Self Leveling Suspension And Towing

[eijitoyoda]

I was wondering how much weight can the self leveling suspension (safely) take? I am always concerned when hitching up a trailer with a significant tongue weight as I don't want the suspension to "over exert itself" and be ruined. Any ideas? Also, my intention is not too put as much weight as possible on the tongue but I am not really sure what the best method is to estimate tongue weight.

[xxstewart]

The factory hitch is a class III rated for 6,000 lbs towing and 600 lbs hitch weight. The suspension should be able to handle the hitch rating (certainly no worse than 3 adults in your back seat, but I wouldn't do the trailer at the same time). You can buy hitch scales for about $100 if you're uncertain about the trailer's weight distribution. Distributing the weight properly is critical (see your trailer owner's manual) -- too little tongue weight is as bad as too much. If your trailer is back-heavy, the hitch can pop off the ball, or the trailer can go into a fishtail and you can flip your car.