Why Cant i tow with a mirage

[alex16]

CURT 11394 class 1 that I have is rated 200lbs tonque rating , 1500lbs gross trailer. It's bolted to the frame 4 large bolts and a center support to the rear tow hook. I've had much less beefy hitches pull a lot more weight, its very over engineered IMO for such a small car, but of course they do that to eliminate all liability. The hitch itself weighs in at 28 lbs without the ball.

Not trying to argue but I keep mentioning its all about the driver, which I keep stating. If you feel safe and your rig feels safe that's what matters.

These are the numerous reasons why I think towing with the Mirage is sketchy at best.
1: The Mirage has a very soft suspension with minimal dampening and rebound control from the stock Tokico's. Not safe for towing.

2: The Mirage has narrow rims with stock tires that have paper thin sidewalls. Not safe for towing.

3: The Mirage has a very short wheelbase. Not safe for towing.

4: The Mirage has marginal brakes that are adequate up to it's GVWR. Definitely not beyond. Not safe for towing.

5: The Mirage only has 74 hp. Not safe for towing due to lack of power to pull itself out of a unsafe situation.

6: You can reduce the tongue weight but you can't eliminate the mass of the trailer. Trailer sway would be a huge problem. Not safe for towing.

There are more reasons but at least for me any one of these would cause me to say no.

1. A lot of tow vehicles have much worst suspension, driving experience is required with poor suspension set ups. I do recommend a sway bar on any Mirage even if not towing.

2. Wider tires would not be a bad idea either.

3. Short wheel base does hurt towing capabilities and stability but again its all about how you load your trailer and how you drive, if you've never experienced trailer sway, improperly loaded trailers, trailer tire blow outs you probably don't have a lot of trailer towing experience. Experience is everything with a car not designed for towing because your at a disadvantage, but I will say I've pulled heavy trailers behind lots of small cars that did better than full size trucks with proportional loads (I.E. 1972 Beetle pulling a 1969 beetle via tow bar did much better than my F250 pulling a F150 on a tow dolly).

4. Mirage brakes are not really stout breaks. I agree here with the brakes are not the best, they are okay at best IMO but the truth is if your pulling a heavy load with a Mirage (close to the hitch limit) you really shouldn't be traveling at higher speeds, keeping the speeds low and anticipating grades (down hill) is the key to keeping everything safe when pulling a heavy load with a Mirage.

5. 74HP is not a lot by today's standards and I know it won't be able to get out of a bad situation by accelerating but how many vehicles towing at their limit can do this? Unless you've got a jacked up cummins diesel your not going to be passing someone out. I have owned at least 10 tow vehicles and none have ever been able to power out of a bad situation. When your going for a Commercial license that's a huge no no. I'm pretty sure I can line my Mirage up with 1500lbs in tow against most trucks at their limit and keep up, for sure the big rigs will be eating my dust at least haha. You have to drive smart, like I won't stop stressing, experience is key, don't pull out into traffic expecting a rocket ship... not that a Mirage is a rocket empty haha.

6. Trailer sway is 100% about how you load your trailer, I've been in situations where I was forced to load it incorrectly, at the time Torsion bars were my best friend and eliminated all my issues. IF you can't load the trailer the correct way then find a rig that can handle a improperly loaded trailer. I have to admit I have never experienced trailer sway on any small trailer behind a small car, I've only ever experienced it on 16' and longer bumper pull.


The average tractor trailer on the road is maxed at 80,000 lbs. The tractor weighs 25,000 or less. Thats 55,000 lbs more than double of the vehicle pulling the trailer.


Puling a trailer with a Mirage is your choice, if you want to and have experience stay within the limits, and keep it safe We need some real world towing experience with Mirages on here!

[Eggman]

The average tractor trailer on the road is maxed at 80,000 lbs. The tractor weighs 25,000 or less. Thats 55,000 lbs more than double of the vehicle pulling the trailer.

The hitch point on a semi is not a bumper. Fun to think about, but limited in this discussion. A tractor-trailer's hitch point is key, and does not apply to a Mirage.

[Cobrajet]

The hitch point on a semi is not a bumper. Fun to think about, but limited in this discussion. A tractor-trailer's hitch point is key, and does not apply to a Mirage.

Too true. The hitch point on semis is directly over the rear wheels for a reason. There is also a reason they have EIGHT wheels on the back instead of two, normally two pairs ahead of the hitch point and two pairs behind.

[Eggman]

A brochure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. An overview of towing.

I know this is developed for the U.S. but I suppose some of the concepts might apply to The Canada and beyond.

[Eggman]

Here is some info from Curt Manufacturing:
Introduction to Towing a Trailer | Hitches & Towing 101
Chapter 4 - Determining Towing Capacity

[Cobrajet]

Here is some info from Curt Manufacturing:
Introduction to Towing a Trailer | Hitches & Towing 101
Chapter 4 - Determining Towing Capacity

Lol!

