Towing with a Nitro

[AirJunky]

Anyone towing with a Nitro yet? I'd like to hear about your experience.

I have a 98 Dakota I tow a 4000 ski boat on a tandem axle trailer with surge brakes. The Dakota GVWR is 6000 lbs with a 5.2 liter that has 230 horse & 300 ft/lbs of torque. Will a Nitro (GVWR of 4000 lb) with the 210 horse & 235 ft/lbs of torque really pull this boat safely? I know the Nitro is rated for 5000 lbs but it doesn't seem like towing a 5000 lb trailer with a 4000 lb truck is very wise. Maybe with a tandem axle & trailer brakes it can be done though. Anyone ever do it?

[Bogey]

Has no one tried towing a 4000 lb tandem axle trailer with a Nitro R/T ???

[HAWKEYE]

towing my bass boat seems to be ok it weighs about 3500 slight sway in rear on stock tires went to a wider tire helped still a little sway anyone now of a heavier sway bar

[vanstee]

I pulled my mom's bayliner (19') with NO problems. I havn't hooked my donzi up to it yet. Even though it's 2' shorter, it's alot heaver. I like the sway bar that they use on the Nitro. Seems to keep things in line.

[warriorbob]

I have a post showing my 18 foot open car trailer i have towed with the R/T

I have only towed the trailer with no car (had to pick the new trailer up at the distribution lot weight approx 1420 lbs

It towed like their was not even anything behind me

Within the next week or so i need to load the car on the trailer and tow her to a shop to have a tune put on the car. This should be a total of 4400 lbs behind me

I have a weight distributing hitch with a sway controller so it should tow with ease

Ohh ya i got over 19 MPG towing the trailer approx 60% highway 40% city

[Quiet Lunatic]

I pulled my 17' BassTracker ProTeam 175 behind our Nitro a couple weeks ago. Pulled it fine with no troubles.

[StreetDancer]

I just got went over and got my boat today from my folks' garage (hard to beat free winter-time storage) and she pulled just fine all the way.

I used the Tow/Haul featuer as recommmended by the manual in the "hilly" sections and kept it off on the flats. I pulled over the Continental Divide and had no problems whatsoever. I am not sure on the exact specs of my boat but it's definately not 4000 lbs. It's a little Sea-Doo Sportster.

Gas mileage-wise, I filled up too and I am right about where I normally am on the gas gage so that wasn't too terrible either.

Guess a road trip to Lake CDA isn't too outa the question eh air?? ;)

[BearlyNitro]

I have towed a small trailer with a few Quads on it with no problem, but that is much less than 5,000lbs

My 4 place Sea Doo trailer will be a different story, but I think it will also be okay, just a little slower going up the 8,000 ft. mountain to the lake. It is dual axel with surge brakes, which makes me feel a little more confident towing it, as stopping it is more of a concern than pulling it.

Let us know how you are doing with towing large, heavy trailers with your Nitro.

[AirJunky]

Bring it on, SD!
I towed the ATV trailer with only one ATV on it out to CdA yesterday. On the way out I had the ATV too far back behind the axle & the hitch knocked on every single bump. But on the way home I moved the quad forward a bit to increase the tongue weight & it towed to 75 mph & got 18 mpg over the trip.

[StreetDancer]

Bring it on, SD!
I towed the ATV trailer with only one ATV on it out to CdA yesterday. On the way out I had the ATV too far back behind the axle & the hitch knocked on every single bump. But on the way home I moved the quad forward a bit to increase the tongue weight & it towed to 75 mph & got 18 mpg over the trip.
Watch out Air...I just might....got some family living up in CDA!

I noticed the tongue wieght as well. Hitch knocked, esp. through a contruction zone that's 10 miles long (what a slow trip that was). Let's see...how do you increase the tongue weighted on a boat and trailer without the ability to move the boat any farther forward on the trailer? Need a bow wieght of some kind.....Hmm....would a large cooler of beer work??? :beerchug:

[steve brittain]

here is what I am towing today. I have to haul some wood up to our vacation property. It's a 12 foot trailer and those are 4 foot pallets. We'll see how the nitro does and I will report back.

