[CStryker]

Ok, I'm working on turning my '85 VW Cabriolet into an autocross car; it's total weight will initially be about 2300#, dropping to 1900# as I "add lightness."

Here's the Taurus related question: Can I use my 2000 Sable (3.0 DOHC) to flat tow the VW home if I blow it up? Not anticipating it happening often (if ever), but I'd like to avoid buying a pickup for something that may happen once or twice a year...

Towing distance would be ~100 miles, all interstate.

Also, can you recommend a good hitch, if this isn't a horrible idea?

 

[JW657]

Ok, I'm working on turning my '85 VW Cabriolet into an autocross car; it's total weight will initially be about 2300#, dropping to 1900# as I "add lightness."

Here's the Taurus related question: Can I use my 2000 Sable (3.0 DOHC) to flat tow the VW home if I blow it up? Not anticipating it happening often (if ever), but I'd like to avoid buying a pickup for something that may happen once or twice a year...

Towing distance would be ~100 miles, all interstate.

Also, can you recommend a good hitch, if this isn't a horrible idea?

I think the max a Taurus can haul is around 1,750lb. If the car to pull was 1,900lb, you still need to add the weight of the trailer as well. That's quite a bit of weight for a car like this. Your transmission will suffer quite a bit from it. You'll want to install a transmission cooler. You should also have some form of trailer braking.

If it's just the odd time, I don't see it killing the car, but that's still a lot of weight to pull. You should check your local laws, if you get caught pulling more weight than the car can handle, you might get fined for it.

I would advise buying at the very least, a small truck. But that's just me. I believe in pulling stuff with a truck or at the very least, something RWD. A properly equipped Windstar will pull 3500lb, that's within range with what you want to pull and it's still FWD and car like. It would be safer to pull it with that. You would get a larger engine too, the 3.8 has tons of torque. The transmission is still weak though. I think the same year Ranger would be able to pull somewhere around 3,000lb to 5,800lb, depending on the trim.

 

[cardwell]

i wouldnt tow with a taurus/sable, period.

it's a good car, but you're aiming a lazer beam at the number one weakness of the car, the transmission

it's also my experience, that every taurus transmission problem i have been personally aware of happened at PEAK loading, long trips in hills/mountains etc - keep it away from peak loading and temperatures

not all tauruses blow transmissions, i suspect that those who change their fluid, drive slower in mountains/hills, espeacially in high temps, follow the user manual on overdrive etc, have fewer problems

had i babied the transmissions on the two tauruses i've had (which I now do), i could have radically reduced the cost of ownership, it was the lions share of the repair bills, it seemed like the only thing that ever really went wrong

nobody likes to rent something else to tow, but it's money well spent if you dont have a towing car (and the taurus ISN'T) -spend the money you'll spend on the hitch somewhere else

you may end up having to pay a tow bill on both cars

do yourself a big favor and ask how to baby the transmission, not strain it

(dont mean to be a scold, i just really wish someone had told me about this when i switched from GM to ford - i'd never had transmission problems before and kind of took them for granted - ford engines are better, but the transmissions arent, IMO - it's why i'd never buy a used SHO, same tranny, presumably driven harder)

 

[jato]

Best thing you can do is forget about towing another car with your Sable and make friends with the people you autocross with. At least one of them will have a truck and possibly a car trailer as well.

 

[loudsho92]

Get AAA.

 

[bull geek]

I don't think the weak brakes are going to be up for the job. Ford never put on proper tow hook locations (dummies). The transmission would be OK for a bit...hard to say.

If it's for a short distance and all you have to work with, then take it easy and go for it. Just be aware of the issues that could pop up from pulling your car + the veedub. And now that I think about it, that VW can't weigh much over 2500 can it?

 

[rudedog]

I had bought a '96 several years ago that had a small square tube truck type receiver hitch on it. I was going to mount it under my '93, but the car got taken while I was hospitalized. Get you one of those and use a tow bar, no trailer needed.

This should work.
http://www.curtmfg.com/index.cfm?event=hitch
I'd also get the biggest trans cooler you can find.

 

[sweetalice79]

what i did was not recomended butmy boss wouldent listen the shop car for the dealer i worked at was a 91 gl with 3.0 it was tboned but we threw a dealer tag on it and puled a rusty tow dolly with it. the hitch was a custom made out of aluminum flat stock.

to give u a idea what a taurus can haul, i was regulery taking it to auctions and loding up land yhats. the heveasst i rember was a 1983 lincon town car with stamped steel hood, not the lighter aluminon ones. but i straped the reat wells on the dooly put on bag natik tow light and took it down the turnpike at 75mph with no problems.

so cares are able too, just have to know what u are doing and what yer car can handel.

Alice
P.S. giver yer self plenty time to merge and slowdown if u pull a 83 town car lol

 

[jato]

Sweetalice, while your contributions are welcome, please slow down and type them out in standard English. What you're doing makes it difficult to read and it might put off members to the point of not replying to valid questions.

 

[sweetalice79]

Sweetalice, while your contributions are welcome, please slow down and type them out in standard English. What you're doing makes it difficult to read and it might put off members to the point of not replying to valid questions.

no problem, just have to remember to use my ispell program. i keep forgetting. I'm just bad speller as well as a bad typist which is a really bad mix.

Alice

 

[austex04]

I would not pull anything bigger than a jet ski with a Taurus, due to the weak transmission. If you decide to take the risk (I wouldn't), put a HD transmission cooler on, and change the atf/filter at the same time. I assume the VW is a manual trans, so all you have to do is get a front tow bar, and the towing light bar kit, you can find these things on ebay, or in a RV supply store (expensive). Dolly towing is better, though. I suggest renting a small truck or suv for towing the VW.

 

[toronut]

About 5 yrs ago I wanted to rent the smallest U-Haul tow trailer for a long distance self move. U-Haul would not allow me to rent it with my car as the towing vehicle My car is still a 3L Taurus Duratec 2001. The girl at U-Haul could not find any official reason for that. Maybe Taurus all blew their transmissions, who knows?