Towing with a Chrysler 300?

[Roxy]

Hi all, anyone out there towing a 30 or 31' A/C with a Chrysler 300, I am considering this, any information would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

[Naper]

Call Andy at CanAm RV in London Ontario.

[Roxy]

Sorry to all who have replied, I am new and having a bit of trouble navigating the site.

My question goes out to any one that has any information on towing a 30' or larger A/S with a Chrysler 300 or any other passenger car?

Thanks in advance

[mutcth]

The person you want to talk to is Andy Thomson at CanAm RV in London Ontario. His dealership specializes in setting up passenger cars for towing. He discusses towing with a Taurus SHO and a 300C in the latest issue of Airstream Life, as well as in various Hitch Hints columns in RV Lifestyle magazine. Here is a link to his column in that magazine of towing with a 2005 300C.

He also posts on the forum under the user name Andrew_T - check some of his past posts for discussions of various tow vehicles.

While many people disparage using cars to tow bigger trailers, he has a lot of experience and happy customers - I used him to set up my previous Honda Odyssey tow vehicle.

Tom

[Kevin245]

Originally Posted by Roxy

Sorry to all who have replied, I am new and having a bit of trouble navigating the site.

My question goes out to any one that has any information on towing a 30' or larger A/S with a Chrysler 300 or any other passenger car?

Thanks in advance

Hi Roxy,

Here's a thread link to some site "How To" information.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f138...ics-44928.html

[ElCamino Man]

I wouldnt do it personally... A 31 footer is a rolling house. Your 300C is... well... a passenger car lol. You can set-up the suspension so it wont sag and slap in a trailer brake and the whole 9 yards but when it comes down to it, a 300C wasnt meant to tow anythng but passengers. Im sure your tranny would go in a year, especially if its front wheel drive. I wouldnt hardly trust a 1/2 ton truck with that big of a trailer!

[Road Ruler]

As other have suggested. Andy is the guy to talk to.

Airstream Forums - View Profile: Andrew T

There are a number of forum members who used him/or his services to set up Dodge Chargers, Magnums, and 300's for towing good sized Airstreams. He also set up our car, Infiniti G35 as a TV. No problems in 6 years of towing.

Good luck and enjoy the ride.

[ElCamino Man]

Im a bit out of my league here as Iv never towed with a car... let alone owned one lol. (I did own a 2010 V6 Stang a few years back... couldnt stand not having a truck!)

I will throw in a tid bit of info though... GET THE HEMI! I couldnt even imagine towing that big of a trailer with anything smaller than a V8 lol. Or turbo 6 possibly...

[Aage]

Originally Posted by Roxy

Hi all, anyone out there towing a 30 or 31' A/C with a Chrysler 300, I am considering this, any information would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

There is a significant different in weight between the new ones and those of, say, the '70s.

What years are you considering?

[Edit] Yes, I forgot that Andy regularly tows a 34-footer with a Chrysler 300M! I guess that answers the question for a 30-31- footer.

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by ElCamino Man

Im a bit out of my league here as Iv never towed with a car...

That's cool, but if you ever want to move up to the Major's give one of Andy's rigs a try.

[ElCamino Man]

I dunno if Id trust a car towing that big of a trailer lol. You can say theyre built by the best and all that jazz but I feel totally secure with my 3/4 ton lol. The only way Id even consider it was if the whole vehcile was guaranteed

I blew a tranny seal in my TV towing 6000 lbs. And it was BUILT to tow! I still cant wrap my head around a cars tranny lasting through this kinda abuse

[slowmover]

I still cant wrap my head around a cars tranny lasting through this kinda abuse

Guessing you weren't on the road in the 1960's and '70's. A well set up combination of car and trailer could easily go over 100k of towing (with trailers heavier than an A/S of comparable size), and transmission life was then as now a matter mainly of HD componetry and operator skill, not just road conditions (climate & terrain).

