What does towing capacity mean?
Function over Fashion: Feldman Chevrolet of Livonia Wants to Talk to You About Towing Capacity!
You might hear the phrase "towing capacity" when talking about cars, trucks and SUVs. When someone talks about their truck, you might hear someone ask what it's towing capacity is and you might also be wondering to yourself "what is 'towing capacity?'" Basically, your vehicle's towing capacity is how much it can pull behind it through a mobile carrying device like a trailer or U-Haul. Typically, the larger your vehicle is, and the more powerful its engine, the higher it's towing capacity; trucks and SUVs tend to haul a lot more while smaller sedans are not recommended for towing because of their lightweight frames. However, there are a variety of factors that go into towing capacity, so let's show you some of our most capable Chevrolet vehicles so you can decide which is right for you. Then, you can come test drive a new or re-owned Chevy from right here at Feldman Chevrolet of Livonia, we're located just less than 15 minutes outside of Plymouth!
A Chevy SUV for the Growing Redford Family!
A big contributing factor in towing capacity is the size and body style of the vehicle. If you own and SUV or are looking at purchasing or leasing a Chevy SUV, then you might be happy to know that your SUV has some towing abilities. The Chevy Traverse can tow up to 1,500 pounds which is enough capacity to tow smaller items such as U-Hauls, Jet Ski trailers or even smaller campers. The Chevy Tahoe, one of the biggest SUV models in our inventory, is built to tow a lot more with a capacity of up to 8,600 pounds; this is enough to tow larger campers and potentially even smaller horse trailers.
Be Sure to Check the Weight Ratio!
However, when looking at potential hauling trailers, be sure to find out the gross vehicle weight ratio or "GVWR," which is the weight of a trailer or vehicle with all additional weight factored in, such as the weights of the horse and saddle equipment. A two-horse trailer, for example, might weight 2,400 pounds by itself, but the horses might weight up to 2,000 pounds with their equipment and food adding on an additional 50 pounds each, so the GVWR could increase to 5,000 pounds or more. Any towed weight that exceeds the vehicle's towing capacity could cause immediate or long-term damage to the vehicle.
Pickup Trucks for Those Who Need a Lot More!
Pickup truck models like the Chevy Silverado 1500 and Silverado 2500 Heavy Duty tend to have a lot more towing capacity to offer because of their respective engines and the towing equipment attached to them. The Silverado 2500HD, for example can be equipped with a Vortec® 6.0-liter V8 SFI engine which allows this pickup truck to tow up to 13,900 pounds. The Silverado 2500HD also comes equipped with the same equipment that comes available on the Silverado 1500 through the Max Trailering Package, including:
- A trailering hitch platform and a two-inch receiver
- A seven-wire harness with independent fused trailering circuits and a seven-way sealed connector
- An Automatic locking rear differential
- Revised shock tuning
- And an enhanced cooling radiator
- This package, when equipped on the Silverado 1500 increases its towing capacity to 10,700 pounds.
What Will Your Next Chevrolet Be?
Whether it's a Chevy SUV or pickup truck, you need a car that does a lot more than the typical sedan or coupe, so why not find exactly what you're looking for in one of our new or pre-owned Chevy Trucks? We are Feldman Chevrolet of Livonia and we're located at 32570 Plymouth Road in Livonia, MI; proudly serving Wayne, MI. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a test drive, don't hesitate to give our sales team a call at (734) 367-4664. Come see us today!
