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Originally Posted by pbuck1
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Incidentally, I wonder what margin the manufacturers really have in their tow limits? Some of the numbers are suspiciously round and/or happen to match tow hitch standards. The RX300 US spec limits are 3500lbs trailer weight and 8000lbs GCW. While the European spec limits for the exact same vehicle are 2000kg and 4000kg (which is 4400lbs and 8800lbs). Do you think the cars are actually built differently or do you think the US figures are more conservative because the US is more litigous?
Paul
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.......about tow limits recently. Concerning an Acura MDX, limited to 3500 lb capacity. Turned out, the limit was based on"dumbing down" to the "average, uninformed buyer". They assumed a trailer is a big, slab-sided box creating beaucoup drag. Yet a 4500 lb boat/trailer combo was ok - aerodynamic and all!
Comparing the slab-faced, full height trailer to a trailmanor revealed that the trailmanor's parasite drag is as much as 70% less. Imagine that.
European trailers tend to be much smaller than those in the US. I confirmed that visually whilst watching the Tour de France this year (on the Telly). Never saw anything as large as we see on the road regularly. Increased tow limits "might" be explained as simply as that!
Just a hunch.
Denny_A