Yes diesel. We haven't towed a van for about 15 years so didn't have mpg displays back then! We used to fly with our 12' Thomson and Sierra!!! No thought about fuel consumption! And as I say it's satnav saying 55 speedo says around 60. Having swaped from a focus that used to do high 40's mpg (not towing) it's quite alarming to see 20's, so it was quite reassuring to see your comment that it's not doing too bad! We are doing a short trip this weekend on country roads so I guess it won't be as good as dual cabbageway and motorway towing!
------------- Started with a motorbike and tent.......my gallery, my life.
Tell your dopey mate that towing in france with his Xc90 and a decent sized caravan puts him over the 3500 kgs. there for he is limited to 90kph and also has to stick a big nasty sticker saying 90 on his shiney caravans rear end !
Quote: Originally posted by Big Al on 04/6/2013
Tell your dopey mate that towing in france with his Xc90 and a decent sized caravan puts him over the 3500 kgs. there for he is limited to 90kph and also has to stick a big nasty sticker saying 90 on his shiney caravans rear end !
Ill stick to 56 on motorways, cant be bothered pulling in and out past trucks all the time.
Mind you, I do the same 56 when Im solo, its just an easier drive like that in a defender, I dont do much motorway driving without the caravan anyway, its second nature.
Quote: Originally posted by Big Al on 04/6/2013
Tell your dopey mate that towing in france with his Xc90 and a decent sized caravan puts him over the 3500 kgs. there for he is limited to 90kph and also has to stick a big nasty sticker saying 90 on his shiney caravans rear end !
You do not need the stickers on non french registered vehicles.
We sit at 60 as satnav says 56, but on a couple of occasions it crept up to 70! Cruise is good!
Our gauge showed 27mpg towing down to Dordogne which is not bad.
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
We were coming up the M6 on Saturday just north of Stafford doing 60 when a Range Rover sport passed in the outside lane doing well in excess of 60mph towing a classic racing lotus elan. The lotus must have been worth 20k alone and the range rover was pretty new and shiney. Absolute donut.
Quote: Originally posted by mike+judi on 06/6/2013
We were coming up the M6 on Saturday just north of Stafford doing 60 when a Range Rover sport passed in the outside lane doing well in excess of 60mph towing a classic racing lotus elan. The lotus must have been worth 20k alone and the range rover was pretty new and shiney. Absolute donut.
Yes, I see this sort of thing quite regularly. One can only hope that there are cameras which can record these twerps and lead to a prosecution.
It's best to let them go and not worry about it, your own speed is what matters, not what others are doing.
When we tow the big trailer/RV with the engine loaded up it is just below 3.5 tonnes, and we cruise at 50 or 60 depending on the road. It is front turntable steering and very stable at almost any speed.
What we try not to do is to leave too little time to get to where we are going, that means that we don't have to speed to get there on time.
We were overtaken regularly by trucks in Holland last month, we were at 55mph, they rattled by at 60 or so, even in poor weather/visibility.
I usually tow at 55-60 on the motorway because I'm generally not in a hurry because I'm on holiday. However, I've been known to hit 85-90 to get past a particular bit I don't want to be behind, then I slow down again. The caravan is always stable. Remember, the speeds allowed on the continent are higher than here.
This is an interesting thread. We went to Norfolk over the half term and it took us hours to get there because I am such a law abider when it comes to speed! There was a couple of times I crept up to 65mph but like somebody mentioned, it is easy in these turbo diesel cars! I do normally set my cruise control.
When I had my towing course last month, the thing that sticks in my mind is my instructor telling me "It's life in the slow lane - you are on holiday!" and "Remember the Take That song - 'Have a Little Patience'" Funny what you remember!
With three bikes on the car roof and towing a van at 93% rather than the 85%, I got a return of 29.2mpg which I am chuffed to bits with!
And yes, there were people flying past me with vans too. I am still new to towing but like I say, I am a law abider so when I have zillions of towing miles under my belt, I will still be in holiday mode!
------------- Center Parcs April 2015
Chestnut Meadows Bexhill August 2015
Once in lifetime trip to Florida Oct 2015!!!
Very intresting this thread, as a new "Vanner" but quite experienced at towing (Workwise) I think people are the same no matter what vehicle you are driving/towing, there are just some that are more cautious and then some who are outright dangerous and those in between. I do remember driving to Spain through France once and I was sticking to 130kph (Not towing anything) and this 4 x 4 came tearing up the outside lane must have been doing 150kph+ and flew past us, they where towing a trailer with Huskies in it!! I just couldn't believe it!! Crazy!!On a personel note I must admit to setting the cruise to 65mph and staying there on the whole, I will give it a bit more to overtake if needs be as I don't want to hold people up and then let the cruise pick up the 65mph again, I find our van to be very stable at that speed and the fuel economy works out fine in the late 20's I'm also in the "Volvo Club" but with a V60 R Design D5, a very capable car indeed.
------------- I refuse to join any club that would have ME as a member!! (Graucho Marx)
Threads about speeding come up on here regularly but it keeps on happening. I see it all too often when I'm in the lorry with all sorts of vehicles to be fair, not only drivers towing. We had a family towing a trailer overtake us on the M5 southbound last weekend when we were off to sunny Cornwall for a week, he/she must have been doing 80+ & remained out in lane three until we lost sight of them. I have no sympathy for the idiot behind the wheel because they probably speed everywhere and the sooner they're caught the better but I do feel sorry for any passengers in the car with them and anyone they hit when it all goes wrong.