lesmore49
canada
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2011 Ford Explorer...a unibody...but what can it tow ?
Not much in way of specs...a unibody, based on the Flex...I wonder if the tow rating by Ford will be about the same, or go higher than the current tow rating ?
lesmore49
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345jeep
Fort Worth, TX
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My guess is 4,500 lb using the GMC Acadia as the V6 FWD cross-over benchmark.
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mbutts
Farmington MI, USA
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Don't know what the real 2011 Explorer will pull, but Ford PR people said the show car is rated for 3,500 lbs.
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sayby1campers
Rock Hill,SC
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Based on the Flex's specs; I would expect atleast 4,500 lbs. I can't imagine that the new Explorer wouldn't have some extra bracing to accomodate a heavier rating. The ecoboost engine can surely handle more...
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Wishin
Grand Rapids, MI
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The Traverse and Acadia are up to 5200 lbs now for towing so you'd think Ford might want to match or beat that. Of course the Explorer was never that big either. A Traverse is pretty much Tahoe sized other than height. How big is the new Explorer going to be?
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345jeep
Fort Worth, TX
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Wishin wrote:The Traverse and Acadia are up to 5200 lbs now for towing
Cool. Must be the new direct injection V6 for '09 ?
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Caddywhompus
Southeast WI
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Unibody has never been the problem towing that people think. Properly engineered, a unibody is MORE rigid than a ladder frame, not the other way around. Ladder frames are used these more because they allow for several different body style vehicles to use the same chassis platform and underpinnings (ex F-150 and Expedition).
When the requirement to share chassis platforms with other vehicles is no longer important, it makes more sense to spend the money on engineering and tooling and design a unibody for the vehicle. It's less flexible to modify going forward, but safer and more rigid (better ride and sound isolation) and gives up nothing to the ladder frame if designed correctly.
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345jeep
Fort Worth, TX
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Caddywhompus wrote:Unibody has never been the problem towing that people think. Properly engineered, a unibody is MORE rigid than a ladder frame, not the other way around. Ladder frames are used these more because they allow for several different body style vehicles to use the same chassis platform and underpinnings (ex F-150 and Expedition).
When the requirement to share chassis platforms with other vehicles is no longer important, it makes more sense to spend the money on engineering and tooling and design a unibody for the vehicle. It's less flexible to modify going forward, but safer and more rigid (better ride and sound isolation) and gives up nothing to the ladder frame if designed correctly.
I think the towing limitation won't come from the unibody, but rather the high-efficiency running gear designed for maxiumum fuel efficiency vs. pulling power. They are clearly re-orienting the chassis and design to bias towards maximum grocery store / mall utility and effeciency. To that end, it should be a superior product to the Explorer or any other mid-size traditional SUV. It will not be a better tow vehicle for 6,000+ weights than today's V8 driven Explorer.
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Caddywhompus
Southeast WI
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345jeep wrote:Caddywhompus wrote:Unibody has never been the problem towing that people think. Properly engineered, a unibody is MORE rigid than a ladder frame, not the other way around. Ladder frames are used these more because they allow for several different body style vehicles to use the same chassis platform and underpinnings (ex F-150 and Expedition).
When the requirement to share chassis platforms with other vehicles is no longer important, it makes more sense to spend the money on engineering and tooling and design a unibody for the vehicle. It's less flexible to modify going forward, but safer and more rigid (better ride and sound isolation) and gives up nothing to the ladder frame if designed correctly.
I think the towing limitation won't come from the unibody, but rather the high-efficiency running gear designed for maxiumum fuel efficiency vs. pulling power. They are clearly re-orienting the chassis and design to bias towards maximum grocery store / mall utility and effeciency. To that end, it should be a superior product to the Explorer or any other mid-size traditional SUV. It will not be a better tow vehicle for 6,000+ weights than today's V8 driven Explorer. Today's V8 Explorers have the power to pull 6000+ pounds, but never had the stability to handle such trailers. They have been over-rated since the day they launched. Over the years it became obvious based on posts on this very forum, that for an Explorer a popup or lightweight hybrid was the best match. Much more and the towing performance quickly goes south.
So to answer the question, if the new Explorer's tow rating drops from the optimistic 7000+ rating (V8) it currently maxed out at, to a more reasonable 5000 pound area, it would only be more closely representing real world ability. In other words, no downgrade just less "fudge" in the rating.
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345jeep
Fort Worth, TX
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Caddywhompus wrote:Today's V8 Explorers have the power to pull 6000+ pounds, but never had the stability to handle such trailers.
Fair point Caddywhompus.
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