Anyone out there got experience of towing with a MY02 WRX (or similar)? Having spent over £500 to get someone else to transport my girlfriends horse over Christmas I'm thinking of getting a towbar fitted and acquiring a horsebox. Braked trailer weighs c.750kg and horse c.500kg.

Please tell me this is possible and I don't need to part ex for a Landrover!!

Nick

 

A friend of mine has a MY97 UK Wagon, he has towed a high trailer (I can almost stand up straight in the trailer and I am 6ft) - trailer has brakes etc, we transported 3 race bikes from Sussex to Lincolnshire, each bike is approx 170-180kg, along with tool boxes, spares, spare wheels, fuel etc no probs, fuel bill was ridiculous tho Dont know if a horse box would put too much strain on the car tho as it is a lot bigger I reckon we were towing about 900-1000kg if that helps?!

 

Depends on the size of the 'box but some bigger Ifor Wiliams-esque trailers are 1500kg plus, which exceeds the legal towing weight of the scooby IIRC

 

Don't do it mate!
The WRX is not equiped to pull that sort of weight. You should work out your all-up towing weight and add a contigency of at least 75%. An Ifor Williams type trailer (550) is 750Kg. The horse is going to be anywhere between 250Kg (pony) and 450Kg (17hand+ horse. So your absolute minimum baseline is a vehicle which can tow 1750Kg.
Cheers
Kav

 

Don't do it! I've towed a small car trailer with a light car on it, all up weight under 1000 kg, and my friends' WRX made very hard work of it. The lack of go at low revs in 1st (think how many revs you have to use normally to avoid it feeling like it is going to stall), and the relatively high gearing make it hard to get off the line without a lot of clutch slip.

The handbook quotes the max towing weight as 1200 kg which leaves no margin based upon your figures. The TS and GX Sportswagons both have much higher towing limits based on their dual ratio gear boxes.

Duncan

 

Thanks for the comments - why the need to allow for 75% contigency on towing weight. Appreciate the advice but that sounds a bit steep!!

Nick

 

Blimey if it costs £500 a pop why not buy a £500 Volvo estate (or similar) and use that?

Just a thought

Justin

 

I have towed upto about 350kg + 100kg with my UK 96 Turbo Wagon and it was fine and the trailer does not have brakes either...

I think it is at about the limit of the unbraked trailer...

 

Jay,

I don't think Nicks horse would fit in a Volvo.

 

lol, made me laugh for the first time today..