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Quote: Originally posted by navver on 20/9/2020

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With a diesel you need to keep the engine speed within the torque range of the engine. Somewhere you will find the Max Torque engine speed. My 1.6 Pug is 1500 RPM.

I find if I go above about 2500 RPM the engine really struggles so a change up drops the engine speed down to where the torque is and the thing takes off like an express train.

They are very different to petrol engines.

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Quote: Originally posted by Monty15 on 20/9/2020

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Quote: Originally posted by helen8785 on 19/9/2020

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I did that car/caravan match thing and it said it was perfect, so I went to buy the lightweight caravan with it and thinking I was doing the right thing as its about 75%. The mtlpm is only 1190.   So hopefully it won't ruin the car as I won't be changing it now.

I'm happy to drive at 60mph on the motorway, it was just slow when overtaking, but at least this way I'll never be in trouble for speeding lol.

The van did pretty much have everything in it, the front locker had a gas bottle, some tools and the electric cable, so it wasn't empty and the inside had all our stuff. But, we don't have an awning or anything like that, its just bedding plastic plates, kettle, toaster, waste master and water hog. We don't travel with too much as it just means more to sort when we get there.

Hoping I'll just get used to it and I'll check the tyres, but was hoping that they had been checked as I'd just bought it.

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Don't trust a dealer to do anything you don't specifically ask them to do, and even then still check they did it!

When I picked my van up from dealer after I'd purchased it, it handled like a pig, the ATC even kicked in a few times on a 30 mile journey home, and I was driving with caution (it'd been a few years since I'd towed anything more than a couple hundred yards - powerboat to/from slipway and adjacent storage pitch) and well within the speed limit, but it was horrible and I seriously questioned my purchase! Turns out the dealer had not inflated tyres to correct pressure, they were 30% underinflated! I didn't check the nose weight but that would have been too heavy on the unloaded van as well. After inflating tyres to correct pressure and getting nose weight right through correct loading of contents, it now tows like a dream.

My outfit is about a 95% weight match with MTLPM of 1310Kg with only a 120hp petrol engine and I reckon it'd probably do well over 80mph with ease, it's accidentally done over 70mph without struggling, usually have to use cruise control/speed limiter to keep speed down to 60mph as it's very keen to exceed that if I don't keep a close eye on speedo!

Something is likely amiss if your outfit will only struggle to 60mph on a flat road! Check underinflated tyres and binding brakes on caravan!

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Quote: Originally posted by marg6 on 20/9/2020

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Quote: Originally posted by navver on 20/9/2020

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With a diesel you need to keep the engine speed within the torque range of the engine. Somewhere you will find the Max Torque engine speed. My 1.6 Pug is 1500 RPM.

I find if I go above about 2500 RPM the engine really struggles so a change up drops the engine speed down to where the torque is and the thing takes off like an express train.

They are very different to petrol engines.

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its an automatic, its not easy to drive like that with them

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Quote: Originally posted by Baileyjake on 23/9/2020

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as mentioned before, check the nose weight and load the caravan so that its close to the maximum.

if you imagine the caravan is like a seesaw load items behind the axle to lower the nose weight and in front to increase it.

if i dont load my caravan to nosewieght to 90+kg the ride is like bing on a boat. when i arrive at site and sit down i can still feel it bobbing.

my car can take 150kg on the nose but the alko hitch can only take 100kg.

incidentally when i collected my caravan when it was empty it towed really well but as soon as all of the stuff was loaded in you could feel the difference.

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