i am confused.

[giovanni_5060838]

newish to towing and realise how important it is to be able to

tow safely.. but safely is not just about having a heavy towcar,

although this seems to be the impression that comes across.

anyway today used that whattotow site, as i am considering having a towbar fitted to my alfa... yes thats right a 2.4 m/jet

so i put in the figures, and ok used the modern light option

for caravan. now we tow abroad or rather will and like the alpine

passes, so the whattotow site says its a good match and gives you

a load of figures including towing at altitude.

so now i am confused! my 1300kgs car is more than a match for

this years towcar of the year, infact it distroys it and in no way would my car be a typical towcar.

so hopefully someone can explain to me why on road performance and hi altitude performance take a back step to...what the ability to hold everyone up!yes i am confused and am not having

a go.its just what is said does not correspond with the figures

given from that site?

 

[Wendy-Norfolk]

Have you actually got a caravan in mind?

You would probably get a better response with some figures for your 'van.

 

[CliveV]

Wendy - good point but I think this post is a silly attack on the towcar of the year choice.

Oh - and I think Alfa's are superb cars gio and if you have one I am sure you will enjoy it.

As a mature individual I am equally sure you will allow LR3 owners the same courtesy

 

[DavidW1]

giovanni,

A 2.4 Alfa would undoubtedly be a cracking towcar within the time honoured rules ie. 85%/100% ratio of van to kerbweight dependant on experience. Sure you would be able to shoot up alps with no worries because of your towcar's superior power to weight ratio but it's the comming down that could cause problems if your van is not "anchored" well enough.

Sticking with the Alpine theme, if your van is pushing you down a pass and overloaded brakes fade on the 15th hairpin bend or a sudden violent crosswind trys to flip you across lanes on a viaduct; it's too late to wish you had a heavier towcar and unfortunatley the extra power is no use at all when this happens.

So powerful towcar good, heavy towcar good, powerful heavy towcar excellent and powerful heavy towcar with a 60% match blinkin marvelous.

I'm not takin the mick and hope this deconfuses you.

 

[Lol1]

Not wanting to steal Lord B's comments but, siiggghhhhhh!

 

[giovanni_5060838]

dave w.

thank you for your response, so the weight issue is more or less

saftey. makes sense, so maybe our vecra tdi with its extra weight is the better car afterall.

clive v. yes we have an alfa, the only issue i had when deciding

which car to have a towbar fiytted to was the towball ball weight. the alfa seemed pretty low compared to most saloons at

only 60kgs,but having posted lately about this,the replies i got

were helpfull and i now considering having a towbar fitted.

the comparison with the towcar of the year was because bar my

vectra i wanted to check it against something else, and that

car is still in my mind, and is a good towcar.

lol. you need to get a life..

 

[CliveV]

Oh! Alas - I need a life - My current one has been destroyed - just like the current "Tow Car of the Year" has been "destroyed" by a car of a completely different class apparently!

Sigh!

Just because we do not all agree gio surely does not mean my life is any the less than yours?

If I need to get a life I tactfully suggest you need to get a caravan.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Not wanting to steal Lord B's comments but, siiggghhhhhh!

Heyyyyy I've got a patent out on that.

 

[giovanni_5060838]

are you clive v, also lol? if so my response was aimed at you.

if not may i surgest you read it again. yes i have a caravan

its old clean doesn't leak and has most mod cons.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Oh! Alas - I need a life - My current one has been destroyed - just like the current "Tow Car of the Year" has been "destroyed" by a car of a completely different class apparently!

Sigh!

Just because we do not all agree gio surely does not mean my life is any the less than yours?

If I need to get a life I tactfully suggest you need to get a caravan.

Clive I think he meant Lol.

 

[CliveV]

Sorry - my mistake - took lol as Laugh out Loud.

If you do have an old caravan then I strongly suggest you watch the weight. My experence of towing an old caravan was that they are CONSIDERABLY heavier than those of the last decade.

In fact I had to check that the breaks on the thing were not binding.

 

[CliveV]

Oh! Alas - I need a life - My current one has been destroyed - just like the current "Tow Car of the Year" has been "destroyed" by a car of a completely different class apparently!

Sigh!

Just because we do not all agree gio surely does not mean my life is any the less than yours?

If I need to get a life I tactfully suggest you need to get a caravan.

