Hi guys,

Does anybody have much experience with towing with their 380? My wife looks to be needing to tow a horse in a float.

Has anybody done something like this?

It will tow fine. I have towed a rather large car trailer with a heap of gear on the back when moving house (Combined weight of around a tonne).

Just make sure you use engine breaking when going down hills etc, you do not want to ride the brakes when towing.

That sounds promising.

How do you think it would go at 1.5T or 1.6T, which is the maximum shown in the handbook?

Another question, what's the best tow kit for these? Heavy duty style.

Hi guys,

Does anybody have much experience with towing with their 380? My wife looks to be needing to tow a horse in a float.

Has anybody done something like this?

I have towed glider trailer (with glider inside) without any problems - probably a bit less than a tonne total, but prone to swaying because they are long and thin and have a lot of inertia around the vertical axis

A horse and float is pretty heavy - I would be making sure you have electric brakes controllable from car, not just simple "override" brakes

I have only ever used the factory towbar

Tow a 1.3 tonne boat regularly with the 380 and factory receiver hitch type tow bar.

No problems as a tow vehicle.

As always load distribution and wight on the tow ball is important to eliminate swaying.

Cheers

Thanks guys, this is all good to know.

It is much simpler if we can keep the 380 rather than replace it.

Don't want a 4wd for everyday use so a Falcon was looking as the likely candidate and I would like to avoid that.

Do you guys have transmission coolers fitted?

Looking on the web I found this page.

I would be going for the R2128 version I think.

http://www.shop1auto.com.au/New%20towbar%20pages/Towbars_Mitsubishi_380.html

Do you guys have transmission coolers fitted?

Not on mine - have never seen temp go above thermostat point

There is no guage for trans fluid temperature. The engine temperature (dash guage) is not related to transmission temperature. I wouldn't tow without a cooler as lets face it, Mitsubishi autos are not the most durble (nor are they the least.) Mind you looking at these forums the 380 autos seem to be ageing quite well..........

I fitted mine myself. All up $150 with a fluid top up. Just make sure you get the right fittings. If I remember correctly the 380 uses the smaller hoses.

Long thread here:

http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70089

Transmission cooler fitted on the 380 but have towed the same boat over the past 13 years with two different veradas I owned without coolers and no issues.

Cheers

There is no guage for trans fluid temperature. The engine temperature (dash guage) is not related to transmission temperature. I wouldn't tow without a cooler as lets face it, Mitsubishi autos are not the most durble (nor are they the least.) Mind you looking at these forums the 380 autos seem to be ageing quite well..........

I fitted mine myself. All up $150 with a fluid top up. Just make sure you get the right fittings. If I remember correctly the 380 uses the smaller hoses.

Long thread here:

http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70089

Thanks Steve - I know no trans temp gauge, but high eng temp in difficult conditions would be a warning of potential high auto temps

I have also had TN, TP, S2 Verada and all of the S3 versions and never had a towing or auto problem (temperature or any other problem)

During our recent stint in UAE we had a Pug 307 and (Aust built) Camry, both of which had several trips to dealer for rough shifting adjustments etc.

So I suspect the original TM tranny issues have left an undeserved stain on the reputation!

The problem is that there is minimal heat transference between the auto transmission and the motor. By the time you note any change on your cars temp gauge your transmission would be fried beyond redemption. Obviously the larger the load the harder the transmission will be required to work and consequently the more heat it will generate. Overheating will lessen the life of your transmission exponentially, so for the sake of $200 I would strongly advise you get a transmission cooler fitted. You can obtain a good price on one off ebay, like many of us have, and get it fitted by an auto transmission shop if you are not comfortable in doing the job yourself. A word of advice, DON'T use the plastic cable ties that they supply with the cooler to attach them to your radiator. Rather fabricate a simple metal bracket and solid mount it. Otherwise roll the dice and risk your radiator wearing through from the ties (probably happen in the middle of nowhere in the middle of a heat wave in summer lol ). The 380 transmission is light weight but that came at the cost of heat dissipation. Do yourself a favour. Invest in a cooler. PS Go for the largest one that will fit, ie a V8 cooler.

Yep highly recommennded if you're giving the auto a hiding!

I don't tow but with the blower even with the V8 cooler I am having cooling issues when I drive it hard. I need to go something HUGE I think ..... especially when the smaller pulleys go on!

Yep & 5/16" fittings are what you need on the cooler.

Will have to look into a cooler.

Will a big one be overkill for the times we are not towing, which will be a lot of the time.

Found a good guy in Canberra for supply and fit of Hayman Reese tow bars. He can also make up a custom bar if need be.

The tow bar supplied says Trailboss but he tells me they are made by Hayman Reese. Certainly looks the goods, very heavy duty. Can't tell for sure by looking online whether they are the same though.