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Topic: At what speed do you tow in France?

fatscoleymo

18/1/2018 at 2:13pm
Location: Charente Maritime France
Outfit: 1996 Lunar Planet Chiron.

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Just wondering...
We have lived here in France for 13+ years now, but have been caravanning for just for a couple of years. We have been towing our 1200max weight old Lunar with a 90hp Peugeot 406, so top speed anywhere was 90kph - the car just didn't have the pull, and would slow on hillls.(Interesting last summer over, and back over the Massif Central, and in and out of Millau!)
However we have now got a Skoda Superb Estate 140cr, which has been remapped (before I got it) and from acceleration figures it probably seems to have 170-180 bhp now.
So I wll have much more performance. As you will probably know there is not a lower limit on the autoroutes for a car and caravan - 110kph or 130kph is legal - and I do see outfits that do that...not that I am particulary planning on that speed - fuel consumption must be shocking...
What speeds do you cruise at on the Autoroutes?
(Heads up the max speed on all single carriageway roads is reducing from 90 to 80kph this summer!)
Thanks
Steve

Opensauce

18/1/2018 at 2:29pm
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Check the gross train weight of car. This is the max allowed weight of car & caravan together, ie not the actual weighbridge weight of combination but max it could be. If it’s over 3.5t then your motorway limit towing is 90kph same as trucks.

fatscoleymo

18/1/2018 at 2:54pm
Location: Charente Maritime France
Outfit: 1996 Lunar Planet Chiron.

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Opensauce thanks, - I have checked and it is 3954Kgs...so legal max is 90 kph then....seems a waste of a lot of performance...

I guess that most 4/5 seat cars and caravan combinations will be over 3500kgs... Must be a small car and caravan to dip under that.

So......what speeds do you all cruise at?

This is just to get an idea of what people are comfortable towing at, conditions permitting.

Steve

Opensauce

18/1/2018 at 3:12pm
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I’m under that but cruising along with the trucks at 90k does me. Plenty of cars are under 3.5t gtw. It’s nothing to do with weight of caravan. French law takes only max allowed gtw of car. If you have small car towing large caravan you may be ok for 130k but large car with small caravan is 90k. Thats the French for you. There don’t seem much enforcement of the limit though so tow at whatever speed you are comfortable with.

fatscoleymo

18/1/2018 at 3:18pm
Location: Charente Maritime France
Outfit: 1996 Lunar Planet Chiron.

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Thanks again Opensauce...does seem daft that a potentially less stable light car, heavy van outfit gets to be legal at 130....whereas the 'accepted' safer heavy car, light van is restricted to 90...
As you say, that is France...we know all about that.

Happy and safe carvanning to all,

Stve

Nellie72

18/1/2018 at 5:20pm
Location: S.Wales
Outfit: Bailey Pageant Bordeaux

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3 years ago we towed out Bailey Pageant Bordeaux (1300ish) with an isuzu D max, well over 3500 but I towed at the same speeds I do at home; stick it at 62mph on cruise control. 2 years ago we towed the same van but with a VW amarock, it was only the 2l auto so used to junt the gears at every hll if it was in auto, so although I used to try to keep it around 60-62mph I never towed on cruise control. last year we had a Rav 4 with the same caravan and again I tow at 62 on motorways.

Assuming traffic conditions, weather and hills are all safe, ie I dont go flying down a 2 mile stretch of 1 in 6 mountain at 62mph :D That's not to say the dutch with their little citroens pulling bigger caravans than mine still fly past me doing 80mph+ but ime the dutch, when they get behind a wheelm are all bonkers

I've not been pulled over by police, that's not to say that what i was doing was legal, I dont think French plod much care unless you're driving like an arse, as well as pick up trucks being few and far between in France

Post last edited on 18/01/2018 18:01:38

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664DaveS

18/1/2018 at 7:07pm
Location: Shropshire
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We stick to speed limits on normal roads usually 50ish moh, on motorways we stick around 60 as in uk, its close to 90kph as we have Santa Fe which is a large car!
Its easy for speed to creep up so might go a tad over! Cruise useful on less busy autoroutes!

