26 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday June 28, 2006 www.oakvillebeaver.com Auto EVERYTHING Ford towing tips - Important information thing when it comes to improper towing. He offers up his list of the top five mistakes that people make when towing. 1. Choosing the wrong vehicle The biggest mistakes people make is picking the wrong vehicle to tow their load with and in turn they end up overloading it. "That's usually because they tow with what they have," says Rawlins. "And sometimes they try to haul too large of a load for their specific vehicle." When he's not towing on the job, Rawlins 2. Improperly loading or overloading the trailer can often be found behind the wheel of An improperly loaded trailer or an overloaded trailer can cause the 1973 Ford Bronco he tows to one of problems. Drivers often load most of the cargo on the front or rear of many national off-roading events. the trailer instead of balancing the load. Putting too much weight on the trailer will exceed the weight limit of the axles, resulting in broken axles, damaged bearings and excessive tire wear. Rawlins recommends 10 to 15 per cent tongue load for a conventional trailer, and 15 to 25 per cent tongue load for a gooseneck or fifth-wheel trailer. "That gives you plenty of weight on the rear axle to offload some of the weight of the trailer," says Rawlins, "but not enough that you start unloading the front axle and losing DOWN MONTHLY FINANCE your handling capability." PAYMENT PAYMENT $995 $184* Rawlins also stresses the proper use of Weight $495 $190* Distributing Hitches to help properly transfer the trailer's $0 $197* tongue load to the tow vehicle. Customers should always refer to their owner's manual for their vehicles towing capacity rating. 3. Towing without brakes Drivers often hook up to a friend's trailer without having their tow vehicle properly equipped with the right brake controller needed to engage the trailer's brakes. * % PURCHASE "While they can still hook up and the lights work, when MSRP $15,995* EX model shown FINANCING they load up, they're just creating excessive wear to the tow 6.6 L/100 KM FINANCE PER MO./ $1,995 DOWN PAYMENT vehicle's brakes," says Rawlins. "Not to mention the potential MPG highway fuel consumption> APR* 60 MOS. for disaster if they need to make an emergency stop." The 2007 Ford Super Duty, for example, offers TowCommand, an integrated Trailer Brake Control (TBC) system that works with the truck to calculate vehicle speed 2006 Honda Civic 2006 Kia Spectra 2006 Toyota Corolla Features 4dr Sedan DX-G 4dr Sedan LX Convenience 4dr Sedan Sport and the amount of braking applied by the driver to determine $18,880 $20,615 MSRP $17,895 the appropriate amount of braking to apply to the trailer for 1.8 L/4 cyl. 1.8 L/4 cyl. Engine 2.0 L/4 cyl. smooth stopping. The TowCommand package includes Torque 128 lb. ft. @ 4,300 RPM 122 lb. ft. @ 4,200 RPM 136 lb. ft. @ 4,500 RPM power Trailer Tow mirrors, TorqueShift transmission and Air conditioning Cruise control optional receiver hitch. Power windows 4. Forgetting that the trailer is there Heated power adjustable mirrors Amazingly, Rawlins says this is one of the five top towing 15" wheels Seating lumbar support mistakes. Drivers who don't tow regularly may forget that 60:40 split-folding rear seats they're towing a trailer and not execute proper turns, drive over curbs, sideswipe a utility pole or another vehicle. DOWN MONTHLY PAYMENT FINANCE PAYMENT "Drivers need to be aware of their surroundings," says $1,450 $325* Rawlins, "and make sure they remember that the trailer's $595 $335* $0 $343* back there." 