steven john
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Can anyone that has experience in towing a caravan (tare weight around 2500kg or more) with a d40 126 kw 4wd let me know how it performed????
Many thanks
Many thanks
Towing performance
- Thread starter steven john
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joe2006
Member
When you say a Tare weight you are saying the unladen weight of the van is 2500kg?
The Tare of my van is 2220kg & I estimate the loaded van would weigh about 2600kg +.
I must say that IMO the vehicle handles quite well towing that weight but find the performance lacking. It is quite uneconomical towing in anything else other than overdrive with the TC locked and it is often difficult to maintain the the vehicle in overdrive unless conditions are particularly favourable.
The Tare of my van is 2220kg & I estimate the loaded van would weigh about 2600kg +.
I must say that IMO the vehicle handles quite well towing that weight but find the performance lacking. It is quite uneconomical towing in anything else other than overdrive with the TC locked and it is often difficult to maintain the the vehicle in overdrive unless conditions are particularly favourable.
nismo4x4
Member
iv driven mates auto and towed a 2.5t glassie... i could feel it but went pretty good
Welcome to the forum.
Our van is 1800kg and our car is 2500kg empty - when we're touring with the genny, fridge etc in the back she's more like 2800kg, so the GCM is about 4600kg - if you have a stock 126kW vehicle (1980kg) plus 2500kg behind it that's 4400kg.
We're quite happy with how ours performs. We're not unhappy at missing out on smoking tyres as we take off. We're quite happy at getting 17LPHK @ 125km/h.
Our van is 1800kg and our car is 2500kg empty - when we're touring with the genny, fridge etc in the back she's more like 2800kg, so the GCM is about 4600kg - if you have a stock 126kW vehicle (1980kg) plus 2500kg behind it that's 4400kg.
We're quite happy with how ours performs. We're not unhappy at missing out on smoking tyres as we take off. We're quite happy at getting 17LPHK @ 125km/h.
Starcraft1
Member
Hi Steven
I have had my d40 for a couple of year now it is a 2.5 auto with a DP chip which did make big differnce. We have had our van 20 footer full outback van so it sit pretty high. I have spent the last 2 big trips 1 to cairns and one down to Vic, trying to get the cobo to work for me and my set-up and I believe i have finaly got it where I want it. As my van sound approx the same as you are asking about I hope my efforts may help you out. On my frist trip I found the suspension this sorted out by raising it 2' with very good shocks made it the ideal ste up for towing. I tried many different driving stiles to try and get the fuel useage down overdrive switch of, overdrive on, varied speed up down, just could not get the fuel return I wanted so I just drove very conservatively and got it the best i could. the second issue was that when I had the overdrive on it at around 80-90 kph it would move between 5th and 4th continually this buged me. Again on my southern trip i tried verious stiles still same results it had plenty of power it as just it's drive ability.
This was my solution, as I had 265/70 16 tyres on ( they looked great and gave me a little better hight) I felt that if I changed the tyre size this would low the gearing and thus find that sweet spot i had been looking for these last years. I purchased a extra set odf wheels with rather worn 235/70 16 tyres to try. At easter we when on a trip not to far away but far enough to test it all out, what I found was it sat just perfacly where I wanted it to between 80-90 kph it did not change down from over-drive untill we hit a reasonable incline and the fuel was at leat 3-4 ltr per 100klm better. It was a total different and far better car to drive i was very happy with the out come so much so that today I got a new set of Bridgestone 697 fitted today very happy with them, so now i have a set of steel wheels with 265/70 16 to sell. I also notice that the fuel use around town is so much better. I know this is a bite long winded but I hope it will help.
Cheers
I have had my d40 for a couple of year now it is a 2.5 auto with a DP chip which did make big differnce. We have had our van 20 footer full outback van so it sit pretty high. I have spent the last 2 big trips 1 to cairns and one down to Vic, trying to get the cobo to work for me and my set-up and I believe i have finaly got it where I want it. As my van sound approx the same as you are asking about I hope my efforts may help you out. On my frist trip I found the suspension this sorted out by raising it 2' with very good shocks made it the ideal ste up for towing. I tried many different driving stiles to try and get the fuel useage down overdrive switch of, overdrive on, varied speed up down, just could not get the fuel return I wanted so I just drove very conservatively and got it the best i could. the second issue was that when I had the overdrive on it at around 80-90 kph it would move between 5th and 4th continually this buged me. Again on my southern trip i tried verious stiles still same results it had plenty of power it as just it's drive ability.
