I am so confused. I worked out the nose weight of the van we are going to get. But can not find anywhere on the car or in the car handbook what nose weight the car can take. I know the car can tow a upto 1500kg. The van is 1145kg, so less then the 85% rule. So how can I workout what nose weight the car can take ?
You don't 'work out' the max nose weight figure, it's a stated figure for the car, usually found in the car specification figures, often to be found in the owners handbook and/or on the sales brochure.
There are in fact TWO figures to consider, which may not be the same, the Car's max nose weight AND the Towbar's max nose weight, you must not exceed the LESSER of the two.
There should be a sticker or plate on the towbar showing the weights, if the plate is missing come back with the vehicle details and towbar make and type and I may be able to look it up for you.
Is the caravan weight of 1145kg the MIRO or the MTPLM? What's the kerbweight of the car?
OK, so now you need to check the max nose weight of the tow bar and use the lower of the 2 figures. The actual nose weight of the caravan will depend on how the caravan is loaded, it's not something you can calculate.