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Tried TOWING with the Renegade? (Post pics and experiences here)

314K views 350 replies 125 participants last post by  bfloyd4445 
#1 ·
Has anyone tried towing with their Renegade? If so, how heavy of a trailer have you towed and what engine/transmission combo do you have? How does the Renegade perform while towing?
 
#304 ·
I have a 2016 TrailHawk with the factory tow package and I tow a small teardrop camp trailer. It weighs 900lbs. (dry weight) I have found that even with this you have to be aware of several things. First, climbing hills you find that you will be shifting to higher gears and, depending on the speed, really revving the engine so you may have to slow down if on a very long hill. I found this one out when I was in a 65 mph zone and the hill was both steep and long. Soon, as I was trying to maintain with traffic, a light came on warning that the oil temperature was too hot and to slow down. Next is passing where you will need a MUCH longer space allowed. I also found another smaller issue in that my trailer was set up to be able to charge the trailer battery through the electrical connection as it was a 7 pin connector. This brings up another point that the Renegade has a 4 pin connector and you will need an adapter for a 7 pin trailer. As for charging the battery on the trailer, it could not be done. Even the dealer could not find a way since the Renegade computers monitor everything and will not allow for such a hook up. I did solve the issue by a work around, at least for the TrailHawk since there is a 12 volt outlet in the rear (or the inverter behind the front seat) and that was to run a small battery charger and run the wires to the battery thereby keeping it charged for longer trips. Of course you will also loose some mileage as well. I can get (depending on where I am) anywhere from about 17 to 21 mpg when towing.
All that said if you are towing anything, just be aware of the limitations and enjoy. I do.
 
#3 ·
We were thinking about moving from a large travel trailer to one of these: http://www.aliner.com/campers/ranger12/ With options, it's 1500lbs unloaded but once you start putting camping gear in it you'll probably get pretty close to that 2000 lbs. I'd be afraid to be the first one to max out the towing capacity.
 
#4 ·
We were thinking about moving from a large travel trailer to one of these: http://www.aliner.com/campers/ranger12/ With options, it's 1500lbs unloaded but once you start putting camping gear in it you'll probably get pretty close to that 2000 lbs. I'd be afraid to be the first one to max out the towing capacity.
I urge everyone to go slow when thinking of this vehicle for towing, ESPECIALLY if you don't have the factory tow package. Towing is not it's strong point. Add to this the fact that the 9spd is the only recommended transmission, and a strong transmission is key for towing, along with the short wheelbase, etc, ...the red lights are there people.
If you're remotely thinking of doing any kind of serious towing, consider another vehicle. Anything more than lawnmowers, dirt bikes, wave runners, etc, should NOT be considered.
 
#6 ·
Tow Hitch Application (Post pics and experiences here)

What are you using your tow hitch for? What kind of weight were you working with and how did your renegade perform?

I'm installing my Renegade Ready hitch soon and am interested to see how others put their Renegades to work. Pictures or video would be great!
 
#32 ·
What are you using your tow hitch for? What kind of weight were you working with and how did your renegade perform?

I'm installing my Renegade Ready hitch soon and am interested to see how others put their Renegades to work. Pictures or video would be great!
Question does the towing kit come with a trans cooler. I read on line the factory trans cooler is a small 2 tube unit and would it be worth a bm trans type cooler.
 
#7 ·
I did the Renegade Ready install all by myself. Was very apprehensive but I felt there was no other options and I needed the hitch for an upcoming trip.

The install was pretty easy, the hardest part was overcoming my fear of taking a apart a brand new car. The instructions where very good, I even did the wiring no problem. I did the whole thing by myself in just shy of 8 hours. It can be done faster, but I am slow, it was hot and the beers were cold.

I said before in another thread, definitely take the rear tires off, have all the recommended as well as the required tools, if you can source them buy a few extra body retainer clips, you do run the risk of breaking more then they give you extra. I am sure if you called RR, they can provide you with a part number. I was able to buy a trim removal kit and a body clip tool on amazon for cheap -




I had everything else.

