Towing

[dirtydog]

Well said... been towing all day (including 4 traffic jams!!! 5hours for 150miles anyone???) and I have had especially bad economy and that is unladen
Still it is very solid and goes fast downhill

I've towed caravans with a few different cars so I'll chuck my two pence worth in. I currently have a 94 3.0TD auto Surf.

The Surf is essentially a big heavy chunk of metal and even with a 3.0 TD engine its not a quick or economical car, but as 4x4's go its got a decent turn of speed. My caravan is appx 19' and when its loaded its quite a weight. What gets on my nerves is people saying "you don't even notice its there". Bo**ocks. Every car I've had responds slower and uses more juice when you're towing, INCLUDING the Surf.

Downside. The biggest problem with my Surf for towing is the auto gearbox. While these are great in many respects (the benefits outweight the drawbacks) there are 'issues'. First, the auto is not as economical as the manual, and towing makes this worse. Secondly, going uphill you can lose a little momentum before it kicks down into a better gear. You can floor it but you put more strain on the engine and box.

Upside. All-in-all I'd say you have nothing to worry about, but be prepared to think ahead as your acceleration will decrease, braking distance increase, and mpg decrease.

Consider as upgrades to fit stronger rear springs, and I'd definitely recommend an additional aftermarket auto gearbox oil cooler, replacing your auto fluid (heat is the biggest killer of auto boxes) in the process. These jobs are relatively cheap and easy to do and will help to keep your Surf in top condition.

Two pence worth over.

[Bogus]

I've towed caravans with a few different cars so I'll chuck my two pence worth in. I currently have a 94 3.0TD auto Surf.

The Surf is essentially a big heavy chunk of metal and even with a 3.0 TD engine its not a quick or economical car, but as 4x4's go its got a decent turn of speed. My caravan is appx 19' and when its loaded its quite a weight. What gets on my nerves is people saying "you don't even notice its there". Bo**ocks. Every car I've had responds slower and uses more juice when you're towing, INCLUDING the Surf.

Downside. The biggest problem with my Surf for towing is the auto gearbox. While these are great in many respects (the benefits outweight the drawbacks) there are 'issues'. First, the auto is not as economical as the manual, and towing makes this worse. Secondly, going uphill you can lose a little momentum before it kicks down into a better gear. You can floor it but you put more strain on the engine and box.

Upside. All-in-all I'd say you have nothing to worry about, but be prepared to think ahead as your acceleration will decrease, braking distance increase, and mpg decrease.

Consider as upgrades to fit stronger rear springs, and I'd definitely recommend an additional aftermarket auto gearbox oil cooler, replacing your auto fluid (heat is the biggest killer of auto boxes) in the process. These jobs are relatively cheap and easy to do and will help to keep your Surf in top condition.

Two pence worth over.

Feel free to tell me where Im wrong, but can you not change down with an auto ? Switch off OD and youre in 3rd, If you need to go to second just slot it in second? Please do correct me if Im wrong, its maybe not as simply as Im seeing it ?

Thanks,

Bogus

[firefly]

bogus this does work as you say but my own experience is it isnt worth overriding an auto box and trying to drive it like a manual, i did this the first time out towing and was seriously in the red (temp) held it too long in 2nd and didnt let the gearbox decide which gear to choose, now all i do when going up hill is knock overdrive off and dont rev over 2500, plenty of pull and doesnt over load the engine gearbox too much, on a slight incline or on the flat its a dream and i let the cruise control do all the work, super machine and cant wait till 6th Aug Newquay hear we come...............

[jackster]

The Surf is essentially a big heavy chunk of metal and even with a 3.0 TD engine its not a quick or economical car, but as 4x4's go its got a decent turn of speed. My caravan is appx 19' and when its loaded its quite a weight. What gets on my nerves is people saying "you don't even notice its there". Bo**ocks. Every car I've had responds slower and uses more juice when you're towing, INCLUDING the Surf.



.

I tow the caravan with the surf, and i can hardly tell it`s there!!!


When i`m helping my mate on the farm, he often has me moving stock about with the cow trailer.When you have a 1300kg 14ft trailer on with 4 bullocks in that weigh between 450-550kg each, and then they all try and charge about in the trailer,this is when towing becomes interesting.

That is what i make a comparison with when i say i car`nt tell the caravan`s there when towing