Chapter 4 - Determining Towing Capacity


It is critical that you understand your vehicle's maximum towing capacity before you begin towing. If you exceed the manufacturer's rated capacity you are creating an unsafe driving situation, and you are very likely to damage your vehicle's engine, transmission, rear axle, brakes and wheel bearings, and you will void the manufacturer's warranty.

Any of this sound familiar?

[Eggman]

From esurance blog: The 6 Worst Towing Mistakes

This forum is not the only one to discuss this subject: New England Street Riders - Towing with a car not rated by manufacturer

This page from howstuffworks.com has lots of info and links: How bad is it if I tow more than my truck's towing capacity? by Jennifer Horton

I find this quote from Horton's article useful:

Of course, if you insist on pulling an overweight load, you may not even live to see the effects of this wear and tear. That's because the extra weight pulling on the back of your vehicle significantly hampers your braking ability and steering control. When the back of your truck is loaded down, the front tires come up, causing them to lose some traction with the road. Without those front tires firmly on the ground, you'll definitely see a negative impact on your stability and handling. Your truck's brakes, which were designed to stop a limited amount of weight, will either take much longer to slow the vehicle down in an emergency or they simply won't work at all.

The preceding is provided by a google search. Please feel free to add to this and share.

Short wheelbase vehicles react differently than those with longer wheelbases. The short wheelbase makes for a small turning radius. Trailer loading can push a short wheelbase vehicle sideways quicker than the operator can react. In heavy traffic, or limited roadway situations with little room to work with (rural roads), a driver can quickly get into a dangerous situation and find themselves in an out-of-control, off-road excursion.

[Eggman]

Lol!

Chapter 4 - Determining Towing Capacity


It is critical that you understand your vehicle's maximum towing capacity before you begin towing. If you exceed the manufacturer's rated capacity you are creating an unsafe driving situation, and you are very likely to damage your vehicle's engine, transmission, rear axle, brakes and wheel bearings, and you will void the manufacturer's warranty.

Any of this sound familiar?

If someone wants to use their vehicle in a way that will damage or otherwise cause early wear to their own property, that is one thing.

If that person's decision causes harm or damage to others, that is a different story. I just heard yesterday a story of a teenage son who missed an exit, did a U-turn and was hit broadside by oncoming traffic, which he did not see coming. He suffered a concussion, the effects of which are still unfolding as this happened just a couple days ago. Because he was deemed at fault, he is responsible for the damage incurred to the other party. The occupants of the other car survived, but their health care costs are now the teenager's responsibility. His insurance company is refusing to cover the incident because he made a poor decision. His mother is distraught over how all these events are unfolding, and will affect his future life. It is all too easy to get into trouble, and the risk can largely be minimized rather than pushed.

Edit: I Can't say that his insurance isn't covering this yet, as that is still being worked out. Still, I hope it will be covered.

[Littlestan]

From esurance blog: The 6 Worst Towing Mistakes

This forum is not the only one to discuss this subject: New England Street Riders - Towing with a car not rated by manufacturer

This page from howstuffworks.com has lots of info and links: How bad is it if I tow more than my truck's towing capacity? by Jennifer Horton

I find this quote from Horton's article useful:


The preceding is provided by a google search. Please feel free to add to this and share.

Short wheelbase vehicles react differently than those with longer wheelbases. The short wheelbase makes for a small turning radius. Trailer loading can push a short wheelbase vehicle sideways quicker than the operator can react. In heavy traffic, or limited roadway situations with little room to work with (rural roads), a driver can quickly get into a dangerous situation and find themselves in an out-of-control, off-road excursion.

Until we have established exactly what a safe towing weight might be on a upgraded suspension
and frame stiffened Mirage, most of this isn't relevant. All we know is it's probably more than
500lbs unbraked due to the previous experiences of others towing on here.

'What is the GVWR?

For example, if you have a 5,000-pound truck with a 6,200 pound GVWR, you can safely carry
1,200 pounds in the vehicle. If you are towing a trailer with a 300-pound tongue weight, the
amount of passengers and gear you can carry decreases to 900 pounds.'

Google description. Notice that it isn't the vehicle weight plus the trailer weight that adds up to the total GVWR. It's the vehicle weight and tongue weight. Tongue weight will not exceed 200lbs as
that is all the hitch is designed for. The GVWR for the Mirage is 3000lbs. Do the math and you'll
see why a braked trailer isn't as scary a proposition as it might seem. Especially seeing as
we're only talking about 1400lbs. Not a giant toy hauler, not a mega equipment trailer, etc.

I still haven't made my way down to the insurance office to get a straight answer on legalities, but you guys feel free to keep on circle-jerking here.

[inuvik]

You were doing fine until the last paragraph.