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Hazelsmom
Newbie
Joined: 10 Apr 2021
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Posts: 7
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Topic: WDH on KIA Sorento Posted: 14 Apr 2021 at 10:35am |
Hi everyone! Newbie here! I recently bought a 2017 180 which is located in Florida. I need to tow it to Pennsylvania with a 2020 KIA Sorento V6 with an aftermarket hitch. Of course, I want to be as safe as possible. Do I need a WDH or will a sway bar suffice? I’ve read conflicting things regarding using wdh on unibody vehicles. Please help!
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lostagain
Senior Member
Joined: 06 Sep 2016
Location: Quaker Hill, CT
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Posted: 14 Apr 2021 at 10:53am |
The short answer is yes.
If your towing capacity is 3500 lbs., once fully loaded to the gross capacity of the trailer, you will be exceeding the towing capacity of your Sorento. If your towing capacity is 5000, as apparently is the case with some of the AWD versions of the Sorento, you'll be within the 5000 limit with a reasonable margin of safety. Using a WHD, if the manufacturer doesn't recommend against it, will give you a much more comfortable ride, better control, and will reduce driver fatigue.
Best of luck in bringing your new trailer home.
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost
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Hazelsmom
Newbie
Joined: 10 Apr 2021
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Posted: 14 Apr 2021 at 11:12am |
Thanks so much for your quick response! Yes, it is an AWD with towing capacity of 5000. I can’t find anything in the vehicle manual that says anything about using a wdh!
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Colt
Senior Member
Joined: 16 Nov 2019
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Posts: 383
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Posted: 14 Apr 2021 at 11:55am |
The Curt hitch I bought was not designed for a weight distributing hitch and I don't feel any need for it. I did add a friction anti-sway bar, but the few, short trips I've made without it make me think it's redundant. I'd add one, anyway.
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John
'16 R-Pod 180
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lostagain
Senior Member
Joined: 06 Sep 2016
Location: Quaker Hill, CT
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Posts: 2587
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Posted: 14 Apr 2021 at 12:35pm |
With a good WDH, you don't need a anti-sway bar. We use a Fastway e2 and couldn't be more pleased with the ease of use and performance.
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost
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Hazelsmom
Newbie
Joined: 10 Apr 2021
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 7
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Posted: 14 Apr 2021 at 12:45pm |
Thank you, all. I called KIA corporate and the dealership I bought the vehicle from. Couldn’t get any info for or against wdh. I’m going to go ahead and install it!
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018
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Posts: 5290
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Posted: 14 Apr 2021 at 4:05pm |
If a wdh is not disallowed then I agree. Add it, your ride and handling with be improved. It does not increase your towing capacity in any way however.
Either get one with integrated antisway like lostagain's, or separately adjustable antisway, like mine is. It's a personal preference.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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Olddawgsrule
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Joined: 20 Sep 2017
Location: New Hampshire
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Posted: 16 Apr 2021 at 7:51am |
You really need to consult your manual (not the dealership). Could you? Certainly.. Should you? That's a BIG maybe.. Not recommended with most uni-body's.
Run the question by a couple Kia Forums and see what the consensus is.
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018
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Posted: 16 Apr 2021 at 8:33am |
Originally posted by Olddawgsrule
You really need to consult your manual (not the dealership). Could you? Certainly.. Should you? That's a BIG maybe.. Not recommended with most uni-body's. Run the question by a couple Kia Forums and see what the consensus is. |
Which mid size 5000 lb rated unibody suv's don't allow WDH's? The only one that I could find in a quick review was the Subaru Ascent. Subaru is an outlier, once a market segment (and the unibody 5000 lb midsize suv is a well defined segment now), all the manufacturers need to be able to offer the same basic capabilities to compete. Toyota, Nissan, Kia, Ford, and GM all offer SUVs in this segment and all allow WDHs and have 5000lb (in the case of Explorer its 5600 lbs) towing.
Of course, you must use the factory hitch as well, which is designed to carry the tongue and wdh moment loads to the unibody frame.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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lostagain
Senior Member
Joined: 06 Sep 2016
Location: Quaker Hill, CT
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2587
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Posted: 16 Apr 2021 at 8:48am |
Olddawgsrule is probably right about contacting dealers about technical issues since you have no way of knowing whether they are really knowledgeable on the issue.
Looking on forums is also problematical. Unlike the r-Pod forum [ ], you have no way of knowing whether people contributing to the postings really know what they are talking about. Just because it's stated in a forum doesn't make it true. And if it turns out to be wrong, you'll have no recourse for the erroneous opinion.
If it isn't in the owners manual or some other publicly available technical manual, then contacting Kia customer service is probably your best choice. But, it should be done in writing. It's harder to ignore or give you a hurry up and get off the phone answer that can later be denied. If you send a letter, no one will want to sign his/her name to an incorrect reply and it'll probably be pushed up the food chain to people who are more likely to know.
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost
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