Tesla Towing MAX Capacity Test
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- čas přidán 10. 03. 2024
- A 1,300 mile journey and 650 miles of towing a trailer at maximum towing capacity of a Tesla Model Y! See how the Tesla did towing this crazy distance with this large trailer.
Key Takeaway and Disclaimer:
Tesla only recommends a 1.5” rise on the tow hitch, so everything I am doing here is out of manufactures spec, but this video is to show how that’s not always practical, and the Tesla is capable of supporting that weight from a structural standpoint, although that doesn’t mean you should.
0.00 Intro
2:07 Tow Hitch Tesla Manufacture Specifications
4:00 Loading the Trailer
5:43 Trailer Weight Specifications
6:50 First Range Test
13:18 Installing Trailer Brake
17:28 Using RV Hookups
18:26 Final Range Test Failure
Everything you need to know to tow with a Tesla:
• Full Towing Guide for ...
Funny how you talk about going outside the manual for the hitch. We tow a 3000 lbs trailer with our Honda Crosstour, which is rated for 1500 lbs. Lots of small modifications: Class 3 hitch, brake controller, trans cooler, big brake kit, rear air ride, larger tires rated for the load. I found that the Crosstour and same year CR-V, which has the same rear suspension, were rated for 3500 lbs in foreign markets. It pulls nicer than a full size truck with two axle travel trailer. Just wanted to say good work for not needing to have a truck to pull one of those. I know it's not going to be the norm, but you're having fun figuring it out.
Yeah it’s really just CYA to say watch out it’s out of manufactured spec for the hitch rise, but as you can see, this car can handle above and beyond! Pretty cool what you did with yours!
We just got one for our Model Y! Happy travels! ✌🏻
Awesome! Make sure you get a trailer brake control!
Consider lowering the trailer. Or trading for a non Baja version. If you can get the aero down it will probably add a decent amount of range.
I know range anxiety, I’ve been driving on CNG, natural gas. You can only fill at very specific stations… unlike electric where you can slow charge anywhere.
Definitely! I know the height is creating a lot more air drag, also doesnt help with how it sits on the car
It wouldn't make that much difference mate , EVs due to their very design are not suited for heavy hauling , and heavy hauling is something I know a lot about.@@Adventures_with_nick
I added an Air Lift 1000 Air Suspension (Kit 60743) to my Model 3 for when I tow our camper (Tab400). It levels out the rear and gives you travel back. Not sure if it fits the Y rear springs. I also replaced the off road tires and rims with much smaller ones (205/75/14). That lowered the trailer and removed weight and tire resistance.
That’s amazing! I have since this video added a 2” lift kit to my model y and will be making another video on towing so i can see if the range is any better
Road trip!!
✌️💯
good job, very informative, I use the ABRP app and if I followed your experience, you used 847 wh/mile which you can put into the ABRP, this would have shown you the route you were taking was not possible, hence why you had to disconnect the trailer
you learned, again nice video
Interesting! Yeah the route back was 170 miles, which is already pushing it for at least half the tesla fleet, let alone tow. I thought stopping at the 100 mile mark would save us. We were wrong!
I agree with @dvwatts below. To make the trip less anxious, a more aerodynamic and lighter trailer would make a world of difference without sacrificing too much space. If you're not really living in it do you really need the slide out. I'll be that adds 1000 lbs right there. And less brick shaped :) Also, play around with trailer brake settings, it may be eating up too much of your regen and only turn it up when you really need it like a downhill where you feel like the cars regen can't handle it.
I thought you would stop somewhere and plug into a lower volt outlet for a long time to make it to the supercharger but that was a great idea to drop the trailer and go ahead without it, then come back and bring it in after getting enough charge.
Also, thanks for doing this. It's exciting to see how this is working in the real world and allowing everyone to learn from it. I don't see your range struggles as a negative but more of a challenge to overcome.
Thank you so much! Yes I wanted it to be a test and learning experience for everyone. I think if this trailer wasn’t so high off the ground, it could get 100 miles of range
The whole point of this video is testing the MAX rating lol
Thanks for the heads up on the lithium ion battery not charging the trailer battery. Do the trailer brakes affect the regen? I talked to a guy who tows with an Ionic 5 and he said his trailer brakes work against the regen and burn through the trailer brakes. My trailer is lighter than yours and does not have trailer brakes. At 55 mph I have gotten 325 to 360 watts per mile or 140 to 160 miles on a charge. Not bragging just don’t want people to think you only get under 100 miles towing. I have heard it is a good idea to tow under the ratings and that’s what I did. Great video and info!
It will run against the regen, what I typically do is set the trailer brakes very low on highway so it doesn’t kick on the brake system
Hello, where did you buy your adjustable hitch and which brand/model is it?
Try putting anything of weight in the very tail of the trailer (behind the trailer axle), might reduce the tongue weight. Maybe even add some 5 gallon water jugs back there. Not sure but worth a try.
Gotta be careful with that because the tongue needs to be at least 10% of the trailer weight to prevent swaying
Which winds up being the best hitch: the simple black one you showed at the beginning, the silver adjustable one you show next, or the black adjustable one you used when you picked it up? Thanks, great video!
Definitely the silver one! It a more solid frame and it’s a 9” rise max. Tesla only recommends a 1.5” rise so everything I am doing here is out of manufactures spec, but this video is to show how that’s not always practical, and the Tesla is capable of supporting that weight, although doesn’t mean you should
@@Adventures_with_nick Awesome, thanks! It looks like a lot of people are hauling things out of spec like that without issues. I'll let you know how it goes this summer!
@@joejohnson7416 yep just make sure you are within the weight threshold and very careful about the hitch weight!
I’m not gonna lie. This setup scares me.
Do you think you will upgrade to a more suitable tow rig?
@@bravadomizzou yea I know. I just didn’t wanna say all that. They have no business even thinking about towing that trailer with that vehicle. Get a model x or a f150 lightning etc.
We get about 95 miles of range with a similar setup. Thats enough to get us to the coast or mountains on a charge.
I just took model Y this weekend in 70 degree weather, it was getting 95 miles of range as well! Definitely weather and wind dependent
All of that stuff that’s I. Your back seats, needs to be relocated to the back of the camper..
Campgrounds are going to charge more for electric vehicles pulling trailers.
Since it’s so impractical (until they start making 600+ mile range) almost no one will be doing what I did
Were you TRYING to ruin your car or…
I mean it’s not above weight for what the car is advertised for. The hitch rise is the only thing out of spec
It has to be said , EVs suck for towing, and with that set up even if you got 150 miles of range that would still be utterly shitful .
For towing there's is no substitute for a an internal combustion engined vehicle.
These EV things are just rubbish for towing.
It doesn't matter if you have a million horsepower if you have no stamina or range.
My last van trip with my 14 year old ICE big family sedan, i did a 5000 k trip in summer often in 40+ celcius temps with the aircon going the whole trip with a close to similar weight( possibly a tad heavier ) old school ugly van with worse aero dynamics sitting on 60 mph with two old fat pensioners and all their gear.
And still got more than 3 times the he range of the Y .
One of the major failings wi6 EVs is they have no way of unloading the the motors , they have a 9 to 1 reduction ratio , but they have no gearbox .
In an ICE vehicle you can drop down a gear or two or 3 while going up a hige incline and just lose a bit of road speed which is also kinder on your gear .
You couldn't pay me to buy an EV .
You OK?😂