Tow car quandry

[PHOENIXFLIER]

Now we have well and truly got the caravan bug..........its time for a slightly more powerful tow car.
For a variety of reasons the choice is between :
Dacia Duster 1.6 petrol / 115hp / 156 torque / towing cap. 1500kg
Dacia Duster 1.5 diesel / 109hp / 260 torque / towing cap. 1500kg
With all the current bad press about diesels in general, would I be daft to get one, or would the extra torque make it a no-brainer?. Very confusing to say the least, and I would welcome any feedback on the two models above. Thanks, Simon.

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

Forget 'towing capacity' and look at the recommendation of 85% kerb weight. Then tell us the figures before we try and help.

 

[PHOENIXFLIER]

1147KG for the petrol 1245kg for the diesel

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

That helps focus the mind a bit more then.

 

[ProfJohnL]

1147KG for the petrol 1245kg for the diesel

I'm sorry but we are not mind readers!

Exactly which figures are these? are they the Kerb Weights or have you quoted the 85% figures? And what is teh MTPLM of the caravan you are intending to tow?

 

[PHOENIXFLIER]

That helps focus the mind a bit more then.

Thanks for your useful comments.........answer / advice / help found elsewhere cheers.

 

[Dustydog]

As with any forum we all bat a bit on the blind side.
Any chance you could tell us the answers please if only to help others who have been following this thread
Thanks

 

[CluelessNewbies]

Let's be honest, Deisel isn't going any where soon! Torque makes a huge difference to the car. I looked recently at what car i should be buying, petrol, deisel, hybrid -

When the government realise there isn't a way to generate enough electricity to drive the demand of everyone having electric, the pendulum will swing again! The car industry have far too much invesed in cleaner diesels for them to vanish.

What i found is that the diesels were not only better for torque, more economical to run, but also meant the kerb weight of the car was much heavier which in turn gave a better % ratio against the caravan weights.

I have a 3 litre deisel turbo under the hood!

 

[Raywood]

If I remember rightly you have a caravan under 1,000 kg MTPLM. If I am right then either car would manage the caravan well enough but the diesel should have the advantage. As to what will happen with diesels in the future your guess is as good as anyones outside the cabinet. All you can do is plump for one and hope for the best on that.

 

[PHOENIXFLIER]

General opinion seems to favour the diesel.
Thanks everybody who made helpful / constructive comments.
Best I start saving up...again!.

 

[Keefanmaxx]

I've ran diesel cars for some years now. We changed our tow car last year from a Zafira of the non catching fire variety to an Antara.
It has a bigger engine and produces a whole load of torque!!

While the downside is the vehicle tax costs, I'm afraid it's dirty diesel for me! :cheer:

Perhaps we can start a self help group .......

Hello, my name's Keith and I own a diesel .....

 

[KeefySher]

I've ran diesel cars for some years now. We changed our tow car last year from a Zafira of the non catching fire variety to an Antara.
It has a bigger engine and produces a whole load of torque!!

While the downside is the vehicle tax costs, I'm afraid it's dirty diesel for me! :cheer:

Perhaps we can start a self help group .......

Hello, my name's Keith and I own a diesel .....

Another member of 'Hello, my name's Keith and I own a diesel' self help group. I'm on my 5th consecutive diesel, but got in before the VED rise with the new one, so pay less VED going forward, only £140pa. I's the torques that count in this towing game.

 

[thosoneill]

An awful lot of torque going on about these diesel cars - by the way I just changed my Toyota auris petrol for a Volkswagen Golf turbo diesel - best move I ever done

 

[Parksy]

I'm a 'double diesel demon! :woohoo:
In fact I currently own three vehicles, all of which are diesel powered.
I still have my old Pajero 2.8td Trundle Truck which I intend to sell, it's replacement for towing duties is Kia Sorrento 2.5 TD and my daily driver runabout is a Fiesta 1.6 Titanium ecodiesel which was zero road tax when I bought it.

 

[Dustydog]

All diesels in this kennel
The press have always castigated the heavy 4x4 petrol guzzlers.
No wonder you never see any for sale

 

[chrisn7]

I recently made a comparison of 2 vehicles from the same manufacture which were identical apart from the fuel ie same bodyshell, same capacity engine, same spec. Taking into account mpg and current VED costs for both, the petrol came out at almost exactly £300 pa more to run for my chosen mileage. Of course there may be other variable such as servicing and insurance costs which could affect costs further, but superficially diesel is still the way to go - but maybe only for the time being and that's the rub.

 

[Keefanmaxx]

I've ran diesel cars for some years now. We changed our tow car last year from a Zafira of the non catching fire variety to an Antara.
It has a bigger engine and produces a whole load of torque!!

