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Topic: Passat Alltrack or....?

Median

24/9/2018 at 11:17pm
Location: None Entered
Outfit: Bailey Ranger 510 4

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I currently have a 140bhp Passat Estate, which I really like. Unfortunately while with our old caravan this towed brilliantly, our new caravan (which is longer and heavier) is nowhere near as steady. The new van is a Sprite Major 6 with a MTPLM of around 1450kg. On A roads the car/van is fine but on the motorway the van is very susceptible to wind and passing cars/lorries. It's not a very relaxing drive. I know that a lot depends on how the van is loaded but I'm careful with weight distribution and nose weight however nothing has made a significant difference.

So...

I'm thinking I might bring my plans for a new car forward a bit. I'm considering a much heavier car (Sorento, Santa Fe, etc) but really like the look of the Alltrack. However I can't afford to get one and change it immediately if it isn't heavy/powerful enough. Does anyone tow a similarly sized van with an Alltrack? Is it up to it, particularly relating to stability? I know I can't go wrong with a Sorento or similar but the extra cost of a big 4x4 over an (albeit 4x4) estate is making me pause.

Any thoughts?

tango55

25/9/2018 at 1:15am
Location: Lichfield
Outfit: Coachman Amara 450

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If your old caravan was fine being towed but the new one is a bit unstable I advise to get the tyres balanced as they can make a significant difference in the stability if everything else has been checked such as the noseweight and loading etc. It's much cheaper than going looking for a new car as it might cure the problem but you won't know until you get the wheels off and have them balanced.
It's a long story from a 30 year experienced caravanner with a new Bailey caravan which was mentioned in one of the Camping & Caravanning Club monthly magazines a few years ago in the section where people write in and published respectively.

Grampian91

25/9/2018 at 7:19pm
Location: Midlands
Outfit: Mondeo Avondale Gram

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Have you weighed the van? You may find its heavier than the figures you have.

Natural materials will vary with weight and in my handbook they suggest + or - 5% as an average. But its possible that your van got the heaviest bit from each pile of bits.

There was a letter in one of the mags where the owner weighed his van and found it had less than 60kg of loading allowance left instead of the handbooks 200+kg.

He was lucky enough to have a decent towcar and could get the caravan uplated to allow them to carry more weight.

Median

03/10/2018 at 11:37pm
Location: None Entered
Outfit: Bailey Ranger 510 4

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Van has just gone in for a bit of warranty work and I asked them to balance the tyres. I’ll let you know how that goes.

I’m a bit confused as to why the van is so twitchy, we certainly don’t overload it and keep the nose weight at 5-7%. Hopefully the wheel balancing will help.

The 2 Tops

24/10/2018 at 9:54am
Location: None Entered
Outfit: Swift Challenger Sport 524 VW Carave

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A Passat estate has a long overhang behind the rear wheels. This amplifies any 'twitchiness' between car and caravan, and you have possibly moved up to a caravan weight that will cause it to be noticed. If you do change the car, look for one with the rear wheels as close to the back end as possible. Keeping the van's nose weight as near to the maximum tow ball weight of the car may also help.
Loading the car with the heavier items up behind the front row of seats will also help, but not so easy to do if you carry rear passengers. Careful loading of the van is also important. To give an idea of how weight can affect a van's stability: We once had a 5-berth Monza, and it was twitchy. As we did not need the 5th berth, I removed the swing-up 5th bed, which was like a house door hanging on the side of the van, and was at the offside rear, and the difference was amazing.
Bertie.

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The 2 Tops

Median

29/10/2018 at 9:10pm
Location: None Entered
Outfit: Bailey Ranger 510 4

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Just to keep you up to date. I collected the van with balanced wheels and went straight off for a weekend away. Amazing difference, hardly any twitchyness. I was about to post back about the difference when I got to site but found out the water tank was full. Giving an extra 10kg or so on the nose. On our return journey I emptied the tank and the twitchy feel returned. I can’t say if it was better than before but I do believe the balancing has helped.
Fast forward a few weeks and I’m away again. This time I put more weight on the nose (without having a full water tank) and the van was much more stable. Even did 30 or so gusty miles up the M6 to Keswick with no issues.
Summary? Balancing was worth it but I believe the biggest factor was nose weight. My next decision is to whether I can safely get enough on the Passat or if I need a heftier tug.

huw warrington

10/11/2018 at 9:30pm
Location: N.E.Wales
Outfit: Baily Olympus 540-5 Passat Alltrack

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I tow a Caravan with 1450 Kg MTPLM with a 2014 Passat Alltrack TDI 177 DSG. Best Towcar I've ever had! This summer we drove back from Brussels in one go. 500 miles in a day. Set the Cruise Control to 60 mph and the Passat will tow up hill and down dale all day without breaking sweat.

I do take care to load the caravan and check the noseweight. I try and get close to 90 Kg which helps enormously with stability. With a full boot of stuff, 4 passengers and bikes on the roof, the back of the car does sag a little bit, but with suspension 30 cm higher than a standard Passat I still have bags of ground clearance.

Post last edited on 10/11/2018 21:35:40

Post last edited on 10/11/2018 21:36:27

Colin21

10/11/2018 at 10:20pm
Location: East Herts
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I can't quite see how poor wheel balance could affect instability caused by passing vehicles, although I accept it could cause other issues. I am inclined to agree with the O/P that nose-weight was the real issue. I always load so that I am up to the maximum permitted nose-weight for the vehicle I am towing with. Its always given me a stable tow.

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Best Regards,
Colin

Median

11/11/2018 at 10:08pm
Location: None Entered
Outfit: Bailey Ranger 510 4

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Huw - Just what I wanted, someone with first hand experience. I bumped into a chap at Hebden Bridge CMC site a few weeks back who also had an Alltrack with a similar weight caravan who was very positive about the car.

Colin - I also couldn't see how having the wheels balanced could make much of a difference. In the end it cost £15 and was unlikely to make it worse so I figured why not.

But this story has a twist!

It turns out that my tow bar has developed an issue. After my last trip I noticed the tow ball had dropped some distance so gave it a good wiggle and it moved up and down several inches! For some reason it had lost two bolts, one from each side of the box section that runs between the arms that attach the bar to the car, one was missing and another had sheared. I was very fortunate that I didn't have a catastrophic failure while towing. I can't say for sure but the tow bar itself could have been causing the problem as it moved while towing. It's possible that one bolt went some time ago and that's affected the stability. That could also have caused the second bolt to shear as over time the extra load would have taken its toll. I, and the garage who fitted the tow bar (a very reputable fitter - I have no doubt that it was fitted correctly), have no idea what could have caused the failure. The garage had never seen anything like it. I'm usually very careful with loading and nose weights however something has gone awry. Since getting everything fixed I have only towed a short distance however I have to say the van felt very stable (with a 5% nose weight, well within tolerance of the van/car/bar) so I'm hoping that's problem solved. I may not even need a new car.

I still fancy an Alltrack though ...

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