If You Do Decide To Pull A TrailerIf you do, here are some important points:• There are many different laws, including speed limitrestrictions, having to do with trailering. Make sureyour rig will be legal, not only where you livebut also where you’ll be driving. A good source forthis information can be state or provincial police.• Consider using a sway control. See “Hitches” laterin this section.• Don’t tow a trailer at all during the first 500 miles(800 km) your new vehicle is driven. Your engine,axle or other parts could be damaged.• Then, during the first 500 miles (800 km) that youtow a trailer, don’t drive over 50 mph (80 km/h)and don’t make starts at full throttle. This helps yourengine and other parts of your vehicle wear in atthe heavier loads.• You can tow in DRIVE (D). You may want to shiftthe transmission to THIRD (3) or, if necessary, alower gear selection if the transmission shiftstoo often (e.g., under heavy loads and/or hillyconditions). See “Tow/Haul Mode” next.Three important considerations have to do with weight:• the weight of the trailer,• the weight of the trailer tongue• and the weight on your vehicle’s tires.Tow/Haul ModeTow/haul is designed to assist while your vehicle ispulling a large or heavy load or trailer. Tow/haul is mostuseful while pulling such a load in rolling terrain, instop-and-go traffic, or when you need improvedlow-speed control, such as when parking. The purposeof the tow/haul mode is to do the following:• Reduce the frequency and improve the predictabilityof transmission shifts when pulling a heavy trailer ora large or heavy load.• Provide the same solid shift feel when pulling aheavy trailer or a large or heavy load as whenthe vehicle is unloaded.• Improve control of vehicle speed while requiringless throttle pedal activity when pulling a heavytrailer or a large or heavy load.Tow/haul is designed to be most effective when thevehicle and trailer combined weight is at least 75% ofthe vehicle’s Gross Combination Weight Rating(GCWR). See “Weight of the Trailer” later in this section.4-54
