figuring out how much my Acura MDX can tow.

[Cwalk62]

Totally confused trying to decipher GVCR/GVWR and all the other acronyms when trying to figure out how much my car can tow. The manual and everything I've seen says the 2019 Acura MDX can to up to 5000 lbs.

But that little sticker in the door that everyone is directing me to says "the combined weight of occupants and cargo should not exceed 1173 lbs"

Can someone advise as to whether my Acura can tow and Minnie 1700BH or 2100 BH?

[rk911]

i'll try.

GVWR = gross vehicle weight rating. the total amount of weight a vehicle chassis can support. this refers to the vehicle only and is incidental to how much weight the vehicle can pull. this us most likely what your door sticker is referencing.

GCWR = gross combination weight rating. the total amount of weight the vehicle can propel or move including itself. example: let's pretend that your vehicle has a GVWR of 5000-lbs and let's further pretend that the vehicle actually weighs 5000-lbs. now pretend that the GCWR of that same vehicle is 10,000-lbs. this tells you that your vehicle can tow another weighing no more than 5000-kbs.

somewhere in your MDX's owner's manual...likely on the weights and/or specifications page will be the GVWR and GCWR along with the vehicle's base/empty/curb weight (all interchangeable terms). that weight refers to the weight of the vehicle without people, cargo and maybe fuel. again using made up numbers if the curb weight of your Acura is 3827-kbs (including a full tank of fuel) and the GVWR us 5000-lbs you can add 1173-pounds of people and cargo before exceeding the GVWR of 5000-lbs).

your manual should provide you all of the vehicle's weights and weight ratings. does that help?

[Cwalk62]

Originally Posted by rk911

i'll try.

GVWR = gross vehicle weight rating. the total amount of weight a vehicle chassis can support. this refers to the vehicle only and is incidental to how much weight the vehicle can pull. this us most likely what your door sticker is referencing.

GCWR = gross combination weight rating. the total amount of weight the vehicle can propel or move including itself. example: let's pretend that your vehicle has a GVWR of 5000-lbs and let's further pretend that the vehicle actually weighs 5000-lbs. now pretend that the GCWR of that same vehicle is 10,000-lbs. this tells you that your vehicle can tow another weighing no more than 5000-kbs.

somewhere in your MDX's owner's manual...likely on the weights and/or specifications page will be the GVWR and GCWR along with the vehicle's base/empty/curb weight (all interchangeable terms). that weight refers to the weight of the vehicle without people, cargo and maybe fuel. again using made up numbers if the curb weight of your Acura is 3827-kbs (including a full tank of fuel) and the GVWR us 5000-lbs you can add 1173-pounds of people and cargo before exceeding the GVWR of 5000-lbs).

your manual should provide you all of the vehicle's weights and weight ratings. does that help?

So if my max towing weight is 5000 And the curb weight of the car of 4239 and the sticker in the door says passengers and cargo should not exceed 1173. None of that adds up

[creativepart]

Looking online most say 3500 lbs is max. And 2500 lbs or less is better.

Here's a thread on an Acura forum about a guy asking about towing a 4,000 lb TT and some photos too.

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-mdx-...railer-979690/

[rk911]

Originally Posted by Cwalk62

So if my max towing weight is 5000 And the curb weight of the car of 4239 and the sticker in the door says passengers and cargo should not exceed 1173. None of that adds up

you're mixed up. the curb weight is part of the GVWR of the Acura. the GCWR is how much weight the Acura can tow. if the max towing weight the Acura can pull is 5000-lvs then the max weight the Acura can pull is 5000-lbs.

i found this online:
https://www.edmunds.com/acura/mdx/2019/features-specs/.

depending on your specific model your curb weight is between 4239 to 4303 lbs. although not listed we can infer that the GVWR of your model is 5412 to 5476 lbs. we arrive at those numbers by adding the various model's curb weight to 1173.

and while the GCWR is not listed on that website we can infer that the GCWR is between 10412-lbs to 10476-lbs. we get those numbers by adding the GVWR to the 5000-lb max towing weight. if your owner's manual has different numbers for curb weights, GVWR and/or GCWR then make the necessary substitutions.

[Cwalk62]

Thank you so much for walking me through this. No one until now has explained that the GVWR applies to my Acura and includes curb weight PLUS the 1173

[rk911]

Originally Posted by Cwalk62

Thank you so much for walking me through this. No one until now has explained that the GVWR applies to my Acura and includes curb weight PLUS the 1173

you are most welcome. but remember, we are inferring that GVWR number. but it's a reasonable inference given the absence of a GVWR number on the Edmonds web site. but please check your owner's manual. and without a GCWR number your max towing weight is 5000-lbs. that's going to be a very small, lightweight trailer.

