Towing with the VIBE

[Stockintoshockin]

I have been though the owners manual and find no mention of avoiding Overdrive while towing, other then that is basically says keep it under 1500 and avoid stopping harshly. I love my vibe and it never let me down but I want to haul me and my bros steel horse from north east Wisconsin to central Florida for vaca. Anyone pulling heavy and far with a higher mileage vibe? also this will be 24-28 hrs near nonstop (I made it in 21hrs trailer-less). 1. trailer and bikes roughly 1100-1300lbs 2. she has 154k mileage 3. 130 horses don't seem like much to drag she self and a 1300lbs trailer up them mountains, and im not sure if she would stop when coming down. 4. overdrive with a trailer? has the 4 speed auto...

[beemerphile1]

The trailer you see in my signature weighs 2,000 pounds fully loaded. Tows beautifully. I also tow a utility trailer with my BMW motorcycle on board. The motorcycle and trailer weighs less but aerodynamics are worse making towing about the same.

As for the transmission, you will soon discover if you need to drive in third. Let it run in OD, if the transmission is frequently downshifting and then upshifting you will need to use third.

On interstates I can run in OD without trouble. On secondary roads in the mountains I use third. I've towed over 12,000 miles since purchased and am now approaching 38,000 total miles on the car. Been through the Appalachians many, many times.

Heat destroys transmissions. Shifting creates heat. Excessive shifting creates excessive heat. That is why you may need to use third to avoid a lot of shifting.

You should also consider a transmission oil cooler. I wouldn't tow in the summer without one. You may be okay if your trip is in cooler weather.

[Stockintoshockin]

Oil cooler yes, that will be installed almost for sure, but your 09 has considerable more HP and Torque so my minimal 130 well when it was new, will likely be far more shift then you 09 vibe

[KITT222]

The 09 that he has has a 1.8l engine with near-equivalent power, and the ancient 4-speed automatic. If he can do it with a 2000lb trailer, you should have minimal fuss. First gen Vibe towing capacity is 1500lbs.

[beemerphile1]

Having different models doesn't change what I said about your transmission. If it is hunting for the right gear, leave it in a lower gear. If it isn't hunting but holds fairly steady in OD, then leave it in OD.

This true of all vehicles. Frequent shifting will overheat and destroy any automatic transmission.

[metaxa44]

Hi Beemerphile,

We just bought a 2006 Aliner Scout.....

Looks like you have done quite a bit of towing with your 2009 Vibe.

We have a 2009 Vibe 1.8 base model like yours and wondered if we could ask you a few questions as we are planning about a 2500 mile trip this summer. The used Aliner we just purchased does not have electric brakes and I believe I read that yours does. From your experience I was wondering if you:

- Have any issues that we should be aware of;
- Have any suggestions as to best practices;
- Did you need to install a transmission cooler?;
- Did you need to install an anti sway bar for the trailer?
- Any concerns over using the car's AC to power the refrigerator?
- Do you recommend the purchase of extended side mirrors?

Any assistance or advice you can give is greatly appreciated. We are really looking forward to enjoying our travels with the Aliner like you!

Thanks

[beemerphile1]

I saw your PM and answered before I saw this thread.

[metaxa44]

Hello beemerphile1

Thank you for the PM...
Have to go shopping now...
I might wait to install brake till winter ,but I will get a towing mirror and tranny cooler for the trip ..
I am tempted to install the cooler my self , and I think I can swing the brake too when I find out what size to get...
I do not see a towing mirror on your car , can you see around your trailer??
Did you install cooler Yourself??
How is the trailer in high wind???

Thanks : Metaxa

[beemerphile1]

I only took the car to a parking lot for the picture. When towng I use a CIPA 11950 Clip-On towing mirror on each side.

I installed the transmission cooler myself but any transmission shop can do it for a reasonable cost.

You will need the smallest size brakes for the trailer. I think that is 7". The assembly costs about $50 each side. You will also need a brake controller. I recommend the Prodigy inertia controllers.

The car tows the trailer great, winds have never been an issue.

One advantage of trailer brakes is that you can manually apply only the trailer brakes to stop sway if it occurs.

[metaxa44]

Ok, I just got back from the Maritimes 6000 Km camping trip ..
The car was doing very well, the only problem I had was the bike rack on the trailer bumper...
I did not do enough research on it , and find out the bumper is not strong enough...
I made it back home safe , but was a battle on the trip..
So now I am looking for alternatives ,on the trailer tongue
or on the hitch...
I did see one but they only work on 2" hitch, mine is 11/4"..
Any ideas???

[metaxa44]

Love to post some picks , but do not remember how LOL...

[BaseWhiteVibe]

Oil cooler yes, that will be installed almost for sure, but your 09 has considerable more HP and Torque so my minimal 130 well when it was new, will likely be far more shift then you 09 vibe

Does anyone know what the part number of the said cooler is? I want to start towing my folding trailer coming this spring. I appreciate the help, thank you!

[metaxa44]

Some pictures of the setup..

[BaseWhiteVibe]

Impressive! Is that a 1.8 or a 2.4?

