Is Towcar.info site reliable?

PatchyGo
PatchyGo Forum Participant Posts: 5
edited August 2021 in Towcars & Towing #1

We are having some issues confirming that our car is legal to tow our caravan. Towcar.info (where we have input our exact figures from our V5 & the caravan info) is showing it is safe to tow (at 73%). However after ringing CC they have said it's unsafe. But the figures they had are incorrect & could not be changed to show what was on our V5 etc so not entirely accurate.

So who is right? If a weighbridge & nose weight are all known & are all ok is this enough to go by & be legal rather than the CC info?

Our calculations show us with our caravan at 1200kg & car at kerbweight our ratio is at 89%.

Thanks

Comments

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,135 ✭✭✭
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    edited August 2021 #2

    The 'legal' bit is the max towing weight stipulated by the car manufacturer. All else is guidance and sense.

  • PatchyGo
    PatchyGo Forum Participant Posts: 5
    edited August 2021 #3

    Thank you - and yes definitely. On towcar.info everything looks great having input the exact figures. But CC only put in the basics which by their own admission don't match what is on our V5 etc & they have no scope to amend to factual figures. 

    So just doubting ourselves a bit now!

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,135 ✭✭✭
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    edited August 2021 #4

    Safety and good sense suggest towing a caravan with an all up weight of about 85% of your car's kerb weight but it is not law. If you’re in that region, which 89% is, and are also within the legal towing weight then don’t doubt yourselves. The outfit matching tool is very fallible.

  • PatchyGo
    PatchyGo Forum Participant Posts: 5
    edited August 2021 #5

    Thank you for taking the time to reply. We just want to make sure all is safe & legal before we set off on our first trip & CC have made us question all our initial research. It's good to know that the matching tools aren't always accurate. We will go with the figures we have to hand ourselves.

  • geoffeales
    geoffeales Forum Participant Posts: 322
    edited August 2021 #6

    Always best to do the calculations yourself and not rely on any computer software. Even our CAMC app has its moments. It said my Mazda CX-5 and Coachman VIP was a match "with warnings" about the ratio being somewhere in the region of 95%.  We went ahead and bought the Mazda anyway (with the thought of buying a lighter, later van if necessary) and having read the plate on the car we are more like 80%. 

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,135 ✭✭✭
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    edited August 2021 #7

    Enjoy your outfit 👍🏻

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
    1000 Comments
    edited August 2021 #8

    Towcar is , from my experience, more reliable than this clubs poor info. I took my car and weighed it and showed that CC info was a load of Tom Walls

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
    1000 Comments
    edited August 2021 #9

    Try Towsures website they seem to have more models, and it seems gives more info than this clubs towing guide

  • PatchyGo
    PatchyGo Forum Participant Posts: 5
    edited August 2021 #10

    I've just searched for that but it takes me through to the towcar.info site, which says we are ok. Thank you though.

  • flatcoat
    flatcoat Forum Participant Posts: 1,571
    1000 Comments
    edited August 2021 #11

    The club matching service, is so misleading and inaccurate as to be dangerous. As a car manufacturer I would be seriously pee’d off if I lost sales as a result. 

  • PatchyGo
    PatchyGo Forum Participant Posts: 5
    edited August 2021 #12

    It certainly unsettled us ALOT yesterday. We have already collected our caravan after doing a huge amount of research. We joined CC & as I saw the matching tool & thought I would triple check. We were very upset after speaking with them to be told our car/caravan were unsafe. But we know it isn't. I'm glad I posted here as it has reassured us that our own calculations are far more accurate.

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