5. Failing to practice proper trailer maintenance * % PURCHASE "Most people leave their trailer parked in a lot or in a field, FINANCING hook up to it and take off down the highway," Rawlins says. "They need to make sure that they check tire pressure, FINANCE PER MO./ $3,545 DOWN PAYMENT grease the axle bearings and suspensions joints when needed APR* 60 MOS. - just normal, general maintenance." Rawlins adds that peoMSRP $27,895* EX model shown · Front & side curtain · Power windows & door locks ple often ask him if they can tow in overdrive. airbags · Heated front wipers 10.7 L/100 KM "Vehicles built in the 80s and 90s included an `overdrive · Cruise control & power mirrors 5-STAR CRASH MPG highway fuel consumption> · Air conditioning · Fog lamps off' switch, and consumers were told to take the vehicle out TEST RATING of overdrive when towing," says Rawlins. "For some reason, TOTAL CARE 5-YEAR/100,000 KM WORRY-FREE COMPREHENSIVE WARRANTY To locate a Kia dealer everyone remembers that." OWNERSHIP 5-YEAR/100,000 KM POWERTRAIN WARRANTY near you, visit kia.ca. Rawlins says that if the truck is on a flat roadway and COVERAGE 5-YEAR/100,000 KM EXTRA CARE ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE shifts into overdrive while towing, then let it. The benefits will come in better fuel economy and less engine wear. Ford's TorqShifte transmission with tow-haul mode does more than just turn off overdrive. Tow-haul mode changes shift points under acceleration, keeping the truck at a highOakville Kia er rpm and further up in the power range. Tow-haul also pre1450 Speers Road, Oakville, ON (905) 847-1511 vents the transmission from upshifting, when the vehicle *Based on an MSRP of $15,995/$27,895 on 2006 Spectra (ST5416)/2006 Sorento (SR55X6) with annual purchase financing interest rate of 0.9%/0.9%. Monthly payment is $172/$299 for 60 months, amortized over an 84-month period with $1,995/$3,545 down payment. Estimated remaining principal balance of $4,091/$7,115 plus applicable taxes due crests a hill. at end of 60-month period. MSRPs and purchase financing offers exclude delivery and destination of $1,250/$1,395. Licence, registration, insurance, delivery and destination, dealer administration fees and taxes are not included, unless otherwise stated. Dealers are free to set individual prices. Prices subject to change without notice. Featured models are not "The big benefit with tow-haul is the downhill braking," exactly as illustrated. Images contain available accessories. NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) test results. Visit www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ncap for full details. >Fuel says Rawlins, "where the system allows the transmission to consumption for 2006 Spectra (ST5416)/2006 Sorento LX MT 4x2 (SR55X6) is 42.8 mpg (6.6 L/100 km)/26.4 mpg (10.7 L/100 km) Highway. These estimates are based on the Government of Canada's approved criteria and testing methods. The actual fuel consumption of these vehicles may vary. Refer to the Government of Canada publication EnerGuide downshift, letting the engine compression braking slow the Fuel Consumption Guide. Kia's "Worry-Free Comprehensive" warranty covers most vehicle components against defects under normal use and maintenance conditions. Price, availability and specifications are subject to changes without notice. Information in this advertisement is believed to be accurate at the time of print. All comparative data is sourced vehicle and maintain a steady speed while going downhill." from AutoPlanner , licensed by Autodata Solutions. Civic is a trademark of Honda Canada Inc. Corolla is a trademark of Toyota Canada Inc. KIA is a trademark of Kia Motors Corporation. Harry Rawlins knows towing. As 4x4 & Trailer Tow Engineer, Super Duty Trucks, Rawlins has used his towing expertise in the implementation of such technologies as the TorqShifte transmission with towhaul mode, launched on the 2003 Ford Super Duty pickup and TowCommand, the industry's only integrated trailer brake control system which debuted on the 2005 F-Series Super Duty. When he's not towing on the job, Rawlins can often be found behind the wheel of his own Ford F-250 Super Duty towing his 1973 Ford Bronco to one of many national off-roading events. As Ford's tow-master general, Rawlins has seen just about every- Before you buy, we dare you to compare Kia to the competition. OWN IT 2006 SPECTRA $ 172 0.9 43 Compare the 2006 Spectra OWN IT 2006 SORENTO LX 4x2 $ 299 0.9 26 TM