posted 08-18-2003 09:01 PM ET (US)
GNR,I am too busy to go trolling, unless it is for fish on a weekend. My reaction to your comment strictly relates to the prevailing wisdom that you need to tow with a Ford/Chevy/Dodge pickup/suv or you are asking for trouble. I will certainly agree that it is EASIER to tow with such a vehicle, but it isn't always warranted.
For a 17' whaler, you are in the 1400-2000 lb range depending on model. This weight isn't going to place a great deal of stress on a modern car/truck. The engines are far superior in horsepower, cooling and reliability than 10 years ago. The braking department has made HUGE leaps from even 5 years ago. Vented 4 wheel discs offer proven, repeatable braking performance. Tires and suspensions are also night and day better.
The post from a few weeks ago that I remember seeing, asked about buying a Honda CRV to tow a 17'. I never saw any mention of a Corolla. The responses were that the vehicle only had a rating of 1000 lbs, obviously not enough.
By no means was I taking a jab at you and I have no clue where you were going with the reference to your screen name.
When you ask for an estimation of what would have happened if he were pulling with a Forester, shouldn't you be able to answer it since you own one and have towed with one? Does this not sound like a troll?
Any vehicle that loses a trailer will be pushed around, simple physics at work. A 5000 Suburban will take more to push around versus a lighter vehicle, simple physics again. But how much vehicle weight is enough? Should the tow vehicle be able to handle twice the weight? 1.5 times? If a driver of a Suburban was very concerned, should he upgrade to a commercial grade dualie so he has even more weight and towing capacity?
In regards to the stopping ability or a Forester vs a F250, a trailer will add more to the stopping distances, but you also need to figure in that the smaller vehicle would stop much sooner than the F250 to begin with.
Example - A Subaru WRX STI has 300 HP, 300 lb/ft of torque, huge vented disc brakes and a towing capacity of 2000 lbs. It can stop from 70mph in approx. 160 ft versus over 220 ft for an F250 (no trailers on either at this point). If, for arguments sake, the trailer now degrades the STI's braking by 20% (never happen, but lets play along) the total is still only 192', a full 28 feet less than the unladen F250. Wouldn't the STI be a better hauler for a 17' whaler than the F250? Better power to weight, better handling, better braking, and far superior fuel economy.
I was very sorry to hear of the trailer troubles that InHerNet experienced. No one wants to see any trouble like this happen to anyone. I appreciate the fact that he shared the experience with us, as it is a good lesson for everyone.