I have a small utility trailer, 800 pound max that I use for camping that I plan on using and bikes that I haul regularly. I just did a 1200 mile round trip fully loaded up with luggage and bikes. I averaged about 21mpg. I was expecting worse with the amount of drag I strapped onto the car.

Here it is doing work in Zion National Park:D



Let me know if you have any additional questions,
 
#9 ·
I did the Renegade Ready install all by myself. Was very apprehensive but I felt there was no other options and I needed the hitch for an upcoming trip.

The install was pretty easy, the hardest part was overcoming my fear of taking a apart a brand new car. The instructions where very good, I even did the wiring no problem. I did the whole thing by myself in just shy of 8 hours. It can be done faster, but I am slow, it was hot and the beers were cold.

I said before in another thread, definitely take the rear tires off, have all the recommended as well as the required tools, if you can source them buy a few extra body retainer clips, you do run the risk of breaking more then they give you extra. I am sure if you called RR, they can provide you with a part number. I was able to buy a trim removal kit and a body clip tool on amazon for cheap -

http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-35260-P...id=1439916533&sr=1-3&keywords=body+clips+tool

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KCXMCTM?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00


I had everything else.

I have a small utility trailer, 800 pound max that I use for camping that I plan on using and bikes that I haul regularly. I just did a 1200 mile round trip fully loaded up with luggage and bikes. I averaged about 21mpg. I was expecting worse with the amount of drag I strapped onto the car.

Here it is doing work in Zion National Park:D



Let me know if you have any additional questions,
Would this trim removal tool work? http://www.harborfreight.com/panel-clip-pliers-67399.html

HF is local.
 
#19 ·
I installed one of the first RenegadeReady hitch kits (somewhere there a thread with much more info). You can see why I wanted the functional trailer lights. That's a Thule bike rack with home made taillight bar added.
 

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#24 ·
Mostly the buildup and the initial cut is nerve racking. After that its as simple as following a line. As long as you take your time it is not as bad as it seems. The template that they provide is superb, as long as you have a decent drywall saw and perhaps, (but not needed) a skinnier, finer tooth saw for the corners the job is pretty easy.

I cut a hole in the middle of the template on the bumper and did some test sawing just so I could get a feel of how the saw interacts with the bumper. I was also told by RR NOT to use a jigsaw, it would melt and gum up the edges, it was very tempting to plug that thing in and use it, but I didn't - they done me good so far, might as well follow thru as they recommended.

It took me about 30 minutes to cut it..a lot of stopping and standing back a few feet and staring at it wondering what the heck have I gotten myself into:eek:
 
#25 ·
I used a jig saw, on a very slow setting, to cut the hole. Worked fine. The slots all around the hole were harder and need to be very accurate. There is a lot of room for error when cutting the hole. Not so for the tab slots! They are very close to the edge of the bezel. A slip there will surely show.
Take a close look at the image on RenegadeReady and you can see where the slots are. My guess is they didn't open them up enough and the tabs are deforming the plastic a little.
 
#39 · (Edited)
Haven't fitted a tow bar on my 1.6 Ren Longitude ( having one fitted soon )but I borrowed my friends 1.6 Longitude 6 speed to tow my 2 berth caravan 250 miles with no problems at all .. returned 26MPG

Caravan is braked and is about 850 Kilograms ( 1873 lbs ) Ren is Max towing weight - braked 1200 kg ( 2600 lbs )

In the Uk we run at 80% of the Max towing weight - braked so the Ren is well within this for safe towing..

The caravan is fitted with towing Stabiliser that Prevents snaking and helps to control pitching..

Mr Friends own caravan is 900 kilograms and he says it tows very well without any problem whatsoever ..

Tow-bar is a https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WqtE83giOw&feature=youtu.be
 
#43 ·
I haven't towed with it yet but the patriot I had I would tow 2klbs all the time without any issues and that was with the cvt. Since this setup is the same as the lower Cherokee I don't see an issue. I will let you know in the spring when I start hauling firewood and yard debris with my 8x5 utility trailer
 
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