It's
Summer - Here Are Some Trailering Tips
"
In the
summertime we get a lot of people towing trailers that haven't
done a whole lot of that, in the past," says Rob Krouse,
General Motors trailering engineer. "You drive your
vehicle most of the year and it handles and accelerates
one way -- you put a trailer on and it's a lot different."
Krouse
says you need to use all of your senses when towing a trailer,
especially one that may weigh several tons.
"You
want to look around, see what's going on -- watch your instrument
panel," says Krouse. "The gauges -- look for overheating.
If you smell anything that might be burning -- your brakes,
transmission, you want to pull over. If you feel any instability,
or trailer sway, again you pull over."
Rob
also warns that many people don't use the right kind of
vehicle to pull and maneuver large trailers.
"In
towing a trailer of any kind, some things you want to keep
in mind, are that powertrain, acceleration are greatly affected,"
says Krouse. "You've got a lot more weight to pull
around. The vehicle doesn't respond as quickly as it does
without a trailer. Braking is also greatly affected, you've
got to leave a lot more time and room to react to things
that happen in front of you."
The
latest trailering technology comes from GM. The Quadrasteer
4-wheel steering system is available on the Chevy Silverado,
and makes tight maneuvers, such as backing into a boat launch
much easier.
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