[DKidneyBean]

here is what I am towing today. I have to haul some wood up to our vacation property. It's a 12 foot trailer and those are 4 foot pallets. We'll see how the nitro does and I will report back.
How did the towing go? Did you have a weight distribution hitch? One of the reasons I went with the Nitro compared to other mid-size SUV's was the higher towing capacity, so any feedback on others towing would be great! Thanks.

[AirJunky]

here is what I am towing today. I have to haul some wood up to our vacation property. It's a 12 foot trailer and those are 4 foot pallets. We'll see how the nitro does and I will report back.

I don't see anything. Is there a picture included? Any clue how much weight it was?

[Quiet Lunatic]

Last weekend I towed my Polaris 800, total weight with trailer is approximately 1600 lbs and I wasn't very impressed. It definitely didn't like going up hills. The rpm's at times hit 5500 , sounded like the motor was going to self-destruct. I'm anxious to get my exhaust, intake and chip to see if it makes a difference. I'm getting it dynoed between each addition so I can see what each mod actually does.

[steve brittain]

oops. I'll have to post the pic again. The towing went well. I had it loaded a little front heavy so it felt odd. I agree that the rpms were up there when I would go up the hills on the backroads, but there seemed to be plenty of power there. One of the reasons I would like the 6 speed tranny over the 4. On the freeway, once I was at cruising speed it was quite comfortable with the load. I would guess tha overall weight was 3500 lbs counting the trailer.

[AirJunky]

Towed our 2200 lb ATV trailer fully loaded over 4th of July pass today. No problems. The RPMs get up to around 4500 or 4700 RPM to maintain 60 mph but it did the job.
I'm not sure I've hit 5500 RPM yet but it would be beyond where I'm confortable with it.

[StreetDancer]

Here's a shot of my boat after backing it up to my back garage. No the Nitro isn't sagging at all, I've got a bit of a dip there between my back driveway and the alley. Anyhow, everything I have hitch-wise has a 2 inch drop. Been looking for a new one with no drop.

Also the only other thing I noticed when pulling my boat is the blindspots. Anybody using a mirror extender on their nitro?
http://www.nitroforumz.com/PHOTOPOST/data/562/medium/100_0541.JPG

[dk1677]

Nice boat Street! :coolthumb:

[StreetDancer]

Nice boat Street! :coolthumb:


Danke DK!

Yes, I know there's a bit of a color clash between the yellowand the ORANGE, but a boy's gotta have his toys!

Besides, who can afford to buy MATCHING toys all at the same time???

[bms]

I just left a review under reviews towed from kissimmee florida to las vegas

[nitrogary]

Anyone towing with a Nitro yet? I'd like to hear about your experience.

I have a 98 Dakota I tow a 4000 ski boat on a tandem axle trailer with surge brakes. The Dakota GVWR is 6000 lbs with a 5.2 liter that has 230 horse & 300 ft/lbs of torque. Will a Nitro (GVWR of 4000 lb) with the 210 horse & 235 ft/lbs of torque really pull this boat safely? I know the Nitro is rated for 5000 lbs but it doesn't seem like towing a 5000 lb trailer with a 4000 lb truck is very wise. Maybe with a tandem axle & trailer brakes it can be done though. Anyone ever do it?

I think that you are confusing vehicle weight with GVWR. A gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) is the maximum allowable total weight (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weight) of a road (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road) vehicle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle) or trailer that is loaded, including the weight of the vehicle itself plus fuel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel), passengers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger), cargo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo), and trailer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailer) tongue weight. Gross weight is often confused with curb weight, which represents the weight of the vehicle with no passengers or cargo. The difference between gross weight and curb weight is the total passenger and cargo weight capacity of the vehicle. For example, a pickup truck with a curb weight of 2000 pounds might have a cargo capacity of 3000 pounds, meaning it can have a gross weight of 5000 pounds when fully loaded. My '01 Dakota weighs 3,680 lbs and can tow up to 6,400 lbs. No problems when the trailer is equipped with trailer brakes, like all trailers over 3,000 lbs should be. Your owners manual should explain all of this.

