engine and tranny wear from pulling a trailer

[bigwonder]

I will be moving from Michigan to Alaska because of a new job, the drive will be 3300 miles. I am thinking about renting a U-Haul trailer to move my stuff. I know about the 1500 pound weight restriction. But does anyone have any experience about the wear and tear on the engine and tranny from pulling trailers? I've read through a lot of postings and couldn't find anything on this subject. Any info would be a great help, thanks.Steve

[Rivet]

The time interval for changing fluids is sooner if you pull a trailer. See owners manual.

[Mavrik]

where abouts in alaska are you moving to? I just made the trip from ontario and can give you some tips if you need. as for the car, just go by the manual. I changed my oil before I left and changed it again as soon as I got here. Drove from about 8am to 8pm a day. Car handled well and was probably overloaded... I didn't pull a trailer.

[bigwonder]

I am moving to Skagway. I have an Injen CAI and Magnaflow exhaust so I hope that will help. I plan on having my vehicle completely looked over before I leave. I just checked the manual for the max load, I'll double check it again, thanks.

[Mavrik]

Quote, originally posted by bigwonder »I am moving to Skagway. I have an Injen CAI and Magnaflow exhaust so I hope that will help. I plan on having my vehicle completely looked over before I leave. I just checked the manual for the max load, I'll double check it again, thanks.ok well for me I took out my CAI so that I could maximize my car's fuel mileage. The car was loaded to the roof but had enough power to get the job done. Before I left I had my Vibe looked over completely, basicly like a safety inspection so everything was checked out. Also the oil change which I mentioned earlier. I also bought a gas can, tire air pump, tire wrench and brought along a hydrolic car jack. Cause honestly you never know when you could have a blow out and on what road condition, the weak little jack the car comes with would not be enough. If your on a hill... big probs. And trust me there is a lot of hills if you have not driven the trans canada/alaska highway before. I also bought a set of car tire plugs and tools. Came prepared and never needed to use them.I would also suggest buying a front car Bra if you do not have one. Your going to get a lot of rocks and bugs... I bought one just for the trip and it was more then worth it.

[Jahntassa]

I did NJ to GA (about 800 miles) in my GT with a dying clutch, and it performed wonderfully! It drives great, even with the trailer on it!I'd definitely reccomend a 'checkup' service before you do the tow, and make sure your hitch and wiring are correct before starting off.I had the 4x8 trailer and had it about 3/4 loaded, and while it did drop the back end of the Vibe, it wasn't too hard to pull it. I'd say you won't do anything damaging to your car by the trip, just take precautions against breakdowns like Mavrik suggested.