SAE to correct Tow Rating lies...

[Road Ruler]

Quote..... DETROIT — There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies and towing capacity.



Many of us have come to realize that the manufactures "Tow Ratings" are in many cases inaccurate.

Many vehicles are over rated. Many vehicles are under rated.

Looks like the folks at SAE are working to change all that.

Items like "handling and stability in lane change control" will be one of the considerations.

Towing claims may soon meet reality | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

[wahoonc]

This should be interesting. I wonder how "real" world it will end up being and who is going to get dinged the hardest for lying about tow capacity. There will still be some subjectivity based on the type of trailer. I know that there is no way I would pull a 6,000# SOB with my F150 but the Airstream does fine.

Aaron

[Silvertwinkie]

Be interesting to see what shakes out of the tree.

[TIMEMACHINE]

It is great to see that SAE is working on developing standards on towing for the adoption by vehicle manufacturers. My experience as a committee member for SAE standards tells me that we shouldn't hold our breath for a published towing standard. A typical standard via SAE could take several years, and even then, the manufacturers may take several more years to adopt and/or implement.

John

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by wahoonc

This should be interesting. I know that there is no way I would pull a 6,000# SOB with my F150 but the Airstream does fine.
Aaron

For sure Aaron.... I know a guy who went from a 22' SOB to a heavier 27' Airstream and he couldn't believe how much easier the Airstream was to tow overall.

The article talks about an even playing field for new vehicle buyers.

This story is being discussed on other RV forums and it has been suggested that many top heavy vehicles will struggle with the "sudden lane change" test and get a tow rating reduction.

In the interest of safety and accuracy many hope SAE will come up with a viable program.

[moosetags]

I can't wait to see the "real" figures. Does anyone know exactly when these figures will be out. I sure hope they can go back over the last few years so we can see where the recent offerings really stand.

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by Road Ruler

For sure Aaron.... I know a guy who went from a 22' SOB to a heavier 27' Airstream and he couldn't believe how much easier the Airstream was to tow overall.

The article talks about an even playing field for new vehicle buyers.

This story is being discussed on other RV forums and it has been suggested that many top heavy vehicles will struggle with the "sudden lane change" test and get a tow rating reduction.

In the interest of safety and accuracy many hope SAE will come up with a viable program.

I suspect that may be due to the lower center of gravity of the AS as well as it's aerodynamic shape I think while the SAE is at it they need to look at the standards for trailers too FWIW I have a 3000# Coleman Popup that tows like crap. It is very poorly engineered and almost impossible to get sufficient tongue weight to make for safe towing, without overloading the camper GVW rating. It has since been redesigned to distribute the weight a bit better, but it was built that way for at least 3-4 years

Aaron

[Road Ruler]

Looks like they dropped the article on the link I provided.

Here is what it had to say.......

Towing claims may soon meet reality
Manufacturers work to come up with standard test

By MARK PHELAN
Detroit Free Press

DETROIT — There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies and towing capacity.
Nineteenth-century British politician Benjamin Disraeli may have said the last kind of lie was statistics, but he never went shopping for a pickup truck.
Automakers can virtually make up the towing capacity they claim, rendering a key performance statistic all but meaningless.
That may be about to change.
DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda and Toyota are working to create a standard test for the towing capacity they advertise to attract buyers.
Ironclad standards already control the claims automakers can make about fuel economy, horsepower and torque, but each company currently sets its own rules to evaluate towing capacity. Several automakers were publicly humiliated when they got caught using inflated horsepower numbers a few years ago, but there's no universally accepted objective measure of towing capacity.
This is no small deal. Towing capacity means as much to truck buyers as horsepower and torque do to speed freaks.
Towing capacity currently works on the honor system, but there's not much honor in the cutthroat pickup market. Virtually every time a new truck hits the market with class-leading towing capacity, its rivals magically rise to match it.
"Towing capacity is an incredibly powerful marketing tool," said GM trailering engineer Rob Krouse, who chairs the Society of Automotive Engineers committee that's developing a standard towing test.
The committee, which also includes representatives of trailer manufacturers, could have the new rule in place by the end of this year, Krouse said.
"A common standard means the customer will be able to compare apples to apples. People will know what they're getting," said Peter Frantzeskakis, vehicle engineering manager for Ford's Super Duty pickups.
The standard will define the minimum acceptable performance in a number of areas that affect safety and driving comfort, including:
•Acceleration to freeway speed.
•The ability to drive at a set speed for several miles up a defined slope.
•Braking capability from a set speed.
•Handling and stability in lane changes.
The standard will also specify what kind of trailer automakers must test with and will require automakers to test with vehicles that match the models they sell, rather than testing with stripped trucks that lack common features like power seats and windows. The new standards will also apply to SUVs and cars.
"If we all test the same way, the customer can use the knowledge to make informed decisions," Krouse said.

[CanoeStream]

Road Ruler -- Thanks for giving us the text.

I think the Forums were passing around a link to a video a couple years back with a Touareg (or Cayenne) swerving through cones with an SOB and then an Airstream at identical speeds. The SOB would raise up on one wheel and the driver had to compensate to keep from flipping his tow.

[scottanlily]

Well ,Its about time because we all know about these over inflated tow ratings that bombard the consumer every day .I think many folks get right into trouble with vehicals claiming huge tow capacities ,yet the manafacture
is not held to their claim ,safety first ,stopping ,starting road manueverability
with said TV and so on should all be addressed on any TV .Many here are loyal to there choice of vehical as am I with mine ,but we all need to be told the truth on what we are buying ,Can it really tow what it claims in ALL
aspects as mentioned ,can the factory hitch hold up (suburbans for example)
breaking hitches or the land rover hitch pulling right out of the reciever.
any way I for one am glad to know this issue will finally get the attention it needs to have ,keeping the manafacture honest .

Scott