Is Towing Bad for My Vehicle?

Let's clear the air a bit. We tell you to "go exploring" all the time, and I've personally said/written the phrase "happy towing!" so many times that I regularly wake up in a cold sweat unconsciously teaching my dogs about brake controllers. But are we actually giving you bad advice? We think not, but it's time to cut through the noise and be as crystal clear as possible...

Towing causes stress to a multitude of your vehicle's components, and can contribute to increased wear and tear over time.

"So that settles it, towing is bad, and I should never do it right?" Wrong dear reader. The wear and tear caused by towing is not only treatable, but mostly preventable with proper usage, preventative maintenance, and awareness. We're going to go over the parts of your vehicle that are most impacted by towing and what to expect if you're careless. It's time to start towing with your vehicle's prolonged health in mind.

Scrolling is slow, I want my answers now, fast forward to the good stuff by clicking what you want to read below:

How is Towing Bad for My Transmission?
How is Towing Bad for My Brakes?
How is Towing Bad for My Engine?
How is Towing Bad for My Suspension?

This truck, despite being equipped to tow, requires regular maintenance so it's prepared for heavy lifting year after year.

How is Towing Bad for My Transmission?

One of the most common issues we run into with new or careless towers is damage to the transmission. Your transmission manages your vehicle's ability to function normally pretty easily. But when you add extra weight to the vehicle, your transmission may need a bit of extra help to keep up. Show some extra caution if your vehicle has trouble shifting, slips gears, or smells like it's "burning". These can be early warning signs of an overworked transmission and should be looked into.

Fortunately this is accomplished with some diligent maintenance and careful driving. You risk overheating your transmission with the increased strain, so it is vital to make sure transmission fluids are not low or contaminated. This is especially important if you are towing near the limit of your capacity (you would never overload your trailer, right?). A transmission cooler can help with some of the heavy lifting, but you'll still need to be aware of your transmission's continued health.

There is also the matter of driving itself. Accelerating too quickly can cause increased strain on the transmission before you add the extra weight. This is doubly true after you begin towing. It's okay if that Civic beats you off the line at the stop light, they probably aren't on their way to the campground anyway. So you win by default.

All silliness aside, the best way to care for your transmission while towing is to never tow above your capacity, not accelerate too quickly, and to keep your transmission fluid topped off and contaminant-free. You can find the recommended interval for changing your transmission fluid in your vehicle's owner's manual.

This transmission is so cool it should come with shades on.

Safe driving and diligent maintenance, combined with this transmission cooler, will keep this this vehicle running for years to come.

How is Towing Bad for My Brakes?

This one may be pretty self explanatory, but because of how often we see it, I want to make sure it's covered here too. Your brakes take a beating when they're just stopping your vehicle. With the added weight of a trailer, they have to work extra hard. I'm sure you can imagine what the additional strain does to your already dwindling brake pads. The saving grace here is that your trailer already comes with brakes! If only there was some way to control them...

This is where a brake controller comes in! The ability to manage your trailer's brakes to help it come to a safe and complete stop seems like the obvious solution. While we absolutely suggest getting a brake controller, it likely is also required for where you live. Almost everywhere north of Central America requires a brake controller by law (and probably many other places, I just don't know those laws), however, many of the guidelines state that your trailer only has to be outfitted with supplemental braking if it exceeds some massive or unrealistic weight. Which is honestly no different than not having a law in the first place. But regardless of what the statute is in your area, you should have a brake controller on your rig no matter what you're towing.

Let's speak plainly here, the best way to save your brakes while towing is to outfit your rig with a brake controller and to make sure you use it. What I mean by "use it" is not to just plug it in, adjust it, and forget it exists. Most brake controllers are equipped with a manual override, which allows you to 'feather' the brake manually in order to give greater control in the event of an emergency or to help with sway. If you must use your brakes suddenly, the lion's share of the stopping power should come from the trailer, not your vehicle.

Brake controllers traditionally have been installed under your dash, but there are other options if you want to save your knees! Read about them here.

How is Towing Bad for My Engine?