This was my solution, as I had 265/70 16 tyres on ( they looked great and gave me a little better hight) I felt that if I changed the tyre size this would low the gearing and thus find that sweet spot i had been looking for these last years. I purchased a extra set odf wheels with rather worn 235/70 16 tyres to try. At easter we when on a trip not to far away but far enough to test it all out, what I found was it sat just perfacly where I wanted it to between 80-90 kph it did not change down from over-drive untill we hit a reasonable incline and the fuel was at leat 3-4 ltr per 100klm better. It was a total different and far better car to drive i was very happy with the out come so much so that today I got a new set of Bridgestone 697 fitted today very happy with them, so now i have a set of steel wheels with 265/70 16 to sell. I also notice that the fuel use around town is so much better. I know this is a bite long winded but I hope it will help.
Cheers
K
KraftyPg
Guest
I've towed 3.5T+ of beef on the back of my ute (trailer itself is 1.4T) and I've towed it on steep hills, across farm paddocks and on the open road with no issues and in stock condition. Sure the Nav knows that kind of weight is on it's arse but it handles it well enough.
Like everything if you drive to the conditions and think a little about what your asking the vehicle to do it's not going to let you down. Put any weight on it's arse and try and drive it like you're in a race and you can expect problems or at very least really bad economy.
Like everything if you drive to the conditions and think a little about what your asking the vehicle to do it's not going to let you down. Put any weight on it's arse and try and drive it like you're in a race and you can expect problems or at very least really bad economy.
steven john
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Thanks a lot;
steven john
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Thanks to all for your help.
kevinm1962
Member
125km/h tony thats naughty
Between Kulgera and Erldunda (which is where we did it) it's not. NT has 130km/h speed limit, and that's the ONLY reason we got to try it out.
Not that everyone else was doing the same. We were passed by SO many vehicles - including road trains.
Still, can't wait to do that trip again, absolutely boring as bat-shit but it was an experience!
joe2006
Member
Starcraft1, by the sound of what you are saying, while the DP chip improved performance, it was only the reduction in tyre size that provided a satisfactory towing combination.
I have considered a chip for the sole purpose of overcoming the problems that we have both described however given your comments, it would appear that it may not be a wise investment.
Perhaps with a smaller/lighter van, the vehicle may be quite suitable as it may maintain overdrive/locked TC or if it is a case of travelling relatively short distances, it may not be realised how much fuel it uses to provide adequate performance.
I think the perfect scenario would be if there were as a way to manually lock the transmission and TC in both overdrive & 4th gear because I find there is much too much TC slip & gear changing otherwise. It is extremely tiring & frustrating when the slightest pressure on the pedal, incline or wind, causes downshifts and dramatic RPM changes within 4th.
If it were not for the fact that our van is pushing the legal limit of my wife’s vehicle, I would change back to towing with that because despite any adverse conditions, it was always economical and I could tow virtually all day locked in 4th with no TC slip and cruise control set to my desired speed, only dropping out going up long inclines.
Glad you found a solution although that is not a path I really want to tread.
I have considered a chip for the sole purpose of overcoming the problems that we have both described however given your comments, it would appear that it may not be a wise investment.
Perhaps with a smaller/lighter van, the vehicle may be quite suitable as it may maintain overdrive/locked TC or if it is a case of travelling relatively short distances, it may not be realised how much fuel it uses to provide adequate performance.
I think the perfect scenario would be if there were as a way to manually lock the transmission and TC in both overdrive & 4th gear because I find there is much too much TC slip & gear changing otherwise. It is extremely tiring & frustrating when the slightest pressure on the pedal, incline or wind, causes downshifts and dramatic RPM changes within 4th.
If it were not for the fact that our van is pushing the legal limit of my wife’s vehicle, I would change back to towing with that because despite any adverse conditions, it was always economical and I could tow virtually all day locked in 4th with no TC slip and cruise control set to my desired speed, only dropping out going up long inclines.
Glad you found a solution although that is not a path I really want to tread.
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