[metaxa44]

1.8 Base with tranny cooler installed..
I do not know the part number for the tranny cooler , just trusted my mechanic ...
But I am moving the bike rack on to the tongue of the trailer,because I almost lost the bikes and the bumper....
Too much stress on the back..

[metaxa44]

Planing to move the propane tanks and builed a platform for the bikes..
I will use 2 2"x8"x5' pressure treated side by side, bolted to the toungue..
Install a metal post ( white) in the middle to tie the bikes down...
I will only carry one tank and have it in a milk crate in the trailer while traveling...

[thebarber]

i pulled a 900 pound trailer with 800 pounds of yard waste last weekend....i wouldnt want to go far pulling that much weight...but i was just in town...

[BaseWhiteVibe]

Would anyone happen to know the part number of a trans cooler that will fit a 1.8L 2009 Vibe? I want to get one installed when the fluid is changed out on my vibe.

[metaxa44]

My trailer is 900 Lbs , plus bikes and camping gear : around 1200 Lbs total...
I mesured the toungue weight and loaded the trailer so it is safe and does not exeed the limit..
On the hills and the rough roads or traffic I drove very conservatively and in 3 and sometimes even in 2...
On the flat highway speed up to 110 in OD...
Had to listen to the engine and drive accordingly..

[mrbravo2000]

awesome thread y'all, I would love to do this but I ran a search and it appears the GT and the rear bumper does not have the clearance. Anyone know if that is no longer the case with some special mod?

[trb]

There are supposedly specific 2009-2010 GT hitches available that only require minor trimming. One of the places that has them is Discount Hitches off Hwy 290 & Mangum. I thought I would stop by there and see if they have one in stock and make sure it fits before buying one. I've seen them from about $100 on amazon, but I figure it would be worth a bit more to make sure it fits.

http://www.discounthitches.com/Lookup/2 ... ac/Vibe/GT" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I ended up buying a complete hitch, pin, ball & mount from a 03-08 model or 09-10 base on craigslist for $75. I had to remove the whole black plastic part of the bumper for it to fit, but since I was only using it once, it was not a big deal. I could cut the plastic, (about a 2"x2" piece) but I did not want to damage it if I eventually removed the hitch. That plastic piece costs more than the hitch! Maybe I'll take the hitch I have to Discount and see if any of the others they have mount lower than than one I already have.

[mrbravo2000]

There are supposedly specific 2009-2010 GT hitches available that only require minor trimming. One of the places that has them is Discount Hitches off Hwy 290 & Mangum. I thought I would stop by there and see if they have one in stock and make sure it fits before buying one. I've seen them from about $100 on amazon, but I figure it would be worth a bit more to make sure it fits.

http://www.discounthitches.com/Lookup/2 ... ac/Vibe/GT" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I ended up buying a complete hitch, pin, ball & mount from a 03-08 model or 09-10 base on craigslist for $75. I had to remove the whole black plastic part of the bumper for it to fit, but since I was only using it once, it was not a big deal. I could cut the plastic, (about a 2"x2" piece) but I did not want to damage it if I eventually removed the hitch. That plastic piece costs more than the hitch! Maybe I'll take the hitch I have to Discount and see if any of the others they have mount lower than than one I already have.

im on that... seriously, I wanto to able to tow a small trailer for camping and hiking trips. I appreciate the info, I may just drive out there one afternoon when I need a break from the office...

[trb]

I stopped by Discount Hitch today, and talked to the guy there. He pulled up the Curt hitches for the 2009-2010 GT (#12221) and looked at the instructions. It did not mention cutting anything on the trim for the Vibe, but it did mention cutting the trim on the Matrix XR and XRS models. Then he compared the pictures to the hitch for the earlier models and you can certainly see that the 2009-2010 GT hitch does hang down lower than the earlier ones. And even the base 2009-2010 has a different, shorter hitch.

#12221 for a 2009-2010 Vibe GT http://www.curtmfg.com/part/12221" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


#12234 for a 2003-2008 Vibe http://www.curtmfg.com/part/12234" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


#12228 for a 2009-2010 base Vibe http://www.curtmfg.com/part/12228" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


He did say if they ordered one, and if it does not fit without cutting, they would take it back.

[mrbravo2000]

I stopped by Discount Hitch today, and talked to the guy there. He pulled up the Curt hitches for the 2009-2010 GT (#12221) and looked at the instructions. It did not mention cutting anything on the trim for the Vibe, but it did mention cutting the trim on the Matrix XR and XRS models. Then he compared the pictures to the hitch for the earlier models and you can certainly see that the 2009-2010 GT hitch does hang down lower than the earlier ones. And even the base 2009-2010 has a different, shorter hitch.

#12221 for a 2009-2010 Vibe GT http://www.curtmfg.com/part/12221" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


#12234 for a 2003-2008 Vibe http://www.curtmfg.com/part/12234" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


#12228 for a 2009-2010 base Vibe http://www.curtmfg.com/part/12228" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


He did say if they ordered one, and if it does not fit without cutting, they would take it back.

DUDE! You are the man! I was just thinking of stopping in today, I swear. I will stop by next week even though I dont need it until December. Thanks so much! Great info! Lots of exclamation marks!