For Blackbear...How do you tell by the VIN# if you have the proper wiring? You are obviously very capable at adapting for towing. I need a 7 pin connector and though the connector would be part of the tow package, including all wiring and a transmission cooler --- Do you know what the tow package includes? Thanks. Hope you are still around. I am also wondering if and how these adaptations might impact the warranty.
Hello,
I have a 17 SF Limited Ultimate, with 3.3 6cyl. I called my dealer, and they gave me the following info by VIN. They told me I had a towing package and capability of Max 5000 towing. I am a technical person, so I got underneath and looked. Towing package meant the prewire connectors were there for me to plug into the OEM side. I purchased a class 3 hitch, tekonsha wire harness and a combo 4/7 light pin socket with an extension bracket. I also purchased the e2 Fastway hitch with sway control and weight distribution and had to wire a 12v supply and ground to the rear of the vehicle to power my curt echo brake controller. All in I saved myself easily over a thousand dollars in labor by doing this myself. I was told I didn’t have the external transmission cooler but I haven’t concerned myself with it. I live in Denver and constantly have to tow up and down the Ike tunnel which tops out at 11,000 feet. The Santa Fe has zero issues with this. It does lose power however as elevation changes do that in naturally aspirated engines.
I tow a 21 foot pop up, somerset e3. Last weight in was loaded at 3300 pounds. I haven’t ran a transmission cooler for two main reasons and one of them isn’t exactly great. 1. It’s a lease. I am having trouble justifying paying for add ons that I won’t be keeping. 2. As a technical person I understand the temperature of ATF breakdown, but the facts are that the ATF is cooled already by existing coolant lines that are run through the radiator and cooling packs already. My cooling system even under hard pull doesn’t move from where it’s normally under non towing conditions. That being said, I don’t harass my engine or transmission. I place it in sport mode, and often I slide it to manual mode up hill to keep the transmission from “hunting” for gears. Down hill grades are no different. I place it in 2nd, 3rd or 4th gear to keep from over using my brakes on the tow vehicle or trailer. I also weighed my vehicle full of fuel and completely empty of load to get a proper idea of curb weight of the SF and it’s rear axle (4020 lbs, and 2000 pounds) and according to the GVWR stickers I am very strict about how much load I add to my vehicle. So much so that I ask my wife and kids to ride in another car and shift loads to the other vehicle. I currently have these load spaces 1602 pounds of vehicle payload with 1055 pounds of room over my rear axle. This vehicle allows for a 10% tow ball load which is max of 500 pounds. That leaves 500 pounds of rear axle weight. And overall 1100 pounds of total vehicle weight. I am a big boy, and with me my wife and two kids, and dogs, we would be roughly 850 of load with zero bags packed. That leaves 250 of weight I could add to the vehicle and be under the GVWR.
I work in trucking and the importance here is safety. If the vehicle is operated within its engineering limits, all of its components can sustain the loads you place them under without additional aftermarket items. If you go outside these specs, your risking maintenance issues. I hope this helps!
