Looking for info re. towing Sonic behind RV

[timr]

Howdy,

First time here...

We own a motorhome and I'm looking for a lighter weight car to tow then our current vehicle. One of the things I like about the Sonic is that it apparently has more leg/head room for tall people than many other towable cars we've looed at.

Done a tone of research and read all about removing fuse(s), not exceeding 65 MPH etc. but all the articles I find specifically deal with automatic transmission models.

What I'd like to know is whether the manual transmission models have the same restrictions such as removing fuse, keeping speed down etc.?

 

[timr]

Nobody?

 

[MarkS]

Type "2013 Chevrolet Sonic Owner's Manual" into a search box.
Click on the pdf from mychevrolet.com. For some reason I cannot access the owner's manual directly through the site.
The details begin on p. 10-77.
I believe that you will need to pull a fuse and restrict top speed to 65 mph.

 

[timr]

Type "2013 Chevrolet Sonic Owner's Manual" into a search box.
Click on the pdf from mychevrolet.com. For some reason I cannot access the owner's manual directly through the site.
The details begin on p. 10-77.
I believe that you will need to pull a fuse and restrict top speed to 65 mph.

Thanks much. Yep, I have found/read the manuals. Also found my way to an earlier thread here with much information on towing.

The fuse issue and max speed are clearly described in the manual and there's no distinction between procedures for an auto transmission as opposed to manual transmission.

However in that same thread above it's mentioned that:

I would definitely tow only a manual transmission car with all four wheels on the ground. With an automatic you always risk damaging the transmission if you do nto stop periodically and keep the speed down.

I've read similar comments suggesting to me that the 65 speed limit might not apply to manual Sonics. We stay around 60 with our current towed vehicle and that's not a problem for the most part, but there are a number of areas in our travels-- riding down a 20 mile stretch of straight, flat road in OK for example, where a bit more leeway would be desirable.

 

[drjpreston]

We have a 2015 Sonic LT sedan, automatic transmission. We have flat towed it behind our Georgetown XL over 50,000 miles the past three years. We have had no problems. It is a great tow car because it is light. You don't know it is there.
We had it wired so all we have to do is put it in neutral and turn key to accessory. We wire this when we had the tail lights wired. It did not cost anything extra. We never pull a fuse.
I usually start the car when we stop for the night while setting up the RV and let it run for five minutes or so. I don't think I would need to but it has become a habit. I usually drive 59 to 60 miles an hour for gas millage reasons but there have been times I have driven 75 and even 80 down hills and have not had any problem.
Dr. Jim

 

[timr]

We have a 2015 Sonic LT sedan, automatic transmission. We have flat towed it behind our Georgetown XL over 50,000 miles the past three years. We have had no problems. It is a great tow car because it is light. You don't know it is there.
We had it wired so all we have to do is put it in neutral and turn key to accessory. We wire this when we had the tail lights wired. It did not cost anything extra. We never pull a fuse.
I usually start the car when we stop for the night while setting up the RV and let it run for five minutes or so. I don't think I would need to but it has become a habit. I usually drive 59 to 60 miles an hour for gas millage reasons but there have been times I have driven 75 and even 80 down hills and have not had any problem.
Dr. Jim

Thanks for the input! Perhaps the max speed recommendation from Chevrolet has more to do with a prolonged speed over 65 than a relatively short spurt as the ones you describe.

I know with our current tow vehicle (Honda Odyssey) Honda has the same warning and I keep the speed around 60 with only occasional higher speeds and after 10K miles haven't observed any kind of issues.

Still would like to find a definitive answer, if such a thing exists, as to whether a Sonic with manual transmission would still have the same warning for speeds over 65. Reading the manuals they tend to just lump both manual and automatic together without making any distinctions between the two.