, and I am not a happy camper (tow-er?). The Expedition does double duty as my "daily driver" (I only really use it on weekends), giving blended city/highway mileage of 12-15 mpg and towing mileage ranging from 9-12 mpg, with a one-time low of 7.5! I pull a 2600 pound Supercup car in an enclosed 20' Pace American Shadow trailer full of junk (extra wheels, floor jack, fluids, tools, etc.)...estimated total weight of the loaded trailer is somewhere north of 7000 pounds (near the max for the Expedition, I believe). I have a weight distributing hitch which makes a HUGE difference in terms of ride quality etc., but there just isn't enough power to maintain 65-75 MPH up the hills between here and Watkins Glen. I also have an anti-sway bar, although I'm not sure that this is all that useful. I guess I'll have to live with this compromise until the end of the Expedition lease.

The diesel option can certainly help from the fuel mileage perspective, although my impression is that diesels can be quite ponderous to drive.

If you have to pull a large trailer like mine, and you can swing a dedicated tow vehicle, I would STRONGLY recommend a heavy-duty extended- or crew-cab pickup or similarly high powered vehicle. If I had it all to do again, I would probably get a Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD or 3500HD with the big block gas V8 and the Allison transmission (dedicated tow vehicle) or the Ford Excursion with the gas V10 (dual purpose vehicle -- terrible mileage from what I hear, though). Another good dual purpose solution would be the 3/4 ton Suburban -- I think that Chevrolet no longer offers this combination, but they used to sell a heavy-duty Suburban with a big block gas V8 - I think it might have even been a 454. Hope this helps!

- Nick
ncamos@bellatlantic.net
My 993TT for sale web page

Greg Fishman

Nick,
When it comes time you really need to look at getting a diesel. The powerstroke from Ford and the new Duramax from Chevy will get much better gas mileage and performance than a similar gas engine.
For the time being maybe you need to look at adding a supercharger to your Expedition.
Greg

NickA

Hi Greg -

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately, the Expedition is less than one year into a three year lease, so I'm stuck with it for a while, and the supercharger option is probably a no-no. (Perhaps nitrous instead? )

At the risk of reopening the whole torque vs. horsepower debate, would a diesel engine (monster torque, relatively lower horsepower) or a big-block gas engine (solid torque & horsepower) be better suited to (i) holding speed up a hill while towing and (ii) accelerating uphill while towing? Thanks.

- Nick
ncamos@bellatlantic.net
My 993TT for sale web page

cds72911

Norik,

I have a '99 F-150 super cab with the 5.4l V8 that I have used to tow a race car all over the east coast. The truck is very capable of towing the load. I would strongly recommend trailer brakes though. I got by for a long time without them, but they're a valuable addition.

Happy towing.

Charlie

Howard

Adam,

I just unloaded my Expedition, 1997 4x4 w/5.4L Triton. It just didn't have the hp and torque to pull my 911 on an open trailer. I finally opted for a 2001 Durango R/T w/ the 5.9 liter Magnum.It has loads of power.

Greg Fishman

I am far from an expert, but I do see and hear a lot of guys praising their diesels for gas mileage and ease of towing. One of the guys in our group has a F350 with Diesel and 6 spd. tows a 40+ft trailer with two cars and going through the mountains in Virgina he only needs to drop out of overdrive to maintain speed up the steepest and longest hills. We are getting our F-250 diesel(auto) here shortly and I will let you know how it goes after the first tow.
Greg