How much weight can a prius tow in a trailer?

I will try to help the the gent out with my experience. I have had three prius. all gen 3. my first prius (which I regret selling) I towed many things with. I had a 4x6 aluma light trailer. (250 lb trailer). The trailer is rated to carry 1800 lbs. I know lots of folks will slap my wrist for towing with a prius ect.ect. TOWING WILL VOID WARRANTY. I fgured my repair bills will be mine. I do know the car is not designed to tow. I bought the car for its efficiency and looks and its practicality for my personal use. I towed a lawn aerator seasonally. the machine weighs 500 lbs itself. The prius does this with ease. minimal mpg decrease. I have pulled a 750lb motorcycle 1500 miles on it . (mpg dcrease 35 percent) I also towed my 1500cc jet ski with it. (power mode when coming up the ramp when loaded) I put 40k miles on that prius without any mechanical issues whatsoever. The prius that I just purchased is now just my driver. My needs have changed , so I have never towed with it. My biggest concern is the tongue wieght that you put on the hitch. Your hitch is not bolted to a solid steel frame. I always balace the weight if its a large amount.

 

here is one more

 

This depends on the location. In the US it's not illegal. In some countries it is illegal to exceed the manufacturer's tow rating.

Getting back to the OP's question, the risks of towing fall into two categories: 1) Damage to the vehicle, and 2) Control.

Control is the standard issue with all towing: how strong are your brakes, how heavy is the vehicle, and that sort of thing. The Prius is on the small end of being mid sized. Common sense says to avoid towing anything large or heavy.

Damage to the vehicle is probably the focus of the OP's question. The damage risk falls into three areas: 1) Overheating; 2) Drive train; and 3) Suspension. Let's look at these individually:

1) Overheating - Overheating in a Prius can occur in the transmission, engine, or inverter. Engine heating issues are the same as with any ordinary car, keeping in mind that the Prius has a very small engine.

The transmission contains the two electric motors, which can overheat from heavy use. Likewise with the inverter, which drives the electric motors. Both of these systems can overheat without warning, since there are no gauges. For anything more than light trailer towing, you should consider installing a Scangauge to monitor internal temperatures.

2) Drive train - In addition to the heating issues above, the drive train in a Prius is relatively light. Heavy trailer loads can easily cause mechanical damage.

3) Suspension - This is the same as with any normal car. Your Prius does not have heavy trailer towing suspension, so common sense says take it easy.

The long and the short of this is that a light trailer can easily be towed without much risk. A somewhat heavier trailer can be towed, but speed and distance should be limited. If you insist on towing for long distances, consider installing a Scangauge. And finally, remember that any damage will be your own - don't expect help from Toyota.

Tom

 

Tom you are 100 percent correct! Just wanted to toss out my experience and photos. Being a mechanic for 15 years , I understand the pitfalls. I would reccomend only light towing. Or a second vehicle for towing.

 

Consider a Prius with full passenger load: 4 x 250 lb adults.

As far as gross combined weight (car + driver/passengers + trailer), 4000 lbs is a reasonable limit. I have not towed a trailer but have regularly driven the car with that much weight in it. It tends to bottom out on speed bumps. I would not hesitate to haul a light trailer e.g. motorcycle snow machine or jet ski.

If you tow regularly, you should change your transaxle fluid regularly. The trans will be worked the hardest, since it is largely responsible for braking. The battery can be protected somewhat by using B instead of D for downgrades. You may find that your battery is at full charge when you get off the highway and come to a stop. Do not turn off your car in such circumstance, as the battery may overheat. Leave it in Ready until some of the charge has drained off.

 

Vehicle tow ratings are not just based on pulling capacity and tongue weight- but are heavily influenced by actual stopping capacity with a tow load.

Most cars/SUV's have published manufacturer tow ratings, so it's safe to assume you'll be able to safely come to a controlled stop with a tow load that doesn't exceed the posted max load. The problem with the Prius is that we have no idea what the max safe tow load (or any safe tow load) is for effective braking. Anecdotal evidence seems to suggest that the Prius has sufficient power to pull a small load, but how will it handle a panic stop with that load?

On one of the boating forums I frequent, one of the most frequently asked questions from new boaters is- "what's a good tow vehicle for this boat?" Just as in any "give me your opinion" type thread there's always a few posters who reply with less then common sense responses like "I've towed a 22' boat with a VW Microbus at 55mph on the highway". Thankfully more reputable members eventually join in and start discussing control-ability and stopping distances and that's when people realize it's not all about what a vehicle can pull- but it's just as or even more important it's what that vehicle can safely control and stop.

