Towing........

[Pump233ca]

Went on our first camping trip of the year towing my Fleetwood Taos...the Vibe pulled well, it took some gettin used too when pulling away from a stop(5 Speed), and the standard equipped electric brakes on the trailer helped on stopping, we only went down to "SandBanks Provincial Park" 172kms and I used just under a 1/4 tank..not bad considering I had 2 adults a 5 year old 2 70lb dogs and about 1400lbs of trailer

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[Pump233ca]

helped relieve some of the tongue weight...

[Stang2Vibe]

Ha, I got you beat. I punished my Vibe last week when getting landscaping supplies for around the house. First trip, I had myself (roughly 230 pounds) and about 950 LBS of supplies in the back. Second trip, had myself and about 1075 LBS of supplies back there. I folded the rear seats down and spread the load out as best as I could. I have lots of experience hauling relatively heavy loads at work and I also know how to load things to spread out the weight to cause less stress on the car and prevent handling problems while driving. I've had to haul over 7 tons with our one small dump truck which is rated to haul only 3 tons. That was one of the scariest driving adventures that I've ever had. The Vibe really surprised me with hauling that much. I took it rather easy because I didn't really want to send the rear shocks through the underbody. Handling was ok (especially considering that I still have on my snow tires) and braking was very good for being that heavy. Normal acceleration was surprisingly acceptable, though I tried hitting lift one time in first gear and I could hardly feel the increase in power that occurs when lift kicks in. Hauling that much weight in the Vibe is not something I would do regularly, but it's nice to know that it is a capable vehicle. I have a lot more confidence now that I will be able to tow my 700 LB waverunner without too much trouble.

[Mr. Poopypants]

Not to do any one-upsmanship but I tow my 1495 lb boat. Once I get my digital camera, I'll post a pic.

[Stang2Vibe]

Yes, but towing weight and hauling weight are 2 very different things. Trailers are designed to only put about 10% of the towed weight on the hitch (called the tongue weight). So your 1495 boat is only putting about 150 lbs of downforce on the back of the car. If you can imagine putting your boat IN the Vibe, that is much closer to the weight I was hauling. Again, I would not recommend hauling this much weight in the car with any frequency. This was a "once in a great while" thing that I did. And I'm not trying to compete with anyone, either. I was just posting to describe the Vibe's capabilities when hauling weight is pushed to the extreme. I forget what the rated hauling weight is for the Vibe, around 800 LBS maybe?

[Mr. Poopypants]

Oh, I wasn't trying to put down your haul by any means. I stated that I wasn't participating in one-upsmanship, I was stating that I know that the Vibe does haul.

[Stang2Vibe]

No, I know. No hard feelings here at all. Again, I just made the comparison for reference purposes. LOL, believe me, I'm not some idiot who feels like a tough guy now because I've hauled around over 1,000 LBS in a Vibe.

[michaelgt]

If the trailer has electric brakes, what brake controller are you using? Did you wire the connection, or have the RV/Hitch shop do the work. As reference, the tow rating for the Vibe is 1500lbs, with the automatic transmission. This rating is assuming a base vibe, no options, 150 lb driver. Anything above this in weight should be subtracted from the tow rating. This is based on the cars GCVWR. You need to be careful if you are over your weight ratings, as you can be ticketed.

[Pump233ca]

I used a Reese Brakeman Compact..wired it myself, put the controller in the little compartment under the shifter..it was nice to feel the brakes working on the trailer....

[Stang2Vibe]

Quote, originally posted by michaelgt »As reference, the tow rating for the Vibe is 1500lbs, with the automatic transmission. This rating is assuming a base vibe, no options, 150 lb driver. Anything above this in weight should be subtracted from the tow rating. This is based on the cars GCVWR. 1500 LBS is the tow rating for all Vibes, regardless of engine or transmission. I was wondering what the GVWR was so I could figure out how much weight can be hauled inside the Vibe, not behind it. As far as tickets go, if they do bother to weigh you, you're at the mercy of state laws. In PA, you can be well within your GVWR and still get a ticket if you are over on your axle weight. I know commercial vehicles get fined $1 per pound overweight, I don't know if that holds true for passenger vehicles as well.