Tow car question
After some general advice please?
I'm looking at getting a new tow car, car of choice is a Kia Sportage Gts line 2.0l 182bhp
The max tow weight of the car is 2200kgs. Our caravans weight is 1680kgs and the kerb weight of the car is 1723kgs.
Now I know the advised towing ratio for inexperienced towers is 85%. This ratio would work out as 97%, has anyone got any advice or have towed a twin axle caravan with these sort of figures please and if you could give your experience please?
Also the car is a push button handbrake system, any issues anyone has found with towing with this type of system please?
Thanks in advance
Comments
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In my opinion that is not a sensible tow car for a caravan of that weight.
The max towing weight of the car is a figure achieved under certain test conditions and simply means it is capable of towing that weight in the test, not that it is a safe or sensible thing to do on the M6 in a cross wind at 60mph. I think you run a considerable risk of the tail wagging the dog with that set up.
Ultimately it's your decision, of course, but I'd not do it.
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Go for it. In reality the kerb weight will probably be higher, you are perfectly legal and let those whose heads come unscrewed with all the tu-tutting and head shaking at towing over 85% get on with it. It is just as important - if not more so - to ensure the GTW is not exceeded, the nose weight is legal, the tyre pressures are correct, the weight is distributed and speed limits adhered to. No one in Germany or most other parts of EUland take any notice of the quaint UK obsession with weight ratios.
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I trust you were not implying I was tutting about the 85% ratio, FC, because I never mentioned it and I don’t know why you made that snipey comment. I simply do not believe the Sportage to be the correct tow car for that heavy caravan.
It is definitely more important the check the GTW is not exceeded because that is a legal requirement.
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If the car is a 2,0ltr diesel you should be ok as it is a TA van is quite stable ,if it is the 2,0petrol version then not so sure we have the sportage kx4 2.0ltr diesel auto and it is a fine tow car ,we had the 2.0ltrpetrol version for 3weeks as it soon ran out out of puff and drank fuel
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... Also the car is a push button handbrake system, any issues anyone has found with towing with this type of system please?
I can't see how any kind of hand/parking/emergency brake, electrical or otherwise, can have any impact on towing .... anyway - it'll probably auto release.
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EmilysDad,
all of my previous cars have had a standard push button lever handbrake, but my Audi A3 has an auto hold non traditional handbrake. When I stop using the footbrake the handbrake engages and stays engaged until I pull off whereby it automatically releases. It is an absolute revelation, especially when you have a van on the back.
Owners of auto gearbox cars say they would not go back to a manual. Well that is how it feels to me with this type of handbrake.
Colin
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Re the car we choose the car and then the van has to fit with that. If the Sportage is what you fancy, and will be able to do what you need and be legal, then why go for something else that is a ‘compromise’ just to get something heavier?
Re handbrake-back in 2012 I specified Hill Hold assist on my Audi Q5. It is a driver aid that actually does help, and way beyond its then £57 price tag, and I think is now standard.
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Almost all my cars have had a traditional hand brake too bar my current Merc with an electric 'hand brake' and its predecessor (another Merc) which had a foot operated parking brake. My electric brake is NOT automatically applied when I stop, but I have the option of engaging HOLD which uses the main braking system, not the parking brake, but in normal driving I almost never use it, it might get used if I park on a steep-ish hill to save the PARK pawl. Regardless of HOLD, I have a left foot if I need a hill start.
When you talk to recovery staff, they say they attend to loads of vehicles where the electric brake has not disengaged & the vehicle is stranded. They are the answer to a problem that never existed.
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... Re handbrake-back in 2012 I specified Hill Hold assist on my Audi Q5. It is a driver aid that actually does help, and way beyond its then £57 price tag, and I think is now standard.
A genuine question ... How does Hill Hold help you?
I have cars with 2 variations of hill hold. On my Merc I give the foot brake another shove when stopped & the main brakes will hold the car forever & a day until I shove the pedal again or press the throttle to drive away. My Smarts will just hold the brakes on for 0.7secs (🤷♂️) to get your foot from brake to throttle without rolling. Neither system is something I thought I was missing. Hill starts can be achieved using whatever hand/parking brake you have. All cars assumed to automatic though on the rare occasion I drive Emily's manual car that has neither kind of hill hold assist, I never find myself rolling back or forward.
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Now I know the advised towing ratio for inexperienced towers is 85%.
This would suggest you do have experience towing? If that's the case then you should, with care, be ok.
The electric handbrake is not a problem and if automatic (or DCT in your case) comes with Auto-Hold allowing the outfit to effectively remain braked whilst stationary, without the need to have your foot on the brake pedal.
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Hi ED, The clue is in the name! It saves having to locate the handbrake switch which, unlike a traditional handbrake, between the seats, not the Merc type, is mounted on the centre console and does not fall to hand as readily.
While I am sure that with practice it would become second nature I have , in playing with the various systems, noticed that the tendency is to look down to locate the switch.
Mine works on the pressure applied so ‘normal braking’ at a junction etc does not apply the brake.
My car has many features that I do not ‘need’ but are useful and soon become the norm.
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Do cars have handbrakes?, my Sorento has a position "P" on the stick in the middle, normal driving i use the footbrake, for long stationary periods i use "P"
Joking, it has a pedal somewhere to the left that applies the handbrake kick it down to apply, i think when you move off it releases but you get a nice warning bell to advise that you have not released the pedal, or at least i think that is how it works, cant remember the last time i used it as caravan has not moved from hardstanding since 2021 and would use it if on a hill with caravan in tow
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I've towed quite a few close-to-the-match outfits in my time and offer the following...
load everything heavy in the car, caravan spare wheel, jacks, levelling blocks and awning. Even box up the heavier groceries, bottles, tins etc. and put them in the car. If there are only two of you, put the back seats down and put the heaviest stuff right behind you so the weight is right between the axles. We lay clothes flat on the beds (they always fall off the wardrobe rails anyway), together with the battery and gas bottles that will do you for your nose weight. Keep speed to 60 max (it's the law for good reason) and select a low gear downhills. I find my car happiest at about 58mph in 5th gear (not 6th) but you will find your car's happy place. Keep a safe distance and avoid heavy braking. As for the handbrake, you have about 2 seconds between switch-off and release - generally enough. It might be worth learning the art of heel and tow (various on You Tube) which has got me out of trouble on a couple of occasions.
Happy (and safe) towing!
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