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A different trailer hitch option


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Wtf does a turbo have to do with towing a trailer?

 

Couple things.

 

First, it puts a load on the engine to get the trailer started and to keep it moving, which means you'll be on boost more and for longer durations.

 

Second, the cooling and lube system are put under load because the turbo is boosting more (WG shut). That means that both your cooling and your lube systems are having to deal with the excess heat generated by the turbo staying on boost.

 

When I tow, I can watch both an increase in my boost pressure to start and maintain steady state and an increase in my oil temperature.

- Pro amore Dei et patriam et populum -
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i have the external waste gate that actually gets pulled open with vacuum from the booster via a 2-3 valve. this allows me to hold the waste gate open so the turbo can't make boost. this also helps with city driving fuel economy and towing.

 

when towing a on the freeway on level ground your fighting wind restrictions not much much weight. but in the mountains its mostly weight.

 

for a 2.5gt manual i would worrie about overheating, as ther is a coolant to oil oil cooler. so the oil maintains temp with the coolant. so if the coolant isn't going nuts your fine.

 

the 2.5gt auto .. it can be a bitch in certain circumstances where the torque converter is not locking up then it creates tremendous heat that goes into the cooling system.

and if you were to go up very steep hill and your in 2nd gear there is no torque converter lockup on 05-07. in that case put in 1st gear and let the engine rev higher over 4500.

once on the highway and maintaining 40-75 mph its the same as a mt car.

 

but in both case if you need to be making >5 lbs boost to maintain speed .. eeh ! shift down a gear!

Now that's thinking out of the boxer!:lol:

fyi all 05 + legacy's have built in code reader

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It's it any more stressful than driving up a long steep hill? Auto x? track day? Do you have an oil cooler on your car?

 

The short answer is yes to auto-x, because towing is more load, over a longer period of time. No to track day, because you're typically flogging the throttle to get every last bit out of the car and everything, cooling system included is under longer-period stress.

 

And defintely, pulling a long, steep hill with a trailer behind will cause you to stay in boost until you reach the summit.

 

Our LGT all have oil coolers as Frank mentioned, they sit immediately above the oil filter and are coolant-cooled.

 

And Frank, your situation is a bit different with a boosted Buick V-6 doing the work up front, so not as much need for "boost" as our H4s... ;):lol:

- Pro amore Dei et patriam et populum -
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^ i have disconnected the waste gate arm on long towing trips with my lgt when it was stage 1 . it dramatically increased fuel economy while towing.. and the turbo wasn't glowing red for hours at a time !

Now that's thinking out of the boxer!:lol:

fyi all 05 + legacy's have built in code reader

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FWIW, while we were in SoCal, we pulled varying loads of 900-1200 lbs in our Let'sGoAero Sport trailer. Even in the SoCal triple-digit temps, on the flat/level areas, we didn't notice too much difference, a 1-2 MPG ding, but other than that, not too much in terms of inordinate boost, and elevated oil temps.

 

Pulling the (5800') mountains going out to and returning from the desert, we definitely noticed a large difference between sea-level, flat/level, and mountain pulling. 3-4 MPG ding, and the boost gauge clearly showing the turbo on boost nearly non-stop, and watching the oil temperature gauge echo the boost gauge. As boost would come on and stay on, the oil temp would rise. Off-boost, oil temp would drop. Direct correlation. And the oil temp gauge sender was right between the oil cooler and the oil filter, so that's about a stable a location for temps you can get.

 

The trip from SoCal to SoCar with the LGA trailer was interesting because that was a long-tow with about 900 lbs on behind. Could always tell when we were in boost and when we weren't and the MPG registered accordingly.

 

Wish I had had Frank's engineered hitch for that trip.

