2002 Chrysler Voiger, 3.3 - V6 Petrol

[Smokey1]

Hello everyone,

As a newcomer to caravaning & have yet to pick our new caravan up ( 11th Aug ) I would like to hear from anyone who has towed a 24 foot caravan with a Chrysler Voiger 2002 model, petrol 3.3 V6.

I have towed many things before but never a caravan, nore have I towed with this vehicle before. It would be good to here from someone who could let me know how well ( or not ) this vehicle performs.

As a note my Chrysler has self levelling shocks at the rear as standard on this model.

Many thanks,

Smokey,...........

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Smokey,

I am sorry to have to pour some doubt about your chosen outfit, and what you might be entitled to drive by your licence restrictions.

I'm sorry I can't tell you how the Voyager will tow, but the content of your post has put up a few warming lights about some points you need to consider very carefully.

Known facts are that the Voyager is a relatively heavy car with and Un-Laden Weight(ULW) of 1995Kg. Despite this weight, the database I use shows it to only have a maximum towed weight limit of 1600Kg It's surprising how many American based vehicles do have quite restrictive towing limits.

24ft caravans (7.3M) tend to be heavy so you need to be sure it is within the towed weight limit of the car when it is loaded (i.e less than 1600Kg). I have a nagging suspicion it will be too heavy for your car and thus illegal.

Another important question that arises from you telling us you are new to caravanning, suggesting the strong possibility you are quite young and may have only passed your driving test AFTER 1st Jan 1997.

This date is significant, as the test was revised and it changed the weight limits of what you are entitled to drive.

Prior to to this date your combined outfit could be 8250Kg but Post 1997 the largest combined vehicle you can drive without taking extension tests is 3500Kg Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) If you car or outfit has a combined maximum wight limit of over 3500Kg you need to take the 'E' extension test to permit you to go above that limit.

The presence of self leveling shocks make no difference to the loads you are can apply to the vehicle - they are not an excuse to overload.

 

[Smokey1]

Hello Prof John L,

Thank you for getting back to me but I feel you have miss understood the content of my post.
I have been driving for just over 31 years so there are no restrictions on my licence.
I have had my car checked & it is well within the weight at which it can tow. I have also seen a few Chryslers towing caravans like mine.
My Question was, how well do they tow, as in pull, cornering, + fuel consumption, as I have just had mine Gas converted etc.

I appreciate your concerns regarding the weight over the rear axle but I have had more weight over the rear than what my caravan would put apon it & the self levelling suspension rides up to near normal ride height.

Thank you again for your reply.

Regards,

Smokey, ..............

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello again Smokey,

I'm pleased you have already checked out those issues I highlighted and that you are confident everythings ok. Though I still do have concerns about the weight of your caravan and the towing capacity of the Voyager, Just because you see others with large caravans, that does not always mean they are legal. Over weight is illegal and it may invalidate your insurance so it really is important to be sure.

Happy caravanning

 

[Smokey1]

Hello again, I have taken on board your help full comments & concerns, which I thank you for. You are correct in the fact that the maximum legal towing weight for my vehicle is 1600Kgs. I did how ever check the caravan weight which would be put on my car which turned out to be just under 1400Kgs. I have just contacted a friend of mine who has a 5 berth caravan which is just over 1400Kgs & have arranged to hitch his up to my car tomorrow & get him to take it out for a test drive. My insurance company have confirmed that everything is well within the weight regs & have had written conformation by RAC which was one of the first things I checked before looking for a caravan. So fingers crossed all should be good & at least I will be able to experience for myself & answer my own question on how well my car performs while towing a caravan. I will let you know. Regards, Smokey, .............

