I currently have a GMC Terrain 1.5 L. I plan on taking my trailer to the Rockies. Does anyone have a similar vehicle or engine size? if so how does this size engine handle mountain terrain? Can you share your experiences?
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The towing capacity for you SUV is 1500lbs and you have 203 ft/lbs of torque. You should be just fine, teardrops weighs under 1000lbs. Just be aware of the amount of stuff you put in you SUV and teardrop. Use you transmission to help braking on down hill stretches (engine braking) and I usually shift manually on mountain climbs. We have pulled our teardrop from coast to coast with a 2018 Subaru Forester xt, it does have a little power than your, but not a lot. I don’t think I abuse it at any point. Just don’t push it too hard. Pete
Thank you Dena. This gives me more confidence that my vehicle has the capacity. . Would you suggest I use a lower gear when going down hill? to minimize braking. Good point about overloading my vehicle. Steve also suggested I install a transmission cooler.
I have pulled small and large trailers for a lot of years. On hills and mountains, I always shift my transmission manual to maximize the engines torque range and for engine braking. This also minimizes transmission from shifting up and down continuous on uphill slopes, which is hard on transmissions. I’m also a retired GM mechanic. The torque range on your engine looks pretty good (2000 - 4000 RPM’S) just don’t be in a big hurry. A good transmission cooler is a good idea, and watch your engine cooled temperature. Pete (519) 282 - 0838 if you would like to call
Hello Peter. I have the 1.5 liter in my 2018 Equinox. We made 2 trips in with our 5x8 last year. One was a 2 hour trip with a bit of altitude change. The second was 4 hours with much greater altitude change. I cannot agree more to not be in a hurry. Take the car out of ‘overdrive’ and don’t use the Cruise control as it tends to ‘hunt’ especially on inclines which as described is hard on the transmission. I have since purchased a GMC Jimmy for towing only because I found that I had too much weight on the tongue which cause the backend to sag making it difficult for clearance pulling out of driveways. I have the large toolbox with 2 batteries and have it fairly loaded plus a roof cargo carrier with a fair bit on it as well
Hope this helps.
Thanks John for the useful tips I will certainly be careful not to overload the trailer.
Peter