Could anyone imagine salivating attorneys lining up to be on the other end of a lawsuit where a Prius towing a trailer was involved in an accident?

 

NY rob, hope your not refering to me being that " less common sense guy"

 

Only if you tow a 22' boat with a VW Microbus at 55mph on the highway

Actually, I'm glad you posted those photos- I did consider towing my jetski w/the Prius if I had to on weekends when I don't have access to my CR-V (my wife's daily driver now). My route to the local boat ramp is only 3-4 mi via back roads with a posted 30mph max speed. Only thing is... we boat in salt water around here and I'm sure that would be very detrimental to the Prius. Guess I'll just have to ask the wife to drive her Expedition to work on summer Saturday's and leave me home with the Prius and CR-V.

 

Haha. Im NOT that guy LOL! I did accidentally hit the lock button on my exterra when I hopped out to launch the jet ski. It was july 4th!! people waitng as I sat blocking the ramp. took my wife an hour to bring me the spare keys. while the exterra is burbling in the water....man..what a day that was

 

Yeah, that kind of puts a damper on your spirits...

On the other hand, seems we don't need no stinking trailers for our PWC's...
This guy has figured how to launch/retrieve his jetski without a trailer... This by far is the most outrageous ramp hijinks I've seen to date:

 

Huh ???? How so ???

You don't think there's anybody that lives in coastal towns that own Prii ??

Nothing to worry about ... it's just a car.

REV

 

On our local ramp- when launching a PWC, depending on the tide it's sometimes necessary to back the beginning of the front wheels almost up to or even touching the waterline at the ramp. With a low car like the Prius- this would directly submerge lots of mid vehicle to rear end components in raw salt water. The car would then sit for several hours unwashed while out riding the PWC, then it would be partially submerged again to retrieve the PWC- driven several miles to my house- then rinsed in fresh water. My nephew launches his PWC with his BMW 3 series- it's painful to watch the exhaust gurgling and the rear tires being submerged over the axles at the ramp.
It's one thing to subject a SUV to this rough treatment- my relatively low (by SUV standards) CR-V undercarriage stays dry launching the PWC- but that would be cruel and unusual treatment for the low slung Prius. I also see electrolysis being a major problem with 600+ volts near salt water/air.

 

I am surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. I don't think a little salt water would be any different than those cars that drive in places where the roads are salted in the winter? With that said, I would not dunk my car front wheels to the waterline though either, that is when you need a beater truck.

 

There is a big difference between driving around on salted roads verses immersion. It's not uncommon to soak the entire back end of a vehicle when launching a boat. It's better to use an extension, but most people don't have them.

Tom

 

I've launched about a thousand boats in my day ... and I never submerged the rear axle once. Sounds like you either have an improper trailer for the boat, or a really strange loading ramp.

REV

 

Although this is getting OT now, jetski trailers are carpet bunk float on type- no rollers like many boat trailers. So yes, they do require a deeper submersion in order to float the PWC off the trailer rather than a roller type trailer where you hit the brakes and the boat slides off into the water.

Our ramps get pretty slimy hear at low tide too, I think the Prius traction control would blow a fit on the slippery ramp ends at low tide.

 

I think you should just look at the max passenger/cargo weight for the prius. Then if you are the only item in the car you can just tow that weight (depending on trailer weight). If a prius can take 5 average sized adults and some luggage/cargo, then it can definitely tow that same weight on a trailer. that way you are technically staying in the prius weight carry specifications.

Keep in mind this is all dependent on the trailer weight, size and aerodynamics. if you have a tiny light weight trailer that help improve aerodynamics than it could actually car a little more than the passenger/cargo weight due to it being more aerodynamically efficient.

 

Ouch. It's never painless, but I hope it was quick.

 

Well I like to offer this..I did not tow it but I loaded 40 paving bricks 8 bags of sand 30lbs each and 12 bags of bark mulch..not only could I not see out the back with the seats folded down.. the rear end sank to the lowest point I ever saw ...as I pulled out a guy with a pickup shaked his head and said hope your not going too far. I laughed and said no 10 miles and crossed my fingers the tires would not rub..I have 17"s.. so it can take weight..towing that would be interesting.

SAMSUNG-SM-G891A ?