[img]smileys/smiley29.gif[/img]Well, that's what I'm considering!!


The car: 93 SL2, manual transmission, about 230,000 miles


The trailer: U-Haul 5x8 open trailer


The cargo: 2 HD motorcycles, total of about 1400 pounds


The trip is from Tampa,FL to Detroit, MI, about 1200 miles


I know this is risky, but can it be done without killing my car? I found a source for a Class 1 hitch, and that seems to have enough capacity. But I'm worried about the engine, clutch and brakes. Will the cooling system handle that load over a 3-day drive in the Summer?


Is this just too much for this car?Any suggestions/ideas?Edited by: Satch

 

I've put these cars through a lot, and I wouldnt even try it.

 

Well Satch, it's like this . . . I've got a '95 SL2 stick-shift with 188k miles which I bought new. I've got a receiver hitch on it that I use to pull the following:... 1) a 5'x8' twin axle flatbed ATV trailer with 2 ea. Honda 400EX quads and converts to a tent trailer... 2) a 50"x100" single axle trailer with 14" tires and 20" sides that I pull 2500# of sand now and again and various other building materials... 3) a 14' aluminum boat with twin gas tanks and a 15HP outboard and camping gear that I pulled from Arizona to South Padre Island, Texas. All this said, if you are careful and have a "feel" for your load you won't have any problem. About the only thing I don't pull at freeway speed is the sand (45mph max) because I have to think about stopping it.


Signed, Been There Done That

 

Thanks for your responses! To tell you the truth, though, I don't WANT to make this haul but my bikes are at stake. I've driven this route a few times without a trailer, and the part that worries me are the really long and steep stretches through the mountains in Kentucky and Tennessee. 1400 pounds of cargo in a trailer that weighs several hundred(?) pounds just seems like a real stretchfor a little 4-banger with no oil cooler or other trailering add-ons.


I haven't ruled out the haul, but I'm trying to work it out so my bikes are shipped to me, maybe even for free.


This would be an adventure, though, eh?


Satch

 

I would agree with MINICooperS, these are pretty capable little cars, just make sure you don't overstress everything, and try to have that "feel" for your car. As for those long uphill streches in Tenn & Kentucky, well, just stick with the semi trucks going slow in the right lane, I think youd be fine. If you end up going, let us know how it goes