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Rav4 GCWR and Towing with rav4

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primetow

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
First off as a commuter vehicle the Rav4 prime is not bad at all. We bought it with the idea of road tripping with a light weight tear drop as well as getting to and from work. To this end I seem to have stumbled into a bit of a problem with the weight ratings of the Rav4 Prime.

GCWR=8030lbs

Payload= 970lbs (Was surprised to find that this is not even close to the number 1295lbs that is used on Toyota.com)

Tow =2500lbs

Curb weight of our Rav4 = 4340lbs (per CAT certified scale with full tank, empty of payload ,driver or passengers and honestly given the basic arithmetic issues the only number I trust at the moment)

GCWR= Curb weight with fuel + payload + tow load.

I am sure you see where this is going now but just in case here is the math.

-If your GCWR number is correct then the pay load is 1190lbs (which would be with in tolerance of the payload number used on Toyota.com)
4340+1190+2500=8030

-If 970lbs payload is correct then the GCWR is 7810lbs.
4340+970+2500=7810

Any thoughts on this?

See attached.
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#4 ·
My guess is the GCWR is based on the ability of the car to stop, ie how much mass can the brakes handle. The tow rating is based on how much power the drive train can provide (in the forward direction) and payload is based on how much weight inside the car the suspension can handle. Having them all not match up perfectly isn't surprising.

I'm sure the designers of the car want to balance the parameters as much as possible but when the design is finalized and the road testing is done, things may not line up exactly.
 
#6 ·
jcrystal said:
I think the real question is what trailer you hope to tow: needs to be under 2000 lbs at a minimum. Pay attention to tongue weight as well....250 is pretty limiting
Click to expand...
Curb Weight + Maximum Payload - Max Tongue Weight + Loaded Trailer Weight = GCWR
So in R4P XSE's case: 4,300lb + 1,230lb - 250lbs + 2,500lbs = 7,780lbs (assumes tongue weight is at maximum rated 250lbs, and combined weight of trailer and trailer payload is 2,500lbs) = GCWR

Product Information (toyota-cms-media.s3.amazonaws.com)
 
#7 ·
I honestly would not tow with a Rav4. Especially a travel trailer, even a light one. What no one really talks about in towing is heat. A travel trailer is in general, a summer activity, when it is hot out. You will create a lot of heat in your Rav4 drive system. The Rav4 is not designed to tow, they just say you can tow up to ……..if you want to. The eCVT, the brakes, the engine, etc. are going to get hot. Heat is the most destructive thing to a car drive unit that exists. I towed several different trailers over my RV days. I first towed a small trailer with a ForeRunner. I thought maybe I needed a tranny cooler, so I went into my dealer to see what they felt. They brought their tranny expert mechanic over to talk to me. I explained my question to him. He just said that I shouldn’t waste my money on that stuff, that all I really needed was some really really big tow mirrors because I should get a great view of my tranny blowing up. He said Toyota does not make their vehicles to tow and except for the Tundra, it will happen eventually.

i learned, when I was towing, to underestimate any trucks towing capacity and to go heavy in a tow vehicle.
 
#8 ·
JDS said:
I honestly would not tow with a Rav4. Especially a travel trailer, even a light one..... i learned, when I was towing, to underestimate any trucks towing capacity and to go heavy in a tow vehicle.
Click to expand...
I see it the same way but I would def use it to do a short hop to pick up materials that are too long for the R4P interior, or to haul a motorcycle. Both of those examples are short-term use and in the case of the motorcycle over several hundred or a thousand miles the combined weight of trailer and motorcycle, and maximum load hauling for materials transport I would just be very conservative with speed, fuel and brake use and you know how good at it after a while w/ hybrids and EVs. But for a travel trailer over long distances repeatedly I agree that would be severe use, but once again if you drove very conservatively you could get away with it at least longer anyway.
 
#9 ·
R4P has essentially the same drivetrain as the Sienna hybrid and the Highlander hybrid, both of which are rated at 3500. I don’t think a small teardrop is pushing it with a competent driver.

We drug our pop up (2360 gross, braked) all over the southeast USA with our Honda Odyssey, which is a 3500lb rated model with known transmission issues. Up and down mountains. We traded that car in at 189k miles because we were tired of it. Never any trouble.

I am confident in the R4P with this load. Its a utility vehicle. I for one am not afraid to to use it and look forward to making a lot more memories.
 
#10 ·
chuckles70 said:
R4P has essentially the same drivetrain as the Sienna hybrid and the Highlander hybrid, both of which are rated at 3500.
Click to expand...
The Sienna/Highlander have about a 15" longer wheelbase and about 1000Lb more weight than the Rav. Perhaps that is where the higher tow rating comes from?
 
#11 ·
Variman said:
The Sienna/Highlander have about a 15" longer wheelbase and about 1000Lb more weight than the Rav. Perhaps that is where the higher tow rating comes from?
Click to expand...
IDK. The R4A is rated 3500 with the same wheelbase. I bet it’s softer suspension and the extra weight of the battery. Highlander rates at 5k iirc so I think wheelbase definitely plays there.

There is a very good video on YouTube of a R4H extreme towing test in the mountains. They peaked the transmission cooling loop at 238 passing a truck at like 7k feet going 60 mph uphill. With a 2000lb cargo trailer (massive frontal area). Thats not bad at all.

I think these little cars are more capable than we give them credit for. Now i wouldn’t ever consider one as a full time TV but occasional recreational use (even With distance) certainly fits inside my use case.

USA spec tow ratings are based on SAE specs which have lots of safety margin already built in. If you layer margin on top of margin you end up with a not very useful vehicle.

The Cessna 172 i fly has a gross weight of 2500 lb. If I added a 20% margin in that rating and only flew at 2000 or less it would be a single seat airplane. I’ll fly her happily at 2490, but 2550 is a no go. Somebody stays home or we carry less fuel.

I trust the engineers.
 
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