Towing Question: I just got a free dinghy boat Options

[Spectre]

Hey everyone. My father received a free dinghy boat and then gave said boat to me. I don't have a truck or anything, but I am aware of the XD Elantra's surprisingly high towing capacity. My concern, however, is with the transmission. The boat is inflatable but it has a wood bottom and backing. I will probably end up putting a four-stoke motor (no more than 8 horsepower) on it. I have no doubt that my Elantra can tow it, but when I do, how should I handle the transmission? The option to disable overdrive is not available on the 2004 Elantra. If I put it in 3, will it only drive in 3rd gear or will it shift up until 3rd gear? I do have a Miata with a stick shift, but I have never had to drive any automatic in anything other than 'drive' or 'reverse.' Thanks in advance for your help.

P.S. I'll be extra careful with the braking.

[2000J25SP]

Towing capacity on your car is 1,500lbs. I would assume that an inflatable boat + trailer would be very light. If you drive in"3" you will still have every gear, except for 4th (overdrive) it will rev higher, use more fuel. But Improves engine braking, will be more responsive. It will prevent the transmission from constantly shifting in and out of overdrive, building up heat and wearing out the transmission. On that note, if you plan to tow often (or drive through mountains ect) a transmission cooler is HIGHLY recommended.

[Spectre]

Thanks for the information. I live in Florida so the land is pretty flat here. I may have one slight incline on the tree-mile bridge going into Gulf Breeze, FL from Pensacola. Where can I get one of these transmission coolers? Would it be overkill if I bought a transmission cooler anyway?

This post has been edited by Spectre: Sep 6 2015, 10:37 PM

[roydjt]

A properly installed oil cooler won't do any harm, and it might prolong the effective life of your transmission fluid. Here's a link to a DIY that was written up back in the day.

-Roy