Hi guys, I own a 1999 passat 1.9tdi deisel 110bhp, 1st time out in my van on saterday and felt 5th gear wasnt doing a great deal under load, am I best just to stay in 4th or will i have better fuel in 5th? it goes ok in 5th but theres not much diffrence between 4th and 5th. Regards Jim
Best gear when towing your van?
- Thread starter djduracell
- Start date
Hello Jim,
The driving schools advice is don't let the engine labour, but with diesels its not always so obvious when its happening.
The best way for your to check is to complete a moderate run using say fourth and then do it again using fifth, and compare fuel consumption's.
However when towing on balance it may be better in fourth as it give greater engine flexibility and response if you need to accelerate.
In general, if it becomes uncomfortably noisy or the vibrations become apparent, then drop a gear.
The driving schools advice is don't let the engine labour, but with diesels its not always so obvious when its happening.
The best way for your to check is to complete a moderate run using say fourth and then do it again using fifth, and compare fuel consumption's.
However when towing on balance it may be better in fourth as it give greater engine flexibility and response if you need to accelerate.
In general, if it becomes uncomfortably noisy or the vibrations become apparent, then drop a gear.
Once in 6th we stay there all the time on the motorway and drop to 5th off the motorway. Rarely need to chnge gear apart from junctions etc. But yes the prof is right about not letting it labor too much. I would say as with solo you should be able to feel when you need to change down.
Hi
I normaly stay in 4th on most A roads and 5th on dual roads. I found that my fuel comsumption goes up in higher gears and also engine response is slower. Deisel engines need to rev. quite high to be efficient. I have a Honda CRV 2.2 and get around 29 mpg towing.
I normaly stay in 4th on most A roads and 5th on dual roads. I found that my fuel comsumption goes up in higher gears and also engine response is slower. Deisel engines need to rev. quite high to be efficient. I have a Honda CRV 2.2 and get around 29 mpg towing.
You need to know at what revs the engine produces peak torque as this is when it is at its most efficient. The information may be in the handbook. If at the speed you are driving this is fourth gear then all other things being equal this should produce the best fuel returns. It is quite dificult in most cases to get it exactly right as you would normally drive at a speed that is not peak torque in either gear and you need far more information then the manufacturers produce to be sure. If you have a fuel consumption display you can try holding a steady speed on a level piece of road and checking the consumption in fifth and then dropping a gear and see what if any difference there is. It is a bit crude as a system but might help.
diesel engines really dont need to be reved quite high to be efficient,as the torque band [effcientcy] is normally lowdown and all but gone by 3000rpm, is depending on how modern a diesel unit you have it could be anywhere fron 1500 rpm or a tad higher to a max of 3000rpm but generally a max of 2500 rpm suffices....
in the case of the 110tdi passat as long as the revs are above 1500 rpm and no inclines are in sight 5th gear should be fine for towing..
in the case of the 110tdi passat as long as the revs are above 1500 rpm and no inclines are in sight 5th gear should be fine for towing..
hi Jim, same as above, I find it better towing in fourth, both in fuel consumption and responsiveness of the unit, solo the car is in top most of the time, so it can be difficult not to automaticly change up while towing as you think it is better for the engine.
however sometimes it is easy to forget you have over a ton attached to the back when rolling along the motorway at a constant speed, most modern diesels have the most torque around 2800rpm with a difference in gears of about 300rpm @ 60mph keeping the rev range within this torque range actually saves fuel in the long run.
give it a try next time you are out with the car, do a constant 60mph and see which gear is best for this rev range you will then have a answer
however sometimes it is easy to forget you have over a ton attached to the back when rolling along the motorway at a constant speed, most modern diesels have the most torque around 2800rpm with a difference in gears of about 300rpm @ 60mph keeping the rev range within this torque range actually saves fuel in the long run.
give it a try next time you are out with the car, do a constant 60mph and see which gear is best for this rev range you will then have a answer
My 2 ltr Citroen C5 is at maximum torque at 2000 revs and if I put cruise on at that figure I bowl along nicely in 6th gear at about 60mph on a fairly level road. At the foot of a slope I disengage the cruise and change to 5th. Incidentally the PSA 1.6hdi engine is at max torque at only 1750 revs.
David_L said:
The Prof and Steve sum it up very well indeed.
No vehicles are the same and a generality would be misleading.
My Sorie cruises very nicely just above 2000rpm. The thought of her doing sustained speeds at 4000rpm is gasket blowing
I always used to get my 2.0ltr 140bhp Mondeo up into 6th as soon as I could but head winds or hills enforced a change down to 5th. I averaged 28 / 29mpg. I have just done an 1800 miles towing trip to France on a variety of roads and decided to never go higher than 5th gear. In doing so I not only returned an mpg of 30.5 overall average but the drive was more relaxing with less gear changing, especially with cruise control on, and not having to keep listening to the engine telling me to change gear.
JohnM
JohnM
Thanks for all the information, done a little research and The peak torque of the 1.9 TDI engine with a low-pressure turbocharger is 110 foot-pounds at 2,400 rpm. the car drives well in 4th I think its about those revs, but you just always think 5th is best due to this being the case when not towing, in 4th I still have pull and really does feel like 5th when not towing, in 5th when towing theres just not alot of power it does gain speed but VERY slowly and going up any type of hill in 5th doesnt gain speed, 4th yes 5th nope. I dont have anything to tell me what mpg I am doing so it will be a neck it job then recheck, its dificult to check due to hills etc up hill on outward journey and downhill on return this might take a few weeks to see some figures. thanks again everyone thats posted....
i dont know where you got those figures from but they are not right. if you have a 1999 110 bhp passat you will found you have aprox 170 plus foot pounds of torque and not 110, as for max torque at 2400! what you will find is you have very good torque spread from 16 or 1700rpm to 2400 rpm,as the torque is preetty flat and does not have a peak torque/rpm figure....VW genarally quote along the lines of 229ft/IB from 1700 to 2200 as an example.....
Peak torque on my xtrail is 2000 rpm I try to stick to that, which equates to about 55 mph. 6th is too high for towing on mine.
THANKS FOR THAT I SHALL NOW LOG OFF AND REMOVE THIS SITE FROM MY PC.
I HAVE ALREDY CANCELED MY SUBS TO THE MAG.
I HAVE ALREDY CANCELED MY SUBS TO THE MAG.
My 2009 passat is an auto and 140, so a little different from yours.
I notice it is happiest at about 1800revs or above, the auto box does hold 4th and 5th for too long sometimes, usually on long steady inclines such as found on motorways, where it will hold the lower gear up to 3,000 revs. I find that I use the manual option then, changing up about 2,500 where it's still happy in the higher gear.
I notice it is happiest at about 1800revs or above, the auto box does hold 4th and 5th for too long sometimes, usually on long steady inclines such as found on motorways, where it will hold the lower gear up to 3,000 revs. I find that I use the manual option then, changing up about 2,500 where it's still happy in the higher gear.
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