- Pro amore Dei et patriam et populum -
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Looks very nice. I have always heard trailers on turbo cars is a bad mix. But id only haul small stuff. wood and other home improvement items. I have a 4X10 single wheel dump trailer. Something like this mine has a 2x6 plank bottom. not very heavy .http://www.superiortrailersofga.com/4x8.jpg

 

Only problem towing with a turbo is the fuel economy. But I suggest that you get two gauges; Oil Pressure and Oil Temp just to be safe. B.t.w. the oil temp shall be what's fed into the engine, measuring it after the oil cooler if you have it. A secondary is the temperature before the oil cooler.

 

I should get this trailer hitch and get a trailer like that instead of buying a historic-tagged pickup!

 

Only problem is, where would I park it?

 

If the trailer is small, just tilt it on the side or rear end and anchor it to a pole. (Hey, it's not incorrectly parked, it's stowed for storage)

 

On the subject of trailers, maybe someone can comment on this: http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/trailer-electrical-connectors-and-wiring-214453.html - I would like to be reasonably correct on the issues of non-euro trailer connectors.

453747.png
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in montreal a trailer is not allowed to be on the street unless attached to a vehicle my coworker got that ticket and tried to contest but still lost

Now that's thinking out of the boxer!:lol:

fyi all 05 + legacy's have built in code reader

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^ i currently put slots at the bend lines so it can be easily bend on a vise by hand, then weld the slots for strength.

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=162046&d=1378240247

 

the slots are parametric depending on the fabshop that will be producing these they can be bend using hydraulic benders then not require welding at those points.

 

so mass production would use hydraulic bender and no slots

low production make slots in the laser cut drawing bend by hand and then weld slots.

Now that's thinking out of the boxer!:lol:

fyi all 05 + legacy's have built in code reader

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  • 3 weeks later...
I will probably want one once you have the kinks worked out. Are you looking for a pre-order list and will build to order? Are you thinking production early next year?

 

Keep watching the thread, and we will announce when it is in the production phase :)

[CENTER][B][I] Front Limited Slip Racing Differentials for the 5EAT now available for $1895 shipped, please inquire for details! [/I][/B][/CENTER]
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here is the results from the 3rd party installation of prototype #2

 

"Good News. Hitch install went well. I shortened a 6 inch receiver piece a few inches and also meant i had to cut the end off of the laser cut safety chain attachment to shorten it a bit. The only other snag seemed to be that the stock muffler brackets butt up against the oval cut out in the bracket. However, I was able to remedy this by hammering the bracket so that it was tight up against the muffler. I only did one as i had already mounted the second. but I do have a pic showing this. I also have aftermarket 3 inch exhaust but it bolts up to the factory mufflers (which i am running) so this may affect things slightly?

 

The bad news is i lost my iphone during the fab of the hitch, so i only have AFTER pics of the hitch which i have attached. Its lost somewhere at my parents farm. But once i find it I can send you the pics.

 

So, I can get some more better pics for you tomorrow in the daylight if you want specific shots. but i took a bunch during the install and cant find my phone.......

 

 

 

I really like this hitch as it features 9 attachment points to the frame. 8 frame rail 1 rear towhook. This makes it quite strong. Another reason this hitch works so well is its high ground clearance. An excellent product."

rearview.thumb.JPG.c81118465702d69d98fe0f896b99d496.JPG

side2.thumb.JPG.7c8ec0c971ce8739fdf6bea22c42c4b8.JPG

sideview.thumb.JPG.64f0a68f739d48739d23ce00608d1edb.JPG

towhook1.thumb.JPG.8a1387175b00125378824ec2f9f23023.JPG

546797261_bottomedoutbracket.thumb.JPG.8bdfbf49c00e7fbbc900fff15722a4e4.JPG

1115376395_clearancedbracket.thumb.JPG.995a5c5572cf9a733fa920c61c402780.JPG

Now that's thinking out of the boxer!:lol:

fyi all 05 + legacy's have built in code reader

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Like how much higher it sits, relative to the bottom of the bumper- cutting the bumper to fit notwithstanding. Keep up the the great work.
- Pro amore Dei et patriam et populum -
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