While the downside is the vehicle tax costs, I'm afraid it's dirty diesel for me! :cheer:

Perhaps we can start a self help group .......

Hello, my name's Keith and I own a diesel .....

Another member of 'Hello, my name's Keith and I own a diesel' self help group. I'm on my 5th consecutive diesel, but got in before the VED rise with the new one, so pay less VED going forward, only £140pa. I's the torques that count in this towing game.

Welcome to the group Keefysher. Pull up a chair and lets 'torque' about our dirty diesels .......... :cheer: :cheer: :cheer:

On a more serious note, when Mrs Keith and I were looking at getting rid of the Zafira, we looked at quite a few different makes/models. As a bit of a nerd, I spent probably far too much time looking at kerbweights, engine size, road tax costs but most importantly, BHP and torque figures.
Our choice came down to the Antara and a Hyundai Santa Fe. The Santa Fe produced more in terms of BHP but the Antara does it on torque, plus Mrs Keith found the Santa Fe too big for day to day use as she drives it most of the time.

We'll be changing the car agaion in the next 2 to 3 years and will be looking at A Kia Sorento for sure .... nice looking, well kitted, lots of space and some excellent reviews.

 

[woodsieboy]

We have just started towing with a Santa Fe and found it to be pretty good so far,thinking about uprating the rear springs as rear end does feel soft after our last car, from what I can gather the SantaFe and Sorrento are pretty much the same car under the skin so it probably comes down to personal preference re trim, spec, looks etc

 

[ProfJohnL]

We have just started towing with a Santa Fe and found it to be pretty good so far,thinking about uprating the rear springs as rear end does feel soft after our last car, from what I can gather the SantaFe and Sorrento are pretty much the same car under the skin so it probably comes down to personal preference re trim, spec, looks etc

Hi,

Before even considering up-rating vehicle springs you should be made aware that an increasing number of modern cars have stability control systems
(SCS) which rely on a range of sensors that may include spring compression due to load.

If you change the rates of the springs, this will give false information to the SCS which might cause it to make incorrect interventions to try and bring a vehicle under control It may not apply or too much intervention, which cold make a vehicle less stable than it should be.

If you suspect you have soft suspension first check out the loads you are carrying are within teh manufacturers stated limits, Secondarily check the condition of you suspension, its far from uncommon to find broken springs these days.

 

[chrisn7]

Well there are various sensors such as steering angle, wheel speed and yaw sensors that form part of ESC systems, but never heard of one measuring the load at the road spring. Such would surely result in unwanted interventions with road humps, pot holes and the like, not to mention highly variable luggage, occupant and roof box loads.
All those aftermarkets spring kits would be unusable if the cars new set ups were unworkable with the electronics, so provided ALL the existing components are sound, changing springs will be ok, with a headlamp alignment check afterwards.

 

[ProfJohnL]

W... Such would surely result in unwanted interventions with road humps, pot holes and the like, not to mention highly variable luggage, occupant and roof box loads...

The purpose of ESC or SCS is to take into account the motion of the vehicle which will be different depending o loads. If the systems that translate forces into motions are not as designed, then the sensors will not produce the correct signals and will mean the ESC/SCS cannot compute the real situation and will produce the wrong and potentially unhelpful outputs. Whether manufactures fit actual suspension load indicators or not, (and some do) changing the spring rates will affect other sensors also.

There should be no reason to change suspension specifications from the manufacturers specifications. If you have suspicions about your suspension, check loads and mechanical condition,

 

[Raywood]

We have towed with probably a dozen different cars of various makes (lost count) and never had any reason to look at uprating the suspension. My feeling apart from the sensors mentioned is that with most cars if you are considering this then there is probably something else wrong which needs attention first.
You should also note that any suspension modifications needs to be advised to your insurers and will probably result in an increased premium unless you can convince them it is not to go faster round corners but to help with towing.

 

[Hutch]

I have modified two tow cars now using MAD suspension units, I am capable of doing the myself. First ones one a 3 litre Vectra "Dirty" diesel the on a 2008 Santa fe and found they helped a lot , I am in favour of these. My latest Sante Fe at the moment doest need them

Hutch

 

[RONALD5555]

When I`m towing I always increase the tyre pressures to the towcars suggested pressures for a fully loaded vehicle. I feel this helps with the ride of the car. Does anyone else do this?

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

When I`m towing I always increase the tyre pressures to the towcars suggested pressures for a fully loaded vehicle. I feel this helps with the ride of the car. Does anyone else do this?

Of course, that's why different pressure are given.