Towing Capacity???

Is it really true when people say not to exceed more than 85% of your vehicles tow capacity? Or is it just a myth? I hear that it puts excess wear and tear on your vehicle (i.e. transmission). I tow an '06 Malibu VLX with my 6 cyclinder Nissan Pathfinder which has a towing capacity of 5000 lbs. Am I really hurting anything?

3600 LBS boat, another 1000 LBS for the trailer. 4600 LBS with absolutely no gas, ballast, or gear. Fill up with gas, you are over 5000 LBS (or really, really close.) Add gear and gas, you're over. Add hard ballast, you are way over.

THIS IS JUST MY OPINION- Yes, It is way too much for your vehicle. Some of the others will tell you to just do it. Sure it'll tow it, but not well. It will put extra wear on your vehicle.

You'll notice it most pulling over 50 MPH, in wind, and up launch ramps (especially when busy - more vehicles, the wetter they get).

towing capacity isnt rated for what the vehicle can PULL... its rated for what the vehicle can STOP!

Hey Lon:
I towed, my X-7 with my 02 Pathfinder, and Also my present boat 02 Supreme 22 ft, it's sketchy.
The supreme has to weight more or close to what that BU weighs, I would be getting a bigger rig or smaller boat?
Blair said it what worried me most was stopping!!!
scary.
Armada now no worries!!!
good luck G
P.S. I have some rear coil springs for that rig depending on the year?

You're definately in a precarious situation. Like others have already said, the problem is stopping. Unfortunatly, I have personally experienced this situation. I was pulling a dump trailer with an Expedition. Eventhough the trailer had elctric brakes, it still managed to push the vehicle sideways into a concrete center divider.

Be careful and be safe!

I would guess that the X7 and the Supreme are both lighter than an 06 VLX.

Lon, if you like your pathfinder you should consider buying a cheap, full size pickup just to tow with. You're going to kill that little Nissan.

Lon, if you're towing on flat ground and are a cautious driver you'll probably be ok. I'm guessing you have a newer pathfinder with the 3.5L. You'll go through brakes faster, and you'll want to service the trans and change diff fluid more routinely. I can't believe I'm admitting this but I have a V210 (4300lbs full gear and gas on trailer) that I tow with my Infiniti QX4 3.5L. I bought the V210 because I knew my poor little SUV couldn't handle much more. I towed the boat back from California to Washington on some of the steepest grades you can get and it did fine (9.3 mpg overall). 50mph 4000rpms 2nd gear up hills. I know if I was towing a 6000lb VLX I would be in first gear so I wouldn't recommend hills for you. My dad and I are working on a 4.5L Infiniti V8 conversion for a winter project if it's possible which should make driving and towing more fun. Anyways I guess my point is if you're stuck with not buying another vehicle the Pathfinder should work just be careful but I found that a 4300lb V210 seems to be the max on hills.

Lon:
J-Rod's, right I thought the Supreme would weigh more since probably more wood in my boat, but BU website says 06 VLX is 3,600 lbs the trailer if tandem is 1,500 = 5,100 bad news. Mine weights 4,980 boat and trailer not loaded with all your stuff, and low on fuel. I had it weighted to have the springs made.
I don't know whats with Ryans but mine pulled hills better than that, but towing any X-10 once it pushed me down the ramp (scary ••••••• work for Nissan whats the Vin# so I can log that your abusing it!
Kidding!! definetly get a aux trans cooler!!!
G

Greg, that's up steep hills like I-5 at the Oregon Border, and Snoqualmie pass up here in Washington. If I don't have to kick down to second gear it handles 65+ just fine.

If your boat, trailer, fuel, supplies, food, etc exceeds the rated tow capacity, my guess is that you will need a new truck. The only way you'll know how much the boat and trailer weighs is to weigh the boat/trailer & supplies.
Something to think about, It is my understanding that if over load your truck/vehicle’s tow capacity, and are in an accident or mishap, your insurance company can or will void your policies. You can void the truck/vehicle warranty.
also
You could be putting your family and friends at risk if can not handle your overloaded truck & boat in an urgent situation. My.02
Check out this site for more info.
http://www.trailerboats.com/output.cfm?id=944947

I have a 2005 VLX and just sold my wife's 2003 pathfinder 4wd LE. I tow my boat with a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 and would not want to do it with anything less.

I think the boat is too much for the pathfinder. The pathfinder is a great vehicle but not for your situation.

