[o_swas]

Hello,

My Blaze Red Dodge Magnum RT was built in September 2004 (it was ordered in July 2004), which was right before the factory towing package became available.

I'd like to do some mild towing with my Magnum and was wondering if the towing package (or parts of it) can be installed by the dealer. To my knowledge the towing package included heavy duty cooling and a load-leveling rear suspension.

I don't plan on towing anything heavy or towing for long distances. Since I have the RT I'm thinking the cooling system is likely heavy duty enough, at least for what I'll be doing. But, I would like the leveling rear suspension, as that can be handy when towing or even with a packed passenger cabin.

Can anybody fill me in on what parts (if any) can be installed by the dealer, and what I should expect for a cost?

Thank you!!

-Ryan

 

[quarky42]

I think you have it right... Nivomat shocks and the heavy duty cooling. The rest I had to install myself (the hitch receiver...the hitch ball mount that goes into the receiver, the 7 wire wire harness) They were pretty easy to install...just took some time to get all the bolts cinched down tight enough.

 

[thewagon]

Not sure where you live so the severe duty cooling may not even be an issue according to the light towing you say you'll do.
As for the rear...Nivomat shocks are what is used...but then again, may not be an issue for you depending on the tongue weight and total weight of what you will be towing.
As for the rest, you'll have to buy and install a hitch....anwhere's from OEM Mopar to aftermarkets will work.
You can do the entire install of the hitch/receiver/wiring yourself in about 2 hrs. That is with the OEM type. Not sure on the others. Or spend close to $500 for labor

 

[boggart]

Make sure you ask the question of the dealer when you get a quote for the "tow package install" if they are installing the nivomats. 99.996666% of the time when you're talking about aftermarket tow package they're only talking about the hitch and wiring for lights.

 

[2005rtmag]

I was told by the dealer parts dept. on two occasions that the RT comes with the same transmission cooling with or without the tow package. The second time, I was there in person, gave them my vin#, and they looked it up. They showed me what the cooler looked like on the computer. On these cars the transmission cooler is part of the AC condenser, not part of the radiator like on every other car I've ever had. (maybe 50)
I installed a drawtite class II hitch. I also bought the 4 pin wiring that gets power from the battery. Both cost less than $170 at etrailer.com. I already had a tow bar. So, the only other thing I need to pull uhauls is a pair of those expensive shocks. I probably won't put those on, since I don't tow that often.

 

[Jeepers]

Another option in regards to load levelling would be to install a couple of air bags in the rear as opposed to the nivomats. It was the path I went down and so far it has worked fine. The install was simple, they hold up my boat well, were half the cost and don't bleed down overnight like the nivomats. Something to think about.

 

[o_swas]

2005rtmag, can you tell me what exactly a "tow bar" is? Maybe it's something I'm already familiar with by a different name. Can you tell me why you got your hitch receiver and electrical from etrailer.com instead of the Mopar parts? I'm thinking of using the Mopar parts unless there's a compelling reason to do otherwise.

Jeepers, can you tell me more about the air bags you installed? Things like brand, where you got them, price, pros/cons etc? How much are the Nivomats?

Thanks for the comments everybody, I really appreciate it!

-Ryan

 

[Jeepers]

Universal Air supplied the bags, the schraeder valves ( air valves ) and lines. They are one of the site vendors. Easy guys to deal with. The cost was $275 US and it was a true bolt-in swap. The Nivomats up here in Canada were double that, from the dealer. You also need the specific springs for them, as the springs you have will lift up your vehicle up in the air. My understanding is the tow package springs are softer to compensate for the stiffer Nivomats. Do a search on that, there's quite abit of info on it.No cons to speak of, you just have to make sure that you have no air leaks prior to installing them to save the hassle of yanking them back out, like I did with one. If you do decide to pull a heavier load some time, I know I am more comfortable with the spring holding up the weight of the load as opposed to the shock, but I haven't heard of any Nivomat failures, either. The Magnum, imho, looks better with it's ass dropped, which you can do with these if you choose. Good luck on your decision.

 

[Pentagon Magnum]

I have both Magnums R/T with and without tow package. I've towed an enclosed trailer with 2 motorcycles and gear in the Maggie w/o the tow package and it did fine temperature-wise, but it was really sagging badly. I had the dealer install the Mopar hitch assembly since it's made for the car and is completely hidden when the hitch is not in (I don't know what the aftermarket hitches look like). The price for the hitch and install was about $600.
When I bought the new Magnum with the tow package, I had them move the hitch over to the new car, and it tows much better now. Only thing I don't like is that the Nivomats don't pump up to ride height until you've driven it for about a mile.
If it were me, bags would probably be the way to go...I think you'd be happier with that option as long as they can handle the load.
If you arent towing over 1000 pounds, you probably don't need to add anything to the suspension. It may sag a little, but not too bad.

 

[Clutch-n-Throttle]

Universal Air supplied the bags, the schraeder valves ( air valves ) and lines.

Do you have any pictures?

 

[o_swas]

Jeepers,

I'm interested in learning more about the air bags you mention. Could you please answer some questions I have? I am familiar with them in general, but my knowledge of them dates back to my high school days:

1. Could you please provide a link to the exact air bags you installed? I found Univeral Air's web site on the vendors page, but I'm not sure which product you chose.