This is another entry that may seem simple, but is a little more to unpack under the hood (I know you don't believe me, but no pun intended). Your engine is carefully, meticulously, and exactly designed to be as effective at doing its job as possible. Even in vehicles that are designed to tow, it is still very taxing on your engine as a whole.

While this sounds like the same issues that your brakes are having, it's actually a bit more serious in this instance. Your trailer, when properly outfitted, comes equipped with its own brakes. As a result, it can assist your vehicle in stopping and controlling your payload. However, you would be hard pressed to find a towable trailer that comes with its own engine. In this regard, your vehicle's engine is shouldering 100% of the extra weight by itself.

The biggest risk here is overheating. The extra work will generate more heat in your engine, and that may be more than your vehicle is equipped to dissipate. An engine oil cooler may help, but to manage this, the best choice is to be proactive. Regularly scheduled maintenance will be your best friend when taking care of an engine that tows regularly. Last but not least, it's always best to tow with a backup-plan, as even the experts at etrailer have had cars break down on the side of the road while towing (and I am absolutely speaking from personal experience).

Engine oil coolers, like the one pictured above, can be invaluable for vehicles that tow often. Read more about them here.

How is Towing Bad for My Suspension?

I'm sure I sound like a broken record right about now, so I will save you the "your suspension is designed to handle your vehicle's weight, but if you add more weight..." bit. Suspension, like all the parts of a vehicle, is designed meticulously with its workload in mind.

Generally speaking, you want to tow with your rig as level as possible. A good way to tell if your suspension is overworked is if your vehicle is sagging significantly when it's hooked up to your trailer. This can be a matter of bad weight distribution, an overweight trailer, or insufficient suspension. It's also important to use a weight distribution hitch when necessary, as evenly distributing the weight makes it much easier for your vehicle's suspension to manage it all. Unfortunately the RV industry isn't always clear on what necessary means. Some vehicle manufacturers say you only need a weight distribution hitch over a certain amount of pounds, and some say that it's helpful if your tongue weight is a certain percentage of your trailer. But we suggest using a weight distribution hitch if your trailer weighs more than half of your vehicle's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). Following that guideline will make sure you're always prepared to keep as much strain off of your suspension as possible.

However, if your tongue weight is within appropriate guidelines, and you're still experiencing some significant vehicle sag, you may need to look into suspension enhancement systems. Remember, there are no components (including suspension enhancement) that will increase your towing capacity. It will only allow you to tow what is already within your vehicle's range more easily.

There are also some other ways you can take it as easy as possible on your suspension. Safe driving habits can increase the lifetime of your suspension significantly. These can be as simple as avoiding rapid acceleration and sudden movements, as well as loading and unloading your vehicle slowly and evenly. Like all things related to your vehicle or trailer, diligent maintenance and careful usage will be your tickets to year after year of easy use.

Jounce springs sit above the leaf spring and offer support for your suspension. Find out more about jounce springs here.

Remember: No enhancements, suspension or otherwise, will increase your towing capacity beyond your lowest rated component!

"Well Now I'm Terrified to Tow Anything, THANKS"

I would assume by now I have inspired in you a healthy fear of all things towable. However, this was hardly my intention. I don't want you to steer clear of towing, but instead, take great care of your vehicle so it can tow year after year! Hopefully this article showed you that while towing can absolutely be a strain on your vehicle, it can also be very worth it, and if done with proper vehicle care in mind, isn't even that scary!

About Jacob J

To say that my path to etrailer was complicated would be an understatement. I have always had a passion for helping others, and throughout my education and career as a social worker or community liaison, I have loved writing as a hobby. When I found etrailer and was given the opportunity to turn something I enjoyed doing into a career that helped people access information and products they need to live the best life they possibly could, I was instantly interested.

I am a lover of the outdoors, have been loading and unloading trailers since I before I was old enough to drive them, and have spent my recent years working in and around the automotive industry. And I am excited to share all of the things I have learned (more often than not the hard way).

I consider myself a perpetual student, and etrailer gives me the opportunity to learn something new every day and share my findings with others. Which is something I am extremely grateful for. I look forward to continuing to help people find the answers they need to make memories for a lifetime.