Newbie - tow car question

[JulieG]

Hello. I'm new to all this and was looking forward to picking up a new Jubilee Courier next week. When we chose it we were told that our Honda Accord Tourer VTEC 2.0 would be fine to tow. I've since been reading magazines and found out about this 85% rule and it looks as though my car isn't actually adequate to tow this caravan.

Can anyone give me their views please?

Thanks for your help.

 

[mcghee]

First I would check that the Honda doesn't have a max tow of less than your 'van's actual laden weight (I think it might). If it does it would be illegal to tow this 'van. Assuming the max tow is acceptable, its not out of the question, but you would be towing at around 100%. This is not the end of the world but it does require more care than towing at more favourable ratios. I would try to keep the caravan's actual laden weight as low as possible and pay close attention to the noseweight, which I'm guessing for the Honda will be around 75-80kg. Make sure the 'van is loaded safely and don't drive any faster than is comfortable.

 

[Lutz]

As far as I have been able to establish, the maximum permissible towload of the Honda 2.0i-VTEC is 1500kg, and its kerbweight also about the same. Therefore, as Mcghee says, you'd be quite close to the limit, calling for a bit of extra care when towing.

 

[JulieG]

Thanks for your help. The Kerbweight and maximum load weight of the caravan are just about the same as Lutz says so we would be at almost 100%. My husband is a careful driver so wouldn't be taking any risks but we're obviously concerned about the safety and stability - particulary as we've got a young baby.

I suppose my question to those of you who are experienced at towing is "would you do it". We can't afford to change the car so would you recommend cancelling the order?

 

[RichardS1]

Hello Julie, I have used an Accord Tourer in diesel form to tow a caravan of 1499kg MTPLM in the past. The kerbweight of the diesel is around 100kg more than the VTEC but towed fine with no stability issues at all. It may be worth investing in a roof box to carry some of your caravanning kit to keep the weight of the caravan down, as long as you do not exceed the max weight of the Honda which I think is about 2250kg but your handbook will confirm this.

 

[Lutz]

Don't forget that the weight ratio is based on an unladen car (except for the driver) towing a fully laden caravan - combination which is rather extreme. As soon as you put stuff in the car or if you don't load the caravan to the limit, your actual weight ratio will be much more favourable.

 

[JulieG]

Thanks everyone. We've spent the last two days changing and re-changing our minds about it but feel much more confident about it now.

Thanks for your help.