nose weight !!

[3.0ghia]

Right i know there are numerous threads relating to nose weight and how to measure and achieve the correct figures,

My question relates to my outfit, i have owned my bailey senator series 5 indiana for a few years now and i am now on my third tow car
firstly i was towing with a petrol suzuki grand vitara 2.5 auto, which struggled a bit to get going but was a decent enough puller, albit at approx 16 mpg, i then bought a a chrysler voyager 2.8crdi auto which again good kerb weight ratio and towed great but also a gas guzzler approx 18 mpg, now i have plumbed for the Kia sorento 2.5 crdi xt 2007 168bhp which ticks all the right boxes as per outfit matching report by caravan club, kerb weight 73%, towing limit 50%, train weight 73%, nose weight 83% bhp per ton 45, now i know from previous trips to france ect and local towing my nose weight for the van is around 85kg the car nose weight can take 120kg, the last coule of times i have towed i have felt the van to be twitchy on the motorway compared to my last two cars do i need to load my van more towards the front to increase the nose weight so it is nearer the cars limit ? or am i off track here !!

Chris.

 

[Lutz]

You will no doubt be aware that the maximum noseweight that you set the outfit to is the lower of the two limits specified for the car (in your case 120kg) and that of the caravan (presumably 100kg). That would limit you to 100kg. You are correct in assuming that a higher noseweight as close as possible to the specified limit is normally conducive to a more stable outfit, but you can only be sure whether it applies in your case by trial and error.
Don't forget that a lot of other factors also determine stability. Tyre pressures, both of the car and that of the caravan, load distribution are just a couple that are very important, but there are lesser ones, too, some of which are design related and cannot be influenced. An example is the lateral compliance of the rear suspension system of the towcar.

 

[otherclive]

As a previous Sorento owner I think you are probably aware of its slight movements when compared to your previous car which Lutz gives reasons for. Also the Kia has a firmer suspension and higher centre of gravity and I suspect you are more aware of the difference. It's unlikely to be a stability concern if the van is loaded in line with accepted guidelines. I tried to achieve 90kg noseweight but it still twitched and could be felt in the car but I soon got used to it.

 

[3.0ghia]

I`m probably being too over cautious, my last two autobox tow cars struggled to hold speed above fifty and were constantly changing up and down the gears on an incline where as the Sorento gets up to 55 + and stays in 5th i`m probably just not used to the extra speed
i will shift my payload about and see if it compensates any on my next outing at the weekend