# What are you towing with your Cruze?



## Eugene_C (Mar 15, 2012)

It's camping season here, so I thought I'd ask people to share their towing experiences. What are you towing? What mods have you done to the car (transmission coolers, brakes etc.). What's your gas mileage like with the trailer? Feel free to post pictures.


----------



## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

I don't recommend it, but:










I'm only exceeding the towing capacity by 50%, and towed it for about a mile.

That's the only thing so far, but I'm sure I will attempt more in the future. I have another trailer that I need to have weighed in order to get a title on it (it's vintage, and to put a vintage plate on it...), so I will probably use the Cruze to take it over there. I need to get the wiring kit for lights yet though.


----------



## Eugene_C (Mar 15, 2012)

"Only 50%" LOL. Probably fine for a mile at low speed.


----------



## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

Yeah, it was hilly though, but not too bad. I think I hit 4th gear at one point, but otherwise I was mostly in 1 and 2. Didn't attempt to start in 2 at all. I drove it down the street to a quiet neighborhood and drove around in there to see what it would be like, but that was it since I had no lights. Once I do, I'd take it on side roads, but not on the highway.

I estimate the boat is about 2500# and the trailer another 500#.


----------



## TopazLTZ (Mar 18, 2013)

Will the 1.4 struggle to tow this? U-Haul: Equipment specs


----------



## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

TopazLTZ said:


> Will the 1.4 struggle to tow this? U-Haul: Equipment specs


That trailer weighs 900 lbs alone. If you pack it full of stuff, yep. 

I've loaded down the 5x10 so much that a V6 Jeep had trouble towing it through the mountains. 


Sent from AutoGuide.com App


----------



## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Ha, about the only motivation I have for mounting a trailer hitch on our Cruze would be to mount a bike rack, and just for two bikes at that.

Over 99% of our driving is done without trailering anything, that is what we purchased this Cruze for.


----------



## carbon02 (Feb 25, 2011)

I put a Curt Hitch on the Cruze and Installed the Curt Mfg cargo basket. It's 1-1/4" shank size and adjustability fits the Cruze very well. I just wish it was aluminum. However the Harbor Freight Aluminum Basket hangs to low, and does not work.

Transported a 5lb propane tank, and a small weber portable grill 1500 miles to Yellowstone National Park at 75 mph. Never knew it was back there.

I really like the cargo carrier.


----------



## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

I saw a LS towing a 5x10 utility trailer full of firewood last night. I wanted to stop and ask the driver about it, but didn't have the time to. :angry:


----------



## breadtrk (Dec 28, 2011)

I regularly pull a pickup bed trailer with a quad, or mower, or mulch, or gravel, or other stuff in it. No problems so far. Curt ebay hitch, no other mods. Torque always shows all temps normal and still get about 24mpg while pulling.


----------



## Eugene_C (Mar 15, 2012)

NickD said:


> Ha, about the only motivation I have for mounting a trailer hitch on our Cruze would be to mount a bike rack, and just for two bikes at that.
> 
> Over 99% of our driving is done without trailering anything, that is what we purchased this Cruze for.


I'm sure that's the case for a lot of drivers, but what about that 1% ? That's what can be interesting.


----------



## Wayne Dando (Mar 31, 2013)




----------



## Wayne Dando (Mar 31, 2013)

Eugene_C said:


> I'm sure that's the case for a lot of drivers, but what about that 1% ? That's what can be interesting.


 I tryed to upload a photo but I could not , 
I tow a car trailer with my diesel cruze manual does a great job


----------



## Ru5ty (Jun 20, 2012)

i plan on buying a cheep trailer from a friend to pull my 87 Suzuki lt 230 . should weigh around 700 lb max. if not less


----------



## Hoon (Mar 18, 2012)

1100lbs, pulled it 350+ miles in summer heat several times.


----------



## fastduo (Dec 24, 2013)

I am interested it installing a hitch as well. Has anyone done this themselves. It is a straight up bolt on?


----------



## Hoon (Mar 18, 2012)

fastduo said:


> I am interested it installing a hitch as well. Has anyone done this themselves. It is a straight up bolt on?


Yes and Yes. 

Buy a plug and play wiring kit, it will make life much easier and no cutting/splicing needed. I did the hitch and the wiring in about an hour, total.


----------



## fastduo (Dec 24, 2013)

Hoon said:


> Yes and Yes.
> 
> Buy a plug and play wiring kit, it will make life much easier and no cutting/splicing needed. I did the hitch and the wiring in about an hour, total.


Awsome. Thank you.


