towing a caravan

[rickp78]

hey everyone im thinkn of buyin a van to do some touring and was wondering if anyone has experience in towing a van with a d22 mine is the 2011 2.5 model its been chipped and exhaust done was wondering what size van it would tow weight wise any help would br greatly appreciated

 

[robmacca]

Hey Rick....

I've got the 3ltr ZD30 ('03 model) that's also chipped and has the bigger exhaust and Intercooler installed and I've only had the car since the 1st part of the year and I've finally gotten around to towing our 17" Windsor Rapid Van up to the Sunshine coast (twice). The 1st time I was disappointed at how poorly these 4cyl 3T towing capacity vehicles are geared in 1st gear. This is also across different manufacturers aswell so I've been told (unless u happen to have an Auto).
Our van runs around 1800kgs unloaded and I'm only running the std tyres at the moment (255/70/16). On take-off with any slight incline is the issue.... once you're up and running everything is fine and it goes/pulls great. If there was a way to install a lower 1st gear on these D22's, then everything would be fine.

My 2nd towing experience over the recent christmas holidays went better as I added more right boot on take-off, but I can now understand why u hear of so many people who are burning out their clutches so quickly with these and also on the more modern 4cyl Diesels with high output..... Our 150's Prado which is a D4D Auto beats it hands down in the towing department, but so far I've gotten better economy out the D22 even though it's only been straight up the highway and didn't really include going over any mountain ranges, etc......

hope that helps a bit.....

 

[rickp78]

thanx mate i mate have a solution for your problem down low im still waiting on mine as they changed plugs on the later models.some of my family run AVO turbo in melbourne and they have a d40 that has a throttle controller ive drivn it wit it and with out it and the difference it makes is huge. because the navs throttle is electronic it has a sensor so u dont get full throttle on take off but this little box fixes it and its adjustable as well but not advisable to have it cranked right up as when my little brother was learning to drive it was spooling the turbo right up on take off and stuffed the clutch.but i definately know what u r saying about first gear mine struggles up hills sometimes which is why i looked into getting the controller.hopefully i wont be waiting too much longer for mine but thanx for the advice it gives me some idea now

 

[jaymac90210]

G'day fellas I've got an 03 3.0L nav and tow my track car around with her and yes the first gear is a problem for take offs on slight inclines.. I rectified the problem by taking off in first low and then once I've gotten up to the top I switch back into 2WD high range. 2 mods I did which help her tow a lot better was a 3 inch turbo back exhaust with nothing restricting it and secondly the Egr mod and disabling the butterfly thingy. Next is an intercooler and chip which will be coming soon. They're a good rig to tow with, they have good stability even with heaps of weight on the trailer

 

[robmacca]

thanx mate i mate have a solution for your problem down low im still waiting on mine as they changed plugs on the later models.some of my family run AVO turbo in melbourne and they have a d40 that has a throttle controller ive drivn it wit it and with out it and the difference it makes is huge. because the navs throttle is electronic it has a sensor so u dont get full throttle on take off but this little box fixes it and its adjustable as well but not advisable to have it cranked right up as when my little brother was learning to drive it was spooling the turbo right up on take off and stuffed the clutch.but i definately know what u r saying about first gear mine struggles up hills sometimes which is why i looked into getting the controller.hopefully i wont be waiting too much longer for mine but thanx for the advice it gives me some idea now

Sounds Good.... I've got a mate that has been testing the throttle booster on his 150's Prado and he reckons its worth it. I think he said its got 3 settings.... E for Economy (no good unless on the H'way).... and S1 and S2. The S1 & S2 settings are great for around Town..... but his is an Auto as well. I don't think it will really help out too much in the Clutch area as its more really to do with the gearing. Mines had the EGR blocked and the larger exhaust which all helps but in reality its a gearing problem which I don't really think can be fixed