Todays vehicles ought to be better, the current Chrysler 300 being an excellent choice when made on a line-by-line comparison with those older cars.

There are older threads on this car.

.

[ElCamino Man]

Im 20 lol. Iv been on the road for 4 years lol. I agree cars were built to last back in the day, but I figure the OP is talking about the newer 300Cs, which are built to last past the warranty...

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by ElCamino Man

Im 20 lol. Iv been on the road for 4 years lol. I agree cars were built to last back in the day, but I figure the OP is talking about the newer 300Cs, which are built to last past the warranty...

Not so!

Back in the day I think most folks would expect the average car to last 100,000miles, (for sure there are exceptions which did better).

Today we are seeing most go 200,000 to 300,000+miles.

Our mid sized V6 sedan is 10 years old, does lots of towing, and drives like new. No problems except for reqular service. It has 130,000miles on it and the plan is to shoot for that again over the next 10 years.

[MrUKToad]

As lots of diverse threads on here will show, the size and weight of an Airstream isn't the clincher when deciding how a Tow Vehicle will handle the load. An Airstream of any size will tow well on account of it's low profile, relatively aerodynamic shape and its two, four or six independently sprung wheels, and whilst you might need a honking great truck to pull a flat sided SOB, it's just not the case for an Airstream. That's the basis for Andrew T's work and one of the reasons he's so successful in setting up TVs like the Magnum or the 300C for the biggest Airstreams. Sure, he knows a thing or two about hitch rigging and general towing dynamics, but his customers' experiences prove that not only do these cars and SUVs tow well, but that they comfortably withstand the rigours of towing, transmissions and all. Check out the videos on Can-Am RV's website!

[RUMSHIP]

Is it legal to do this type of modification in the states, or do you have to go to Canada? I would think that if it were legal in the states that there would be shop in every state modifying mini vans to tow 34'. Just saying. Enjoy

[mutcth]

Originally Posted by RUMSHIP

Is it legal to do this type of modification in the states, or do you have to go to Canada? I would think that if it were legal in the states that there would be shop in every state modifying mini vans to tow 34'. Just saying. Enjoy

If you think about it, the Canadian market is a more fertile place for this modification than the US. Gas and vehicle prices are higher there. Here in the US it's somewhat easier to justify/tolerate the purchase of a bigger truck.

Towing ratings are set by manufacturers based on their testing. The biggest factor in the tests is powertrain cooling, measured by towing up a steep grade in Death Valley at 100+ degrees at highway speeds with the AC cranked, pulling a non-aerodynamic box trailer. It's a severe test - and it doesn't have anything to do with legality.

Manufacturers don't test cars to the same limits as trucks because market research tells them that buyers will simply get a truck or SUV if the want to tow. It doesn't mean that a unmodified car would pass the higher towing limit in the test - but it doesn't mean that it wouldn't serve the customer well when towing a heavier Airstream (aerodynamic and stable) in less extreme conditions either.

Tom

[kidsgone]

The wonderful couple that bought our 27' International is towing her with a new cherry red Dodge Charger thanks to CanAm...gotta admit...looked pretty hot!
Andi

[Ganaraska]

I've read a lot of Andrew's posts and other writings. I can't speak for him, but the Chrysler 300 has all the things he says are desirable for a tow vehicle. It is one of the best cars for towing you can get.

There are certain things that come up over and over when he sets up a car for towing. 1) Get a set of low profile tires. This helps road grip and handling, and lowers the effective gear ratio to make towing easier 2) A good transmission cooler 3) A good hitch receiver, heavy duty, made in his own shop and built onto the tow vehicle. Keep the hitch as short as possible, in other words you want the hitch ball as close to the rear axle as you can get.4) A good brake controller

Then, carefully set up the hitch height, spring bars, etc so the trailer tows the way it should. This can take several trips to the weigh scale and multiple adjustments but once you figure out the best setup for your rig it is easy to do it that way every time.