So can you ask a salesman how your gonna tow something with this car (I call it a car not a SUV cause until Im convinced I can tow something with it....its just a big station wagon)

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No chance of a manual on any of the 6.1 Hemis, huh?

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you CAN tow with it. listed as an option is a mopar tow package. how they integrate it i have no idea but you can tow.

the front looks fugly still. like the horsepower but insuring it will be $$$ and it just doesn't have the versatility of utility AND speed like the 5.9L Jeep Grand Cherokee did in 1998

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Ok cool so how does it work, because the way Im looking at it is that the toe bar will have to fit under or in front of the exhaust. Now the problem with this is that I assume the tow ball (dont know if thats the correct name) will get very hot and expand which would a loss of mobility in the connection, not to mention the fact that the first person who tried to unhook the hitch would burn their hand.

Now my roomate tim has informed me that both the ball and hitch will heat up, assuming that they are the same material they will heat up at the same rate. He also has informed me that air passing over the hitch will cool the hitch. Now because of this there is no insurance that the ball and hitch are heating at the same rate. Along with that the longer the car would be idling and not moving, the more heating that would occur which would lead to some serious burns showing up at the ER...

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Yeah. If "Tim" sez it won't work, that holds a lot more weight than a room full of Jeep engineers...

Why is everyone so obsessed with towing? Did everyone get a free boat or something? Where do I get mine?

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Its a truck...a jeep no less...its supposed to be able to tow something, personally I want something that can tow a jet ski...as to the qualifications of Tims comments...

I really dont need to defend Tim, Im sure hell defend himself but I will say that hes spent the past 5 years studying to be a Materials Engineer to possibly work in a Metal forgery so Im pretty comfident I can trust his insight into the ways metals heat and cool...

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Perhaps someone who is at the auto show could either a DCX rep about the tow package questions or at least take a photo of how the exhaust is being routed underneath. My guess is that the exhaust pipes would be rerouted if you got the tow package.

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I am the Tim who said so. I am a month away from graduating with a degree in Materials science and Engineering focusing on Metallurgy. I would like to think that after 5 years, and around 180 credit hours of coursework, i would know a little bit about how a metal will react when it is heated up.

Now, as far as knowing more than a roomful of jeep engineers, i dont think i match up. But i will say: with an available towing package, and the current placement of the exhaust, the hot gases will hit the ball and socket joing of the towing assembly. Most likely, the hitch itself will act as a heat shield keeping the ball relatively cool, but the hitch itself will collect heat. At highway speeds, the temps will likely stay down, due to the effects of air cooling. The key word there is likely. I'm sure a room ful of jeep engineers thought of this, and channeled air flow under the jeep, which hopefully doesnt cause lift under the jeep (resulting in a loss of traction, which is relly bad). if they channeled airflow under the jeep, and made sure enough of it impinges upon the hitch assembly, then everything should be kosker, if not, I'd want to douse the hitch in water before trying to detatch it from the jeep.

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i apologize for any typing errors, such as really being spelled as 'relly', and full being 'ful'

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to rubicon, i have a hunch the tow package will include a rerouting of the exhuast as well. Thatd be the easiest way i can see to avoiding this whole issue, heh.

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This is a cool way to introduce more people to the brand and makes for a better transition to future non-trail rated Jeep vehciles. Some may not like it but I bet it will get your attention and win a few stoplight drags just like the GMC Typhoon did in its day.

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Tim (and Mike): my point wasn't that you guys don't know enough about metals heating or exhaust flow: I'm sure you're both bright guys. My point was simply that Jeep seems to be saying that towing is an option, and that I'm pretty sure they would have given some thought to the issue. I don't know - maybe they reroute the exhaust, maybe they have a heat shield, maybe they position the ball above the exhaust - who knows? I don't need a degree in metalurgy nor do I need to spend the time hypothesizing how they might have done it! They said they can do it, and I believe them! And even if they can't or they don't or they do it wrong, I DON'T CARE! Focusing on the exhaust issue is like focusing on Marilyn Monroe's mole!

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I would first like to apolgize I do not seem to be combative. This blog started with my opening comments "So can you ask a salesman how your gonna tow something with this car." As Ive stated I personally feel that a truck should be able to tow something and I am curious how this truck can do it.

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I wonder how much more horsepower and torque a twin turbo would push out of the 6.1L HEMI?

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Is it trail rated?????

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So, let me get this straight. Someone's going to pay big bucks for an old design SUV with a big gass-hogging engine?? It is also a very Ho-hum design...

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Well, I guess this is the fast version of the Trailblazer and the 4Runner's baby. Like the idea, wish they would have done it with the last body style. Between this body style and the Commander, they won't see me trading in my 2001 anytime soon!

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Re post # 13 by Mike UF:

I don't understand when people complain about a special model in a lineup when it doesn't have a certain feature. Yeah, it is classified as a "truck" but The Grand Cherokee SRT-8 was designed to "show and go". It was not designed to tow 10,000 Lb trailers or to traverse the Rubicon Trail. That's what the other models are for. Complaining that a SRT-8 Grand Cherokee cannot tow a motor home or climb 3' boulders is like complaining that the PT Cruiser doesn't have a third-row seat.

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I don't know that I have read a more stupid discussion thread about a car or truck. How many posts can you have regarding the heating of a towing bar? What a bunch of idiots.

Is it me, or do the wheels look a little too ghetto?

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For those who really want to tow something, please wait the Porsche Cayenne Turbo RS, it will be in the showroom january 2006 (in Europe)
and has a 4,5L V8 twin-turbo, giving 600 hp @6000rpm. It has to be the fastest SUV ever according to Porsche !
AND MORE IMPORTANT IT CAN TOW ANYTHING ;-) !!!

I am looking forward to it, as the Grand Cherokee 2005 is not yet available in Europe (June 2005) and SRT-8 won't ever come to Europe I am afraid. As there is the sister company Mercedes with her new ML 65 AMG which will not allow any concurrence in their own showroom.

The SRT-8 was yet described as the European goverment's "whorst nightmare" (they try everthing to keep SUV's out of the cities)

Kind regards
Dasilva

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