Will SumoSprings Help Me Carry 400 + Lbs At Rear Of My 2012 Toyota Highlander

Question:

I have a 2012 Highlander SE AWD with the towing package that gives me 5000 lbs towing capacity and 500 lbs tongue weight capacity. So this carrier should work fine up to its full 400 lb capacity and 70 lb weight of the carrier. My concern is that due to the depth of the carrier it will put a large torque through the receiver and shift the weight of the vehicle onto the rear wheels. If I have the car heavily loaded for a long vacation I am worried about overloading the rear axle. If the car is lightly loaded, I am concerned about unloading the front axle. How do i know if I am safe to operate with 400 lbs on the carrier? I havent been able to fnd the nominal weight distribution of the highlander to try to calculate the weight on each axle. Can you help alleviate my concerns?

asked by: Jamie

Expert Reply:

My suggestion would be to add suspension enhancement to your 2012 Toyota Highlander. Adding something simple like the Coil SumoSprings Custom Helper Springs for Coil Spring Suspension - Rear Axle, part # CSS-1145R.

When you are carrying a heavy load in the 32x48 Reese Solo Cargo Carrier for 2" Hitches - Steel - 400 lbs, part # PS1040100, at the rear of your vehicle, your rear drops a bit and the front of your vehicle rises. This can cause uneven tire wear, your headlights will not be positioned correctly when driving at night, etc. With the addition of the SumoSprings, your suspension will become stiffer the more weight is added to the rear of your vehicle. This will help your vehicle maintain its ride height at the rear of the vehicle and reducing the strain on your rear axle.

With regard to you safely carrying 400 lbs in a hitch cargo carrier that weighs 70 lbs, it depends. Though your maximum tongue weight is 500 lbs, you must keep in mind that everything after the rear axle counts toward the tongue weight. If you care carrying a lot of weight in the rear of your vehicle, you might exceed the 500 lb capacity. According to your calculations you will only have 30 lbs of leeway before you reach your vehicle's maximum tongue weight. The SumoSprings will definitely help.

I have included a product description link, and a video review link below.

expert reply by: Mark Smith