Increase towing capacity with upgrades to suspension?

[CWO4]

I got that . Why does it matter if you can’t change the sticker? What’s the significance? I am not trying to be difficult, I am seeking to understand if it is just a legal issue that I can’t locate or just something to consider ponder?

The posted rating (sticker) is guidance on what your vehical can handel based on testing. Is it a legal issue? Not a lawyer so not even going near that issue. Is this posted rating something you should consider and ponder, yes very much so. There are alot of factors that go into properly towing a load, 2 of the biggest are control and stopping. The ratings are going to give you a clue as whether your Prius is going to stop at that red light with a 4,000 boat behind you. The ratings will also help you know if you can load the toungue of your trailer properly to keep it from swaying while going down I-95 head to Florida with said boat. Are there things you can do to your vehicle to improve the towing capabilities of that vehical, yes. There are other posts in this thread that go into that and to me it looks like they know what they are talking about.

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[Lakelife36]

Can you provide some examples?

A manufacturer could provide a lower than tested rating, but the tests are standardized tests.

As requested:

 

[AcesandEights]

I think we misunderstood each other. What you've posted shows most of the ratings to coincide with the SAE test. Some of those you posted are the de-rated rating, not the max towing for the model.

I found a link that might be helpful for everyone:
http://www.trucktrend.com/how-to/towing/1502-sae-j2807-tow-tests-the-standard

 

[Lakelife36]

I think we misunderstood each other. What you've posted shows most of the ratings to coincide with the SAE test. Some of those you posted are the de-rated rating, not the max towing for the model.

I found a link that might be helpful for everyone:
http://www.trucktrend.com/how-to/towing/1502-sae-j2807-tow-tests-the-standard

Yup for sure, this list has a lot of off-road trims so definitely aren't the max ratings for most or all of the vehicles.

The article was informative but I missed the part with the standard trailer weights. I'll try to find and sort through the actual standard to confirm, but honestly it seems silly of them to limit the testing to only certain weights. The difference between 3500lbs and 5000lbs is profound, and a vehicle actually capable of close to 5000lbs being held all the way down at 3500lbs is a big deal.

 

[AcesandEights]

I don't know that the article has the the individual ratings listed. The trailer weights are listed in the test SAE standards.

 

[Lakelife36]

I don't know that the article has the the individual ratings listed. The trailer weights are listed in the test SAE standards.

I couldn't find a free version of the standard and was not going to pay for it. Do you have a copy or access to one that you could share?
Every article I read on it speaks to how it's used to determine maximum allowable GCWR for the vehicle and TWR is derived from that, so it really didn't look like it tested set trailer weights. That's not the sexy part of the articles of course though.

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