New Shape Honda Crv Auto

[StephenHowie]

Hi
I want to puchase the new shape honda crv Auto and i am wanting to know if my outfit will be legal, I have a Sterling Sport 554 i know the max tow limit is 1500kg but i put this match into towsafe and it say i am legal. the strange thing is i put this match into towsafe with the manual crv tow limit of 2000kg and it says its not legal. so really don't know whats best, but i do want the auto but i want to be legal as well.any advice would be great.
thanks
Stephen

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Stephen,

You cannot trust any of the web sites offering tow match assessments implicitly. They have on many occasion been shown to produce erroneous conclusions, simply because they do not contain the accurate information about some tow vehicles and caravans.

You have to ensure the data they use matches exactly the car and caravan you have. Do not assume for example that two cars (e.g. Coupe and Estate) of the same model with the same engine have the same towing capacity, Even trim levels (e.g GL vs GT) can sometimes affect the the towing data.

The fundamental calculations these sites do are basically the towing ratio which traditionally uses the trailers MTPLM divided by the tow vehicles kerbweight X 100 to get a percentage.

It is always sensible to minimise the ratio figure by keeping the trailer as small as possible. This is especially applicable to caravans which by their very nature are big and boxy and represent a more difficult tow load.

It is illegal to tow a trailer that weighs more than the vehicle manufacture stated limits, but provided that is considered then the UK industry recommends a ratio not exceeding 85% for novices caravanners, and not exceeding 100% for seasoned towers. Neither of these recommendations guarantee a good or safe tow.

Safety is down to the driver ensuring all other variables are managed, such as load distribution and nose weight, maintenance of the vehicles, and sensible driving techniques.

Don't lose sleep over the web site, get the detailed info from the car and caravans specification and do the sums yourself.

It's not even as complicated as rocket science!

 

[xtrailman]

Hi
I want to puchase the new shape honda crv Auto and i am wanting to know if my outfit will be legal, I have a Sterling Sport 554 i know the max tow limit is 1500kg but i put this match into towsafe and it say i am legal. the strange thing is i put this match into towsafe with the manual crv tow limit of 2000kg and it says its not legal. so really don't know whats best, but i do want the auto but i want to be legal as well.any advice would be great.
thanks
Stephen

The new CRV is easily capable of towing a 1500kg caravan, the version i looked at had a kerb over 1700kg, with adequate torque.
The downside with the auto is it still only a 5 speed box, and reviews haven't been great for the solo ride.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPO_HPe9ZIc

 

[Rodone]

Hello Stephen,
you and the other posters are quite correct insomuch as Honda lower your tow weight by 25% if you opt for their ato gear box on the CR-V. Honda decided to reinvent the wheel, and design and build its own (not very modern!) auto gear box and it would appear that they do not have enough faith in it to allow the tow weight to match the manual version. ( Citroen did a similar thing around ten years ago.) shame about the CR-V auto though, as, apart from the weight penalty, it is an excellent and capable tow car.

 

[Surfer]

Hello Stephen,

It is illegal to tow a trailer that weighs more than the vehicle manufacture stated limits, but provided that is considered then the UK industry recommends a ratio not exceeding 85% for novices caravanners, and not exceeding 100% for seasoned towers. Neither of these recommendations guarantee a good or safe tow.

Can you find the law that it states it is illegal? I always thought it was illegal to exceed the vehicle's maximum gross train weight.

 

[ProfJohnL]

You are correct it is illegal to excced the GTW, but that does not mean you could have lightly loaded towvehicle and a trailer heavier than specified by the tow vehicle manufacture.

There may not be a statute that specifically states its an offence, but in practice any vehicle found to be towing a trailer in excess of the manufactures stated limit The vehilce is not designed to tow that weight and thus will be automatically considered by VOSA or the police to be dangerously overloaded.
It would be foolishand irresponsible to try and argue aganinst that logic.

 

[JonnyG]

Hello Stephen,

You cannot trust any of the web sites offering tow match assessments implicitly. They have on many occasion been shown to produce erroneous conclusions, simply because they do not contain the accurate information about some tow vehicles and caravans.

You have to ensure the data they use matches exactly the car and caravan you have. Do not assume for example that two cars (e.g. Coupe and Estate) of the same model with the same engine have the same towing capacity, Even trim levels (e.g GL vs GT) can sometimes affect the the towing data.

