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hi all.

going on from a previous post, im after a new towcar and have my eye on a 2002 citroen c5 2.0sx hdi (110bhp). has anyone any thoughts on these as a towcar? it will be pulling a max weight of 1400kgs. i have no idea what "torque curves" and all that mean, so basically what i want to know is, would 110bhp be enough as i have had loads of recommendations to get a tdci mondeo with 130bhp.

thanks for any advice.

simon.

I don't think it will cope with that weight.  I may have the wrong figures, but I think 85% of the kerbweight woule be only about 1160Kg.

You would probably be over 100% of the kerbweight, maybe 103%.  Not a good idea and, of course, illegal if you have the newer licence.

My apologies if I've got the numbers wrong, but it just looked like a bad match to me.

Jim

it should be fine although maybe a little underpowered at 110 bhp.

the O.P is referring to caravan weight as 1400kg max i think and surely the kerbweight of a c5 estate is over that figure ?

if you are comparing a tdci mondeo of the same era , ie 2002 they are the first of the common rails introduced and may have injector / fuel pump issues but may well have been sorted by now.Look for a evidence of this in service record.

the C5 should have self levelling suspension which would be ideal for towing.

both have pros and cons , the Ford should be cheaper to repair and service , no cambelt change for a start as they are chain dive whereas the C5 im sure is a belt drive.

hope this helps

The figure I have seen is 1367Kg.  Now that is unladen weight, not kerbweight, but I don't think the real figure is much more than that.  To tow 1400Kg at 85%, the kerbweight would have to be 1647Kg, and I'm sure it's much less than that.

Jim

HI

I have 2004 C5 2.2 HDI estate i think 85% is approx 1290kg cant remember but as our caravan is much less than that im happy even at max weight i can remember we would be 77% i think the car unladen weight is approx 1450kg i would look it up.

But i find it tows very well

thanks for the replies.

yeah, the reason for the c5 is that it is cheaper than the same year mondeo.

i think i overguessed  the weights in my post. the van is 1050kgs with a user payload of 230kgs, giving a total of 1280kgs. the weight of the car would is 1438kgs, so 85 percent would be 1222, so a bit over at 89 percent. So, would 110bhp in a 2.0 ltr diesel be enough or do you think i would be better off with a 130bhp mondeo.

i currently tow with a 2002 1.8 petrol vectra,  which has 123 bhp, but really struggles at times, especially on inclines. I have even been overtaken by tractors before.......yes, really!!

again thanks for the replies, i just want to get it right.

hi scarr1, i changed my timing chain at 70,000 miles, citroen say 100,000 if no added load.i find the 110hp ok  run at 92% very stable, get 29 miles to the gal. towing average 55 mph. solo 50mpgal. at 60 mph.

i try to put all heavy things in car, light bulky things in van. hope this helps

all the best andy