I know! ever felt a tw*t!! (not an invitation to actualy do anything but if the opportunity presents!)

My only excuse is that I came back from hols with a wrist broken in two places and I am struggling a bit at the moment. I have taken so much analgesic I think I am only partially heavier than air.

 

[giovanni_5060838]

Sorry - my mistake - took lol as Laugh out Loud.

If you do have an old caravan then I strongly suggest you watch the weight. My experence of towing an old caravan was that they are CONSIDERABLY heavier than those of the last decade.

In fact I had to check that the breaks on the thing were not binding.

this does sound along the lines of the issues i have.

1. it did seem to me that my vectra had to work v/hard to slow the van down, also a delay before the vans breaks worked?

its an 1984 ci eccles sprite elan 12 or something like that and

i had real trouble getting the nose wieght down to 75 kgs, although have since read about inaccuracies with gauges its

max weight states something like 910kgs, but as its been refitted at some time in its life, not sure how near to this weight it actually is. will try before the summer to get it on

a weigh bridge.

we have already got 2 holidays out of it [3 weeks] so if it lasts

2 more seasons, then the

 

[Lutz]

Sorry - my mistake - took lol as Laugh out Loud.

If you do have an old caravan then I strongly suggest you watch the weight. My experence of towing an old caravan was that they are CONSIDERABLY heavier than those of the last decade.

In fact I had to check that the breaks on the thing were not binding.

Before tackling the Alps it would be more than advisable to have the brakes of the caravan checked. Normally one has little indication that they are not working properly until it's too late.

A brake temperature sensor comes as part of the pack with the LEAS electronic stabiliser, giving audible warning inside the car if the caravan's brakes are fading. Before I had the unit fitted I had no idea how susceptible caravan brakes are to fading. Earlier this year we were coming down a mountain pass and the warning buzzer went off. Without it I probably wouldn't have known that I was relying only on the car's brakes to slow the outfit down. We stopped in a layby and waited for the brakes to cool down and all was well again.

 

[giovanni_5060838]

Before tackling the Alps it would be more than advisable to have the brakes of the caravan checked. Normally one has little indication that they are not working properly until it's too late.

A brake temperature sensor comes as part of the pack with the LEAS electronic stabiliser, giving audible warning inside the car if the caravan's brakes are fading. Before I had the unit fitted I had no idea how susceptible caravan brakes are to fading. Earlier this year we were coming down a mountain pass and the warning buzzer went off. Without it I probably wouldn't have known that I was relying only on the car's brakes to slow the outfit down. We stopped in a layby and waited for the brakes to cool down and all was well again.

can only speak about my limited experience of caravan breaks,

but are they sopposed to be good? i mean can you tell that you

are getting some or alot of breaking help from the van?

all i know is under normal use of the break pedal i was not

impressed with the breaking,almost like i was getting no help

from the van at all.

i think they must work a little because on one occassion i had to stamp on the brakes, and how do i put this... got the impression that the van jolted into action... does that make

sense.

 

[Lol1]

I know! ever felt a tw*t!! (not an invitation to actualy do anything but if the opportunity presents!)

My only excuse is that I came back from hols with a wrist broken in two places and I am struggling a bit at the moment. I have taken so much analgesic I think I am only partially heavier than air.

What was you doing, to break your wrist (twice) on your hols Clive?

 

[Lol1]

Oh! Alas - I need a life - My current one has been destroyed - just like the current "Tow Car of the Year" has been "destroyed" by a car of a completely different class apparently!

Sigh!

Just because we do not all agree gio surely does not mean my life is any the less than yours?

If I need to get a life I tactfully suggest you need to get a caravan.

Hi Clive, may I introduce Giovanni, by asking you to read the section in Tow cars "towcar suggestion" and the post at 29 Oct 2005 11:53 AM. This shows why he clearly posted the way he did with this topic. Trying to ignite the old 4x4 topic, waiting for a reaction and using the old anti's tricks. John L thought there needed to be an end to it, and to be honest I really shouldn't have bothered anyway. So, I'm off out now, into town to see if I can get a deal on a new life, not sure if it would be wise to wait till the sales in January, but the trucker seems to think I need it now. Will I get Nectar points in Sainsburys?

 

[Lol1]

Heyyyyy I've got a patent out on that.

That's not a worldwide patent L.B. I posted that while standing on the Australia/Canada border a foot placed on each island to make sure it was legit ;o)