Towing with a Convertable

[HomerMarge]

Has anyone got any experience of towing with a convertable? The car in question is a Volvo C70. I know the normal C70 coupe is fine and actually came up as match for out caravan, but insure on data on the actual covertable

Any help much appreciated

Cheers

 

[Lutz]

From what I have been able to find out, the old convertible had a max. towing limit of 1600kg and the new one is rated at 1500kg, but I have always been a bit wary about towing with convertibles. They don't have the same structural rigidity as saloons and could suffer if towing a lot at the limit, especially on bad roads. Not that the car will fall apart but you may, in time, notice small changes to door fits or the way the doors shut, etc.

 

[Tom_5073611]

Sorry Lutz but you are incorrect on that one. The rigidity of a convertible has a lower tensile strength than that of a saloon because of the lack of a solid roof. A convertible is designed to take the weight of the vehicle solely on the top of the windscreen frame if turned upside down whereas the sallon will crumple. The only difference you will notice would be if you opened a door whilst heavy cornering under load,which is not likely. Also you will find that most convertibles are comparable in kerbweight.

 

[rob_jax]

I have to agree with Lutz.

Removing the roof from a saloon car, converting what was a reasonably rigid box into an open box, has the effect of weakening the car's body.

Structurally the car now looks like a letter U, and it's much easier to bend the open ends. The manufacturer will of course attempt to correct the weaker structure by adding reinforcements at the waist-line of the car.

But if you've ever driven the saloon and convertible version of the same car, then you'll know one of them creaks and groans a lot more than the other.

Robert

 

[PC_5119929]

We met a couple with a Peugeot convrtible, their idea of cruising in the Continental sunshine roof down went out the window as the van seemed to be more of a brick with the roof down. They also said that with the roof up the car felt more at ease. The actual words were "it's less jittery when cornering".

 

[Lutz]

Sorry Lutz but you are incorrect on that one. The rigidity of a convertible has a lower tensile strength than that of a saloon because of the lack of a solid roof. A convertible is designed to take the weight of the vehicle solely on the top of the windscreen frame if turned upside down whereas the sallon will crumple. The only difference you will notice would be if you opened a door whilst heavy cornering under load,which is not likely. Also you will find that most convertibles are comparable in kerbweight.

Tensile strength doesn't enter into equation. I was referring to torsional and/or bending strength and that is surely lower for a convertible.