[bms]

I towed about 3200 pounds from florida to las vegas a distance of 2826 miles. Had cruise control set about 73 mph not one bit of trouble, gas millage was crap only about 14 . But as far as towing the nirto is better than a ford I had with a 302 . The nitro is by far the best towing truck I ever owned

[BearlyNitro]

I towed about 3200 pounds from florida to las vegas a distance of 2826 miles. Had cruise control set about 73 mph not one bit of trouble, gas millage was crap only about 14 . But as far as towing the nirto is better than a ford I had with a 302 . The nitro is by far the best towing truck I ever owned

Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say the Nitro is a great towing vehicle, but it does an okay job. Of course I have an 8,000 foot climb with a few fairly steep inclines to overcome to get from the flat lands to my home in the mountains. Even with a trailer that weighs only 1,000 to 1,500 pounds, the wife's SLT w/3.7L felt like it had to work pretty hard to maintain 50mph.

[Bogey]

My son just towed our 3900 pound 21 ft cuddy cabin boat and trailer from Portland Or to Lake Geneva Wi. 2100 miles with the only problem being mis-aimed headlamps at night due to the trailer weight. Gas mileage was reported to be 15 mpg with the 4.0 liter engine. I'll know the condition of the tow rig shortly as we are flying back there to retrieve the Nitro and drive it back to Portland. I think this is quite impressive considering the boat is quite substantial with a V8 I/O. The trailer is dual axle with surge brakes. I am looking forward to spending 3 full days behind the wheel of our Nitro R/T on the trip home. I'll report back soon.

[guyjeen]

I have towed our two horse trailer with it loaded, a bit more than 4000lbs. Does good on the flats but might be too much in a hilly area.

[warriorbob]

last weekend i towed my 18 foot car trailer with the car on it, total weight approx 4500 lbs

all the towing was city towing so it was all stop and go driving
the R/T had no problem taking off with traffic and keeping up with it.
i had no stopping problems as i have electric brakes on the trailer and a brake controller installed in the nitro

only real complaint i have is with the shorter wheelbase of the nitro and a shorter trailer the ride is somewhat bouncy, but then this is michigan and our roads suck big time........when i was on a smooth road that was not trash i had a good ride (not as bouncy).

i am happy with how she towed

[nitrogary]

last weekend i towed my 18 foot car trailer with the car on it, total weight approx 4500 lbs

all the towing was city towing so it was all stop and go driving
the R/T had no problem taking off with traffic and keeping up with it.
i had no stopping problems as i have electric brakes on the trailer and a brake controller installed in the nitro

only real complaint i have is with the shorter wheelbase of the nitro and a shorter trailer the ride is somewhat bouncy, but then this is michigan and our roads suck big time........when i was on a smooth road that was not trash i had a good ride (not as bouncy).

i am happy with how she towed

I gotta think that if one "plans" on towing something close to the limits regularly with the Nitro, the 4.0L R/T is the better drivetrain to go with. While the 3.7L is good engine, it doesn't seem to have quite enough grunt as others have said here.

[blkpylut]

I was hoping that someone could posts actual pics of their NITRO towing something.

Blkpylut

[AirJunky]

I was hoping that someone could posts actual pics of their NITRO towing something.

Blkpylut

There are a few in my gallery towing my 16' ATV trailer. I really need to get one pulling the pontoon boat known as the Tiki Barge. The thing is huge, 20' long & 8.5' high & looks funny as hell behind the tiny little Nitro.

http://www.nitroforumz.com/PHOTOPOST/data/564/medium/Nitro_ATVs2.jpg

http://www.nitroforumz.com/PHOTOPOST/data/500/medium/Nitro_Quad1.jpg

[warriorbob]

dont have a pic with the show car loaded on the trailer but here is the R/T with the car trailer right before i loaded the car on it

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/warriorbob/nitro_trailer02.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r221/warriorbob/nitro_trailer01.jpg

[pineglade]

I was looking for an RT but couldn't wait so I bought a fully loaded SLT with a trailer towing package. I tow a 4200LB trailer and have had no problem at all pulling the trailer. A couple of things to note: I used to pull with a Jeep Grand Cherokee and the set-up is the same. I have a weight distribution hitch but I noticed with the Nitro that there was some slight sway when pulling. Just enough to be annoying. An anti-sway bar will correct the problem although I didn't have that problem with the Jeep. Also when i'm climbing hills, in the jeep I used to down shift and the revs would stay roughly the same. With the Nitro I can't do this anymore. When it downshifts by itself it revs pretty high and when I downshift the same thing happens but I have had no problems. There is a trailer tow button on the tranny but it makes very litte difference. It's just a matter finding what's comfortable.

