Chevy HHR towing capacity...........

This is kinda strange given how badly they overrate the towing capacities if their half ton trucks. My guess they have concerns about tranny overheating. Slap on a small aux cooler though and you should be able to safely tow 1500 lbs or a bit more.

Greetings,

It's not only the horsepower of the motor that determines towing capacity, but a lot of other factors as well. It is also the transmission, brakes, body/frame and suspension capacity, and (the most obvious) just how much liability the manufacturer is willing to accept. The HHR just may be able to tow more than the stated capcity, but Chevy/GM isn't willing to accept any liability past 1000 lbs. Frankly you're lucky the even said 1000 lbs. We own a Vibe and I can tell you there is no way I would ever consider towing anything at all with it, much less a total weight of 1500 lbs!

It may look like a truck, but the HHR is just another car with a high roof. If you wanted both seating and towing capcity then you should have been looking at the Trailblazers, Tahoes, crew cab Silverados, or Suburbans.

Cheers - Jonathan

And a lot worse MPG too just tow 1500 pounds too

...and whatever you do, make sure to first get Snoman's address so you can bill him the cost of a new tranny, brakes, body and suspension work if you actually take his advice, because it's a sure thing that Chevy won't pay for it if you do! The HHR appears to be a unibody design with front wheel drive, and that particular combination makes for pretty poor towing capabilities.

Cheers - Jonathan

Get Johathans too because he thinks that EVERYTHING that detriot say is the gosphel, right or wrong. I havebeen towing for over 30 years and I know what works and what does not and why it does not.

Not to mention that the HHR probably weighs more than a Vibe/Matrix.

The HHR weighs approx 450# more than the Vibe. My 90 maxima is rated at

165 HP and a bit more torque than the 170 HP HHR, yet I've towed my 1350# (net) Trillium trailer half way around North America with no problems whatsoever, I dra> >

So let me get this straight - you've towed with the HHR, and at 50% over rated capacity, and you know for sure that nothing will go wrong. No? Well then you must have towed with that exact motor/tranny/chassis/suspension/brakes/weight setup at 50% over rated capacity and you know for sure that nothing will go wrong. No? I didn't think so, yet you are willing to come out in public and state "Slap on a small aux cooler though and you should be able to safely tow 1500 lbs or a bit more" without even knowing if it indeed is only the transmission that is the limiting factor. So far you have pretty much shown that your supposed

30 years experience means little or nothing. As they say in my business - with judgement like that don't expect me to follow you into a fire.

What it boils down to is this - the OP can take Sno's advice and if something goes wrong he'll be the one left holding the bag for the repair bill, or he can take my advice and stay within the stated capacity from GM (gospel or not, they hold the warranty) and stay out of trouble and away from additional debt from non-warranty repair bills that could have been easily avoided by exercising some common sense. Which piece of advice would you give a teenager? Hmmm, this one's a toughy.

Jonathan

Once the thing is broke in and out of warranty, maybe 1500 pounds will be ok. On the maxima comparison, you neglected to take into consideration the Max has a V-6, and the HHR a 2.2 ltr 4 banger. The weight difference between the HHR and the Vibe could account for towing difference as well. In all reality GM tried to capture the early delivery van/carry all look. Every baby bomber out there seems to want a retro look vehicle. Chrysler has been selling the look like hot cakes and its one of the reasons they turned a profit this year. Any one notice how much the SRT hard top looks like the AMC Tarpon? (how many here even know of that one?) The PT Cruiser looks like the old sedans of the late 30's. The 300 has a chop top look to it(or like the possessed car from the movie "The Car") Fords retro look Mustang is flying off the lots. The HHR is nothing more than an over sized Caviler/Cobalt. And I am willing to bet the limitation has more to do with the suspension then engine, coupled with how much GM figures people will cram inside it. Whitelightning