I am moving and want to know if I can tow a small 21.5 foot travel trailer with my Jetta 2.5 S Manual transmission. I have looked in my Manual and searched all over and can’t find a clear answer. It seems that towing is not advised in the US but it is in Europe. I will be going from Missouri to Florida.
Can my Jetta 2.5 S Manual trans tow
- Thread starter Taraterror2003
- Start date
Hello Taraterror,
Welcome to the forum.
We are based in the UK, and as such we are not aware of the regulations and restrictions in other countries. I do not think I could offer you sound advice that is guaranteed to be legal about towing in the USA.
What I would say is as far as I am aware the Jetta is basically a booted VW Golf (hatch back with a trunk) also known as the Fox or Rabbit in some countries and that is a relatively small car.
I suspect your 21' 5" trailer relates to 6.5M European trailer, which seems to be quite large for such a small car, and is almost certainly too heavy for the Jetta's UK towed weight limit. I do not know how the USA set out towing limits.
Welcome to the forum.
We are based in the UK, and as such we are not aware of the regulations and restrictions in other countries. I do not think I could offer you sound advice that is guaranteed to be legal about towing in the USA.
What I would say is as far as I am aware the Jetta is basically a booted VW Golf (hatch back with a trunk) also known as the Fox or Rabbit in some countries and that is a relatively small car.
I suspect your 21' 5" trailer relates to 6.5M European trailer, which seems to be quite large for such a small car, and is almost certainly too heavy for the Jetta's UK towed weight limit. I do not know how the USA set out towing limits.
I have seen posts on cars used for towing in America and it does seem that quite often they have lower towing limits over there or a no towing figure for what appears to be the same vehicle. The consensus was that if things go wrong litigation is far more expensive over there, although you may also find the spec is different assuming you are not shipping the car across.
Like the Prof I feel the size of the trailer sounds too big for the car, but it would also be subject to different regulations.
I would find an American forum and see what they can tell you.
Like the Prof I feel the size of the trailer sounds too big for the car, but it would also be subject to different regulations.
I would find an American forum and see what they can tell you.
Outside North America the car will have a weight plate specifying the maximum gross train weight of the car plus trailer and the gross vehicle weight of the car itself. Subtract the one from the other and you have the maximum towable load. However, I do not know whether VW's for the North American market have a similar weight plate.
Towloads are specified under different conditions in Europe to those in America, American ones being more severe, hence lower limits, so it is quite likely that plated values may differ. To my knowledge, US figures are based on towing ability at high altitudes and constant hill climbing, not just a series of hill starts, as is the case in Europe.
Towloads are specified under different conditions in Europe to those in America, American ones being more severe, hence lower limits, so it is quite likely that plated values may differ. To my knowledge, US figures are based on towing ability at high altitudes and constant hill climbing, not just a series of hill starts, as is the case in Europe.
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