Towing a tiny camper with a Legacy 2.5i?

I am looking at getting a small tear drop camping trailer to tow with my Legacy. I had a hitch put on a while ago for my bike rack, and have towed with other vehicles. The trailer I am looking at only weighs 800 lbs, so it is super light. Since Subaru doesn't recommend towing with the Legacy, I was wondering if anybody had an opinion or thoughts on this. Any input would be great. I am really tired of tent camping before my races, and the queen size bed is nice.

Here is a link to what I am looking at.

http://tinycamper.com/teardrop500base.htm

Thanks in advance.

You can find some good info on the cars101 page. This link is for the Outback, not the Legacy.

Subaru very strangely does not recommend towing with the Legacy in the US, but has no problem with people towing with the Outback which is mechanically similar except for ride height. Subaru also has no problem with people in Europe towing with a Legacy. Your trailer would be fine within the limits in Europe.

http://www.cars101.com/subaru/outback/outback2017.html

Note that it will help people answer your questions here if you put some info about your car in your profile, such as which transmission you have.

I am looking at getting a small tear drop camping trailer to tow with my Legacy. I had a hitch put on a while ago for my bike rack, and have towed with other vehicles. The trailer I am looking at only weighs 800 lbs, so it is super light. Since Subaru doesn't recommend towing with the Legacy, I was wondering if anybody had an opinion or thoughts on this. Any input would be great. I am really tired of tent camping before my races, and the queen size bed is nice.

Here is a link to what I am looking at.

http://tinycamper.com/teardrop500base.htm

 

Thanks in advance.

Maybe there is some info here that could be of interest to you. If you are still awake after starting to read this article ... page three mentions CVT and Subarus.

http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/helpandadvice/technicalhelp/datasheets/which-transmission-towing/

Outback has an additional OEM transmission cooler for the CVT, installed at the factory, probably to help with heat build up due to towing, since the drivetrains are otherwise very similar (different transmission gearing and final drive I think).

As long as you assume responsibility for any damage to your CVT, which is +$8,000 to replace (maybe closer to $13,000, they don't usually try to repair the CVT transmission when there is a problem, they drop the old one, and put a new one in place), you can tow anything you want.

Just expect that adding a tow hitch and towing will void your transmission warranty, this is specified in the owners manual, previously discussed in the thread about adding OEM Outback transmission coolers to Legacies, which may also void your transmission warranty.

If you want to guarantee your transmission warranty stays in place (and you don't work at a Suby dealer), don't add a tow hitch (or modify the transmission with an Outback CVT radiator or do major power mods that increase load on the transmission), just keep it stock while under warranty.

Regardless (maybe you are out of warranty), towing will probably shorten the life of the transmission, maybe within the next few years transmission shops will start repairing CVT transmissions more regularly and the cost will drop to the sub $4,000 range for a repair, vs full replacement which is 1/3 the cost of the car.

I cannot speak for the CVT, as i just picked my 17 up less than two weeks ago, BUT I towed with my 2010 2.5 paired with the 6 speed manual.

In October, I moved back from San Diego to Boston and towed a uhaul box trailer the whole distance...roughly 3100 miles and 2000 pounds in tow...keep in mind, when I started the trip, I had 156,000 on the old girl and knew I would buying a 2017 much sooner than later. The 6 speed gearbox is much more durable and far differently mechanically than our CVT.

The 2.5 itself can move some weight, and stop it fairly well. It was very sluggish in the grades of Arizona & New Mexico, but I was pulling and stopping 2.5 times the weight you are questioning. I do not think the car itself will show much obvious strain/stress with that weight, but it may be an issue later in the life of the car

As other have said, you should be very careful with the CVT and warranty, but the decision is ultimately yours...if you do not plan on owning the car for 6+ years, you will more than likely never see the issue.