towing with renaults
- Thread starter stephen_374350685
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I have no experience with a cc, but if it is like any othe rRenault, you should check what the maximum gross train weight is (plated weight) which will give you the maximum legal weight for the car and caravan in its towed condition (with all passengers on board). This will probably mean the caravan maximum weight is well below the cars towing limit, unless you and your passengers weigh next to nothing.
Cheers
David
Cheers
David
Hi Stephen.
I have owned 17 Renaults since 1984 and find them to be excellent vehicles.
I've had 5,11, 18, 21, 25, Espace and Laguna models.
My 18 estate was a 1647cc engine car and performed very well.
My current car is a 1998 Laguna estate 2 litre which tows to the max manufacturers weight. I pulls a 20ft twin axle caravan and does so with ease.
David is right in what he says about Gross Train weight, which is the heighest figure quoted on your VIN plate which should be located inthe drivers door opening.
Mine on my Laguna states 3045Kgs as max gross train weight. This weightis the maximum weight that your car plus all passengers,laggage and full tank of fuel plus your loaded caravan/trailer can weigh.
If you go either to your local farmers merchants, or a VOSA test center, they will be more than happy to weigh your outfit and give free advice.
My personal experience of towing with Renaults has been a good one, they all have plenty of power in reserve and are more than capable of towing what they are spec'd to tow.
Steve L.
I have owned 17 Renaults since 1984 and find them to be excellent vehicles.
I've had 5,11, 18, 21, 25, Espace and Laguna models.
My 18 estate was a 1647cc engine car and performed very well.
My current car is a 1998 Laguna estate 2 litre which tows to the max manufacturers weight. I pulls a 20ft twin axle caravan and does so with ease.
David is right in what he says about Gross Train weight, which is the heighest figure quoted on your VIN plate which should be located inthe drivers door opening.
Mine on my Laguna states 3045Kgs as max gross train weight. This weightis the maximum weight that your car plus all passengers,laggage and full tank of fuel plus your loaded caravan/trailer can weigh.
If you go either to your local farmers merchants, or a VOSA test center, they will be more than happy to weigh your outfit and give free advice.
My personal experience of towing with Renaults has been a good one, they all have plenty of power in reserve and are more than capable of towing what they are spec'd to tow.
Steve L.
Hi
Ignoring the weight issues (after all it is only a major legality!) the GrandScenic did tow the caravan very well once I had the weight distribution sorted in the van. It never lacked power and was economical too, giving almost 38mpg on a long tow. I would not have changed it if it wasn't short of legal load carrying capacity.
Cheers
David
Ignoring the weight issues (after all it is only a major legality!) the GrandScenic did tow the caravan very well once I had the weight distribution sorted in the van. It never lacked power and was economical too, giving almost 38mpg on a long tow. I would not have changed it if it wasn't short of legal load carrying capacity.
Cheers
David
To put it in perspective, the max train weight for the Grand Scenic was 3055kg, subtract the kerb weight of the car (1650kg) leaves a total weight for the caravan , luggage and passengers of 1405 kg.
The caravan was loaded close to its mtplm of 1300kg, leaving just 105 kg for 2 adults, 2 kids, car seats, and luggage for the car. The sums just didn't add up. I only realised this after having the GS for a year and been towing with it for about 4 months. The towing limit quoted by Renault (and confirmed by dealer) was 1300kg. It is only by working it out from the plated train weight that you realise just how far from reality this limit is.
I drive a Honda CR-V now.
Cheers
David
The caravan was loaded close to its mtplm of 1300kg, leaving just 105 kg for 2 adults, 2 kids, car seats, and luggage for the car. The sums just didn't add up. I only realised this after having the GS for a year and been towing with it for about 4 months. The towing limit quoted by Renault (and confirmed by dealer) was 1300kg. It is only by working it out from the plated train weight that you realise just how far from reality this limit is.
I drive a Honda CR-V now.
Cheers
David
Hello
We used to drive a renault scenic and when deciding what caravan to buy used the 1300kg in the renault manual as the guideline. We asked many caravan dealers and car dealers whether the match would be suitable and were told that a renault scenic 1.5dci would be a good match (which we then bought) with the Bailey Ranger 500/5 we wanted.
On arriving at the dealership to pick up the caravan we were told that the car was unsuitable because the of the weight issue. We were told that the 1300kg is only with the driver and as soon as you add a child, or a suitcase for that matter, we would be over the weight limit.
Very annoying. We checked with renault who confirmed this. We have since bought a Kia Sportage 2.0 diesel which tows our new Bailey Ranger with ease.
Renault need to get the wording in their manual sorted or the weight limits adjusted accordingly.
Margaret
We used to drive a renault scenic and when deciding what caravan to buy used the 1300kg in the renault manual as the guideline. We asked many caravan dealers and car dealers whether the match would be suitable and were told that a renault scenic 1.5dci would be a good match (which we then bought) with the Bailey Ranger 500/5 we wanted.
