Telluride 5,000lbs Has Additional Towing Requirments

[Rich1941]

Last week there was a recall on 2020 Tellurides that Smart Cruise Control braking will not activate your trailer lights.
DO NOT USE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN TOWING UNTIL YOUR DEALER HAS MADE A FIX.
I have already made the mod for the 7pin connector and also installed a Curt Ecco brake controller which begs some more questions.
I will be towing a NuCamp 2021 Tab 400 Boondock trailer with Gross Weight 3980lbs, Gross Weight Dry 2876 lbs, and tongue Weight Dry 318lbs

 

[mikeg112]

Any chance if this also affects the Palisade? I know they are using very similar electricnics and the same SCC system.

 

[josephstory]

Last week there was a recall on 2020 Tellurides that Smart Cruise Control braking will not activate your trailer lights.
DO NOT USE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN TOWING UNTIL YOUR DEALER HAS MADE A FIX.
I have already made the mod for the 7pin connector and also installed a Curt Ecco brake controller which begs some more questions.
I will be towing a NuCamp 2021 Tab 400 Boondock trailer with Gross Weight 3980lbs, Gross Weight Dry 2876 lbs, and tongue Weight Dry 318lbs

I’m very interested in your experience towing a Tab 400 Boondock- ours should be delivered in a few weeks. Can you please describe your towing setup, model of weight distribution hitch, if any, you’ve installed, and if the Telluride performed well as a towing vehicle for this almost 4000 lb. tow? Thanks very much.

 

[josephstory]

I’m very interested in your experience towing a Tab 400 Boondock- ours should be delivered in a few weeks. Can you please describe your towing setup, model of weight distribution hitch, if any, you’ve installed, and if the Telluride performed well as a towing vehicle for this almost 4000 lb. tow? Thanks very much.

PS. Been very happy with the performance of Telluride, using Kurt Echo BT brake controller, while towing a NuCamp Tab 420 BD.

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[josephstory]

PS. Been very happy with the performance of Telluride, using Kurt Echo BT brake controller, while towing a NuCamp Tab 420 BD.

Sorry, 320 BD

 

[Steve in Denver]

I’m very interested in your experience towing a Tab 400 Boondock- ours should be delivered in a few weeks. Can you please describe your towing setup, model of weight distribution hitch, if any, you’ve installed, and if the Telluride performed well as a towing vehicle for this almost 4000 lb. tow? Thanks very much.

I haven’t towed anything at 4000 lbs, but figured I’d comment anyway in case it’s helpful.

I tow a popup that typically is around 2300 loaded, but I have towed it at around 2600 lbs, too. I have had a fairly full load (call it 800 lbs) in the vehicle at the same time.

Biggest factor is rear end squat - tongue weight is in the low 300s and I try to keep the cargo in the back of the Telluride light (Emory water jugs, bedding, food). I don’t have the self leveling suspension, but I wish I did. I will probably add air bags at some point. I imagine a 4000 lb trailer would squat the rear end a good bit.

I have a proportional brake controller (tekonsha prodigy P3?) and it does a fine job on braking.

The popup obviously has a low profile, so drag is less of a factor than with a travel trailer (I assume that’s what you are towing) but I do a lot of my towing in the Rockies, so I have that additional load...

Bottom line, it tows really well. Most of the time I can’t even feel the trailer (I know that gets said a lot, but really...) and other than rear ended squat, it’s great. I imagine 4000 lbs and more drag would require a little slower pace, but I would expect it to be fine as long as you can handle the squat...

 

[josephstory]

Thanks very much. We’ve found towing our current TAB 320s, at close to its GAWR of 2900 pounds is also very easy, but careful loading is required to avoid squatting on the Teluride rear axle. With our soon to be delivered TAB 400 trailer weighing 1000 lbs more, we’re looking for the proper weight distribution hitch to balance the loads between the three axles. Read good things about the Reese/Camco R6, 600 lb weight distribution hitch. Anyone have an opinion on this hitch, as opposed to the Fastway E2?

 

[ginib]

Thanks very much. We’ve found towing our current TAB 320s, at close to its GAWR of 2900 pounds is also very easy, but careful loading is required to avoid squatting on the Teluride rear axle. With our soon to be delivered TAB 400 trailer weighing 1000 lbs more, we’re looking for the proper weight distribution hitch to balance the loads between the three axles. Read good things about the Reese/Camco R6, 600 lb weight distribution hitch. Anyone have an opinion on this hitch, as opposed to the Fastway E2

tell me about how you loaded. We will also be pulling T@B 320.

