Totally hypothetically speaking, because I've been told by many experts on usenet that towing _any_ trailer with anything less than a full size truck is dangerous, and I _will_ kill someone by believing the tow rating specified in my owners manual.
Lets say I have a '94 1.8L 4spd automatic Corolla and I've been loading ~1200lbs of firewood on an 250lb trailer and towing it 200 miles four or five times a year for the last few years. I usually leave it in overdrive and tow at the speed limit (65mph) most of the time. I'll pop it out of overdrive to go up the hills and sometimes slow it down to 60mph on the longer hills so I don't overheat anything. Lets assume that I've never had any problems doing this and the transmission seems happy with
160k miles on it. I am thinking about getting a new Corolla and was trying to decide between a 4spd automatic and a 5spd manual and wondering if this usage should impact my decision.I know that trucks are often rated for higher towing capacities with automatics than the manuals. However, in this case we aren't talking about towing a 4-ton travel trailer over the Rockies every weekend, we're (hypothetically) talking about towing a 3/4-ton utility trailer
1000 miles a year with the occasional mile long moderate grade hill. Toyota seems to rate the Corolla with a 1500lb towing capacity regardless of the transmission.Anyone out there have any towing experience with a manual Corolla? Any educated opinions on if the Corolla 5spd clutch is tough enough for this usage? If I burn one out a clutch will I find something in the aftermarket that would take this "abuse"? Any issues other than the clutch? Should I trust that Toyota would lower the towing capacity of the manual if it was an issue? Should I just go for the 4spd automatic again because starting off at the toll booths will be easier?
Note to experts who use a truck to tow: This is totally hypothetical. I realize that a Corolla cannot even support the weight of a hitch without killing small children and causing my transmission to explode.
Thanks in advance!