Sway control bar

Originally posted by StephenH There is a big difference though in towing with Explorers and F-150s and towing with a mid-sized pickup like a Colorado or Frontier. The larger vehicles have much heavier suspensions.

Indeed, this is why I made the above point.  The Explorer's used have a much lighter frame/suspension than any of the three F-150's used, yet with proper tongue weight, every vehicle listed performed well under less than ideal weather conditions.

Same with our Xterra.  It has a very short wheelbase (106"), and a sway bar took away most of the white-knuckling in the wind.  But the tongue weight affected the headlights so bad that I only wanted to travel during the day.  

Firestone air bags helped level it out somewhat, but I still had weight distribution issues so bad that sometimes the front tires skidded on a hard stop.  That was the last straw.  I got a Petersen weight distribution hitch.

What a difference!  It really does make me forget that I'm towing sometimes.