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[Steve in Denver]

I had considered a WDH and did some research. I ended up deciding I didn't need one, so I don't have any experience (with any WDH at all), however I was intrigued by the Andersen weight distribution + sway control system. If you aren't familiar with it, it's an entirely different beast than the typical WDH. Plenty of people love it, but it's not hard to find people who hate it (but from what I could tell a lot of the naysayers hadn't actually used one). If I had gotten a WDH, that's what I would have gone with, a big factor being the weight of the actual hitch vs other options (this was for a different tow vehicle and I was very limited on hitch weight), but also because it was an interesting design and I was willing to give it a shot.

I'm not at all vouching for it (again, I've never used it), but it's an interesting option.

Weight Distribution Hitch - Andersen Hitches

View the best Weight Distribution Hitch here. Shop with us today for high quality trailer hitches and gear that is strong and versatile.

andersenhitches.com

 

[2020Telly]

I had considered a WDH and did some research. I ended up deciding I didn't need one, so I don't have any experience (with any WDH at all), however I was intrigued by the Andersen weight distribution + sway control system. If you aren't familiar with it, it's an entirely different beast than the typical WDH. Plenty of people love it, but it's not hard to find people who hate it (but from what I could tell a lot of the naysayers hadn't actually used one). If I had gotten a WDH, that's what I would have gone with, a big factor being the weight of the actual hitch vs other options (this was for a different tow vehicle and I was very limited on hitch weight), but also because it was an interesting design and I was willing to give it a shot.

I'm not at all vouching for it (again, I've never used it), but it's an interesting option.

Weight Distribution Hitch - Andersen Hitches

View the best Weight Distribution Hitch here. Shop with us today for high quality trailer hitches and gear that is strong and versatile.

andersenhitches.com

@Steve in Denver you mentioned that your rear squat is an issue but also feel that you do not need a WDH. I think the squat is the symptom telling you that you need WDH. I think you are right about the Anderson system. It looks very easy to use and setup.

 

[Steve in Denver]

Haha, yeah. Good point. My Initial reason for looking into a WDH was because my previous tow vehicle (2018 Sienna AWD) was very limited on rear GAWR. The Telluride, thankfully, has significantly more rear axle capacity (as well as total cargo weight capacity) so I guess I stopped thinking about the WDH altogether.

I don’t *want* a WDH, and with a tongue weight of 320(?) I don’t think I should need one, but I concede that the squat is telling a different story.

I’m going to give some air bag springs a try (they helped a lot with squat on the Sienna), and go from there. I know they don’t do anything for weight distribution, but I think that’s ok for my situation. I wish the self leveling suspension were cheaper...

 

[2020Telly]

Haha, yeah. Good point. My Initial reason for looking into a WDH was because my previous tow vehicle (2018 Sienna AWD) was very limited on rear GAWR. The Telluride, thankfully, has significantly more rear axle capacity (as well as total cargo weight capacity) so I guess I stopped thinking about the WDH altogether.

I don’t *want* a WDH, and with a tongue weight of 320(?) I don’t think I should need one, but I concede that the squat is telling a different story.

I’m going to give some air bag springs a try (they helped a lot with squat on the Sienna), and go from there. I know they don’t do anything for weight distribution, but I think that’s ok for my situation. I wish the self leveling suspension were cheaper...

I’m pretty much in a similar state. I use to have a Jeep Liberty with tow package (Upgraded oil cooler and transmission with tow mode button) that could tow 5,000. Then I went to a Toyota Sienna also with tow package (upgraded oil cooler and larger radiator) but max towing of 3,500. Now with my Telluride I don’t have a tow package (self leveling shocks that do nothing for towing) and normally have no issues but might occasionally tow more that 3,500. WDH is a priority to me for safety if I were towing a travel trailer regularly.

Air helper bags or an airbag lift kit are a nice-to-have. I’m thinking of just trying those ~$100 air helper bags since it’s a minimal install. But regardless I want to address the safety first before I worry about the sag. The self leveling shocks seem very limited in practical use and would be great on a touring motorcycle. I’m hoping a company like Gabriel makes “HiJacker” (or Monroe Max Air) type aftermarket shocks that will let you control air into the shock easily. All I really want to do is counteract a couple hundred to 1,000 lbs of weight from cargo or hitch weight that might be causing the sag over the rear axle. But if WDH system takes some of that pressure off the back and distributes to the front axle, in theory the back should raise an inch or two if properly configured when towing and not using any added suspension upgrades and it improves safety.

