Towing a Mini Cooper with a 2 door JLR?

[cosmokenney]

Hi, I have a 2 door JLR with the factory tow package. I've been wanting to buy a sporty project car for day-to-day use. And I think I've narrowed it down to an older Cooper. Unfortunately in the 1+ year that I've been watching Craig's List and Auto Trader, I have yet to find one local. And I am having trouble finding a friend who can take the time to drive me (hours) to check out cars. So my only option seems to be to rent a car-dolly type of trailer and try to pull the Cooper with it.
The convertible coopers are between 2500 and 3100 pounds. Not sure how much a car-dolly weighs. But that + the car will be well over the 2000 lbs 2 door towing capacity.
Do you think a 1 to 2 hour tow would do any kind of real damage?

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[SH556JL]

A one off trip in relatively flat area, I wouldn’t hesitate to do it. Wouldn’t make it a habit though. I would probably drive over and look at it. If I like it, buy and arrange to pick it up later. Either rent a truck with dolly or call AAA with a little white lie.

 

[Pinky Tuscadero]

Sounds like your daily driver is gonna be much sportier than your "sporty project car" but to each his own. Oddly I have a niece with that exact combo of vehicles and she loves them.
The Jeep Wranglers are grossly underrated for towing and this tow will be super easy for it for sure. When I tow my 24' pontoon party barge around with my JK the Jeep doesn't even feel it - I always looked back as it seemed impossible I was towing anything and that goes for anything else I tow as well.
At the end of the day its all at your own risk and you've probably already decided which way you'll go. If something does happen I wouldn't go blabbing to Jeep about over-towing and also make sure to ditch that car trailer before bringing it in for sure

 

[cosmokenney]

Sounds like your daily driver is gonna be much sportier than your "sporty project car" but to each his own.

I don't quite understand what you mean.

 

[zrickety]

Hi, I have a 2 door JLR with the factory tow package. I've been wanting to buy a sporty project car for day-to-day use. And I think I've narrowed it down to an older Cooper. Unfortunately in the 1+ year that I've been watching Craig's List and Auto Trader, I have yet to find one local. And I am having trouble finding a friend who can take the time to drive me (hours) to check out cars. So my only option seems to be to rent a car-dolly type of trailer and try to pull the Cooper with it.
The convertible coopers are between 2500 and 3100 pounds. Not sure how much a car-dolly weighs. But that + the car will be well over the 2000 lbs 2 door towing capacity.
Do you think a 1 to 2 hour tow would do any kind of real damage?

These are rated 3300 lbs overseas.
Make sure your Cooper has never been overheated...those motors can get expensive fast.
It will not be an issue with a tow dolly.

 

[Jeepeto]

These are rated 3300 lbs overseas.
Make sure your Cooper has never been overheated...those motors can get expensive fast.
It will not be an issue with a tow dolly.

never tell me the odds...

Also came here to say the limitation is the 2 door wheelbase, its the same drivetrain as the gladiator that is rated for much higher. Just take it easy and you should be fine

 

[Old Dogger]

The main concern is that you stay within the legal tow limit. If not and you get in accident, financially, somebody may take every thing that you have. It is just not worth the risk.

 

[cosmokenney]

Make sure your Cooper has never been overheated...those motors can get expensive fast.

How? The only thing I've heard about is popping the oil cap off to see if the valve lifters are charred or, in other words, covered with burnt oil. Which is an indication of poor maintenance, apparently.

 

[BeeLDub]

(copy-ish-ing this from the 2dr towing thread I posted it in)

I pulled my RZR Turbo S a while back (about 1800lbs) on a trailer that probably weighed 900-1000lbs, so somewhere in your range

From someone that has done a LOT of towing and driving heavy vehicles, as well as being very familiar with the Jeep's ability to pull AND stop, I was confident on this short trip.

Let me start by saying, not only does my current 2dr have bigger brakes and an updated engine compared to my 2016 JKU, it has the same brakes and engine as the current 4dr, but a lower tow rating than both, for good reason.

My JL pulled GREAT! Better than my JKU. And in normal conditions, it stopped great too. Where the 2dr falls short, and the reason for the lower tow rating, is emergency braking. I did some hard braking to get a feel for it, and with roughly 2700lbs pushing into this short wheelbase, you can feel the weight/pressure of the trailer effecting your steering so much more than a heavier/longer wheelbase 4dr.

I was also blinding everyone with my low beams due to the squat the tongue weight gave my Jeep.

Moral of the story, be aware of the effect of trailer weight on handling, especially as you push closer to the tow limit. Give yourself plenty of space to react and brake. And maybe get a set of airbags. I ordered a set, but have not yet installed/used them. They should help out big time with handling as well as prevent blinding other drivers.

 

[Pinky Tuscadero]

I don't quite understand what you mean.

Jeeps tough but sporty for sure, mini is fun too
It's all good

 

[Pinky Tuscadero]

The main concern is that you stay within the legal tow limit. If not and you get in accident, financially, somebody may take every thing that you have. It is just not worth the risk.

That is a really, really good point. Probably not worth the risk and time to find a second driver for sure

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