I am moving from Utah to Vermont and driving my 2002 Subaru Impreza 2.5 TS Wagon (automatic). I would like to know if it would be wise to have a towing hitch attached to the frame of my car so I could tow a small trailer for the move. Would it be too hard on the overall life of the car?
Yes…Your car does not HAVE a “frame”…What does your owners manual say? You would be better off renting a U-haul truck and tow the CAR…
Very good advice Caddyman. A 4 cylinder vehicle with no frame is not a candidate for a tow hitch.
I can’t afford $2,000.00 for a u-haul, I’m moving for college and thought it might be ok for only a mattress on an aluminum trailer; but that sounds like a bad idea so would attaching my mattress to the to of the car for a 2,000 mile drive be just as stupid?
“Impreza-
Subaru doesn’t supply hitches for the sedans or recommend towing and so it is not suggested or recommended and there is no offficial approval. Warranty could be affected by any towing.” -Cars.com
That being said, why can I tow 2400 lbs with my 2002 Forester if it’s pretty much the same engine? Is it all about the frame?
If I were you, I’d just get a new cheap mattress.
Ship the mattress…Bedding companies do it all the time.
IF, again, IF you can get someone to install a hitch, you can buy (craigslist) very small “Utility Trailers” that weigh less than 300#. They are not enclosed, the cargo must be wrapped very carefully to avoid water damage…But as long as your TOTAL trailer weighs less than 800 pounds, your Subaru should be able to handle it…Keep the load as low as possible to minimize wind drag. Have a spare tire and wheel for the trailer…
I believe I googled 2K tow weight, whether Subaru makes the hitch or not…
Contrary to popular opinion, all uni-body are frame less in the traditional sense but have (including Subarus) welded sub frames or reinforcement channels and can tow substantial amounts (Jeep Cherokee/Ridgeline etc. 5K lbs). They just don’t look the part and can make some stiffer than traditional framed vehicles. It’s all in the engineering. If you can find a hitch that fits, and if it indeed does have a rating of 2K, I would have NO problem towing up to 1000 lbs. I just have a personal limit of half the weight of the car regardless for vehicles not specifically designed for the task. It will tow more safely than a fwd car rated for the same.
So don’t be afraid of a frame less vehicle…yes you CAN, but stay well under limit IMO, to be safe.
No, it is not good advice because if it is towed, you will destroy the AWD mechanism.
Vehicles like this need to be transported on a flat-bed.
I would not worry. Subaru’s have excellent towing capacity for their size. Subaru’s in general are rated between 2000lbs to 3000 lbs capacity with proper hitch. The owners manual will give the skinny, if you do not have look at my.subaru.com
Sorry. It is good advice. It’s common knowledge that AWD vehicles need to be towed on an auto-transport trailer with all 4 wheels up. Caddyman knows this as well. A flat bed truck is way too expensive to make a move cross country.
By the way, a utility trailer is a great investment to have around for unexpected transport of stuff you just don’t want or can’t fit in your car.
I’m not disputing whether Caddyman knows this or not.
If the OP is not aware of this information, just reading the words, “tow the CAR”, could lead the OP to do something that is potentially very expensive.
What we assume to be “common knowledge” frequently proves to be “uncommon”, based on some of the disasters that people have caused with their own cars.
As but a couple of examples of what I am referring to, while it is common knowledge that a car’s oil level should be checked via the dipstick on an ongoing basis, there have been an incredible number of posts from people who have NEVER looked at their dipstick. The results were frequently that their oil was (pick one) 2 qts/3 qts/4 qts low when they finally had the oil changed after…maybe 7,000 miles.
Related, after a fashion, to the OP’s question, it is also “common knowledge” that AWD vehicles need tires that are closely matched, in order to avoid very expensive damage to AWD components. Yet, we hear of these incidents a couple of times each month.
It is “common knowledge” that an illuminated oil pressure light means that the engine needs to be shut down a.s.a.p. and not restarted until one is sure that the oil pump actually providing proper pressure to the bearings. However, a HUGE number of people seem to think that the correct response to an oil pressure warning light is simply to add a qt of oil and motor on for miles, only to have the engine self-destruct.
Common knowledge is not necessarily as “common” as we might assume, and as a result, an explanation of “towing” would have been helpful to the OP.
Hmmm…I thought that missileman might want to comment on my post from yesterday, but I guess that he does not wish to do so.