The fundamental calculations these sites do are basically the towing ratio which traditionally uses the trailers MTPLM divided by the tow vehicles kerbweight X 100 to get a percentage.

It is always sensible to minimise the ratio figure by keeping the trailer as small as possible. This is especially applicable to caravans which by their very nature are big and boxy and represent a more difficult tow load.

It is illegal to tow a trailer that weighs more than the vehicle manufacture stated limits, but provided that is considered then the UK industry recommends a ratio not exceeding 85% for novices caravanners, and not exceeding 100% for seasoned towers. Neither of these recommendations guarantee a good or safe tow.

Safety is down to the driver ensuring all other variables are managed, such as load distribution and nose weight, maintenance of the vehicles, and sensible driving techniques.

Don't lose sleep over the web site, get the detailed info from the car and caravans specification and do the sums yourself.

It's not even as complicated as rocket science!

so much of what you say makes sence but sites like Whattowcar.com have soo much to offer includinging rocket science and should not be dismissed as untrustworthy, they deal with stuff that the likes of us mere mortals could not know and it can be the difference between a good towing experience and a drag..as it gives you soo much more info than is it a perfect match weight wise, which afterall is the basic starting piont to towing and indeed is very basic stuff anyway.sites like these can show scientifically just how good a match is not merely from a legal weight stance but how a vehicle should perform it gives options to adjust weight on the vehicle so if it states your car is 1500kg and you find its 1556 kg you can make adjusmentst...it can make adjustments for bhp too if you feel your tow car lacking and need some help deciding would it be better remapped or would a new towcar be better.....i've always found it to be a handy tool to use for comparrisons far better than pub talk...

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Jonny,
I don't dismiss them entirely.
Please note I used the phrase "You cannot trust any of the web sites offering tow match assessments implicitly." I think you agree you need to be very certain of the details before you can trust their results.
As regards the other information some of these sites provide, they are open to interpretation or debate. But I do agree with you they are probably better than a chat in a pub.

 

[Surfer]

You are correct it is illegal to excced the GTW, but that does not mean you could have lightly loaded towvehicle and a trailer heavier than specified by the tow vehicle manufacture.

There may not be a statute that specifically states its an offence, but in practice any vehicle found to be towing a trailer in excess of the manufactures stated limit The vehilce is not designed to tow that weight and thus will be automatically considered by VOSA or the police to be dangerously overloaded.
It would be foolishand irresponsible to try and argue aganinst that logic.

I agree about the logic, but to be pedantic aren't maximum towing weights issued by manufacturers guidelines and not set in stone and legal? I am asking this because with many new vehicles, the maximum braked towing weight is calculated using the kerbweight of the vehicle including a passenger, fluids plus some baggage on a gradient of 12% or something like that.
The manufacturer then goes on to state that if you add more passengers and baggage, this has to be taken off the gross maximum braked towing weight. Check it out in the Vauxhall brochure.

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

The manufacturer then goes on to state that if you add more passengers and baggage, this has to be taken off the gross maximum braked towing weight. Check it out in the Vauxhall brochure.

Please note that the derating in the Vauxhall brochure ONLY applies at high altitude, where the engine is less efficient due to the reduction in oxygen.

 

[Surfer]

The manufacturer then goes on to state that if you add more passengers and baggage, this has to be taken off the gross maximum braked towing weight. Check it out in the Vauxhall brochure.

Please note that the derating in the Vauxhall brochure ONLY applies at high altitude, where the engine is less efficient due to the reduction in oxygen.

Not according to the last Vuaxhall brochure which I read during last year as we were interested in the Antara. It was a bit of a surprsie as the Antara auto looks more than capable to towing in excess of 1700kg easily so why the deduction from the maximum braked towing weight is a mystery. I mentioned Vauxhall, but there are other cars with similar guidelines.

 

[JonnyG]

I do wonder is this just merely more standardising of a PC correctness based on ignorance! have read that vauxhall states some ballony concern towing at about 1500M and 12% gradiantes and it seem to be across the board with it being stated on sigma as well as Antara? who knows maybe across the entire range, if so its annoying unless itys specific to non turbo charged vehicle, which it appears it is not as no account is taken of the fact that normally aspirated engines loose 3 to 4% per 1000 feet, 1500M is over 4500 feet so power looses will be 12 to 14% for a normally aspirated engine... A turbo charged vehicle will not suffer as badly till above 2000M plus...
PC incorrectness is going mad and is being written by failed maths students at best!!!