[Bogey]

I just made the return trip from Lake Geneva Wi to Portland Or. 3 days with the cruise control set at 80 mph and not one speed trap the entire way. I can report 18.5 mpg at 80 mph. The drive was very quiet and very comfortable. I was very impressed and a little surprised at how easy the rig handled the roads and the speed. This truly is a great SUV for the money.

[AirJunky]

Tested the Nitro's towing limits today by towing a 21' Malibu vRide wakeboard boat on a tandem axle trailer. The boat & trailer weighs in at 4300 lbs plus fuel & gear. We stayed on pretty flat roads & highways hitting 60 - 65 mph & getting about 12 mpg over about 50 miles. I can see where it would be a big problem going up any hills or mountain passes. But short trips over flat terrean are good to go.

I didn't think that was too bad since my buddy's full size Chevy 3/4 ton pickup with the Vortec V8 only got 10 mpg pulling the same boat over 500 miles. Of course that thing accelerated way past 65 easily, even pulling long hills.

I haven't purchased the weight distributing equalizer yet, but can definitely see the Nitro squatting in the rear. The rear suspension is pretty soft & bounces quite a bit over bumps & potholes. I almost wondered if a stiffer set of shocks, a set of air bags, or maybe air shocks would improve things.

[Ace43]

I just towed a 2 place snowmobile trailer with my 2 sleds on it to the snowmobile dealer.(getting ready for winter fun). I knew the trailer was back there when I tried to stop.

1.)What doe's the tow/haul feature really do to the Nitro (electronicly and physically)?

2.)And when should tow/haul feature really be used?

Because I used it to get the sleds to the dealer.Whom is 30 mile's from my home and @ 65 mph I was at 3000 rpm. I cannot see myself hauling a trailer 300 miles with this feature on when I usually run at 75 mph. The rpm's would be like 4000 for 4 hrs. My Durango would run @ 79 mph @ 2500 rpm's pulling the trailer. And yes I have the Mopar tow package on the Nitro.

[bms]

I towed a trailer u-haul 6x12 about 3000 pounds loaded from florida to nevada. got about 13 mpg a lot of sway in mountains but not a problem. problem was going downhill being passed by a semi then too much sway and a lot of jumping around got pretty hairy at times

[BearlyNitro]

After reading most of the replies in this thread and having my own experience towing with my Nitro R/T 4.0L, and my wife's Nitro SLT 3.7L the following are my opinions (everyone has them).

1. I don't think the brakes of the Nitro are up to par for towing 4,000lb to 5,000lb loads downhill for extended lengths of time.

2. The 5 speed transmission in the R/T probably makes more difference in pulling heavy loads up hill than the extra horsepower between the 3.7L and 4.0L engines.

3. I believe the only thing the "Tow/Haul" button does is that it locks out 4th gear, which is an "Overdrive" gear, and it might hold the first two gears longer and shift at a higher rpm to give the engine more torque in the higher gear when the shift is completed. There is no "Tow/Haul" button on the R/T's 4.0L engine and 5 speed transmission.

4. As some of the members here have pointed out, the torque numbers for both the 3.7 and 4.0 are not that different and torque is more important than horsepower when towing any load. With a few modifications the 3.7L engine can tow just as well as the 4.0L, but if you are going to tow with the 3.7L Nitro, I suggest you get the 6 speed manual transmission instead of the 4 speed automatic.

Just my 2 cents (and a bit more)

[AirJunky]

I towed a trailer u-haul 6x12 about 3000 pounds loaded from florida to nevada. got about 13 mpg a lot of sway in mountains but not a problem. problem was going downhill being passed by a semi then too much sway and a lot of jumping around got pretty hairy at times

As I understand it, this is exactly the reason why Dodge requires the equalizer to reach a 5000 lb tow limit.

I'll second the notion that the Tow/Haul feature blocks out the overdrive & keeps it in 1st & 2nd a bit longer.

I towed the ATV trailer (2500 lbs) with an R/T not too long ago..... we noticed almost no difference whatsoever. It shifted more often, but power from a standing start was pretty much identical.

[Bubbalicous]

ive towed 3200lbs with no problem exept when breaking

[LiquidPT]

4. As some of the members here have pointed out, the torque numbers for both the 3.7 and 4.0 are not that different and torque is more important than horsepower when towing any load. With a few modifications the 3.7L engine can tow just as well as the 4.0L, but if you are going to tow with the 3.7L Nitro, I suggest you get the 6 speed manual transmission instead of the 4 speed automatic.

