Towing a car

[1fastII]

I'm thinking about buying a Marauder in the next few months as a comfortable cruiser and a tow rig. From a quick search, it seems that towing boats and small campers is not a problem for these cars, and the actual towing capacity is 5000 lbs., but what about towing a car? Both of my Mustangs weigh about 3000 lbs, plus about 1000 lbs for the trailer (just an estimate, don't really know how much a trailer weighs), I'd be getting close to the towing limit after I add a passenger or two plus luggage. I'd put a Trilogy supercharger on the Marauder, plus a shift kit, transmission cooler, a class III hitch, and 4:10's. Does this sound feasible? I really don't want to get a truck.

[magindat]

Tranny cooler and 4.10's will do you nicely. I've seen a Marauder pulling a Marauder on a trailer. I don't know the long-term effects, but I saw it!

You'll not wanna use overdrive, so your revs might be high on the highway. You'll have to decide if your pulling will be in-town and get 4.10's or highway and stay 3.55's.

You might wanna do what I and a few others have done and switch to SUV tires in the rear. Higher sidewall strength, better wear and better grip under load.

[sailsmen]

No, it is not safe.

I strongly advise againest it.

[cyclopsram]

You tow what your abilities and experience will allow... Ford has derated these to 1500 lbs since 2003. So many of us have towed 5000 lbs with brakes, electric or surge, on the trailers, with added rear suspension upgrades...air shocks thru 2002 (panthers) , etc that we may be prejudiced... tongue load and brakes and the proper hitch...even sway control if you want it...or you tow with a dolly and no brakes... whoops...

[Drock96Marquis]

I think it will be fine for your intentions.


You can use o/d once you are on nice, flat roads at cruising speeds.

The DOHC isn't the best choice for towing, but 4.10s would make up for that. If you do go with a Trilogy kit, I'd just keep the OEM 3.55s as the blower will more than make up for that ;)

Your stock transmission cooler will be fine for this, but an additional stacked plate cooler could be beneficial.


Don't use a 'shift kit', as most just make things worse in an AODE family transmision (4r70w/4r75w included)
The "J-Mod" is what you'll want to do. Use the articles found here on TCCoa:
http://www.tccoa.com/articles/tranny/index.html
And this supplement for 98+ 4r70ws on CVN:
http://www.crownvic.net/tech/4R70Wnotes.pdf



The rear air suspension is fine, just watch the tongue load.
The 98+ rear suspension is weaker than the -97 (which were the last to recieve the 5k rating on towing models), but I think it can handle it fine.

[jgc61sr2002]

If you want a tow rig I suggest a pick up truck.

[sailsmen]

My own experience.

1996 GM 16' Chapparral. Very twitchy.

Same boat and trailer w/ 1995 Windstar tracks perfectly.

On the Panther platform the trailer hitch is too great a distance from the axle to tow a heavy load.

E350 tow a 25' Airstream like it is not even back there. Dodge Ram Van 28' 6,000# sailboat like it is not even there.

A friends brother in law was towing a small Jeep behind a Suburban back from a Texas hunting trip. 3 passengers and loaded down. Lost control and he was killed. 3 passengers severly injured. By coincidence my friend called me today.

I regularly see vehicles going down the road with trailers that are not properly hooked up or are too big for the vehicle.

Keep in mind you may loose the rig and come out ok, but the driver behind you or going the other way may get killed.

There are a lot of things you can do but should not. There is very little if any safety factor in what you are trying to do.

[baltimoremm]

If you want a tow rig I suggest a pick up truck.

+1, get a truck.

Is it Possible? Yes
Would I recommend it? Nah

[mrjones]

Looking at the latest issue of Trailer Boats magazine, the Crown Vic was selected by them as "Tow Vehicle of the Year" twice in the last 20 years or so.

I'm going to be buying a car hauler from a buddy in CA, and I'm considering putting a hitch on the MM to use it to go pick up the trailer this summer. I'll be bringing it back empty.

[sailsmen]

What I do is rent a UHaul Truck and/or car trailer.

It is very reasonable.

[Canadasvt]

What I do is rent a UHaul Truck and/or car trailer.

UHaul? You are much braver than me!:bows:

[sailsmen]

I would check your owners manual.

Mine says the MM is rated to tow a total load of 2,000#s.

[Marauder]

Why does Mercury say to turn off the air suspension when towing?

[ckadiddle]

These other folks know a lot more about towing that I do, but I know it places a heavier load on the entire system. I would recommend in addition to trans cooler also changing trans fluid frequently if you do much towing. If I was, say, going on vacation towing a trailer, I'd have the trans serviced shortly before I went on my trip so it has nice fresh juice to work with. Also I would probably want to make sure my brake pads and rotors are in TOP shape. I live in FL where the heat kills everything prematurely, so I tend to go overkill on frequent fluid changes. With no towing, I have trans service done once a year when the weather first starts to warm up regardless of mileage or what the book says. This gives me peace of mind that I am starting the hot season with a fresh, happy transmission.