Why Does Trailer Hitch for 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Have Higher Capacities than Vehicle

Updated 04/16/2019 | Published 04/15/2019

Question:

Hello, I am interested in towing a rv with my 2017 Hyundai Santa fe v6 awd. I see that the Santa fe is rated for maximum 5000lbs towing with 500lb tongue weight. However, etrailer hitch for Santa fe is rated for 6000 lbs towing capacity with 900 lbs tongue weight. Does that mean that if I switch to etrailer hitch, the towing capacity and tongue weight will increase even though the vehicle is rated for 5000lb towing and 500lb tongue weight? Thank you very much.

asked by: Scott

Expert Reply:

This is a really good question, but basically the hitch is overbuilt for the vehicle it fits. The main thing to keep in mind is that any towing setup is only as strong as it's weakest component. So if your hitch has a higher capacity than the vehicle (or vice versa) you are always limited by the whatever the lowest rated component is as that's what would fail first. The reason the hitch has higher towing capacities is because the hitch was designed to fit your vehicle and to be as strong as possible and then was independently tested for it's weight capacity.

expert reply by: Jameson C