Boat Towing Advice

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dsmero

Member
Hey Gang,

I need some advice on towing before I pick up my boat this Saturday. I have a 2007 AWD with a Hidden Hitch Class 2 system and 2" ball. I know the limit of the FX35 is 3500 along with the hitching system. I think I'm pushing it close and just want to get everyone's thoughts. Boat will be a Key West BayReef 196

Approx. hull weight 1800lbs
Outboard weight 500lbs
Trailer weight 650lbs

This isn't with batteries, gas and other stuff. I know I'm cutting it close around 3000-3200lbs. I live in SW Florida so hills are out of the questions besides the ramps.
 
The FX is a really inferior tow car. Like seriously the thing is not built to even tow a shitty uhaul.

If you are in a jam i'm sure you can make it work, but if you plan on moving your boat or any other trailer regularly I suggest you grab yourself a dedicated tow vehicle that's more up to the task...

There are other options as well, in theory a FX45 would be better, tack on an oil cooler and you can eliminate a lot of the concern, but even at that the most limiting factor is the suspension, which is simply not up to the task of handling a heavy tongue weight.
 
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What would happen if he were to use the FX35?
Would it not move, the diff would break, etc.?
 
I can say your subframe bushings will eventually bust. I was thinking to use my rwd fx35 but thank god i didnt. Our cars are more street sport oriented compared to like a ford explorer..
 
shouldn't be a problem. i tow a approx 2500 pound boat with 4 ppl( so total 3200 pounds) and didn't have any issues. only thing is the brakes suck so brake early. i also have a tranny cooler and air bag helper in the shocks which helps.
 
Viperi said:
shouldn't be a problem. i tow a approx 2500 pound boat with 4 ppl( so total 3200 pounds) and didn't have any issues. only thing is the brakes suck so brake early. i also have a tranny cooler and air bag helper in the shocks which helps.
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His trailer should have surge brakes so they take a lot of the braking. I know when I had my 20 foot boat and the trailer had surge brakes, when I slowed down the trailer would actually do the bulk of the actual braking.
 
g0ldm4g3 said:
What would happen if he were to use the FX35?
Would it not move, the diff would break, etc.?
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No, it would move it, and the diff probably wouldn't just shatter.

But needless to say your FX wouldn't love you like it used to. Your gonna put A LOT of strain on an FX towing around some 4000 odd lbs.

Also it should be noted that official tow capacity of the FX is 3500lbs. Exceeding that limit voids your insurance.

I'm just warning you, tread carefully.
 
meme is correct^^ for just a few short tows it would be fine but it would be hard on the vehicle if you were to tow the maximum limit on a regular basis.
 
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Other than the obvious tongue weight issues, your transmission isn't going to like it. I'd consider adding an auxiliary transmission cooler, they typically add them to cars with factory tow packages. It's honestly more important than an oil cooler for this. Every time you accelerate from a stop, your transmission fluid is getting heated up from friction until the torque converter locks. Add 3000 lbs you're really stressing the fluid and of course the transmission itself. Remember, heat is the major cause of most transmission failures. Fluid gets overheated and then the clutch packs go.

If you only plan on doing this once or twice, don't worry about it. But if you plan on actually towing on a somewhat regular basis, add the cooler. It's inexpensive and easy to install. I DIY'd one in about 1.5 hours and I don't even tow, it's more for peace of mind. Upside is, you don't have any hills so once you get up to speed, the transmission stress will be much less.

Brakes will probably be fine since I'm guessing the boat trailer has brakes. But even with trailer brakes, the FX's brakes will have to do a lot more work and they're not great to begin with.
 
shadow191 said:
Other than the obvious tongue weight issues, your transmission isn't going to like it. I'd consider adding an auxiliary transmission cooler, they typically add them to cars with factory tow packages. It's honestly more important than an oil cooler for this. Every time you accelerate from a stop, your transmission fluid is getting heated up from friction until the torque converter locks. Add 3000 lbs you're really stressing the fluid and of course the transmission itself. Remember, heat is the major cause of most transmission failures. Fluid gets overheated and then the clutch packs go.

If you only plan on doing this once or twice, don't worry about it. But if you plan on actually towing on a somewhat regular basis, add the cooler. It's inexpensive and easy to install. I DIY'd one in about 1.5 hours and I don't even tow, it's more for peace of mind. Upside is, you don't have any hills so once you get up to speed, the transmission stress will be much less.

Brakes will probably be fine since I'm guessing the boat trailer has brakes. But even with trailer brakes, the FX's brakes will have to do a lot more work and they're not great to begin with.
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This.

When I said "oil Cooler" I meant for your transmission fluid.

Do they even make engine oil coolers? lol
 
They make engine oil coolers, I considered one for the FX back when I was still thinking about boosting it. You can buy a Mishimoto for like $500 or piece the same thing together for maybe $300 or so. Basically a sandwich plate at the oil filter to tap lines to, the actual core, and some lines. But without boost, it's not needed since the FX won't really heat up the engine oil. If you were passing the oil through the center housing of a turbo, different story.

I have an aftermarket oil cooler on my 335. My temps run about 30-40 degrees cooler than those who don't have oil coolers. Pretty much even BMW realized this and all their sport package 335i's made after a certain date have oil coolers.
 
I routinely haul a double jetski trailer. With 2 skis. Fully fueled. Skis are 600 lbs a piece. Trailer 400 lbs. Extra gear. 200 pounds and 2 people. 400 lbs. And I can for sure feel that the fx is not a fan of towing. It does it. I launch and all with it. But I'm not sure I'd be willing to tow more then that. As said the brakes suck. And on the note of coolers. You can get coolers for almost everything fluid in your car. My Dodge truck had towing package. Included. Oil cooler. Trans fluid cooler power steering cooler.
 
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