Towing with a Kia Soul?

[TheWineLover]

I know... it's a 4 banger engine and technically it's not rated for towing. HOWEVER, I've read many unofficial forums that say IT IS able to tow up to 2K lbs. So, what I'm curious to know if anyone on this board has done it, what your experience was and what year/model you have.

Thank you so much!!!

[Glenn Baglo]

I'm sure you'll find somebody on the internet that says, sure, go ahead.

[Carol H]

LOL So what will change if you find someone on this forum, which is just another "unofficial forum", who has done it and says go for it ?

No matter what a bunch of strangers on the internet tell you, its still going to be a car that the manufacture does not recommend towing anything with in NA.

[Borrego Dave]

Welcome to the group Kelley. I can understand when someone wants to use the vehicle they have for towing but I have to say your car is just not up to even a 13'er, even with not believing the "no towing" from the maker. I'm sure that's not what you want to hear but.....2 plus 2 is 4 no matter how you add it up. The subject of tow ratings for different rig combos is always a touchy subject on this site. I like your car and always thought of getting one but I wouldn't even think of towing anything with it.
If you really want to get an egg you need to get a tug with a tow rate of around 3500#s. OK, off my soapbox, good luck in your search.

[boardlady]

I used to tow my 1500# (loaded) windsurfmobile the 1 1/2 miles from its storage place to the beach, at never more than 35mph, with my little Honda Civic VX hatchback. It can be done - with a few of my best friends sitting on the hood to give it traction in soft sand... but on the open road, at highway speeds? never ever! how would I stop it???

[floyd]

seems a bit small...

[immrbill]

I have a 2013 Soul 1.6 and no way would I try to tow my 13ft Boler with it.

[Bob Miller]

My usual (and expected) comments are:


1. Ask your insurance agent/company and your attorney what might be the consequences of you having an accident while towing outside of the manufacturers recommendations of your vehicle. They may not know squat about towing, but they both know a lot about liability.


2. Even 100 peeps doing the wrong and/or unsafe thing isn't 1mm closer to making it right or safe and, "Joe did it and said it was OK" isn't much of a defense.
And, following todays news, claims of a "Spider Bite caused it" won't help either.


3. One can always shop the internet for the answers they want to find,but none of those answers will over rule what's written in the owners manual, including any references to European specifications, unless you are in Europe, and have a European version..

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

My usual (and expected) comments are:


1. Ask your insurance agent/company and your attorney what might be the consequences of you having an accident while towing outside of the manufacturers recommendations of your vehicle. They may not know squat about towing, but they both know a lot about liability.


2. Even 100 peeps doing the wrong and/or unsafe thing isn't 1mm closer to making it right or safe and, "Joe did it and said it was OK" isn't much of a defense.
And, following todays news, claims of a "Spider Bite caused it" won't help either.


3. One can always shop the internet for the answers they want to find,but none of those answers will over rule what's written in the owners manual, including any references to European specifications, unless you are in Europe, and have a European version..

For those who want what you're selling... They found it! right here on the internet!

[Bob Miller]

OMG... You are absolutely correct Floyd.
And some won't want what I am selling, it's their "Free Agency", to make bad decisions.

[Arnold]

Please don't as we are also on the road.

[TheWineLover]

Originally Posted by immrbill

I have a 2013 Soul 1.6 and no way would I try to tow my 13ft Boler with it.

Thank you. This is what I wanted to know! Even though this is what I expected, I very much appreciate you chiming in as you actually have one!

[TheWineLover]

Thank you so much. I actually do NOT have a Kia Soul but really wanted to trade my Altima for one. That said, I've been doing some research and several Kia forums actually DO have people successfully towing, with ease, teardrop trailers. So, I was curious if FG RV's would have the same success. Clearly, they do not and it just is. That said, I appreciate the suggestions for the tow rate and am now looking at a Mitsubishi Outlander.

PS - Thank you so much for not being a smarty pants in your reply. I sincerely appreciate your respect and encouragement.

