Quote:
Originally Posted by rothko1
If you're going to do a fair amount of mountain towing I would agree with the posts above and go with the larger pickup. Keep in mind that as you climb in altitude you will lose some towing capacity ( can't recall what the formula is right now) so it cant hurt to have extra.
|
Engines lose horsepower at the rate of about 3% per thousand feet of elevation, due to the thinner air. Since steep grades are also encountered at high elevation, you get a double impact, and a vehicle that is OK in more-or-less flat land at sea level will struggle mightily at 8000 feet.
The thinner air also affects braking (the rotors don't cool as well) and transmission cooling (there is less air going through the transmission cooler). I always recommend that if you are going to tow in the mountains, especially with a marginal vehicle, that you spend a couple hundred bucks on a Scan Gage or an Aeroforce Interceptor. Transmission repairs are wildly expensive!
My Explorer is rated at about 7000 pounds towing capacity, and I can attest that in the high Sierras, for example, or on the western approach to the Eisenhower Tunnel, it gets a bit - ummm, interesting.
Bill