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Subject Topic: mondeo mpg when towing
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PersonWobbly Box
12/7/2015 at 4:28pm
 Location:  Scotland
 Outfit: Bailey & Mondeo View Wobbly Box's Profile View Profile   Reply to Wobbly Box Reply   Quote Wobbly Box Quote  
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What mpg would you expect when towing? My set up is mk4 mondeo 2.0tdci 140bhp 6 speed manual caravan 1400kg bikes on the roof of the car stuff in the boot and 2 passengers in the back. I only returned 27mpg. Was expecting 33ish.
Also the back end was very low do the mk4 mondeos suffer from weak springs.
Towed a distance of about 200 miles mi of motorway and A roads. The car also slowed considerably on long inclines, more than my previous mondeo did.


Personjanus
12/7/2015 at 5:35pm
 Location: Rochdale
 Outfit: Hymer Nova 470 Mondeo titanium 140tdc View janus's Profile View Profile   Reply to janus Reply   Quote janus Quote  
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My Mondeo hardly drops at the back with a 90 kg nose weight. So either you have problem or too much nose weight. The bikes will make a lot of difference to the fuel consumption, as will headwind and terrain. With no bikes on the roof and the same car towing 1450 kg I have never got less than 30 nor more than 35 on a long trip. Short trips ( 20 miles or so )can vary between 25 and 40.
Motorway hills are generally 6th gear at about 55, but below that 5th and then it romps along.

-------------
Bill

For a licence dated 1997 or later you must add together the plated max weight of the caravan and trailer, if the total is 3500 or less you can tow it. You may even tow a caravan with a MAM greater than the cars unladen mass the restriction was removed in 2013

Mondeo Titanium 140 tdci


PersonWobbly Box
12/7/2015 at 6:24pm
 Location:  Scotland
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Hi

Think I need to look at my loading to be honest the van actually felt quit heavy even just pulling away on flat ground. Think I'll need to cut down on the amount of beer I'm taking. Lol I was down to 4th gear on some inclines. I did find 60mph was a lot easier to maintain than a speed between 50 to 55mph


PersonVectratot
12/7/2015 at 6:25pm
 Location: DURHAM
 Outfit: Mondeo TItanium 140 Avondale Mayfly 25 View Vectratot's Profile View Profile   Reply to Vectratot Reply   Quote Vectratot Quote  
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We went 1435 miles total to Weymouth and back nearly 800 miles towing and the rest solo Mondeo Titanium 140 tdci, roof box on car, caravan max weight 1100Kg, with 75 Kg nose weight and just me and my wife, mostly motorway. Average fuel consumption according to dash info 42.6 mpg. Very little sag on rear


PersonWobbly Box
12/7/2015 at 6:53pm
 Location:  Scotland
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I've noticed sag on the rear even with suitcases and passengers in the back. Might upgrade my rear springs. Even empty it doesnt sit high. I've always struggled to get my nose weight down on my caravan. It tends to be very nose heavy.


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Personjanus
12/7/2015 at 7:44pm
 Location: Rochdale
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Quote: Originally posted by iain.morrison3 on 12/7/2015
I've noticed sag on the rear even with suitcases and passengers in the back. Might upgrade my rear springs. Even empty it doesnt sit high. I've always struggled to get my nose weight down on my caravan. It tends to be very nose heavy.

However difficult it is you must get it down below 90.



-------------
Bill

For a licence dated 1997 or later you must add together the plated max weight of the caravan and trailer, if the total is 3500 or less you can tow it. You may even tow a caravan with a MAM greater than the cars unladen mass the restriction was removed in 2013

Mondeo Titanium 140 tdci


PersonRICKARDOS
12/7/2015 at 8:33pm
 Location: Deeside North Wales
 Outfit: Bailey Pageant Provence Ford Mondeo View RICKARDOS's Profile View Profile   Reply to RICKARDOS Reply   Quote RICKARDOS Quote  
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I tow with a similar set up same car engine etc but my van is at 1490kgs, my outfit rides low also with or without the bike rack I sometimes use on the towbar. MPG can very much vary like at witt going south loads of stop start traffic (typical M5) over 245 miles it averaged 28mpg the return journey in no traffic at night averaging 57mph I got 34mpg. I do find tho that I hardly have to change down from 6th unless we come across a long incline where I change down early and the car on cruise control does the rest. This is the 2nd mondeo that I have had with this van the latter being a 2.0 tdci 115bhp and that returned 31mpg but never sat as low as the newer shape.


PersonWobbly Box
12/7/2015 at 9:32pm
 Location:  Scotland
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Yes I'll put more stuff towards the back of the van. But need to watch I don't end up like a seesaw.