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[josephstory]

Thanks for the weight distribution hitch comments. Andersen WDH’s hard to get ahold of. In response to ginib’s question about loading for a 320 to reduce rear squat, loaded my ~50 pound clam tent in aisle of camper-one end resting on the settee. Smaller, heavy items were loaded in the passenger foot wells in front of the back seat ( and rear axle). Bulky but relatively light hoses, electrical and other light weight gear went in the rear. Ended up with ~1.5 inches of rear squat, with trailer attached. No rear sway, and very very easy to tow.

 

[Ruby]

Last week there was a recall on 2020 Tellurides that Smart Cruise Control braking will not activate your trailer lights.
DO NOT USE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN TOWING UNTIL YOUR DEALER HAS MADE A FIX.
I have already made the mod for the 7pin connector and also installed a Curt Ecco brake controller which begs some more questions.
I will be towing a NuCamp 2021 Tab 400 Boondock trailer with Gross Weight 3980lbs, Gross Weight Dry 2876 lbs, and tongue Weight Dry 318lbs

josephstory​

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josephstory said:
I’m very interested in your experience towing a Tab 400 Boondock- ours should be delivered in a few weeks. Can you please describe your towing setup, model of weight distribution hitch, if any, you’ve installed, and if the Telluride performed well as a towing vehicle for this almost 4000 lb. tow? Thanks very much.

PS. Been very happy with the performance of Telluride, using Kurt Echo BT brake controller, while towing a NuCamp Tab 420 BD.

 

[2020Telly]

I've been thinking how to get a tow mode going even if Kia doesn't have an answer.

This mode would do something like the following:
- Set Smart mode driving
- Disable Autostart-stop
- Disable the rear parking sensor
- Turn off the auto-hold
- Maybe offer a couple Cruise Control options: disable, standard cruise control, leave smart cruise control on
- Supply full power hp and torque when needed in towing situations

But I wanted the solution to be temporary and not void the warranty. So I started reading about what serious people who tow but have one of those GMs that shut off cylinders do and I found that company called Range Technology makes a $200 plug-n-play ODBII port device that disables the stuff that provide fuel efficiency but conflict with power that might be needed when towing. It also claims that since it is plug-in and does not reprogram anything it does not interfere with any of the other safety and diagnostic features, once you remove the device by unplugging it everything goes back to the normal settings.

I found this device for a Kia Sorento and I'm thinking if either Kia supplied something similar or a company tuned one for a Telluride this might provide the additional "tow package" settings very easily.

Then I found this! Stage 1 Performance Chip Module OBD2 for KIA

Claims to provide better towing power and improved passing ability on a Kia Telluride for $100. I read through the reviews and there aren't any from Telluride owners.

Anyone have any experience with these?

 

[Pancho]

I've been thinking how to get a tow mode going even if Kia doesn't have an answer.

This mode would do something like the following:
- Set Smart mode driving
- Disable Autostart-stop
- Disable the rear parking sensor
- Turn off the auto-hold
- Maybe offer a couple Cruise Control options: disable, standard cruise control, leave smart cruise control on
- Supply full power hp and torque when needed in towing situations

But I wanted the solution to be temporary and not void the warranty. So I started reading about what serious people who tow but have one of those GMs that shut off cylinders do and I found that company called Range Technology makes a $200 plug-n-play ODBII port device that disables the stuff that provide fuel efficiency but conflict with power that might be needed when towing. It also claims that since it is plug-in and does not reprogram anything it does not interfere with any of the other safety and diagnostic features, once you remove the device by unplugging it everything goes back to the normal settings.

I found this device for a Kia Sorento and I'm thinking if either Kia supplied something similar or a company tuned one for a Telluride this might provide the additional "tow package" settings very easily.

Then I found this! Stage 1 Performance Chip Module OBD2 for KIA

Claims to provide better towing power and improved passing ability on a Kia Telluride for $100. I read through the reviews and there aren't any from Telluride owners.

Anyone have any experience with these?

Not sure you can use a chip and not void a warranty I think the only chip/programmer that has been able to figure this out is Banks Power the Derringer model but they don't have option for the Telluride and would be shocked if they ever did, they like diesels and turbo's we have neither. A side bar on the active cylinder deactivation for GM's the dealer should be able to reprogram and disable and if someone has a vehicle that is out of warranty it's critical that you have it disabled. I'm sure many have had no issue but many have had catastrophic engine failure without notice because of it at relatively low mileage.

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