How To Increase Your Vehicle’s Towing Capacity

Whether your vehicle is a truck or a family sedan, it’s sure to have a towing capacity. The question is, “Is that towing capacity useful for your needs?” Let’s look at what determines a vehicle’s towing capacity and how to increase it if needed.

Types of Towing Capacity

Curt Manufacturing formally defines towing capacity as the maximum amount of weight your vehicle can pull while towing. There are two subcategories of towing capacity:

Braked Towing Capacity

Most of the time, your vehicle’s listed towing capacity refers to its braked towing capacity. The braked towing capacity measures the maximum amount of weight your vehicle can tow when the towed trailer has its own braking system. The trailer’s braking system connects to your vehicle through a cable so it knows when to engage.

Unbraked Towing Capacity

When the trailer you’re towing lacks an independent braking system, you’ll need to refer to your vehicle’s unbraked towing capacity to determine if it can still tow the trailer. Because your vehicle’s brakes need to halt both the vehicle and the pulled trailer, unbraked towing capacity is often less than braked towing capacity.

What Determines a Vehicle’s Towing Capacity?

If you want to know what your vehicle’s towing capacity is, you can check for the manufacturer’s towing capacity on your vehicle’s door jamb, in the owner’s manual, and on the company’s website. These can’t always give you an exact number though. Vehicles often have a range that depends on changing factors based on what you opt to purchase for your vehicle at the dealer’s.

The engine determines the amount of horsepower and torque produced for towing. Without a powerful engine, the vehicle won’t have enough torque to pull significant amounts of weight.

The vehicle’s configuration, which is composed of its size, how much it weighs, and how that weight is distributed, also contributes to its towing capacity. Transmission also plays a hand, with automatic transmission letting you tow more than manual transmission. In fact, towing while shifting gears in manual transmission tends to damage the transmission.

Tire size is also a factor for determining a vehicle’s towing capacity. Narrow and short tires increase torque, making them better for towing. As for your vehicle’s suspension, it won’t exactly impact towing capacity, but it will ensure a more comfortable ride even with the added weight from a trailer.

How To Increase Your Vehicle’s Tow Capacity

There are many ways to increase towing capacity, and some are easier and more effective than others. Here are our recommendations:

Suspension System Upgrades

The suspension system is one of the components you’ll want to start with when increasing towing capacity. Heavier-duty struts, shocks, and springs can support more weight from a trailer. At the same time, they’ll give your vehicle more stability when you drive.

Upgraded Radiator

Your vehicle’s radiator is in charge of keeping your engine and transmission from overheating. A bigger, upgraded radiator can improve this cooling process and lessen the stress from heavier weights.

Powertrain Modifications

Increased power will help you pull heavier loads. This is where powertrain modifications come in. Install a programmer or tuner or upgrade the exhaust system for improved airflow. Any performance improvements can lead to greater tow capacity.

Programming Adjustments

More often than not, you might notice that your vehicle is programmed to have better fuel efficiency, saving you money in the long term by keeping the engine’s power levels within certain levels. The powertrain control module’s (PCM’s) programming is in charge of the transmission shifting, air-to-fuel ratio, and other settings. Adjusting these settings will allow the engine to have more horsepower at the cost of using more fuel.

Electric Trailer Brake Controller Installation

As we’ve mentioned, whether or not the trailer you’re pulling has brakes impacts your vehicle’s towing capacity. Installing an electric brake controller to the trailer can help your vehicle tow more since you won’t be relying solely on your vehicle’s brakes to stop.

Intake and Exhaust Replacements

Upgrading your vehicle’s intake and exhaust will improve its suspension. Because the system can “breathe” easier, the vehicle’s overall performance improves, which of course translates to a higher towing capacity.

High-Performance Brakes

Installing upgraded brakes are more for your vehicle’s performance than its towing capacity. That being said, it can help reduce the stopping distances when you haul especially heavy trailers, making hauling them safer than usual.

Frame and Chassis Adjustments

The frame and chassis of your vehicle help determine the vehicle’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), which also impacts its towing capacity. For certain vehicles, you can adjust the frame and chassis, reinforcing them to take on extra weight. These adjustments are easier made on body-on-frame vehicles than unibodies.

Transmission Cooler Installation

For certain vehicles, you might need to install a transmission cooler before they can meet the “max towing capacity” listed by the manufacturer.

Upgraded Axles

Axles support your vehicle’s weight and rotate its wheels. Upgraded axles help you manage more heavy-duty components. The enhanced gear ratio that comes with this is another bonus. Keep in mind that it’s a pricey upgrade that will need to be installed by a professional mechanic.

Types of Towing Capacity Modifications

There are a variety of modifications you can do to your vehicle to increase towing capacity. One of the quickest isn’t entirely a modification at all. Rather, it’s making sure you have the highest capacity hitch, receiver, and ball to match your vehicle’s maximum trailering weight. If you have a weaker set, it’ll limit your maximum towing capacity.

Plug-and-play modifications are those that don’t need too much effort to install, and they’re a good place to start if you don’t want to get your hands dirty. Power programmers and trailer brake controllers fall under this category. There are also direct replacement parts that completely overhaul sections of your vehicle like suspension or brake components. They require more work to install but can be worth the effort.

Towing Must-Knows

• If you want to start towing, you’ll need to make sure you have a tow bar, a tow hitch, and a recovery point.
• You’ll know how much towing capacity you need once you know the maximum amount of weight you want your vehicle to carry.
• If you intend to tow another vehicle, you’ll need to attach the towing device to its chassis.
• Towing particularly large loads like farm equipment or large vehicles require the use of a tow pin and jaw.

Now you know you can increase towing capacity with the right upgrades and knowledge. So the next time you’re planning to haul something, you’ll know whether to bring a pickup or a sedan.

Where to Get Parts to Increase Your Vehicle’s Towing Capacity

Raising your ride’s towing capacity is a hassle when local auto parts shops don’t have the parts you need. At the same time, you can’t just disregard it and tow things beyond your vehicle’s capacity even if you’re only traveling a short distance or you’ll risk damaging your ride. On the bright side, we have the towing equipment and upgrades you need here at CarParts.com.

Use our vehicle selector to start shopping, and funnel the catalog results according to your preferences using the search filters. We have everything from tow bars to hitches, so all you need to do is place your order.

We make it a point to get our auto parts from the most trusted manufacturers in the industry to ensure they’re built to last. On top of that, our warehouses are strategically located all over the US. This means you can expect to receive your order within a matter of days.

Upgrade your towing capacity in no time. Check out our catalog and shop now!