towing with a WRX?

[Byron]

I have a '02 WRX wagon (MT) and am contemplating a June move from
Massachusetts to Arizona which is ~2700 miles. I'm not going to move a
lot of heavy stuff this time, but I do have a couple of bulky items. In
past cross country moves I've always towed my (previous) car with all
wheels off the ground behind a rental truck. This time I'd much rather
tow a small trailer and drive those miles in my car in my seats with my
stereo. U-Haul says the car is rated for 2000 lb trailer and recommends
a class 1 (lightest duty) hitch.

Has anyone here towed such a load with a WRX? Any issues?
What size trailers did you use, and how heavy were they?
The trailers are only rated for 45mph, but the clerk said that was
mostly to prevent the trailer coming off the ball during bumps when
people don't attach the trailer quite right. I don't think I'd be able
to go less than 60 on some of the interstates with 75mph limits. Still,
I'm thinking of keeping the transmission in 4th gear to prevent
lugging. Does this sound like a good idea?
Any idea how much my gas mileage will go down (in mostly city driving
I'm now averaging 18.9mpg)? My last moving truck with car in tow got
just under 4mpg.
Other recommendations?

Thanks,
Byron

 

[y_p_w]

I have a '02 WRX wagon (MT) and am contemplating a June move from
Massachusetts to Arizona which is ~2700 miles. I'm not going to move a
lot of heavy stuff this time, but I do have a couple of bulky items. In
past cross country moves I've always towed my (previous) car with all
wheels off the ground behind a rental truck. This time I'd much rather
tow a small trailer and drive those miles in my car in my seats with my
stereo. U-Haul says the car is rated for 2000 lb trailer and recommends
a class 1 (lightest duty) hitch.

Has anyone here towed such a load with a WRX? Any issues?
What size trailers did you use, and how heavy were they?
The trailers are only rated for 45mph, but the clerk said that was
mostly to prevent the trailer coming off the ball during bumps when
people don't attach the trailer quite right. I don't think I'd be able
to go less than 60 on some of the interstates with 75mph limits. Still,
I'm thinking of keeping the transmission in 4th gear to prevent
lugging. Does this sound like a good idea?
Any idea how much my gas mileage will go down (in mostly city driving
I'm now averaging 18.9mpg)? My last moving truck with car in tow got
just under 4mpg.
Other recommendations?

Use a heavy weight oil. The manual says 10W-40, 30wt, 40wt, or 20W-50
are OK for towing or exceedingly hot temperatures. It also says 10W-50
or 20W-40 are OK, but I've never seen those weights anywhere. Arizona
will be hot in June so you might want to keep the heavy weight oil in
there. Mobil 1 10W-30 could be another alternative.

 

[Edward Hayes]

Don't forget that the weight of the trailer must be included in the total
weight. The U-haul I pulled with my Forester weighed 1500 pounds so that
only left me with 500 of luggage at the max weight. I think I would
reconsider if you will be pulling much over 1000 lbs, especially wo trailer
brakes and or in very hot weather. If you are now using a synthic oil like
Mobil1 then I would use their 15w50 or 15w40 oil. Ed

 

[Ralph E Lindberg]

I have a '02 WRX wagon (MT) and am contemplating a June move from
Massachusetts to Arizona which is ~2700 miles. I'm not going to move a
lot of heavy stuff this time, but I do have a couple of bulky items. In
past cross country moves I've always towed my (previous) car with all
wheels off the ground behind a rental truck. This time I'd much rather
tow a small trailer and drive those miles in my car in my seats with my
stereo. U-Haul says the car is rated for 2000 lb trailer and recommends
a class 1 (lightest duty) hitch.

First, don't listen to U-Haul, they don't actually -know- anything
about what your car is (or isn't) rated to tow. I would ask Subaru (and
not a sales-geek). When I looked at my resources (towingworld and the
towing guide at trailer-life), either listed the WRX as rated to tow
anything (the Baja, Forester, Outback and Legacy yes). Given that the
Impreza and WRX aren't listed, it's certainly possible your car is -NOT-
rated to tow anything. If it is not, and you damage the drive-train, I
suspect Subaru will not honor your warrenty.
Given that the WRX drivetrain is optimized for speed/power and not
towing/power I would not be surprized that Subaru doesn't want you to
tow anything.

Second, you need to understand the tow ratings a bit more. Besides the
max-tow rating for -any- vehicle, there is a max combined weight rating.
This is the combined weight of the vehicle (loaded) and trailer. This
second rating is much easier to exceed then the tow rating. Since most
max tow ratings assume one person and little gear in the vehicle. Check
with Subaru for the max combined weight rating.

Third, for those Subaru's that are rated to tow, Subaru reccomend
(requires?) that the trailer have brakes. Most U-Haul's I've seen don't
have brakes.

Fourth, while the correct choice in engine oil will help keep the
engine from overheating, it will not help with the transmission or
brakes (large issues in towing).

--

 

[George Bame]

My towing experience is somewhat limited, and with a 2003 Forester X, so
take it for what it's worth:

My documentation says the Forester will tow 2000 lbs, but recommends trailer
brakes if the weight is over 1000 lbs. As is usually the case with towing,
it's not the power to get it going, but the power to stop it!