2. Were you able to install the air bags yourself? How tough of a task is it? I do have a nice 2 ton floor jack but I don't have a pit or anything like that.

3. Do the air bags require that I fill them with an external air supply via an air valve somewhere on the outside of the vehicle?

4. If the air bags have their own air compressor, how hard was it to wire into the electrical system? Where does the air compressor go?

5. Are the air bags automatic or manually controlled? For example, I hook up the trailer and the tail is hanging low... does the air bag automatically level or do I do this manually somehow?

I doubt I'll ever tow anything too heavy, but I do want to keep the tail from dragging low. From my experience the tail gets a little low even when packed with all the family's stuff. Also, at some point I may want to make use of those cargo carriers that use the hitch receiver, and those can cause a dragging tail also.

So the consensus here seems to favor the air bags, is that correct? From the descriptions the air bags sound more robust and cheaper to retrofit to my Magnum RT. Is this true? Are there any downsides?

Thank you to everybody!!!

-Ryan

 

[Todd RT]

Talk to KGBPro about airbags.

 

[2005rtmag]

2005rtmag, can you tell me what exactly a "tow bar" is? Maybe it's something I'm already familiar with by a different name. Can you tell me why you got your hitch receiver and electrical from etrailer.com instead of the Mopar parts? I'm thinking of using the Mopar parts unless there's a compelling reason to do otherwise.

Jeepers, can you tell me more about the air bags you installed? Things like brand, where you got them, price, pros/cons etc? How much are the Nivomats?

Thanks for the comments everybody, I really appreciate it!

-Ryan

A tow bar is the piece that you insert into the hitch and use the pin to hold it in on the class II and III hitches. This is the part that holds the ball.
If I had known the Mopar hitch was not visible when the tow bar is removed, I probably would have installed it instead. I suspect it is more expensive though. I also was able to use the tow bar I bought for my 95 Mark VIII Lincoln. Saved 20 something bucks.
I have bought several drawtite hitches over the years and I have liked their designs. The hitch I bought was about $100 and the wiring harness was about $60. It is connected to the battery and just gets the triggers from the tail lights and brakes. My owners manual says do not use the type that uses the light circuits for power.

 

[Jeepers]

I'd take some pics, but there isn't much to see under the car. Give Zack a call at Universal, he's easy to get along with. The bag kit shows up under the gallery link, then link to magnum install. The bags took about an hour per side to install, from the tires off to on again with my average skills. You do need a decent spring compressor and, of course, a jack. The shock needs to come off and I found it easier to get the bags on if you undo the stabilizer bar link attached to the spindle. The lines run through a hole in the frame directly behind where the upper fitting on the bags exits. I popped out the two clips about the middle of the rear fascia, made some small brackets for the valves and attached them there.
I manually fill the bags when I need to tow. I've got a compressor in my garage so it isn't a big deal to fill. A decent portable compressor that plugs into your 12v accessory socket may work, there isn't much volume to fill in the bags. When I'm done with towing I simply drop the pressure to something more comfortable, about 80lbs MT. If a bag happens to blow you would be riding on the bump stops which would be a pain, but all the big rigs ride on bags and don't have much trouble.

 

[t walgamuth]

those look pretty cool! how much did it all cost? how is the non towing ride? better or worse than stock?

thanks for sharing.

tom w

 

[Todd RT]

I was told by the dealer parts dept. on two occasions that the RT comes with the same transmission cooling with or without the tow package.

Can this be confirmed? I always wanted to add that additional tranny cooling.

 

[Jeepers]

About $275 and it rides fine when towing.

 

[ephines]

Can this be confirmed? I always wanted to add that additional tranny cooling.

The tranny coolers are the same, it the radiators that are different. The tow package is a little thicker and the thermostat is 5 degrees cooler. I added the tow package to my mag and thats what I've found out to be the big diiference next to the spring/shock combo.

 

[NexXxus]

This is an interesting topic. According to my window sticker, Ive got:
"Load Leveling and Height Control"

But when I look underneath the rear, all I see is a coil spring and a big shock (with no "lines" going to it of any kind.) does this sound right? Is there something that I am missing?

Also, What would I look for under the hood to verify that I have the engine cooling (its a big deal to have that here in phoenix)

 

[Pentagon Magnum]

This is an interesting topic. According to my window sticker, Ive got:
"Load Leveling and Height Control"

But when I look underneath the rear, all I see is a coil spring and a big shock (with no "lines" going to it of any kind.) does this sound right? Is there something that I am missing?

Also, What would I look for under the hood to verify that I have the engine cooling (its a big deal to have that here in phoenix)

You won't see anything in the rear. The rear shocks are a bit larger in diameter than the regular shocks, but Nivomat shocks are internally self-leveling by valves and hydraulics. No pumps or air is used. This is why it takes over a mile to level it out, because it "pumps" itself up hydraulically (sp?) from the movement as you're driving over bumps in the road. As for the cooling, the radiator is a bit wider than the standard radiator, but I'm not sure if it's visible or not.

.