Towing with a Front Wheel Drive vehicle?

Hi Friends,

I towed for the better part of a decade with a first gen 2000 Toyota Sienna. Tow capacity was 3500 lbs. With it I towed a 1500 lbs. pop up trailer as well as using it to pull my 57 Westerner and finally I used it to tow back my 55 Rod and Reel from Eastern Oregon all the way back to So Cal.

It towed the pop up with a lot of gear and a young and growing family of 6 but I would have to be in the slow lane going up steep mountain grades. It was always stable towing down the freeway even at speeds of 70 at times. That was with the pop up. The wheel base is long and that helps for stability and I bagged the rear suspension with cheater bags which helped with the rear end sag.

The Rod and Reel at an estimated 2400 lbs. was a struggle on hills and I had to turn off the overdrive when towing that one all the way back from Oregon over some passes. But, I never had stability problems. I am sure your van has more HP.

The Sienna had a meager 189 HP V6 and a factory tow package. It got the job done. The one exception is that the front wheel drive when towing on a hill during rain or after the rain has stopped could break loose especially when there is oil on the road. The Sienna did not have traction control. I had that problem very seldom and the mileage was well over 100K miles and on the original suspension. Your Chrysler with only 5K miles and newer tires and suspension on it might yield a better outcome. I am sure it has traction control as well. Those factors could make for a better experience on wet hills.

Vans are great because of all the glass and makes over the shoulder checks and backing up with a trailer really easy. They ride well, too. Outside of one instance going through San Francisco with a full load of people in the van and towing the pop up, did we ever have issues with towing (in a light rain).

For towing smaller trailers and hams, I would think the Chrysler van would do fabulously with the exception of steep hills. But, as mentioned earlier, newer technology and more horsepower could mitigate this issue.

Cheers,

Rod

Thanks for the replies. Great info on towing with a Front WD van, Rod. I'm a firm believer in "there's no substitute for cubic inches" and still say a tow vehicle should have a V8 with a minumum tow capacity of 5000lbs.

Don't get me wrong, I love this van. It has lots of bells and whistles and a huge cargo space. I'd say 4 x 8 flat. The seats stow away, so it's like a pickup with an open cab and lid. LOL. It drives well and has good weight and length for towing. My point is that this van has the FACTORY tow package and the manufacturer has promoted it as a tow vehicle. I don't think it is. If it can't make it up a small slope, how can it tow any size of trailer safely?

Think about it: the trailer adds tongue weight, thereby causing less weight and traction on the front wheels. For towing short distances, 3500 is enough for a 1000lb cargo trailer. But what about a front wheel drive van when towing a canned ham and the entire family, including the dog?? Many hams start at 1500lbs and most of mine have been at least 1800 pounds. With camping gear and people, the van is LOADED. A weight distribution system might help but in itself adds weight on the back.

The van will tow OK on the freeway and even with lack of pull power up steep hills, it is still safe. Wet weather concerns me, as does getting into the campgrounds off paved roads. I'm pretty sure I figured out why the Chrysler was traded in with only 4000 miles on it. One camping trip was enough.

I think the above is important to help all of us. Considering buying a vehicle to tow your trailer? Pay attention to the drive train! I've always been a proponent of FACTORY tow packages but there are other considerations...

NOTE: Many 2021 vans have All Wheel Drive. A much needed improvement.

Recently on another forum somebody posted a link to a commercial showing a Chevy Citation pulling a trailer. It had the weight distribution cranked up high enough that they removed the rear wheels from the car and everything was still level.

Obviously an advertising gimmick (don't try this at home! ) but proof of concept for sure.

A weight distribution system basically levers the rear of the vehicle up which pushes the front down. It should give you much more traction with a front wheel drive vehicle. Read your manual closely... Many manufacturer tow ratings have a disclaimer that weight distribution is required for the full rating.