WH towing

[AdrianS]

Hi all thanks for the add into this forum I am after info regarding towing with a Grand Cherokee Larado WH 2007 with the 3.0DT and Auto trans. After having bad experiences with a Land Rover Discovery 2 V8 petrol auto I am asking for personal experiences of towing caravans whith these vehicles ie economy, handling, towing capacity's ect. Any info would be appriciated.

Thanks

[davet]

I think you'll find they have a very good reputation as tow vehicles mate. Those on the caravan forums seem to froth on them from memory - when I was looking into buying a WH I read a fair few posts.

Personal experience - I have towed my 2ish tonne boat with ease. My previous car was a 2016 Triton. My 2010 WH Grand Cherokee TD tows better than the 2016 TD Triton. I believe they have around a 3t capacity but check the specs. Handling seemed fine.

Fuel economy, my WH GC sits on around 11.8L/100 around town. I had a WJ GC also diesel years ago (2.7L CRD) which sat closer to 10L/100 but the WH is much nicer to drive IMO. When towing, I haven't towed far enough to comment but suffice to say consumption went up but no more than I'd expected.

[Clarky]

Tow 2T van, always sit on speed limit in "D", Outback trips through SA and NT with 35/40° days towing for around 8 hours (done this twice now, around 6000km in 3 weeks each time) not one transmission problem other then spewing out excess fluid out the dip stick when I over filled it.

Stock trans cooler and radiator, never had a trans temp warning when towing (have off road doing low speed crawling).

Got mine at 130,000km now has 240,000km and the transmission is getting tired and needs some TLC (torque converter needs a Clutch Release Kit (see Ren0vator's Bang Crunch build).

Towing economy
Economy depends on a lot of things, in stock trim with road tyres I got around 16L/100. With 2" lift and 245/75r17 Goodyear Silent Armor "P" construction tyres It went up to 17L/100. With aggressive A/T L/T 265/70r17 I average 19L/100.
Note: It's been said that the torque converter only locks when in 5th gear, and appears to be my experience. With the larger tyres the torque converter doesn't seem to lock unless I'm doing 100kph or more. From memory the torque converter used to lock at around 90kph with stock tyres.
I have since done a diff ratio change and going by trans temp readings I feel its locking under 100kph again.

The Grand feels well planted on the road when I tow, steering is a bit lighter but still solid. I haven't noticed any over or under steer problems, the steering input remains the same. I used to use a WDH but I found the ride is a lot smoother without it.

[hotqld]

Hi
We have been towing 2800kg caravan for past 5 years.
Got the WH 85,000 now 210,000.
Clarky mirrors my thoughts around 200,000 to 250,000 time for some transmission maintenance I suspect my tourque converter as well.
Best to hang out for something under 100,000klm
Towing is around 17 to 23 ltrs per 100 kilometres.
Has all the power you will need
No overheating problems.
Be prepared for front suspension rebuilds.
My feeling is in some areas they need a little more maintenance but nothing major normally.

[Blackie99]

Just throwing in my 2c as I see you had/have a v8.
I've got the upspec'ed 4.7 v8 available from mid 2008. Great engine lots of power and plenty of torque. I've towed a camp trailer, several boats and a jayco poptop. Whilst not as heavy as you may be going the 4.7 has done it with ease through various terrain and with bar, winch, AT, lift, loaded roof,etc.
Fuel economy is always well under 20lt/100km (urban around 15lt) whilst towing and servicing is cheap.

[hotqld]

Originally Posted by Clarky

Tow 2T van, always sit on speed limit in "D", Outback trips through SA and NT with 35/40° days towing for around 8 hours (done this twice now, around 6000km in 3 weeks each time) not one transmission problem other then spewing out excess fluid out the dip stick when I over filled it.

Stock trans cooler and radiator, never had a trans temp warning when towing (have off road doing low speed crawling).

Got mine at 130,000km now has 240,000km and the transmission is getting tired and needs some TLC (torque converter needs a Clutch Release Kit (see Ren0vator's Bang Crunch build).

Towing economy
Economy depends on a lot of things, in stock trim with road tyres I got around 16L/100. With 2" lift and 245/75r17 Goodyear Silent Armor "P" construction tyres It went up to 17L/100. With aggressive A/T L/T 265/70r17 I average 19L/100.
Note: It's been said that the torque converter only locks when in 5th gear, and appears to be my experience. With the larger tyres the torque converter doesn't seem to lock unless I'm doing 100kph or more. From memory the torque converter used to lock at around 90kph with stock tyres.
I have since done a diff ratio change and going by trans temp readings I feel its locking under 100kph again.

The Grand feels well planted on the road when I tow, steering is a bit lighter but still solid. I haven't noticed any over or under steer problems, the steering input remains the same. I used to use a WDH but I found the ride is a lot smoother without it.

\What a long draw bar, why?

[bjm]

Remember to change all oils more frequently when towing , especially ATF (eg every 30000ks), plus wise to fit larger auto oil pan. My WH has had a DP chip on it since new ,showing around 610 NM torque at full power. Tows my modified Avan cruiser with ease.