Hi all,
I only got my SHO a few months ago and am really enjoying it, even a 90 octane tune with stock everything is a crazy fast car!
Torrie at Unleashed does a fine job with that, for certain.
I am planning a big road trip, about 6 months in duration, leaving from my home in Alaska and ending somewhere on the east coast. Subsequently, I want to build out an enclosed single axle (max 3500#) 6 x 12 trailer into a nice camper for the trip.
My friend told me that the same chassis/drive-train in other Ford vehicles such as the Flex allow a towing capacity of up to 4500#, however, the SHO is not for towing, according to the manual. I also heard tell that with a proper tune, the SHO can do decently as a towing vehicle, so I reached out to Torrie to see what's feasible.
I might be driving this trailer over 3000 miles over the course of several months, and hundreds of miles at a time. Does anyone have any advice of experience with long-haul towing with their SHO? I'm hopeful that this could work with low risk, as the car has the PP, so the transmission cooler will earn it's keep. Of course, all fresh high end or OEM fluids before the trip, and the car is in peak maintenance since I bought it (fresh plugs, filters, fluids, TLC, etc).
Please let me know if I'm missing something here or what I should know before attempting such a thing!
Considering the circumstances would not recommend it especially it being such a long haul through the cascade of mountains and all.
Best of luck on your venture.
Here's a similar topic to give you some insight. Z
https://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/topic,6383.msg102089.html#msg102089 (https://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/topic,6383.msg102089.html#msg102089)
https://www.etrailer.com/search-departments.aspx?pc=&refpage=https://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/topic,6383.msg102089.html (https://www.etrailer.com/search-departments.aspx?pc=&refpage=https://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/topic,6383.msg102089.html)
The rear springs is the reason it can't handle more then 1000 lbs
I have looked at it and think you can put air shocks in the middle of the rear springs to make it work better but you don't want to pull more then 2000 or 2500 until some one understands how much the breaks will work
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I have a similar platform (MKS Ecoboost), which is roughly equivalent to a non-pp SHO, and have towing experience with a 14' 2000 pound pop up camper. While there are things that can be done to improve the towing experience (suspension, breaks, aux oil cooler, ect), the biggest problem you will face is a mix of weight balancing and speed wobble. Even keeping a majority of the weight in front of the trailer axle, going above 60-65MPH with lane changes or even a slight gust of wind will force you to counter steer the trailer to prevent trailer sway back and forth. This counter-steering game is not fun after 2-3 hours, causes unwanted wear on all driveline components and is ultimately unsafe. Trailering horses for many years has taught me all about what specs are more or less "guidelines", and in this case, the length and weight of our platform are more of a restriction than anything. Even given the proper preparations, I would absolutely never consider more than ~2500lbs @15', and at that weight would stay at or below 55MPH.
Not having trailer sway is definitely a downside. Don't know if Ford even offers it on passenger cars. The 2011+ Edge does have it as part of the towing package.
https://owner.ford.com/support/how-tos/safety/driver-assist-technology/trailers-towing-loading/trailer-sway-control.html
What about a sway bar ? My Dad used one for years camping to get rid of that.
Time to buy a truck.
Thanks for the feedback!
I've got a set of air springs for the rear to be installed.
I'll borrow my friend's pop-up for a couple weekend trips to feel out the tow ability and decide if I want to try with a larger trailer later on.
Quote from: Brewineer on February 13, 2019, 06:08:44 PM
Thanks for the feedback!
I've got a set of air springs for the rear to be installed.
I'll borrow my friend's pop-up for a couple weekend trips to feel out the tow ability and decide if I want to try with a larger trailer later on.
Get a sway bar for the trailer.