Originally Posted by Borrego Dave

Welcome to the group Kelley. I can understand when someone wants to use the vehicle they have for towing but I have to say your car is just not up to even a 13'er, even with not believing the "no towing" from the maker. I'm sure that's not what you want to hear but.....2 plus 2 is 4 no matter how you add it up. The subject of tow ratings for different rig combos is always a touchy subject on this site. I like your car and always thought of getting one but I wouldn't even think of towing anything with it.
If you really want to get an egg you need to get a tug with a tow rate of around 3500#s. OK, off my soapbox, good luck in your search.

[Jon in AZ]

A sensible decision. As you investigate other options, know that 13' eggs loaded for camping range from around 1300 pounds to well over 2000 pounds. One particularly portly Scamp tipped the scales at 2600 pounds (400 pounds over the axle's weight limit ). 1500-1800 pounds is more typical. Obviously, the more options it has and the more stuff you pack, the more it will weigh. A wet bath will push it closer to 2000 pounds.

Dave's suggestion of a vehicle with a 3500 pound tow rating is on the high end, but in some cases it may be justified, especially if you will travel with a whole family and lots of equipment and/or in high altitude/mountainous country. That describes us, and we pull our 13' Scamp with a 2WD Pilot rated for 3500 pounds.

With one or two people, packing lightly and pulling a very basic trailer, you could certainly get away with something smaller. Honda CR-Vs/Elements (rated 1500 pounds), Mazda CX-5s (rated 2000 pounds), and Subaru Outbacks/Foresters (ratings vary) are popular 4-cylinder choices. I'm not as familiar with the Outlander, but if it has a similar tow rating you should be good. One thing you will need, no matter what vehicle you end up with, is electric brakes on the trailer. Unfortunately, not all 13'ers have them.

Good luck in your decisions!

Oh… and welcome to the forum!

[Steve L.]

Originally Posted by TheWineLover

Thank you. This is what I wanted to know! Even though this is what I expected, I very much appreciate you chiming in as you actually have one!

It is, perhaps, a curious truth, but the laws of physics aren’t changed by whether one owns the same tow vehicle. (It's not just a bad idea, it’s against the laws (of physics)!)

[Jon in AZ]

Kelley, I was as puzzled as you by all the chatter out there asserting that the Kia Soul can tow up to 2000 pounds. The topic came up several months ago. At the time I actually downloaded the 2015 owner's manual and read the part about "not recommended for towing." I don't know, but I suspect, it started because someone found out you can buy an aftermarket Class I hitch for it, rated (as are all Class I hitches) for up to 2000 pounds. The hitch was no doubt intended for mounting bicycle racks, not trailers, and the rating on any hitch does not override the manufacturer's tow ratings. But that's likely how it got started.

That raises another suggestion, though. When you find a vehicle you're interested in, it's often possible to download the complete owner's manual online for any make, model, and year. You can read everything it says about towing with that vehicle, so you won't be at the mercy of lying salespeople, misleading hitch ratings, or cantankerous forum posters…

[Glenn Baglo]

For instance, my hitch is rated for 14,000 lbs.
The vehicle, however, is rated at 3,500 lbs / 350 lbs. tongue weight.
Note that the hitch label says, "whichever is lower"

[Bob Miller]

Originally Posted by TheWineLover

Thank you. This is what I wanted to know! Even though this is what I expected, I very much appreciate you chiming in as you actually have one!

It's like a lot of things I life, you don't have to have done something to know its a bad idea.

If there was anyone on this site that was towing a 13' FGRV with that vehicle there is a good chance that they would not admit that for long.

[Carol H]

[QUOTE=TheWineLover;554701That said, I've been doing some research and several Kia forums actually DO have people successfully towing, with ease, teardrop trailers. [/QUOTE]

Big difference between a teardrop and the majority of Fiberglass trailers is weight.

The Trailer Weights in The Real World Thread is a good read.

As with all things there will always be someone who has done something lots of times without a problem. Just as there are some folks who drink and drive for years and never get caught until one day their luck runs out.

[Andrew Gibbens]

Originally Posted by Steve L.

It is, perhaps, a curious truth, but the laws of physics aren’t changed by whether one owns the same tow vehicle.

I guess the singer Billy Bragg is not well known in North America but a couple of lines of lyrics from one of his songs ("She's got a new spell") is relevant:

The laws of gravity are very, very strict
And you're just bending them for your own benefit