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

hi Smokey,
just as an aside, we all value the Prof's input as he is very knowlegable in these areas, and reading the previous posts thought roughly the same, wow a 27ft van and big chrysler as a first outfit brave man, "assuming the 24ft is body length and not shipped length"this would give a unit of around 40ft and bigger than the HGV I once drove for a living,
I am glad you appear to have done your homework beforehand, something the newbies tend to overlook, but I am still concerned that such a big van has such a small MTPLM are you sure this is right!! what van is it. is it a single axel or double. the former may need more attention to loading, where as the latter may be more problermatic on the nose weight front,
apart from that on the driving front the power to weight ratio looks good and so does the car/van ratio, the Voyager is a nice bus (assuming I am thinking of the right vehicle) a friend had one the 2.5 td diesel to tow a 20ft fishing boat which it did with ease including pulling the boat out of the water on a 1 in 4 slipway.
the fuel consumption was however a little heavy for a diesel god knows what the 3.3 V6 does although a gas convertions will help also american cluches are not the best designed so be mindful when giving the clutch slip some welly.
overall I think the unit should be ok as long as you pay attention to the overall length when towing allow plenty of room when cornering or overtaking, reversing should not be a problem as you have towed trailers before large trailers are are acctualy easier to reverse than little ones. getting some practice is a good idea though.
and the only other thing to consider with a van of that weight is having a mover fitted.on site and in storage there a god send.
colin

 

[Smokey1]

Hello Colin, Its nice to know that there are people who show concern here on the forum & are willing to give help full tips & lots of advice. A couple of things though............ The over all length of our caravan is 23 foot 10 inches ( including the hitch ) The caravan we have bought is a 2005 Lunar Lexon CS Single Axle / Unladen weight = 1163Kg, MTPLM = 1400Kg. As for fuel consumption "mmmm not brilliant". Around 32 MPG on long run & 28 around town. ( reason for Gas conversion !! ) These Chryslers are so versatile & a real work horse. My wife has one & I have another one which I use for work ( although an older model ) So that's why I felt confident that this one which is the top of its range for the year was going to be a good towing vehicle. I am now happy to say that I have just finished trying out my car with my friends caravan which is about a foot longer than our one ( which we will be picking up in Aug. ) My friend came with me which was great as he really put my car to the test. Being as he has been caravaning for just over 13 years, I was happy for him to do this as well as being a very good driver too. Once loaded my car dropped at the back by about 3 inches. But once we had driven about 50 yards or so we stopped & found that the self levelling system had risen so the rear was about an inch & a half lower that normal height without the caravan & didn't feel spongey or bouncy. I will be the first to admit that its not as good as these new 2012 cars which have been tested for towing nor as good as a 4x4, but for a 2001 people Carrier, my friend said it performed really well. Being an auto it was a little sluggish when putting your foot down to overtake ( unlike the diesel model ) but its not a race car !! Cornering was firm & as for breaking hard well, the ABS done its job really well while on a slight bend at 40 MPH. Stopping normally felt smooth as a unit should & had no feeling of being pushed along. Once again, maybe not every ones cup of tea as a vehicle to use, but as a first for me.... "I'm Happy". I would like to thank the Prof's input & you Colin for your concerns. I now feel confident in picking up my own caravan in Aug, although I know I have much to learn & will take thing easy !!! All the very best, Smokey, ............. PS, the caravan has motor movers already fitted.

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

hi Smokey,
good one mate, you obviously have your head screwed on the right way and have done your home work well, the Lexon is a nice van had it not been for the weight issues I would have one although I could just about get away with the 420 @ 1150kg the user payload of just under 125kg would be the hardest.to overcome.
reading your last post I see most of my concerns were unfounded, most people talk about the body length of a van and forget about the 3ft at the front, so it is not as big as I imagined, being a single axel though you will still have to bear in mind the loading.
as your Voyager is an auto the clutch concern is irrelevent also, fuel consumpion is better than expected my mate was lucky to get 15mpg with the boat on.and 30 solo.
you seem you have covered all the bases so all you need now is the van and some good towing practice.
happy caravanning

colin.
ps. the mover is a bonus but dont forget to allow for it's weight off the user payload.(about 35kg)

 

[Smokey1]

Hello again,

As I said I have much to learn & as you have so kindly pointed out, I shall bear in mind the weight issue regarding the single axle on our caravan.

Its not until you ask a question that you find some one like yourself that comes up with something that has never crossed your mind, so once again thank you for all your advice etc.

Regards,

Smokey.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello again Smokey,

It seems you actually covered all the points I raised that's great.

I tow with a Renault Espace, and the size of the vehicle certainly stamps its mark on the outfit. So It is likely the Voyager will have similar strong positive traits.