On arriving at the dealership to pick up the caravan we were told that the car was unsuitable because the of the weight issue. We were told that the 1300kg is only with the driver and as soon as you add a child, or a suitcase for that matter, we would be over the weight limit.
Very annoying. We checked with renault who confirmed this. We have since bought a Kia Sportage 2.0 diesel which tows our new Bailey Ranger with ease.
Renault need to get the wording in their manual sorted or the weight limits adjusted accordingly.
Margaret
I quite agree Margaret, Renault like someother manufacturers realy need to be more precise about what their cars will tow.
But then would it not be a good idea if when you ordered your tow bar quoting the year of manufacture, make, model, engine size and type of gearbox (auto or manual), the tow bar would then come ready marked with your tow capacity and nose weight limit for the actual tow bar.
As I've said before the only realy "bullit proof" way to be legal is to weigh the outfit on a weighbridge.
My Laguna quite happily pulls our 20ft twin axle van of 1350Kgs and I have had it weighed fully loaded and with all the family including two Labradors and a full tank of fuel. While an out of date weight ticket doesn't give you any legal clout, should you get stopped it does offer a policeman confidence that you do care about what your doing.
Steve L.
But then would it not be a good idea if when you ordered your tow bar quoting the year of manufacture, make, model, engine size and type of gearbox (auto or manual), the tow bar would then come ready marked with your tow capacity and nose weight limit for the actual tow bar.
As I've said before the only realy "bullit proof" way to be legal is to weigh the outfit on a weighbridge.
My Laguna quite happily pulls our 20ft twin axle van of 1350Kgs and I have had it weighed fully loaded and with all the family including two Labradors and a full tank of fuel. While an out of date weight ticket doesn't give you any legal clout, should you get stopped it does offer a policeman confidence that you do care about what your doing.
Steve L.
I've had a Renault Grand Scenic 1.6 for almost three years and used to tow a Bailey Ranger, which is quite a low weight caravan. Towing into a head wind I could never get into 5th gear and really struggled up hills. If you are going for a Megane you must get the 1.9 or 2.0 turbo diesel, the 1.6 is just not powerful enough.I quite agree Margaret, Renault like someother manufacturers realy need to be more precise about what their cars will tow.
But then would it not be a good idea if when you ordered your tow bar quoting the year of manufacture, make, model, engine size and type of gearbox (auto or manual), the tow bar would then come ready marked with your tow capacity and nose weight limit for the actual tow bar.
As I've said before the only realy "bullit proof" way to be legal is to weigh the outfit on a weighbridge.
My Laguna quite happily pulls our 20ft twin axle van of 1350Kgs and I have had it weighed fully loaded and with all the family including two Labradors and a full tank of fuel. While an out of date weight ticket doesn't give you any legal clout, should you get stopped it does offer a policeman confidence that you do care about what your doing.
Steve L.
In May I am changing my Renault for a Kia Sportage 2.0litre XE.
Believe it or not, the emission rating for my Renault is 194 but for the Kia it's only 187.
thanks for your advice, can you tell me how you rate your bailey van as i am buying one next week , thanksHello
We used to drive a renault scenic and when deciding what caravan to buy used the 1300kg in the renault manual as the guideline. We asked many caravan dealers and car dealers whether the match would be suitable and were told that a renault scenic 1.5dci would be a good match (which we then bought) with the Bailey Ranger 500/5 we wanted.
On arriving at the dealership to pick up the caravan we were told that the car was unsuitable because the of the weight issue. We were told that the 1300kg is only with the driver and as soon as you add a child, or a suitcase for that matter, we would be over the weight limit.
Very annoying. We checked with renault who confirmed this. We have since bought a Kia Sportage 2.0 diesel which tows our new Bailey Ranger with ease.
Renault need to get the wording in their manual sorted or the weight limits adjusted accordingly.
Margaret
Renault have now admitted that the manual is ridiculous with this "driver only" figure. I have a letter from them which basically says that as long as the gross train weight figure (mine is 3050 Kg) is not exceeded, and the 1300Kg max tow figure is not exceeded, then there is no problem.Hello
We used to drive a renault scenic and when deciding what caravan to buy used the 1300kg in the renault manual as the guideline. We asked many caravan dealers and car dealers whether the match would be suitable and were told that a renault scenic 1.5dci would be a good match (which we then bought) with the Bailey Ranger 500/5 we wanted.
On arriving at the dealership to pick up the caravan we were told that the car was unsuitable because the of the weight issue. We were told that the 1300kg is only with the driver and as soon as you add a child, or a suitcase for that matter, we would be over the weight limit.
Very annoying. We checked with renault who confirmed this. We have since bought a Kia Sportage 2.0 diesel which tows our new Bailey Ranger with ease.
Renault need to get the wording in their manual sorted or the weight limits adjusted accordingly.
Margaret
Having said that, once you have done the maths, realistically you can't tow anything more than around 950Kg unladen if you have passengers and luggage in the car.
That's why we opted for the Ranger 470/4 instead of the 500/5!
There really needs to be some sort of standard for the way towing weights are worked out. There must be so many people towing dangerously because they don't understand the system.
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