It's not a warranty issue. It's a matter of safety. All states and countries have laws relating to vehicle safety. Some have laws regulating towing. For example, in Australia it is against the law to tow more than the manufacturer's recommended weight. For the Prius, that is zero, meaning a Prius is not allowed to tow a trailer in Australia. Australia doesn't care if you wreck your car, they just don't want you to kill anyone in the process. Tom
Thank you Tom, your explanation of Australia's concern for second order effects makes sense. I had not considered that aspect.
It's not much to look at, but it was free. My father-in-law had an extra trailer and that saved me from restoring one I had on the farm. I may still do that as a winter project, but for now this will work. It's a sound trailer and transported empty about a 70 mile trip averaging 35mpg. I'm sure it's mainly the drag keeping me down. I kept to the highways because around Louisville there are some real good bumps that will make an empty trailer come off the ground at 65. In a truck I wouldn't mind that too much, but a lighter weight car that I paid for makes me more cautious.
I've towed my skiff from Seattle to Fresno and back twice now, plus some BC and Oregon trips. The Prius does amazing. There are some serious hills. I usually try to keep the engine from doing it's Max Revs for gas economy. On very very big downhills I make sure to use 'B' on the gear box to avoid motor overheating. I get ~35-40 MPG. In California MPG are in the 50s because it's so flat. Mountain passes are in the high 20s and 30 going up and then 99mpg on the other side. . My trailer is about 250 lbs and the boat is ~150 lbs with dolly. Add one wife, one kid, camping gear and you have a great vacation. I just make sure the tongue weight is low. (under 90 lbs). most of the load is windage. I have a LED trailer harness what is tucked away in one of the side bins in the trunk. no issues. we are doing the trip again this summer. It a 2000 mile round trip. I think I have towed my trailer and skiff about 5000 miles to date.
I posted somewhere before about this, I think there are two issues with towing with a Prius, the chassis which really benefits from strut and rail braces and the brakes. Sensible driving will limit the problems with both but the transmission is a simple gearset capable of much higher loads and a couple of electronically controlled motors (you would know if you were stressing them DON'T) Brakes would need assistance with "B" mode on long downhills and if you think you face a long uphill find another route or take it in short stages. A transmission temperature gauge might reassure but you can load the transmission to max flooring it. Max power exerted on transmission = max power of the car. Anyone see a flaw in my thinking? There maybe a few
I tow, and towed. With 2006 G2 Prius & G3 2010 Prius. Easier to install with the G2, expensive setup with the 2010 because of the LED tail lights, needs a booster w/relay switches. I actually blew out my booster cost me an extra 150$ for a new one, because the trailer I had used would short sometimes. *Useful Product* Hide your keys in a safe that goes into the hitch compartment. Perfect for when you go to the beach. Combination lock. T A D A --- http://www.boingboing.net/2011/04/23/hitchsafe-key-vault.html
