chwang1973

Anyone know the towing capacities for the IS?

1500 lbs to 2000 lbs?

Thanks

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

It's 0.

If I recall correctly it mentioned at least 3 separate places in the owners manual to never tow anything with the car.

chwang1973

The info. is in O.M. pg161

Thanks Kurtz

hellasboy

Is there a difference in the chassis between the European and US IS models?
Reason I ask is because the Great Britain Lexus site has a detachable towing hook for the IS250 available and it states a towing capacity of up to 1500 kg (probably for the 350)

Jefe's IS

There is no real difference than the UK cars except for the drive side. The European cars are rated at 1500lbs. There is a hitch available from Lexus in the UK/Europe. Why they don't rate the car in the US is beyond me. My "guess" would be that Lexus doesn't feel/want the US market would tow w/ a luxory sports sedan or wants you to upgrade to a more expensive Lexus SUV. There may be legal reasons but I doubt it. It may be that most cars in Europe are small and most Europeans want/need a smaller car. They may also need to use a trailer more often for that reason.

IDK. Just spitballing here.

eric_r_ho

iTrader: (9)

Dang, that's weird because I've seen an IS towing two a pair of dirt bikes before on a small trailer..damn californians.

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

You -can- slap a trailer hitch on any car.

I'm just saying lexus in the US explicitly tells you NOT to do so several times in the owners manual.

Friend of mine with a 94 GS300 has a hitch on his and a big trailer he hooks to it.

He's been through about 6 alignments, 3 sets of tires, and a number of rear suspension components... and insists none of it is because he's towing with the car.

lexchi

i'd like to be able to pull a seadoo but really don't want to have a hole cut in my bumper to install the hitch.... wish there was another way.

outlaws

i wanna tow my mountain bikes around........ arg.....
this car should be able to handle 2 mountain bikes right?!?
what kinda sporty car doesn't support sporty people.....

mvlbr

You can always buy a cheap used truck for towing

vuiskool

then ur stuck paying insurance premiums.

IS-SV

It's relatively cheap for those eligible for good driver/multi-car discounts.

lexchi

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

You can always use something like one of these-

http://www.bikerackshops.com/grouptrunkmount.html

Dunno how it'll treat your paint, but no hitch or trailer required.

Kansas

Curt introduced a receiver trailer hitch for the ISx50 a few weeks ago. I think the same model Curt hitch fits both the current GS and IS. You can buy one at a healthy discount from the same company where I bought a hitch for my 00 LS: http://www.etrailer.com

Another good use for a receiver hitch is for attaching a bike rack -- keeps my bikes completely away from my car and there is zero wind noise -- the noise from a roof mounted bike rack can be awful.