?‘hat’s me reason for this part. In it are many
Many of these are important
for your safety and that of
your passengers. So please read this section carefully
before you pull a trailer.
NOTICE: time-tested, important trailering tips and safety rules.
Pulling a trailer improperly can damage your
vehicle and result in costly repairs not covered
by
your warranty. To pull a trailer correctly, follow Load-pulling components such as the engine, transaxle,
the advice in this part, and see your Pontiac wheel assemblies and tires are forced to work harder
dealer for important information about towing a against the drag of the added weight. The engine is
trailer with your vehicle. required to sperate at relatively higher speeds and under
greater loads, generating extra heat. What’s more, the
trailer adds considerably to wind resistance, increasing
If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer
If you do, here are some important points:
Do not tow a trailer if your vehicle is equipped with the pulling requirements.
3800 (L67) supercharged engine.
Your vehicle can tow
a trailer if it is equipped with
proper towing equipment.
To identify what the vehicle
trailering capacity is for your vehicle, you should read
There are many different laws, including speed limit
the information in “Weight of the Trailer” that appears restrictions, having to do with trailering. Make sure
later
in this section. But trailering is different than just your rig will be legal, not only where you live but
driving your vehicle by itself, Trailering means changes also where you’ll be driving.
A good source for this
in handling, durability and fuel economy. Successful, information
can be state or provincial police.
safe trailering takes correct equipment, and it has to be
Consider using a sway control. You can ask a hitch
used Droperly. dealer about
sway controls.
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Don’t tow a trailer at all during the first 1,000 miles
(1 600 km) your new vehicle is driven. Your engine,
axle or other parts could be damaged.
Then, during the first
500 miles (800 km) that you
tow a trailer, don’t drive over
50 mph (80 km/h) and
don’t make
starts at full throttle. This helps your
engine and other parts of your vehicle wear in at the
heavier loads.
Obey speed limit restrictions when towing a trailer.
Don’t drive faster than the maximum posted speed
for trailers (or no more than
55 mph (90 kdh)) to
save wear
on your vehicle’s parts.
Three important considerations have to
do with weight:
0 the weight of the trailer,
the weight of the trailer tongue
and the total weight on your vehicle’s tires.
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be?
It should never weigh more than
1,000 pounds (450 kg).
But even that can be too heavy.
It depends on how you plan to use your rig. For
example, speed, altitude, road grades, outside
temperature and how much your vehicle is used to pull a trailer
are all important. And, it can also depend on any
special equipment that you have on your vehicle.
You can ask
your dealer for our trailering information or
advice, or you can write us at:
Customer Assistance Center
Pontiac Division, One Pontiac Plaza
Pontiac, MI 48340-2952
In Canada, write to:
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Communication Centre
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario L1H 8P7
Weight sf the Trailer Tongue
The tongue load (A) of any trailer is an important
weight to measure because it affects the total capacity
weight
of your vehicle. The capacity weight includes the
curb weight of the vehicle, any cargo you may carry in
it, and the people who will
be riding in the vehicle. And
if you will tow a trailer, you must subtract the tongue
load from your vehicle’s capacity weight because your
vehicle will be carrying that weight, too. See “Loading
Your Vehicle” in the Index for more information
about
your vehicle’s maximum load capacity.
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