ive towed a few cars with my s10, and the loads have been less then 4500lbs with trailer. towing capacity shows at 5500lbs. i dont think i will ever exceed that. i know how my truck handles with that load, so i try and keep it there.
No matter what vehicle I’ve towed with, even my 06 F350 Dually, I’ve always felt that the braking could always be better. Whether the solution is better trailer brakes, better service brakes, or an exhaust brake, I’ve never felt like I couldnt use more braking. That’s where I would focus anytime I’m trying to improve the the towing performance of any platform.
Don’t ya just love the guy that says “ it tows like there’s nothing back there”? I have NEVER had a truck capable enough to feel like a trailer over 2500lbs “isn’t there”, including the aforementioned F350 diesel dually. NEVER! And it always scares me when I hear it.
Ok, maybe Weld’s old sport chassis could feel that way with a 1 car open trailer, but even then...
I'm a guy that wants a truck and trailer combination that is properly balanced. I prefer to have a nice margin of safety. Big brakes -- tow vehicle weight appropriate to the load.... bearings and axles and tires that are overrated for the intended load etc.
To use the words "will it tow my "X" --- yeah --- it might tow it - meaning move it down the road.... but there's so much more to it. Stopping distances -- load rating - GVWR and GCWR..... so.... the vehicles designed gross weight - and the Gross COMBINED weight of both the tow vehicle and loaded trailer...
We're talking spring ratings -- braking capacities - bearing and axle designed load ratings - tire load ratings....
A 2002 GM S-10 has a capacity of 5,500 to 6,000 pounds (probably an optional trailer towing package with load distributing hitch).
SO an average open steel car trailer weighs about 1,800 pounds -- add a 3,400 car -- and you're right at your MAXIMUM..... now --- find your GCWR.... you need to know that number and not exceed it.
The GCWR is a function of the torque output of the engine, the capacity and ratios of the transmission, the capacity of the driving axles and tires, the capacity of the radiator, and the ability of the chassis to withstand that powertrain torque.
As you can see --- you'd have to be an engineer and know every spec of all those parts and pieces --- then you'd have to upgrade all those items and somehow manage to prove yourself in court if you ended up there for some reason.
I'd say -- like the others have -- figure out what you want to tow -- but something appropriate for the load.
An S-10 is not large enough to tow a car safely. You need at least a 3/4 ton pickup and a 1 ton dually with a big block and or a diesel would be the best of all .Ans gives to you more options of a 5th wheel and or a trailer hitch. I have a CDL for over 20 years and driven in the Marine Corps for 6. And I have too many accidents because of people not having the right vehicle for the job. Because it not you controlling the trailer.Its the trailer controlling you.
Brian Hobaugh SCCA National Tour June 2014
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