[Cwalk62]

They don’t call it gvwr on the Edmonds sight or the manual but the curb weight is 4239 and the max allowed for passengers and cargo is 1173 giving me a GVWR OF 5412 plus the max towing capacity of 5000 giving me a grand Total of 10412 which includes the weight of the car, passengers, cargo, gas etc and the max weight of the travel trailer. It’s just us and combined we weigh around 300 lbs add in gas, cargo, food etc and I am guessing 500-600. Depending on the tongue weight of the travel trailer and keeping the travel trailer at around 3500 I think we are ok with safe driving and all the added hitches, coolants, break assist.

[rk911]

unless there is a separate weight rating for tongue weight a reasonable assumption is usually 10%-15% of max tow weight or, in this case, 500-750-lbs. then subtract that from the max tow weight leaving 4250-4500 lbs for the trailer. and don't forget the tow bar weight rating must be equal to, and preferably greater than, the max tow weight rating of the towing vehicle.

[Morich]

Do not walk too close to those specs or it does mean lots of breakdowns, overheating, tire, problems and then there is still the question of stopping it all in an emergency!
Basicly and Acura is not considered a very good tow vehicle.
Cars are made for soft, smooth, and comfortable while trucks are made for hauling.

[rk911]

Originally Posted by Morich

Do not walk too close to those specs or it does mean lots of breakdowns, overheating, tire, problems and then there is still the question of stopping it all in an emergency!
Basicly and Acura is not considered a very good tow vehicle.
Cars are made for soft, smooth, and comfortable while trucks are made for hauling.

excellent advice.

[Goodspike]

My Chevy Colorado has a max tow rating of 7,700 pounds, but a 4,500 pound trailer pretty well maxes out some of the other weight limits.

There is payload, which the OP sort of mentions, but I just wanted to point out that includes tongue weight. So if your trailer has a 450 pound tongue weight you need to subtract that from the available cargo.

There also should be a maximum tongue weight number. Mine happens to be 10% of the max tow rating, but the other Colorados with lower max tow have the same tongue weight limit.

There are also axle weight limits, and here's where you might get in trouble because you probably cannot use a weight distributing hitch with an Acura. I suspect you'll have too much weight on your rear axle, but that's just a guess having no idea what the weight limit is or how much else you'll be carrying in the Acura.

[CAPTAINJIM]

Make sure of your hitch class- that is the limitingfactor

[NeilV]

Originally Posted by rk911

you're mixed up. the curb weight is part of the GVWR of the Acura. the GCWR is how much weight the Acura can tow. if the max towing weight the Acura can pull is 5000-lvs then the max weight the Acura can pull is 5000-lbs.

i found this online:
https://www.edmunds.com/acura/mdx/2019/features-specs/.

depending on your specific model your curb weight is between 4239 to 4303 lbs. although not listed we can infer that the GVWR of your model is 5412 to 5476 lbs. we arrive at those numbers by adding the various model's curb weight to 1173.

and while the GCWR is not listed on that website we can infer that the GCWR is between 10412-lbs to 10476-lbs. we get those numbers by adding the GVWR to the 5000-lb max towing weight. if your owner's manual has different numbers for curb weights, GVWR and/or GCWR then make the necessary substitutions.

Not actually quite 100% true. The models with higher curb weight are usually heavier due to Optional Accessories which usually reduce cargo capacity. This is not offset unless you have an optional heavier duty suspension if it is even available on the vehicle being considered. Note that a heavy duty suspension package is not specifically listed as an available option on the MDX.

On the MAX Towing Capacity: You do not want to be at beyond 75% of your MAX Towing Capacity as it will not be a very pleasant experience in anything but absolutely perfect conditions. It may be OK for that occasional trip to the local lumber yard or town dump but not that great on the open road at highway speeds with passing trucks, rain, hills, mountains, emergency stops and a fully loaded vehicle. Note that the weight of the hitch components along with the tongue weight of the trailer is considered payload reducing the amount of people and their stuff which you can load into the tow vehicle.

The MDX comes in either Front Wheel Drive or AWD which accounts for the disparity in towing capacity listed by some. The Front Wheel Drive models appear to only have a 3,500 lb MAX towing capacity while the All Wheel Drive the 5,000 lb MAX towing capacity.

There should be a section in the Owners Manual or a separate brochure in the Owners Document Package covering this in detail and if not I would call and talk to a factory support technician at Acura (not a dealership salesperson) providing them my VIN Number so that they can give me accurate specifications on my particular vehicle.