Even if your trailer has good brakes, it will put alot of strain on the pathfinders drivetrain.

Thanks everyone for the information.

Greg C (v220ls), I have a '01 Pathfinder. Will those springs work on that model year? Please email me the info to hoangL1021@hotmail.com.

I may go down this path or start looking for a bigger v8 powered vehicle.

This year I bought a new wakeboarding boat, the dry weight of the new boat was slightly higher than my old I/O, maybe 100 to 200 pounds. The decision selecting my boat was partly driven by the tow capacity of the Astro. My boat is 700 lighter than yours and the tow rating of my old tow vehicle is 300 pounds more than your truck, for a total of 1,000 pounds more margin than your setup. Fuel is about 7 lbs/gallon, so for 46 gallons that’s about 320 pounds, add the gear and trailer weight as listed above then you’re over the vehicle tow rating. Also don’t forget then you’re supposed to subtract the weight of passengers, options, and equipment from the tow rating. I think that you’re even supposed to subtract the drivers weight from the tow rating.

After seven years and 117,000 miles the Astro’s transmission gave out. The harder you work your vehicle the shorter the life of the vehicle will be. If you’re going to continue to tow with the Pathfinder I wouldn’t keep it for too many miles. I had a lot of trouble this season with my tow vehicle. I was stranded on the 4th of July weekend and didn’t get the boat on the water. The AAA will tow your car but good luck trying to get tow help for your trailer on a holiday weekend - a real bust.

I think your boat dealer should have given more guidance before signing you up for a boat that is too big for your tow rig.

I towed my 2001 Supra Santera, boat 3200 lbs, trailer 1200 lbs = 4400 lbs dry, for 3 summers with a 1999 4-Runner V6 5-speed. Max tow capacity was 5000 lbs. I had to put it in low 4 to get it up out of my driveway and out of the water. Most of my towing was climbing over Parley's Summit and Big Mountain pass east of Salt Lake. Coming down the hills was scary. No brake troubles with over 100k miles but, the transmission started making bad sounds. If you can go bigger in size and engine. I now tow with a 2005 Nissan Titan and it's a lot less stressful.

Tows great but I can't stop it

wtf?? so much for needing a strong towing vehicle

I'll put it this way. I tow an SSV (probably a little lighter than your bu) with an 04 extended cab 1500 Silverado. I was on the highway doing about 60 a safe distance between me and the cars in front of me when there was a wreck in front of me and everyone stepped on their brakes hard. I was in the far right lane and couldn't get over in my left as there were cars there. It's a brand new trailer with fully functional brakes. I had no choice but to get on the brakes and hope for the best. Trailer brakes came on and the closer we got to the accident all 4 truck tired locked up and the boat/trailer was just pushing my truck down the highway. My truck was heavy enough to keep everything alligned and ended up stopping just before plowing into everyone, but if I had been in anything smaller things would've ended much worse.

Moral of the story, you're towing WAY too much behind that thing. Plain and simple, you're putting your family and others on the road at risk. If you only tow a couple miles down backroads to the launch I'd say no big deal, but if you get out on main roads you seriously need to upgrade into something larger. As soon as I can, I'll be buying an even bigger truck myself.

I agree it is about the weight of the tow vehicle and the brakes. I have an 01 Trooper which actually tows better than my old 00 Suburban. But after towing with my wife's new Lexus V-8 I definately can see the major difference. I am very careful to be aware of what is around me but in an emergency situation I would definately want the heavier vehicle. Wheel base has alot to do with it also. That is why I would never want a Tourag or Cayenne towing a big boat even though they are rated for like 8000lbs towing. I think I am going to get a Titan next year also. I want something semi fuel efficiant for when I am not towing. Although I realize a fuel efficiant tow vehicle is sort of an oxymoron.

I towed an 05 X-Star for a few months with a V6 Touareg and agree that even though the rating is almost 8,000lbs towing ~5,500 is way too much for a vehicle that size. Braking is an issue but overall strain on the engine (and stress on the driver) is too much. I switched to a V8 Landrover LR3 and the difference is night and day.

Lon:
Yes; the springs I have will fit yours.
e-mail if your intrested.
in profile, but I think there has been good advice maybe you should, get a new rig my .02

Gene: just food for thought towing my boat 22 ft Supreme with my Armada ave 10 mpg. Not bad for a gas rig, and I drive fast!!
G

Quick question... I am looking into ordering an X-1, should I pay the extra for the tandem trailer?