I have heard conflicting stories about towing with the WRX, it being a turbo car and all. My car is a 2002 WRX Manual trans.

What should I be concerned about?

Any special tips for towing with the WRX??

Thanks in advance.

 

How heavy is the bike + trailer? I think WRXs have a tow rating of 1800-2000lbs or something like that.

I think, if its under the tow rating, it should be fine.

 

Assuming small utility trailer (12 inch tires) and one 500 lb motorcycle... tires properly aired and bearings in good shape. You are supposed to use electric trailer brakes if you are towing more than 1500lbs I think...CHECK YOUR MANUAL TO BE SURE.

You will notice it being back there slightly when starting from a stop, but not much at all once going. You could still beat half the cars out there in a race, even with a trailer attached =).

The thing you should worry about, as long as everything is in order and properly installed, is braking distance. Making panic or emergency stops will obviously take more time, so make sure you don't get yourself in a bad situation by going too fast.

Ironically, my best average mpg was slightly over 26, since I was doing around 65mph the whole time (in CA, the speed limit is 55 when towing a trailer, I think .

 

OK, thanks for the replies guys.

I was just worried about the whole turbo thing. A guy at work was saying that is may mess up the turbo towing with a car, but couldn't really say why. ...and I saw on one of the other" towing with a WRX "theads, that someone mentioned the same thing. I just wanna tow my bike, not mess up my car. LOL

 

Towing does add some stress (depending on weight and the condition of your trailer tires/bearings), but many vehicles that tow have turbos.

My wrx was NOT boosting at all when driving normal freeway speed, so I don't think it's an issue unless you try towing a car hauler or some POS trailer =).

 

i wouldnt see a problem as long as it is under specs... seriously tho, most of the heavy duty towing trucks have turbocharged engine...

chile

 

Thanks again guys. I get the trailer tomorrow, so all should be good.

 

The concern with the turbo is that generally you have a smaller engine that is working harder because it is turbo charged. Since towing adds additional stress to an already stressed situation it's not ideal. It's not the turbo charging so much as what is turbocharged. When turbos first became widely available in cars they were used to boost small engines and were nortoriously prone to failure. Hence there is a lot of folklaw. The other issue is that turbocharged engines don't tend to produce their horses at low revs where you often need it when towing.

While the WRX is not an ideal towing vehicle, I think it is rated for a max of 2000lbs. You should check you manual to be sure. If the trailer rig is under 1000 lbs and properly balanced you should be fine. Make sure the trailer's tongue weight is within the limits when fully loaded.

Some states require trailer brakes for trailer rigs over 1000lbs and I'm pretty sure that was recommended for the WRX since it is not a large vehicle. I think you are required to have them nationally for anything over 1500lbs. If your trailer is anywhere near 1000lbs you should probably consider them.

The other factor is where you are intending to tow. No worries if it mostly flat an not far but if you are planning to go long distances or somewhere that has a lot of steepness (eg mountains) on a regular basis then you may want to consider a different tow vehicle.

 

OK, wiring question. The Suby factory harness has six wires that need to be connected, one of which is red for power. Do I need to connect that if I am not usuing trailer brakes?? That is the only one that I did not connect, got the trailer today, but the lights didn't work???

Any ideas?

 

Tru connecting them all, trial and error. if it doesn't work, come back.

 

Yes, but they are typically diesel fueled.

 

Well I tried everything last night, connecting the red wire right to the battery for power, relocating my ground wire, etc...nothing work. I am pretty sure the harness they gave me, more so, the black box of the harness, which has six wires going in and four coming out, is the source of the trouble.

If the harness didn't come with the hitch, I'd be sending it back for a refund. I picked up a simple four wire universal that I will wire in tonight.

Thanks for the help guys, as always.

 

I used a modulite wire assy for mine. On the '02, there isn't a plug to easily plug into. Go to www.etrailer.com and it should show you which one to use. I've ordered a bunch of stuff from them... highly recommended!

As far as hooking straight to the battery... DON'T DO THAT WITHOUT A FUSE AT THE BATTERY SIDE... if you had a short the insulation will burn off in a matter of seconds and likely start a fire!!!!!!!!!

I made all of my connections by tapping the tail/ brake/ turn lights at/near the rear harness, and tapped the cargo light for power... as small trailer lights typically have a low voltage draw.

 

I only went straight to the battery for the purposes of testing if the power wire was needed, for the harness as a whole, to work. I did not leave it that way or intend to. LOL

Its funny that you mention the cargo light. I too looked at that as a potential source for power. But, where did you tap it?? At the light itself, or at the switch near the trunk latch mechanism. I am thinking that the trunk lock mechansism switch, because the bulb only has power when the trunk is open.

 

I have a modulite relay in my '97 OBS too. Instead of wiring power to the battery, I just popped a 12 V accessory plug on the power wires and then plug it into the hatch outlet when I use the trailer. It made the wiring job much easier. When not in use, I just put 12 V plug and the trailer wiring harness in the spare tire well where the relay is mounted.