6x10 or 6x12 camper towed with sports car?

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6x10 or 6x12 camper towed with sports car?

Postby RedruM7 » Mon Nov 07, 2022 4:35 pm

Ok call me crazy but I'm in that rare minority that really wants to tow a camper with my sports car.
I have quite a few questions on camper design but my first post will focus mainly on the first step which is practicality/safety of towing with my main vehicle.

Now I may be crazy but not completely mad. I own a large very capable/powerful and relatively reliable sports car.
I bought a top of the line 2019 Kia Stinger V6 GT2 a year ago, I'm just going to rattle off some specs before anyone asks or googles it up.

365HP / 376TQ / Twin Turbo V6 AWD (RWD bias)
4023 lbs Curb / 114.4" Wheelbase
Brembo brakes

Now I've searched high and low to find a tow hitch for my car which exists but was discontinued around the same time I bought my car, but recently I finally got my hands on one and just need to install it.
I've also started already on my camper design, I'm very likely going with a converted 6x10 or 6x12 cargo trailer, with a starting weight of around 1000-1200lbs and by my rough estimates may end up around 1750-1900 lbs fully loaded.
Here are some of the important towing specs.

Tow hitch max tongue/trailer weight: 200 lbs / 2000 lbs
Kia Stinger max tow braked/unbraked: 3300 lbs / 1600 lbs (These ratings are australian/UK, NA does not give official ratings. Locally in Alberta I do not need trailer brakes if under 2000lbs)

Just to further give the Stinger its credentials this gives me the most confidence in towing with it.
https://www.thetowcarawards.com/tow-car/kia-stinger/

I'm completely new to towing however I have been watching many informative videos and reading into the subject lately especially when it comes to the cargo trailer conversions and camper conversions in general. Just wondering what you guys think about towing with a sports car and most importantly towing close to the max ratings, working in design and with engineers I know there are built in safety margins and I find a lot of towing numbers can be a bit on the loose side. The generic unbraked tow rating looks to be the lowest rating, but not sure how accurate that as I've heard trailers my size very rarely have brakes.

Suggestions would also be very much appreciated. I of course do not plan to drive like a sports car while towing and I'm thinking of ideas to make towing safer and reduce wear and tear/damage. One thing I'd like to add is a transmission temperature gauge/sensor to keep an eye on it incase of overheating, however I've read the Stingers come with stock coolers. Ideally I hope I could use a bluetooth ODB reader for this but not sure yet. Regarding the weight I also plan to lighten the tow weight by moving heavier items to the Stinger if possible such as water tanks, batteries and ebikes (~200l bs) so hopefully that also helps.

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Re: 6x10 or 6x12 camper towed with sports car?

Postby Pmullen503 » Mon Nov 07, 2022 6:01 pm

Before you build/buy a trailer could you borrow/rent a similar sized trailer and tow it around for an afternoon? You may find it fine or a problem. Better to find out before you get a trailer.

Monitoring your trans temp is definitely a good idea. The weight comes into play primarily during braking and acceleration. I'd plan on brakes for the trailer. The trailer drag will be the thing that stresses your car. Most TVs are larger and punch a bigger hole, if you will, in the air leaving much of the trailer in their slipstream.

My van gets 10% worst mileage towing a 4"x4"x10" at 70 MPH. I can't even see it in my side mirrors. I know my van would have to work much harder to tow a 6x6x10 trailer, even if it weighed the same just because of increased drag.
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Re: 6x10 or 6x12 camper towed with sports car?

Postby pchast » Mon Nov 07, 2022 9:55 pm

It would take a little research. There are products like 'scangauge' that can be used to monitor temperature values. You would have to verify that it will work for that Kia.
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Re: 6x10 or 6x12 camper towed with sports car?

Postby CaptKidd » Tue Nov 08, 2022 1:27 pm

I towed my teardrop behind my PT convertible. Did the Lincoln highway SF to NYC then route 66 from
chicago to LA.
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Re: 6x10 or 6x12 camper towed with sports car?

Postby twisted lines » Tue Nov 08, 2022 11:03 pm

Moderation Not Motoration Dam :frightened:
Racking up; And Rapin foam
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Re: 6x10 or 6x12 camper towed with sports car?

Postby jandmz » Thu Nov 10, 2022 2:30 pm

With that kind of rig, I would strongly recommend two things. 1- a weight distributing hitch (WDH) with sway control 2- an electric brake controller with trailer brakes. I drive an S10 Blazer and tow a 4000lb travel trailer. Even with WDH, sway control and electric brakes, it is "an adventure", and what you are proposing has a similar weight to size to tow rating ratio.

WDH/sway control will be much safer in windy conditions, and when semi rigs pass you on the road. You would be surprised how big a role wind and pressure waves play in initiating trailer sway. A WDH also evens out the load so your car's rear suspension is not as badly stressed. It also reduces the "lift" of the front suspension due to tongue weight,, so you don't loose as much steering control.

The brake controller is very important. With the amount of weight that you are anticipating, you will be surprised at how much longer it will take you to stop, even with the excellent brakes on the KIA. The trailer brakes will reduce that back down to almost stock. Also, if you get into an extreme downhill with wind situation, your trailer can start pushing the tow vehicle and in extreme conditions, your trailer can even try to pass you and drag the rear end of the tow vehicle around. The controller has a button that allows you to activate only the trailer brakes, and straighten the rig out.

A few years ago, Gulfstream RV was demonstrating one of their travel trailers, towing it around Canada with a Jetta, so it can be doe safely.

Good luck.
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