I've been looking at an A-Frame pop up camper. I own a 2010 S80 T6. The manual says it can tow up to 3,300 lbs. The one I'm interested in is 2,133 lbs before you load it. It can handle an additional 1,151 lbs in "stuff" bringing the gross vehicle weight to 3,284 lbs if you loaded it to it's max. I'm a single guy who probably would never do that. But even then 3,284 is less than the towing capacity of 3,300.


My concern is:
1. Is this a bad idea to even consider this?

2. Would my car look like it's got 800 lbs of concrete in the trunk when I drove it? I believe the hitch weight is around 350 lbs.

3. If number 2 is true is there something I can do to make the car pull it without sagging down in the back?

Thanks in advance for your advice,
Don

 

Towing puts stress on the transmission and engine cooling systems - which is why "towing packages" add a larger oil cooler and transmission cooler. The actual stress will vary based on how and where you drive - flat vs mountains, stop and go vs highway. Yes your car will sag a bit - no different from loading 200-300 lbs of concrete in the trunk. The only way to change the sagging would be to change the springs in the rear - I doubt that its worth it.