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checkley1973

18/1/2018 at 7:22pm
Location: Sheffield
Outfit: Sterling Eccles Sport 636

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We tow our van at 110-120 weather and traffic dependent. Never been stopped and never get a 2nd look from the police. See many outfits overtaking me too, mostly Dutch with their vans swaying around behind them

Grandad Kenny

18/1/2018 at 9:35pm
Location: Essex
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Between 90 and 100 on dual carriageways and speed limits off motorways. Why tow any faster than you would in UK?

fatscoleymo

18/1/2018 at 9:56pm
Location: Charente Maritime France
Outfit: 1996 Lunar Planet Chiron.

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Thanks all for your input.
Grandad K - I've never towed in the UK.
The motorways over here are generally much quieter (with exceptions)and it's a much bigger country, so being able to legally travel faster would be an advantage in some instances.
It's a funny rule this max train weight - I've still got our Peugeot 406 estate and it's train weight is under 3500kgs. So it's legally allowed to pull a caravan at 130kph, but the heavier,more powerful Superb, better suited to higher speeds is limited to 90kph. The cars are virtually identical in size, so I guess the Police visually would have nothing to alert them of a 'crime'if I was to exceed 90 in the Skoda..

All hypothetical anyway, I'll just hitch it up and see how if feels, then drive accordingly.
Cheers,
Steve

checkley1973

20/1/2018 at 11:08am
Location: Sheffield
Outfit: Sterling Eccles Sport 636

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Quote: Originally posted by Grandad Kenny on 18/1/2018
Between 90 and 100 on dual carriageways and speed limits off motorways. Why tow any faster than you would in UK?

France is a totally different environment. We go faster when it’s appropriate on toll roads. Traffic much lighter and easier to keep your distance with the odd exception.

Baileyjake

25/1/2018 at 1:24pm
Location: West Midlands
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my cars GTW is way above 3500kg.

we holiday every year in france and i pretty much tow at the same speed i do in the UK which is just under 60mph so just over the 55mph limit.

i know, and have seen, french guys towing trailers at well over 90mph (not whilst towing myself). i was overtaken by an oldschool peugeot 205 towing a small trailer when driving our company Nissan navara, i thought i would speed up to see how fast he was towing. at 90 i was just able to keep up as he weaved through the motorway traffic.

anyaway, for me 60 seems safe, driving faster wont get you to your destination much quicker but it will burn fuel and the risk of acidents is higer. even if my outfit was less than 3500kg i would likly tow at just under 60.

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Tom#n#Gill

29/1/2018 at 11:32am
Location: Bolton
Outfit: Smart but casual.

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Set cruise at 100kph

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TomnGill

GEORGEBB

30/1/2018 at 9:48pm
Location: Central Scotland
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If i set my cruise at 60 on car my Tom Tom reads 57, LR discovery. It was even worse on my last car a 2016 A6. 4mph difference. I set my CC at 62-3 to compensate
GPS more accurate than a car speedo.

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Kelper

05/2/2018 at 10:39am
Location: Northern Ireland
Outfit: Sterckeman Alize Concept CP480

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I don't have a hard and fast rule ...

Yes, I use cruise control frequently, and not just on motorways ...

I usually tow at between 60 and 70 on motorways ...

The speed of towing will depend on many things ... and how the unit 'feels' ...

Dependencies include: Weather (rain/wind/temperature etc), tyre pressure changes (heat can make a huge difference ... both the ambient and the tyre's friction heat), loading of caravan and car ... there are probable minor variations (eg amount of food/drink being carried, how much water in the toilet system), and, of course, the volume of traffic on the road.

When I towed an FC, it was anything up to 81 mph on motorways ... but it was so much easier to tow!

Oh, and, yes, George ... I usually compensate by bumping up the CC by 3-4 mph if close to the legal limits.

steve mx

23/2/2018 at 3:29pm
Location: glos
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we tow with a nissan xtrail at 65 on the cruise in france 60 at home

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