Trailer towing...

[Andrew-4ce]

Hey all, new here... searched the site and most the info I was looking for was a year or more old... Looking into getting a Vibe. I have a trailer to tow though, it's about 1300 pounds loaded, no brakes on the trailer. I currently tow this with a Jeep so know all about how twitchy/sketchy towing with short light cars can be. I'd only be towing this trailer about 5 weekends a year about 250 miles (500 round trip) on average. Flat roads for the most part.The way the trailer towing is listed in the pamphlet it sounds like the 1500 pounds includes the passengers and cargo in the car. Is this correct? described any more clear in the manual? Anyone have more long term info after using the car for towing? Tranny problems? Clutch issues? I'd be getting a 5 spd. ANyone get warrenty grief if something did go wrong and you had a trailer hitch on it?I realize the gas mileage will take a big hit, but out of curiosity how far can you go on tank with and without a trailer?Any aftermarket things that could be added to help it out a bit?Any input welcomed.Andrew

[Mr. Poopypants]

Welcome to the site!! Yes, the max is 1500 load/passengers. The max tongue weight is 200lbs. I tow a boat and noticed that the rear tires take a beating because of the stock negative camber, you will have a little bit of uneven wear. With such infrequent trips though, you should be OK. I don't know exactly how far you can go with a trailer on a tank, I never really took notice of it. As far as helping your MPG, if you find anything out, let us know, there is nothing I have heard of, and I don't think it's possible.

[vcars]

I have towed a fair amount. Moved some furniture in a small enclosed trailer from Norfolk, VA to Chicago. Last month we pulled a light weight tent camper (designed for motorcycles) from Chicago to Utah, to Memphis, back to Chicago. And just this weekend did some more moving with an open trailer. We have an AWD and have not had any problems at all. We have been carefull to turn off the OverDrive as recommended in the manual - especially on hills. I'm not sure we ever approached 1300 pounds though.

[Andrew-4ce]

Thx for some info people.Mr. Poopypants what kind/how big a boat are you towing? What kind of power is gained from a CAI unit?Vcars... what size enclosed trailer did you have, do you know? A little uhaul thing?Is the engine/tranny common to any other cars from Toyota?Thx again!

[vcars]

Yes it was a U-Haul - 4 by 8.

[Mr. Poopypants]

The boat, me and my equipment is almost exactly 1500 LBS. Any power gain with the CAI is pretty much negated by the towing. Trust me, you know you are towing something when it's that heavy.I know the Celica is the same engine.

[Kari]

I thought the Celica had the 2zz? Or is that just the GT or whatever they call it?The Corolla also has the 1zz...other than the Matrix, I think that's it. That's all I remember seeing anyway when looking for air filters online.

[Mr. Poopypants]

Quote, originally posted by Kari »I thought the Celica had the 2zz? Or is that just the GT or whatever they call it?I thought just the GT had the 2zz. Oh, and the Lotus Elise uses the 2zz as well.

[Kari]

Yep, you're right...just looked it up on wixfilters.com under Toyota, by engine, and it comes up with the Celica, Corolla, Matrix, and MR-2 Spyder.

[JustinVGT]

Our Vibe GT's have the 2ZZ as well as the Celica GT-S, Matrix XRS, Corrola XRS and Lotus Elise. The base Vibes share the 1ZZ with the Celica GT, base Matrix, and Corrola.I'd like to get a small sailboat (10-15') and use my Vibe to tow it, but that probably won't happen.

[ShadowRuleZ]

The problem isn't towing something necessarily, it's trying to get what your're towing to stop. Getting pushed through a red light/stop sign isn't that great of an idea.I don't know if these cars have enough torque down low even to get moving either...

[Mr. Poopypants]

Yeah, you have to make sure you have good brakes. But towing my stuff with the 1zz engine hasn't been much of a problem, it's slow going uphill but it works.

[ned23]

Quote, originally posted by ShadowRuleZ »The problem isn't towing something necessarily, it's trying to get what your're towing to stop. Getting pushed through a red light/stop sign isn't that great of an idea.I don't know if these cars have enough torque down low even to get moving either...Actually, with cars it has more to do with the wheel base and weight of the vehicle. Most trailers have electric brakes now, and you should make that a must. The problem comes when you're going down a steep hill, for example, and the weight of the trailer pushing on your back end wants to torque the car one way or the other. That's when your wheel base comes into play. That's my understanding anyway.

[djb383]

I believe the Vibe is only rated to tow 1500 lbs which includes the weight of the trailer. Never seen a light weight trailer WITH brakes.....got any info on one?????

[ned23]

Quote, originally posted by djb383 »I believe the Vibe is only rated to tow 1500 lbs which includes the weight of the trailer. Never seen a light weight trailer WITH brakes.....got any info on one?????Yes, for campers, anyway. I'm shopping for some right now. A-Liner makes three, hard-sided, pop-up models between 400-lb and 1,400 lbs with electric brakes:The A-lite and the Scout:http://www.aliner.com/design/a...8.pdfand The Classic:http://www.aliner.com/design/a...8.pdfChalet also makes a model under 1,500 lbs w/ electric brakes. There are also electric brake kits for many trailers, like boat traiilers. Now, if you're looking for a just a utility trailer or something, then I don't know.