vw bora 90bhp1.9 tdi yes or no?

[Laurence_374308219]

Hi i have just bought a Bailey Pageant Bordeaux, will my VW Bora

be up to the job?

 

[parker1158]

Not really Laurence. According to what towCar.com you are at 106 % and you will be well down on power having to work the engine hard. Certainly not a combination I would be happy with.

 

[Laurence_374308219]

hi Martyn thanks for replying i must admit i was a bit worried my self about the power of my bora,but as to the weight issue my handbook says i have a unladen weight of 1275 kgs and say's it will tow 1300 kgs braked trailers on gradients of 12% and 1500 kgs on gradients of 8%,the MRO on the bailey is 1103 kgs and has a MTPLM of 1300 kgs,am i missing a trick here?

 

[parker1158]

There are loads of variations of your Bora so its probably best if you check WhatTow Car .com yourself so you get the right figures but here's what I came up with,

Caravan Bailey Pageant S5 Bordeaux

MIRO* 1103 MTPLM kg

User payload: 197 kg

Width 2.19 m

Height 2.59 m

Car

Volkswagen Bora - 1.9 TDI(66Kw 98bhp)

Modelyear: november 1998 - november 2001

Kerbweight kg (1230 kg)

User payload: 250 kg

The caravan is a somewhat heavy for this car in accordance with a mix of European standards. However, according to the British Towing Code the percentage (loaded caravan / kerbweight tow car) is 106%.

The towing performances of this Volkswagen with your Bailey are satisfactory (performance index = 85 km/h or 53 mph).

You may expect just moderate performances from this outfit. To come along - even on flat roads - you must floor the gas pedal and change gears regularly in which case top gear is seldom applicable.

On motorway inclines you will be able to come along provided you've selected the right gear. On steep roads you have sufficient power to keep going. On hill starts there's most probably sufficient power to get going, provided the wheels have traction.

As i say may not be an exact match for your car is a good 'ball park' guide.

Do you already tow Laurence or is this a new venture for you?

Reason I ask is i tow a similar weight Lunar van with a Honda CR-V Max tow 1500 and with 150 BHP and I feel this is only just adequate (hills can be a chore). In fact I am in the process of getting something with a bit more 'grunt' to make the task of towing a bit easier. Opinion will differ on the forum as to what is an acceptable ratio and many will happily 'stir gears' for the whole of their journey but me I like a good % safety net, under 85% if possible, and power in the car to spare.

 

[Del_374232870]

I would agree with the above postings, however for towing it is torque rather than HP which is more important, so worth checking the torque of the vehicle.

 

[Laurence_374308219]

Hi all,i dont really want to change the car so i have made enquiries about getting it re-mapped and they reckon an extra

30-35bhp is no problem and should give me the extra grunt i need.

As for the weight issue i think i could get the 106% down because there are only the two of us using the van so i would load the car rather than the van,the unladen weight of the car is heavier than the van anyway so i should be able to compensate that way.

No i'm not new to towing in general i have a class 1 hgv and have been towing a conway cruiser camper around for about six years both here and in france,but this is my first venture into the caravan world.

 

[Forbes1]

I suggest you get the car weighed with an empty boot, 90% full tank, all fluids and then add 68kgs (the nominal weight of a driver) which will give you the actual kerbweight. Then you can work out your %age. I think that 1265kgs is a little light for your Bora but I think you'll struggle with the 90bhp engine. A remap is a good idea, extra torque is the key and you'll get better mpg if you don't use the extra power solo! All the best.

 

[seth1]

hello Laurence,as far as i now 40bhp is the recomended power per tonne ratio.but thats only a recomendation and not written in stone.but even so your only really 10bhp short.and as its already been mentioned and without starting a debate,bhp means nothing with a diesel.i personally would be more concerned with the wieght,just be carefull how you load it.i would tend to load the to its wieght. seth

 

[Laurence_374308219]

hello Laurence,as far as i now 40bhp is the recomended power per tonne ratio.but thats only a recomendation and not written in stone.but even so your only really 10bhp short.and as its already been mentioned and without starting a debate,bhp means nothing with a diesel.i personally would be more concerned with the wieght,just be carefull how you load it.i would tend to load the to its wieght. seth

Hi all and thanks for your replies, update, towed the caravan back from Howarth and everything was ok although the Bora laboured a wee bit on some of the larger hills in the area but overall performed quite well.I have since had the car re-mapped and now have 116bhp on tap and an extra 50lb/ft of torque which should be ample,as for the weight issue i still think as long as i load the car with the heavier items and load the caravan correctly, making sure the car is heavier than the van all should be ok, just one other point would it help having stiffer springs fitted and what differnce would it make.

 

[Laurence_374308219]

hello Laurence,as far as i now 40bhp is the recomended power per tonne ratio.but thats only a recomendation and not written in stone.but even so your only really 10bhp short.and as its already been mentioned and without starting a debate,bhp means nothing with a diesel.i personally would be more concerned with the wieght,just be carefull how you load it.i would tend to load the to its wieght. seth

Hi all just thought i would give you an update on my VW Bora/

Bailey Pageant combo. I got the car weighed at the local tip and with a full tank of fuel and myself had a total weight of 1460kgs

add another three passengers and various bits and bobs and we were ready for our trip to France. The car behaved fantastic and

towed like a dream,i got a return of 42mpg on the out bound journey and 38mpg on the way home, a few cases of wine to blame for that.Overall i have no complaints at all,i know a few of you

thought this combination would be unsuitable but i can assure you

it was fantastic and well up to the task.

 

[Laurence_374308219]

Hi all, just thought i would give you update on my Volkswagen Bora/Bailey Pageant combo.I got the car weighed at the local tip and with a full tank of fuel and myself had a total weight of 1460kgs,add another three people and various bits and bobs and we were ready for our trip to France.The car was fantastic and towed like a dream,i got a return of 42mpg on the outbound trip and 38mpg on the inbound,a few cases of wine to blame for that,overall i have no complaints at all,i know a few of you expressed some concern about this combination and thought it may be unsuitable,but i can assure you it was fantastic and well up to the task.

 

[colin(bridgend)]

My neighbour has a 1.9TDI Bora towing a Bailey 510/4 and he reckons it goes like a dream. No problems at all and can sail along the motorways at 60mph in 6th. gear and manages all the hills he has encountered without a problem.