----------



## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=208728#post208728


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


----------



## plee (Oct 16, 2016)

I want to tow an 1100 pound trailer...will i have any problems? have a new 2016 atomic Cruze..


----------



## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

plee said:


> I want to tow an 1100 pound trailer...will i have any problems? have a new 2016 atomic Cruze..


I'll venture a guess and say a Atomic Cruze will likely pull anything you strap to it.

I don't think there is a tow rating for the 2nd gen Cruze....manual or automatic.....actually, I don't think there is a hitch yet available either.

Rob


----------



## niquemack (May 10, 2017)

Could you feel the difference in your car? I'm driving from Georgia to California and am really nervous about pulling a trailer with some boxes and a bed behind my car. I think it's going to be around the same weight of 1,100 lbs. Maybe a little more...


----------



## chevrasaki (May 1, 2015)

niquemack said:


> Could you feel the difference in your car? I'm driving from Georgia to California and am really nervous about pulling a trailer with some boxes and a bed behind my car. I think it's going to be around the same weight of 1,100 lbs. Maybe a little more...


With a trailer that heavy, and a car that light, I'd recommend fitting a friction sway control bar to the trailer. It will eliminate the "tail wagging the dog" effect. I swear by sway control. The difference when I leave it off is night and day. 

I bought one of these and welded a tab on my hitch for a sway ball, and welded another ball onto the trailer.
https://www.amazon.com/Pro-83660-Value-Friction-Control/dp/B0016KJ5MC

You can buy hitches with the tab, not sure if you can get a 1 1/4" hitch with a tab or not. And I believe you can buy brackets to attach to your trailer for the ball if you don't want to weld it.

This is how sway control is installed on larger trailers, and a demo of how it works. Definitely look into it, when the trailer starts swinging back and forth out of your control it's a scary feeling. Might be something as a gust of wind from a passing semi that upsets your trailer. Sway control quickly brings it back into line and eliminates any pendulum effect.


----------



## niquemack (May 10, 2017)

Thank you! Have you towed more the recommended towing capacity before? I know the Cruze is not meant for towing but this about the only option I have to get home and I already sold majority of my furniture. Most of the boxes are filled with clothes and shoes anyhow.


----------



## chevrasaki (May 1, 2015)

niquemack said:


> Thank you! Have you towed more the recommended towing capacity before? I know the Cruze is not meant for towing but this about the only option I have to get home and I already sold majority of my furniture. Most of the boxes are filled with clothes and shoes anyhow.


If you exercise caution, you will be alright. I have not personally exceeded the tow capacity. But if I did I'd be confident I could get it where I needed. Just be aware that your vehicle's brakes, transmission, and cooling systems were not designed to operate with that kind of a load/drag. I'd advise that you get an oil change before going on the trip, and pick up some extra coolant to be safe. Don't exceed 65mph, you should really be at 55mph. Leave plenty of room between you and cars in front of you. Don't use any hard acceleration. 

On to the next important thing. I have an ultra gauge so I can monitor a ton of stats about my engine. I've noticed the Cruzes' temp gauge is controlled by the computer and it doesn't really reflect the actual temperature. It has a few settings. The first three are common and normal. First is Cold, it doesn't start moving until it's at 120F then there's a zone of warming up, until it reaches the third setting "normal" which is one tick below half. The needle stops moving when it reaches 188F. The car continues to climb to 226F when the themostat opens and then it falls back to 220F and stays between that and 200F for normal operation. 

The next two settings are when you have problems. The needle only does two things after the normal stage. First, it spikes to about 3/4 when the computer knows it's hot. Not sure what temp triggers this to happen, but it will usually chime and display "AC Off Due to High Engine Temp" at this stage. Next, the gauge will be full blown "100% in the red" Stop the car, something catastrophic has happened.

The car gets the hottest when it's sunny and hot outside, you have the AC on, and you've been in the interstate for awhile, then you come up to a sudden stop/go traffic situation and you have to creep for awhile. The intake temps skyrocket to around 145F. I've never seen my coolant temps go over 226.9F though. If you get into a situation where traffic is holding you up, I'd recommend turning the AC off and exit at the nearest gas station to let the car cool as a preventative measure. The Radiator, the AC radiator, and the intercooler are all sandwiched together. The AC transfers a lot of heat to the coolant and the intercooler. You should also use 93 octane, it helps prevent pre-detonation (pinging/knocking) during high boost and high intake temps. If the computer senses knock, it'll retard the timing and you'll get less power. 

Hope some of this helps. Good luck on your trip, if you use common sense and exercise caution you'll be just fine!


----------



## niquemack (May 10, 2017)

Thank you! You are very helpful and appreciated!


----------