PersonBaileyjake
12/7/2015 at 10:18pm
 Location: West Midlands
 Outfit: Coachman Amara 570 6 + Shogun SG4 View Baileyjake's Profile View Profile   Reply to Baileyjake Reply   Quote Baileyjake Quote  
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My caravan is naturally nose heavy so I have to pack lots of stuff at the back in fact other than bedding and light food like cereals and the melamine crocs I carry nothing forward of the axle. I carry the awning in the car. The gas bottles, Aquaroll, wastemaster, folding chairs, table, hook up cable etc are all packed at the rear of the van.....and the nose weight is still about 75kg. I guess some vans are not well balanced. I fitted "helper" springs inside the standard springs if my 3 year old outlander because the rear sagged even with 75kg on the nose. The max nose weight is actually 100kg. As for MPG I am sceptical of these high figures. Best I have seen in my outlander is 25mpg. My previous jeep made 28mpg. My neighbour has an Antara and gets 22mpg. His previous car was a c4 and he got about 23 mpg.


PersonWobbly Box
12/7/2015 at 10:25pm
 Location:  Scotland
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My van is a 07 bailey pageant. I put an additional full gas bottle in the front locker as the other is about to run dry. I had my awning right over the axel and most stuff just to the front of the axel. Perhaps as you say everything should be to the rear of the axel to try and balance the van.


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PersonGrampian91
12/7/2015 at 11:27pm
 Location: Midlands
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Do you use 6th gear when towing? I managed to get 39mpg by having a FIL in the car who moaned if i went to overtake anything. So mostly at 56mph.

I also found that 6th gear pulls fine but you maybe using
more fuel than sticking to 5th gear.

Your gearing maybe different to mine, but 40mph in 5th gear uses more fuel than 40mph in 4th gear despite lower revs in 5th gear.

6th gear only starts to work above 60mph and thats when solo.

6th gear is a very tall cruising gear. Ideal for 100+ on the autobahn when solo but not so good at 50 ish with an extra ton and a half on the back.


Sounds mad that a lower gear and more revs uses less fuel but you need to try it and see for yourself.

In the higher gear i was using 18% of the throttle instead of 9% in the lower gear, with an increase in fuelling also.

33mpg is average for me, Midlands to the bottom end of Cornwall.

Make sure the tyre pressures are set for loaded/motorway use and drop a couple of MPH and stick to 5th gear.


Personjanus
12/7/2015 at 11:56pm
 Location: Rochdale
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I have said it before Grampian but there is no way that fuel consumption on my car is better using fifth rather than sixth. The difference is significant whether solo or towing. On most of the motorway 6th with an indicated 55 ( sat nab says it is 51 ) the car will happily pull my 1450kg caravan all day long and return something like 5mpg better than it does in 5th. When the hills get steeper I either need an indicated 60 or to drop down to 5th. Other than in traffic I have never found a need for lower than 5th on any motorway.

-------------
Bill

For a licence dated 1997 or later you must add together the plated max weight of the caravan and trailer, if the total is 3500 or less you can tow it. You may even tow a caravan with a MAM greater than the cars unladen mass the restriction was removed in 2013

Mondeo Titanium 140 tdci


Personnavver
13/7/2015 at 12:05am
 Location: West country
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You need to keep the revs where the max torque is developed or higher for best fuel consumption. Never let it go below.

hen I had the caravan, I always found the A30 in Cornwall used more fuel than the M5 from Bristol to Exeter. Seems the more up and down the road the worse the fuel consumption by several mpg.


PersonWobbly Box
13/7/2015 at 9:22am
 Location:  Scotland
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Thanks for all the replies. I'll be on the road again in a few days time. This time ill load the van differently see if there's anything I can remove from the boot but I don't think so as there wasn't really much heavy stuff in it.
I was using 6th gear when ever possible will try the 5th gear thing and see what happens. I always thought higher the revs more fuel consumption and also engine working harder and possibly over heat.


Personmalkeiron
13/7/2015 at 12:00pm
 Location: Derbyshire
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My outfit, Mondeo estate 2lt tdci 130bhp , caravan, Abbey 215 gts vouge 1220kg . Filled fuel tank and zero trip. Pulled van from derby to skeggy about 95 miles. Done approximately 30 miles solo whilst there and then refilled the fuel tank before returning home a week later. Trip computer in car said 46.3 mpg. Yeah right I thought, that can't be correct. So as I always do an mpg check every time I fill up ( force of habit, done so for years ) I calculated what I actually used. The true mpg was

44.1 mpg.

Still can't believe it myself but I'm happy with that. Will see what it performs like up and down dale when we go to Cornwall. That trip should knock that on the head a bit but we will see.


Personbessie500
13/7/2015 at 1:11pm
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I used to get around between 31/33 on a 300 mile drive to Cornwall towing a 1500kg caravan, i dont think your figures are too bad considering you had bikes on the roof as well

bessie



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