2007 Pontiac Grand Prix Owner's Manual - Page 325

If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer Here are some important points: • There are many different laws, including speed limit restrictions, having to do with trailering. Make sure your rig will be legal, not only where you live but also where you will be driving. A good source for this information can be state or provincial police. • Consider using a sway control. Ask a hitch dealer about sway controls. • Do not tow a trailer at all during the first 1,000 miles (1 600 km) the new vehicle is driven. The engine, axle, or other parts could be damaged. • Then, during the first 500 miles (800 km) that the vehicle tows a trailer, do not drive over 50 mph (80 km/h) and do not make starts at full throttle. This helps the engine and other parts of the vehicle wear in at the heavier loads. • Obey speed limit restrictions when towing a trailer. Do not drive faster than the maximum posted speed for trailers, or no more than 55 mph (90 km/h), to save wear on the vehicle's parts. Three important considerations have to do with weight: • The weight of the trailer • The weight of the trailer tongue • The total weight on your vehicle's tires Weight of the Trailer How heavy can a trailer safely be? It should never weigh more than 1,000 lbs (454 kg). But even that can be too heavy. It depends on how you plan to use your rig. For example, speed, altitude, road grades, outside temperature, and how much the vehicle is used to pull a trailer are all important. It can also depend on any special equipment that is on the vehicle, and the amount of tongue weight the vehicle can carry. See "Weight of the Trailer Tongue" later in this section for more information. Maximum trailer weight is calculated assuming only the driver is in the tow vehicle and it has all the required trailering equipment. The weight of additional optional equipment, passengers and cargo in the tow vehicle must be subtracted from the maximum trailer weight. 325