Anyone Towed A Big Boat With Your Little 4x4 Kia

[MSPRING]

I have 97 kia sportage auto trans 4x4. I am wondering if anyone has pulled a big boat with their kia. My boat is a 20 foot fiberglass bowrider with a 90 hrs outboard. I think the kia has enough power to pull it, I am afraid of what might happen on the boat ramp backing the boat in. Maybe the kia is so light the boat might pull me under

I dont know how much my boat weighs, but I have pulled it out with a dodge mini van with no problems. However I had a chevy s-10 pickup that would spin tires sometimes trying to pull the boat out of the water. I would get some guys to stand on the back bumper and it would pull out no problem. But the s-10 was a 2 wheel drive.

[sportage4x4]

i would have a large trans cooler installed. other than that, it should be ok.

problem with towing with the auto trans i find is that overdrive is too tall of a gear, and unless you do 80+mph on the freeway, the engine labours enough to cause the torque converter to stay unlocked. this cooks the trans fluid.

[mgbgt1972]

Depends on two things, first the rating of the hitch and second the weight of the boat and trailer, The sporty is limited to 900kg or 1980lbs towing weight!

[bouttree]

Has anyone put a transmission cooler on a Sportage? I would also like to haul a boat with my 2000 Sportage. Even with a cooler I wouldn't tow heavy loads to often. But I don't know were to begin with the transmission cooler.
Dennis

[04SorentoLX]

Not wise. Too light a vech. Not designed to haul that boat. I would not worry with my Sorento but would not be over confident either other then it would be ok and work fine. The Sportage is a risk waiting to happen. And yes the boat/trailer might pull you in teh drink on ramp. Would never put in/take out on a ramp at low tide for sure with a Sportage. The highway is a whole other kettle of fish as well that is jsut not going to be good. My 1998 19ft Sunbird Bowrider with its 125HP V4 was 2435 pounds with nothing in it dry. With trailer and equipment and full 35gal tank of gas onboard it was just under 3000 maybe more safely. Not what I would wish to be towing if it were me. Nor sitting on a ramp dead pulling.