2011 Kia Sorrento 3.5 V6 4x4

I am new to all of this, but I am very interested in the TM 2720SL or 2720SD. My concern whether i can tow either of those safely. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

[Bill]

Where will you tow? It matters. Not surprisingly, towing on the plains of the midwest is not the same as towing in the Rockies.

Also, how many people (and their stuff) will you plan to travel with?

I don't think we have discussed the Sorrento specifically, but at least one of our members tows with one. Use the Search tool on "Sorrento" to find him. If he doesn't choose to comment publicly, a PM to solicit his experiences might be in order.

Bill

Originally Posted by bandmanpa

I am new to all of this, but I am very interested in the TM 2720SL or 2720SD. My concern whether i can tow either of those safely. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

A brief google search shows that Kia's tow capacity as 3500#. That's close to the expected weight of a loaded 2720. Many people prefer something closer to 5000# tow capacity, but as Bill says, it really depends upon where you'll be driving, and how much. A few weekends a year or that one-in-a-lifetime trip up to Alaska?

The search also says that Kia's GVWR is 5534#. And it's empty curb weight is 3704# or 3904# depending upon whether it's 5 or 7 seats. That leaves 5534-3704=1830# (or 1630#), which is not bad. The Trailmanor's tongue weight could easily take 500# away from that, leaving ~1300# (~1100#) for people and stuff in the Kia. Again, not bad.

So I would say go for it if you're talking occasional trips on the flats. And if you do go for extended trips in the mountains, realize that you'll be working that Kia hard, take it easy, and be sure to check your trailer's brakes frequently 'cause the Kia may have a hard time stopping it.

Whatever you do, you'll need a properly set up Weight Distribution Hitch.

EDIT: Mr. Adventure is right. A fully loaded 2720 is more likely to be around 4000#. Keeping one at 3500#, the Kia's tow capacity, might be doable but difficult.

[Mr. Adventure]

Originally Posted by bandmanpa

I am new to all of this, but I am very interested in the TM 2720SL or 2720SD. My concern whether i can tow either of those safely. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

I don't recall reading about any owner experience in this forum. The specs I read about your vehicle on the Internet make it sound plausible in the context of my Toyota Highlander experience, unless you're going to be spending a lot of time in the mountains out west. (here are my numbers on the scale along with a lot of subsequent forum commentary: http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ad.php?t=10652). The scale numbers people have reported here suggest that you'll be in the neighborhood of 3750-4000#.

Tow ratings are guidelines, and it's very hard to know where the weakest link is in a given configuration. A Weight Distributing Hitch is mandatory because you'll need to be making the most of your axle capacities. This hitch receiver encourages me, because it's rated for 500# with a WDH: http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitc...eid=2011304660

I'd feel better knowing for sure that the hitch receiver uses 6 bolts, not 4 (look underneath and find the hitch receiver attach points), and better still hearing from some actual KIA owners with TrailManors. Towing a 4000# trailer might cause warranty issues, as well, and there is no information about the durability of the power train under these towing conditions.

The most important part of towing safety is right behind the steering wheel, and the most important mistake to avoid is driving too fast immediately before your next adventure catches you by surprise. No RV is designed to go 70, 60 is much safer, and slower still provides additional margins. Knowing that I don't know for sure in advance where this all comes together, knowing about the happy reports here from people with Odysseys, Pilots, Highlanders, and Siennas, and as long as I could accept the possibility that a Trailmanor might ultimately require a tow vehicle upgrade, I might try this if I was already a KIA Sorrento owner.

Mr. A, I agree and would add a six cylinder Venza's to your list. Mine is AWD. And I had a long conversation with the mechanics at the Toyota dealer about the need of an auxiliary transmission cooler for the six speed trany. They suggest it is not needed. Only time will tell.
I have no additional info on the Kia's abilities, hope we a get a report from someone already towing with one or from Bandmanpa.

The Sorrento is a 7 seater. We would be using the TM mostly in PA, NJ, NY area. Mostly just 2 adults and a couple of grandkids. There is already a hitch that was put on at the dealership. What is a weight distribution Hitch?
Thank you so much for the comments and the number crunching. I am hopefull that someone out there has a sorrento and can give me some first hand experience with the TM.