I apologise if my first response to your question seemed rather negative. There were certain phrases you used "newcomer to caravanning" and "24 foot caravan" and without further detail that did start alarm bells ringing,

As Colin explained 24ft caravan is usually taken to mean the body length not is its shipping length hence my assumption it was a BIG caravan - in fact just about as long as you can get, and long usually means heavy.

However all seems in order now, and apart from the fuel consumption, it should tow pretty well.

Enjoy

 

[Parksy]

Hi Smokey
I can't help with the specific models of your car or caravan but generally speaking to acheive a safe stable towing experience pay attention to how you load your caravan, Click Here for more infomation

Avoid putting heavier items at the rear of the caravan and don't overload overhead lockers. (We use those large plastic boxes to store tinned food etc at floor level rather than risk them falling out of lockers to cause damage when towing) Try to load as close to the permitted noseweight as possible without exceeding it and check the tyre pressures and the condition of the tyres before setting out each trip. With tyres between 5-7 years old the sidewalls perish and the tyres should be replaced irrespective of tread wear to avoid punctures which can be disastrous on motorways.
Avoid overtaking or speeding when travelling downhill, especially on long motorway descents which can be deceptive and rutted in places. It's best to take your feet off everything to back off the throttle and bleed off speed rather than brake if the back end begins to wobble at the start of a dreaded snake. Don't overload, don't speed and your caravan should stay shiny side up, happy caravanning!

 

[Smokey1]

Hi Prof,

No worries mate. As I said, I have much to learn & I must admit that some of my terminology could have been miss understood, due to the way in which I worded it.

Well we got there in the end !!!

So once again, I would like to thank you for bearing with me & pointing out a few things that I hadn't even thought of checking. "Nice one".

Cheers Buddy,

Smokey.

 

[Smokey1]

Hi Parksy,

Good to here from you again.

Well you must have read my mind as I was wondering whether or not if there was a site that would give tips on loading up a caravan.

I like your idea of plastic boxes & placing stuff like tin cans in them on the floor.

I guess if you think about it, allot of it is just common sense. Shifting the weight around between car & caravan, doing safety checks like tyres etc can make the difference between a smooth safe trip & a " OH is that my caravan skating past me on its roof ?", & "why am I facing the wrong way on this motorway ? !!!".

But on a more serious note. Your tips on over taking & slowing down on hills while on the motorway, (or any road for that matter ), are very good. I think that allot of people who have taken up caravanning for the first time can very easily get into trouble before they know it.

A friend of mine has just bought his first caravan too from where I got mine & I am happy to say that he is also checking things out before jumping in the deep end.

One really good thing is is that he has also got a Chrysler Voiger as a tow car, which we now know can handle a caravan really well.

Thanks again

 

[Parksy]

Hi Parksy, Good to here from you again. Well you must have read my mind as I was wondering whether or not if there was a site that would give tips on loading up a caravan. I like your idea of plastic boxes & placing stuff like tin cans in them on the floor.................

Of course my favourite tins usually come pre - packaged from the beer and lager section of Asda or Tesco and I never have to worry about them on the return journey.

New tourer owners who use internet forums to find out about touring and towing like you have done get the information from experienced caravanners and in a very short time they become good responsible safe caravanners themselves and are able to give tips and advice to the next generation of newbies.
I hope that you'll enjoy your caravan and continue to enjoy using this forum to ask advice, share ideas and to tell us about the places that you visit.

 

[Smokey1]

Hay Parksy, Well I will do my best to pass on the help full tips to others, like my friend who is picking his first caravan up a week after me. As for the tins you were talking about, " I get your drift". Nice one buddy. Just as a point of interest, I may put a picture on my Blog of our caravan coupled up to my 1960 Fleetwood Cadillac. I think it will open a few peoples eyes when they see this 21 foot long car pulling a 23 foot 10" long caravan. "mmmmmm", I wonder how that would handle with its front & rear air bags fitted as standard to the car + with it weighing just over 2 tonnes ???? ( If you want to see my Cadillac you will find it top left on my blog. Click on picture then click on new tab picture to enlarge or look further down for other pictures of it. ) www.khameleoncustom.blogspot.com Cheers, Smokey.