engine programming & towing

[roush6]

I have two question that I can't seem to find answers too. I have an 2003 sorento

1. Are there any engine tuning programmers available for the sorento to pump up a little HP with some programming?

2. How much towing capacity does the 2003 Sorento have. I have read that it will tow more than the 3500# cause that is only from the stock hitch limit. Will the Sorento tow 5K lbs if a larger capacity hitch is installed??

Thanks in advance

[beyond_help]

i have heard of sorento tow ratings higher than 3500 lbs outside of the usa

i think the creepy insurance companys are the reason for the 3500 lb limit, and the 10/100 warrenty also

i did tow a 2200 lb popup with both our sorento and astro (rated at 5000 with some foot notes)

although we don't tow with the sorento anymore (unreliable too many on the road brake downs)

it did tow better than the astro (less stable and could sway at times, with the sorento no sway at all)

the astro with 4.3 ltr v6 had a little more power even with a higher geared rear end

fuel mileage for both towing was the same 16.5 to 17 mpg

i would not tow anything over 3500 lbs which i think includes extra stuff in the sorento, just not enough power, you would realy suffer on hills

[oldjeep]

The hitch on our 2003 is rated at 5000lbs, but the truck is only rated for 3500. We tow a 3000-3500lb boat behind it and that is about as much weight as I would want to pull with it. There's just not enough torque to pull more. Even at 3000-3500lbs, you are going to want good trailer brakes - the Sorento's brakes are not up to the extra load. After towing the boat twice without trailer brakes, I installed surge brakes and everything ahs been good since them.

[kasandrich]

There are various tuning ptions to get a few more horses from your Sorento diesel.

Try Googling "diesel tuning"

The basic options are plug in units or remapping your ECU, I think remapping the ECU is probably the best, but the plug in option is removable without trace, which you may wish to do in relation to warranty or insurance.

I bought one, it was quite a lot of money, I think £3-400, but the power increase was definitely noticable, solo and towing.

.....However, I had no trouble with it for ages, but when on holiday fully laden and on the M4 in Wales, the engine just cut out completely, this was quite scary, but the engine restarted okay and went another 5 miles before doing the same! At which point I unplugged it and it has remained unplugged since september. I spoke to the supplier who said it was system overload and I could and should change the settings on the unit to back off the power a little.

Basically the plug in units intercept the signals from the sensor on the common rail, and send altered signals to the ECU, as I understand it, this makes the ECU up the pressure from the pump.

[gee6]

Sorry to all in advance, but my favourite rant: If posters don't say where they live or what type of Sorie they drive, it is very difficult to give an adequate response. Rich (or possibly Kas ) has just spent their time talking about diesels to someone who probably drives a V6. HELP US TO HELP YOU - please.

[gee6]

In the UK the Sorie is rated at 2800Kg (thats Kilogrammes) and the new facelift at 3500Kg. Thats for both diesel and V6 in the older model. The new V6 has not been released here yet, so don't know tow rating for certain. It's all down to spring rates, tyre pressures, speed limits and your local laws.