Allpar suggests the manual has a SIGNIFICANTLY lower tow capacity than the auto. (see bottom of page)

http://www.allpar.com/SUVs/dodge/nitro.html

Can anybody actually look this up in their manual to confirm?

[minitrucker007]

Allpar suggests the manual has a SIGNIFICANTLY lower tow capacity than the auto. (see bottom of page)

http://www.allpar.com/SUVs/dodge/nitro.html

Can anybody actually look this up in their manual to confirm?


The stock installed receiver can carry a 5000 pound payload with a weight distribution receive, but the after market installed ones even the mopar one can only handle 3500. The stock one has an larger transmission cooler and added power steering cooler. Not to say the nitro can't do it, it is just not recomanded by Dodge

[Grandpasrt4]

No problems pulling my boat.



http://img398.imageshack.us/img398/3889/srt4web016jw1.jpg

[Scar0]

Nice setup Grandpasrt4. I'm Khaki with envi....

[rich klaver]

Last year we towed our 3500lb.tandem trailer with a Reese equilizer hitch over 4000k in my Nitro RT with the factory trailer package, from central B.C.to Fairbanks AK. Top Of The World highway, Yukon, Dawson Creek and back home. What I learned: Don't use 5th gear [overdrive], use your rpms on the hills, the engine gets a little noisy over 5000 but so what. Cruise at about 95k, set the equilizer level and it is one finger steering with no wind. Fuel economy was a little better than half of without a trailer which I thought was acceptable.I changed to full synthetic oil before the trip and did not have to add any. I have had 50 Years of RVing, but what I like about my RT is that I did not and don't expect to have any problems. Looking forward to going again soon.

[BRECK4X4MMM]

Nitro towing> what i would recomend towing your stuff!
(3.7 with 4spd )before any problems show
1.increase your atf/trans fluid cap/from stock to>1.5-2.0times
normal! Modify trans pan.i'm the only one doing this@this time!
2.change your trans filter/serv change out /cut it in half
3.switch to synethic atf asap!!! Its better/takes more heat/more
protection.asssuming you already have done the engine oil<synethic
4 add a second /outside transmission/spin on additional filter<atf!!
Towing packages of the 06-now grand cherokee use this system
5,this will be added, to the modify tran pan>42rle/13bolt<3.7/auto
if>>>>>>you tow a lot/boat/summer add a >temp trans guage!!
6.if you do all above ,you'll probablly ok, & under the 175*danger zone!
If overthat temp> increase the atf cooler size!
7.free /advice/if not & you haul with reg atf & pull ,with temp @ 190*
+ & above>save for your new modify trans/rebuilt ! Hope this post will help on trans #2
8.remember in some cases your hauling,in summer,pavement hotter,heating not cooling fluids/ac on<offcourse/incline /boatramp
mountains/& i would never use my over drive unless flat elev!thats me i
would never use over drive hauling,but thats me/15yrs,rving 45'c/12 yrs
racing harescrambles,every wk end/5yrs hauling 19' donzie inboard
427 big blk! Had some time hope this helps/just because i like this sight

[firefox]

http://gallery.gruppo-radicale.ch/albums/userpics/normal_SANY0476.JPG

Towing with the Nitro is easy..... In Switzerland it's only allowed to pull 2500kg with the Nitro but who cares ;-) I've pulled up to 5000kg!!!

Ok, the diesel engine has 460nm of torque (with the chip 560nm). Thats a big big plus and its 190PS are enough to drive it fast. On the pic I'm towing 2200kg. 800kg trailer and 1400kg car with lots of engine parts in it.... But the besp part of it is the fact that even with this load it only drinks 10,5l of diesel on 100km. Not bad I think....

Too bad you can't buy the diesel in the states. The mercedes automatic transmission (same as 4.0 R/T) works perfect on this engine. In Switzerland you can't buy a 3.7l. They only offer 4.0 R/T or the 2.8l Turbodiesel....

[Richtea]

Ok, the diesel engine has 460nm of torque (with the chip 560nm).


Firefox,
If you dont mind me asking, where did you get your chip from and how much did you pay for it?

Have you noticed the difference in fuel economy with the chip fitted?

Rich.