Towing with Mazda Tribute

[Bert1]

Is anyone out there towing with a Mazda Tribute. (V6 - All Wheel Drive). If yes, what are your impressiong of its abilitites. I will be towing about 3000lbs with it.

 

[jsfinn]

Re: Towing with Mazda Tribute

Bert1,<br /><br />I tow with my Ford Escape which is the same as your Tribute.<br /><br />It's rated from the factory for 3500LBS. Do you have the tow kit or aftermarket?<br /><br />The heaviest thing I've pulled with my Escape is is about 1000LBS and could hardly tell it was there.<br /><br />They get very good reviews though. Just make sure that 3000LBS really is 3000LBS and not more than 3500LBS including gear and people in your Tribute.

 

[Bert1]

Re: Towing with Mazda Tribute

It did not come with the towing packadge. But it is listed at 3500lb towing ability without the packadge. I now have the hitch installed but I am encountering difficulties getting it wired for towing. Mazda people have told me that you currently cannot wire the pigtail into the 2005 models (Escape also) without potentially burning something in the wiring harness. They are working on a solution, but in the meantime, I have a brand new vehicle intended for towing that cannot tow. Hopefully the problem will be resolve before April 15 as that is when fishing season opens here and I will be p**&?* is I have to fish from shore.

 

[whiteman]

Re: Towing with Mazda Tribute

I've done plenty of towing in my Tribute (sold it last month for a Landcruiser). My boat's an 18' tin cuddy which probably weighs in around 1400lbs with trailer and gear.<br /><br />The Tribby went OK (turn off overdrive) but I always knew I had something on the back and pulling the rig up quickly meant a few white knuckles in the cabin. I could run the rig at highway speeds (60mph) and have some in reserve for passing, so all in all, a safe car for towing.<br /><br />However, the new Landcruiser a heaps better!

 

[mallardjusted]

Re: Towing with Mazda Tribute

I tow a 17' Lowe Roughneck, and with my duckhunting gear and motors I'm probably at about 1600 lbs. With my Escape 4X4 V6 it tows just fine.<br /><br />I imagine 3000 pounds will be a little more of a challenge, but probably ok. It might depend some on how long a trailer you are towing, though, as of course the Escape and Tribute don't have large wheelbases?

 

[Bert1]

Re: Towing with Mazda Tribute

Thanks for the responses folks. The specifications for the SUV indicates that it is good to tow up to 3500lbs. There has been progress on the wirring issue. Mazda indicates that problem has been resolved and that they have shipped the required parts to my dealer for installation. I will now wait and see how long it takes for the parts to arrive. Hopefully soon, as mid-april is the start of the season here and the snow is finally starting to melt.

 

[whiteman]

Re: Towing with Mazda Tribute

So you're going to pull 2x what I used to tug around in my Tribby. Hmmmmmmm. Brave. I'd say the max. towing weight refers to pulling a rig out of the garage. Beyond this point I'd hate to pull above 2000lbs! Do you intend having to use the brakes?

 

[Bert1]

Re: Towing with Mazda Tribute

Whiteman, I am going to pull about 3000lbs with a vehicle rated to a max of 3500lbs. Yes it is close, but when towing at reasonable speed and driving defensively it can be done safely. The distance is very local, about 30km return. I understand your concern, but you are not dealing here with a yahoo that will be driving around speeding as if there was nothing tied to the back. Before this, I used to pull the thing with a 93 Mazda MPV with no problems, it had longer wheelbase than the Tribute but not a 4 wheel drive, so I will need to adjust to those differences. This post string has been usefull to me in highlighting the difference in wheelbase. Thanks for the input.

 

[youmansjason]

Re: Towing with Mazda Tribute

I have a 2002 Mazda Tribute (rated to tow 3500 lbs) and I tow a 18' Four Winns w/4.3L. The boat/trailer/gear weighs in right at 3500 lbs. You can definitely tell it's back there, but I still feel plenty safe towing it. It's not a rocket-ship or anything, but it will pull 65 MPH on the highway without major strain. Braking is longer than normal, but not unsafe.<br /><br />I say go for it!<br /><br />Jason

 

[fishingdan]

Re: Towing with Mazda Tribute

This is obvious, but the concern is usually the brakes on any small vehicle. I bet the owners manual states that trailers over 1000lbs require trailer brakes. So...as long as you have trailer brakes, you should be ok.<br /><br />Good luck.

 

[Bert1]

Re: Towing with Mazda Tribute

To update, I have been towing for a month now and it is handling the load very well. No problems on the ramps. Only issue is definite difference in mileage, but that is to be expected. I am not using overdrive when towing so that could partly explain reduction in mileage. Thanks for the responses folks!

 

[Ben Paquin]

Re: Towing with Mazda Tribute

To update, I have been towing for a month now and it is handling the load very well. No problems on the ramps. Only issue is definite difference in mileage, but that is to be expected. I am not using overdrive when towing so that could partly explain reduction in mileage. Thanks for the responses folks!

I just bought a 2005 Escape V6 4WD for towing my 2000lbs boat and trailer. My grand AM V6 auto had no problems with it and I figure the Escape will tow it with extreme ease. I am upgrading to a 18-19 foot inboard next year that should be around 3000lbs and I don't think it will be a problem. The only concern is the "weak" transmission in the escape/tribute. Change the trans oil very often to prevent clutch particals to clog it up.

Did you see the brakes on the 07 and down Escape ? Huge, especially the rear disc brakes. The 08 Escape has a poor braking system and use drums in the back.


LOL I just checked the date on that post...

 

[GlasV162]

Re: Towing with Mazda Tribute

Hi,
We're considering buying a Sea Ray 180 bowrider w/ a 115 Merc outboard (2 stroke). We looked at the boat last night, lake-tested it, and were ready to buy it. I had the checkbook out and we were hooking it up to our '03 Tribute 4x4 with the factory towing package, and as we lowered the trailer onto the hitch, the amount it pulled the car down seemed like a lot--more than it should handle. So, we walked away from the deal and I'm now in the process of doing more research. If anyone out there has feedback on whether or not this is a safe towing package, my wife and I would really appreciate it. Thanks!!
John

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Towing with Mazda Tribute

Hi,
We're considering buying a Sea Ray 180 bowrider w/ a 115 Merc outboard (2 stroke). We looked at the boat last night, lake-tested it, and were ready to buy it. I had the checkbook out and we were hooking it up to our '03 Tribute 4x4 with the factory towing package, and as we lowered the trailer onto the hitch, the amount it pulled the car down seemed like a lot--more than it should handle. So, we walked away from the deal and I'm now in the process of doing more research. If anyone out there has feedback on whether or not this is a safe towing package, my wife and I would really appreciate it. Thanks!!
John

judging the capability by how much it sags is worthless... The trailer setup might have had too much tongue weight, that boat/trailer should be 2000 pounds or less, so 200 pounds tongue weight.

 

[jfadool]

Re: Towing with Mazda Tribute

I was reasonable sure that the escapes/tribunes without the factory tow package were only given 1500lbs

 

[180shabah]

Re: Towing with Mazda Tribute

This is 5 1/2 years old.....