[rvcycleguy]

Originally Posted by bandmanpa

The Sorrento is a 7 seater. We would be using the TM mostly in PA, NJ, NY area. Mostly just 2 adults and a couple of grandkids. There is already a hitch that was put on at the dealership. What is a weight distribution Hitch?
Thank you so much for the comments and the number crunching. I am hopefull that someone out there has a sorrento and can give me some first hand experience with the TM.

Please do your yourself a favor and research the use of a weight distribution hitch (WDH). It is a device that will take the place and be inserted into the receiver hitch on the tow vehicle. The tongue weight of the TM will exceed the recommended weight of the rear suspension of the tow vehicle (TV). It will draw down or collapse the rear suspension therefore raising the front suspension to an unsafe condition. The WDH will safely re-distribute the tongue weight towards the TM's A frame with chain mounted torsion bars. I would expect KIA to recommend the WDH to safely tow up to the max of 3500lbs.

There are more specific subject threads located within this forum but access requires membership.

RV

[Bill]

I agree with cycleguy. If you don't know what a weight distributing hitch is, you really need to spend some time getting acquainted with the concept. One easy way to do it is to go to the hitch manufactures' web sites. Most of them have a special section, including general info, on WDHs in general.

Manufacturers include Reese, Drawtite, HiddenHitch, Curt, and many others. A good place to start is http://www.drawtite.com/weight-distr...n-systems.html. You don't need the part in the picture labelled "C - sway control", but everything else is relevant.

First thing to note is that a WDH slides into the rectangular opening (called the "hitch reciever") on the back of your tow vehicle. Many vehicles have an opening that is 1-1/4 inches high and wide. This is a Class I or Class II hitch receiver, and is NOT adequate for towing a TM. The opening in a Class III/IV hitch is 2 inches on a side.

Second thing is that a WDH hitch is HEAVY. Figure 35 pounds or more of steel. A hitch that is basically a 2 inch wide slab of metal (maybe with a bend or two) and a hitch ball screwed into the end of it is NOT a WDH.

Third thing is that a WDH will have a pair of steel bars, 30-36 inches long depending on model and capacity. The bars may or may not have chains attached to the ends, again depending on make and model.

Unfortunately, the terminology of hitch systems is inconsistent at best. Sometimes the word "hitch" is used to describe the part that mounts on the car. Sometimes it refers to the hitch head, also called a ball mount. Sometimes it refers to the cup-shaped "coupler" that is on the front of the trailer. In the case of a hitch suitable to a TM, the critical words are "weight distributing".

Hope this helps.

Bill

You also need to check with the dealer. You need to know the following.

What class hitch was installed You need Class III min
Did they add an Aux trans cooler. You will need more than the std trans cooler.
Did they increase capacity of the braking system?
Did they add a higher capacity alternator?

If all they did was add a hitch and not ALL the other items, you are asking for trouble. Not trying to scare you or discourage you, but don't want you to get hurt.

[Mr. Adventure]

Originally Posted by bandmanpa

The Sorrento is a 7 seater. We would be using the TM mostly in PA, NJ, NY area. Mostly just 2 adults and a couple of grandkids. There is already a hitch that was put on at the dealership. What is a weight distribution Hitch?
Thank you so much for the comments and the number crunching. I am hopefull that someone out there has a sorrento and can give me some first hand experience with the TM.

First hand Sorrento experience would be the most important thing for me. I was fortunate to have a TrailManor owner to talk to who had recently towed their TrailManor to Alaska and back with a vehicle similar to mine as I was making my own decision.

To tow with the Sorrento, you will be very close to your rated capacities, and possibly over. If operating at the edge of the envelope is not something you're going to be able to be comfortable with, maybe you shouldn't be doing this. If you are going to do this, then you have to do all of the pieces right so that you can make the most of the Sorrento's capacities.

There have to be car dealers that understand towing. But I haven't had the pleasure of encountering one yet (we tend to know about things we actually do, and I've never met a service manager who has actually towed a travel trailer). Get down and look under the back of your Sorrento. Tell us how many bolts hold the hitch receiver on (probably 2 or 3 on each side), and also write down or take a picture of any labels or markings on the hitch receiver you had put on at the dealership. If you share them with us, we might be able to help you understand what you're dealing with.

We'll also need some numbers in order to help you:
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) - Front and Rear
Cross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR)

These should be on your driver side doorpost and in your Owners' manual. While you're in there, read what it says about towing a trailer.

Let us know what you learn.