With those factors in mind along with my need for bulk hauling at least a
dozen times per year ---
-- I had the dealer install the factory hitch when I bought my Forester
-- Shopped a LOT on the internet until I found an all-aluminum trailer
builder within 200 miles of my Norfolk, VA
residence. I paid a premium to get the 4 x 8 trailer, but it doesn't
rust, has a GVWR of 2000 lbs, and only weighs 318
lbs empty. That leaves me at least 650 lbs of payload before having
to consider the brakes issue.

If you think you'll tow often enough, I would recommend this option. If
your towing is a one-shot deal, I would ask about trailer weight.

George Bame
Norfolk, VA

P.S. I think one of the aluminum trailer builders I found on the net was in
New England, maybe Connecticut.

 

[P&C]

Just letting you know I'm towing a 2000lb hardtop camper (12 foot ,largest
you can get with electric brake) with my 2000 forester..you wold hardley
even know that is behind you ..its a standard shift and I'm using mobile one
full synthetic oil ..no temp changes...the only thing I wished it had would
be a class 3 hitch ..something to put a weight distribution kit on so that
it would take some of the weight off the rear ...I live in Newfoundlan where
the terrain is not flat ...nothing but up and down quite large hills ..no
problem keeping up with traffick doing 100 -120 km and very rarely have to
gear back to 4th

 

[P&C]

and as far as gas millage I forgot to add..no difference

 

[CompUser]

01.rogers.nf.net>, (e-mail address removed)
says...

and as far as gas millage I forgot to add..no difference

No difference? ...must be running exceptionally
rich, I'd guess.

Steve

 

[uglymoney]

I have a '02 WRX wagon (MT) and am contemplating a June move from
Massachusetts to Arizona which is ~2700 miles. I'm not going to move a
lot of heavy stuff this time, but I do have a couple of bulky items. In
past cross country moves I've always towed my (previous) car with all
wheels off the ground behind a rental truck. This time I'd much rather
tow a small trailer and drive those miles in my car in my seats with my
stereo. U-Haul says the car is rated for 2000 lb trailer and recommends
a class 1 (lightest duty) hitch.

Has anyone here towed such a load with a WRX? Any issues?
What size trailers did you use, and how heavy were they?
The trailers are only rated for 45mph, but the clerk said that was
mostly to prevent the trailer coming off the ball during bumps when
people don't attach the trailer quite right. I don't think I'd be able
to go less than 60 on some of the interstates with 75mph limits. Still,
I'm thinking of keeping the transmission in 4th gear to prevent
lugging. Does this sound like a good idea?
Any idea how much my gas mileage will go down (in mostly city driving
I'm now averaging 18.9mpg)? My last moving truck with car in tow got
just under 4mpg.
Other recommendations?

Thanks,
Byron

The following is not based on fact, but is simply my own personal
views based on information that I cannot scientifically back up at
the moment, but which I believe to be accurate information. Do your
own research - never trust usenet - never trust a stranger - I am a
stranger.

I tow a lot. I tow a pretty hefty ski boat with my 2002 Outback 5
speed.

I have had bad, bad luck with these lightweight class one hitches
(think bent metal). They are just not worth a crap. Get the
heaviest, best hitch you can find. I have a 3500 lb hitch on my
Outback. Call around and try to find a 3500 lb hitch. Some places
have them (for the Outback - not sure about the Impreza), some places
only have the 2000 lb class 1's.

Unfortunately, after I wrote the above paragraph I ran a precursory
search on WRX wagons, and only found class I hitches. A couple of
them may be decent, with 2500 lb ratings.... here is a link...
research and buy the beefiest one.

http://makeashorterlink.com/?K5CA21CF7

The WRX is a Turbo, and Turbo "gas" motors can run extremely hot
exhaust valve temps while climbing hills etc., and running full power
for long periods of time. Be careful with that. I'm not sure if
running in a lower gear will help with that, doubt it. Maybe somebody
else can jump in here. I think the only way around this is to lay off
the fuel on long pulls. Diesels have the advantage of heavier fuel
being injected and lubricating and cooling the cylinder, the bore
walls, and exhaust valve, so turbo's diesels are great for towing.
Not true with gas engines.

I'd probably use the highest gear you need to pull it, that is what I
do, but I have a normally aspirated 2.5 and I am not afraid to put it
to the floor and leave it their for minutes at a time if I am pulling
a long hill. With your Turbo, flooring it for minutes at a time may,
or may not be a wise idea. Using a lower gear is generally an
automatic thing, to prevent slippage and heat in the transmission.
Manual's are far better suited to highway towing, and no transmission
issues should develop, save for starting out on a steep grade.

Good luck. Remember, towing is about common sense. Large loads can
be towed, but you can't drive around with a large load without using
your brain!

nate

 

[Byron]

Thanks to everyone who's responded to this thread so far. Lots of good
ideas and suggestions.

I realize the smallish Impreza body with a 2 liter turbo isn't exactly
what I'd spec out for a tow vehicle. But it's what I've got now, and
your responses will help me decide what to do in June (tow vs. be towed).

- Byron

 

[speakeasy]

I towed a 2,000 trailer from Colorado to California in my '88 Oldmobile
Cutlass Ciera (3.8L), without any problems.