Towing a caravan with SDV8

[Disco4SE]

Hi all,

Had my first trip with our new van with the RRS SDV8,
Was pleasantly surprised with the power, torque & economy.
Our new van is a semi off road coming in at just over 3 Ton loaded.
Two other couples were with us.
One with a new Patrol Y62 with the petrol V8 towing a medium size pop top. The second vehicle is a Grand Cherokee with the 3Lt V6 diesel, towing a slightly smaller and lighter van than ours.
Conditions were strong head and side winds with hilly winding roads.

The fuel economy results were as follows: -
Nissan Patrol Y62 - 20. 5 Lt per 100 Klm's.
Grand Cherokee - 18.5 Lt per 100 Klm's.
RRS SDV8 - 16.4 Lt per 100 Klm's.

Very happy!

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Yea,, the SDV8 combined with the 8 speed is a killer combo..
I really doubt theres anything even close to it as a Tug...



omg,, a Y62 towing a poptop?!? [bigrolf]

[scarry]

omg,, a Y62 towing a poptop?!? [bigrolf]

No surprise there,apart from being petrol,its the biggest and heaviest out of those three by a country mile.

And probably the most reliable and less maintenance hungry than the others.

[Disco4SE]

No surprise there,apart from being petrol,its the biggest and heaviest out of those three by a country mile.
Yes, it is around 400 Kg lighter than the RRS, but the caravan they were towing was a ton lighter [smilebigeye]

[Disco4SE]

Hi all,

So, we are back home from our maiden voyage with the new caravan.

We managed 15.2 Lt per 100 Klm's on the return trip, which included a bit of stop / start and sight seeing.

[Pedro_The_Swift]

:ttiwwp:

[bigwhistle]

[Disco4SE]

:ttiwwp:

[bigwhistle]
That's a big van Pedro. What sort of economy are you getting?

[Pedro_The_Swift]

same as you..... [tonguewink]

[Bails]

Just weighed my SDV8 FULL FUEL TWO people 2.8 only leaves 430 kg for van.

[Disco4SE]

Just wondering if others tow in normal D mode, or Sports mode.
I was advised to just whack it in D for the SDV8

[Pedro_The_Swift]

D...

I suppose if there was some noise to let me know what the engines doing I might paddle it,

[Pedro_The_Swift]

After consulting "He who shall remain Nameless" I've driven the last 3 weeks or so in "S"
still no paddles though...

higher rev change points and does change down when slowing.. you can also feel ( just ) the changes up now..

[Disco4SE]

After consulting "He who shall remain Nameless" I've driven the last 3 weeks or so in "S"
still no paddles though...

higher rev change points and does change down when slowing.. you can also feel ( just ) the changes up now..
Have you noticed any difference in fuel economy?

[Pedro_The_Swift]

No sorry,, its not something that comes up often here...
2.7T towing 2.7T at 117kph.... and you want fuel figures? [bigrolf] [bighmmm][tonguewink]


I do think it tows better though...
by better I mean average speed better..

[Disco4SE]

2.7T towing 2.7T at 117kph.... and you want fuel figures? [bigrolf] [bighmmm][tonguewink]
Interested if you have noticed it using more fuel.

My van is 3 ton. Best fuel economy is 13.8Lt per 100, worst 16.4Lt per 100 (hilly windy roads with head wind) [biggrin]

Cheers, Craig

[Pedro_The_Swift]

I will endeavour to take more interest.. [thumbsupbig] Off to Longreach today but its only a hundred kays, we did fill up yesterday so only a dozen or less kays from full BUT will a hundred kays be a big enough sample?

[Pedro_The_Swift]

You'd have to be bloody happy with 16!!!
My V8 D2 got 16 just on it lonesome!! [bigrolf]

[Pedro_The_Swift]

around 120kays using 20l... so-- 6 kays per litre?

which is just less than twice what I was getting towing on lpg with the D2

[scarry]

around 120kays using 20l... so-- 6 kays per litre?

Which is just less than twice what I was getting towing on lpg with the D2

16.6L/100,so pretty good if at actual speed limit of 100Km/h or slightly above.

Our old D4 would have used more,probably around 18.But it would be heavier.

Not that i really cared i just drove the bloody thing,at the speed limit or just above if the conditions were good,if not slower.

What i did find was towing we were always looking for fuel,tank size was a PITA.

[Pedro_The_Swift]

It was the Perfect Storm of Goodness... [bigrolf]
Average speed camera- so Cruise control set to 110- Check!
Flat as a pancake- Check!
Totally calm- Check!
Zero traffic- Check!

[Bails]

OK just finished 3,600 k trip with 20.6 Zone. Not about fuel but best tow setup. I found that Dynamic in drive gave best ride and best fuel consumption, takes the bounce out. Sport also changes damping but gets slightly higher fuel usage.

SDV8 has dynamic mode as standard not sure if other models have.

[Pedro_The_Swift]

But if you drive around in Dynamic all the time theres no instant buzz when its selected[emoji1],, oh! And does it auto lower on Dynamic?

[Geedublya]

Dynamic makes it ride way too hard in my SCV8. It also makes the throttle and gearbox settings too aggressive, great on a windy road but annoying when towing.
I don’t believe sport affects the suspension only gearbox settings.

[Joshf11]

Ive recently brought a 2015 RRS HSE SDV8, I towed my 3t 22ft caravan last week a found it really unstable on the highway at speeds, I got the chance to see how it handled in a slight crosswind to which was terrible. Ive towed the same van behind 3 different cars all had no issues what so ever the van weights are spot on tow ball down weight etc.
Ive added a resistor to the indicator to let the RRS know there a trailer attached, I've added a 2inch riser hitch so the caravan chassis is level.
Am I missing something here when it comes to towing with the RRS ? Over a weighbridge the RRS is 2.7t, the van is 3t I know its better to have a heavier tow car than van, but hasn't been a problem for others on this thread.
My last car was a landcriuser 200 series it was very stable but lacked what the sdv8 has power and a 8 speed box.
Is everyone using a anti sway module on there van when paired to a Land Rover ?
if I can nut out this stability issue id be a happy man as I've got a 2 week trip this xmas break in the van.

[LuckyLes]

Hi Josh,
Are you using any sort of weight distribution device? With the air suspension in RR's and Disco's this is a no no. I tow a 3ton van behind my Disco HSE and it tows beautifully.

[Joshf11]

Hi Josh,
Are you using any sort of weight distribution device? With the air suspension in RR's and Disco's this is a no no. I tow a 3ton van behind my Disco HSE and it tows beautifully.

No wdh just a standard hitch

[Bails]

Strange I have just towed 3.2 ton Zone from wollongong to W.A and back no issues re stability. Cross winds will effect all vans , same with road surface. Hard to tell from your post , my ball weight is around 320 kgs , straight hitch as height was perfect for the Zone. I do have stability control but it never goes off.

I run 38 psi front and 45 psi rear tyres , 45 psi on the van. I use two sets of wheels, 22 inch last trip but normally 20 inch if doing more dirt.

I am assuming you have a dual axle van, but searching the brands group may give you more info than this board.

Good luck with it.

[Joshf11]

Strange I have just towed 3.2 ton Zone from wollongong to W.A and back no issues re stability. Cross winds will effect all vans , same with road surface. Hard to tell from your post , my ball weight is around 320 kgs , straight hitch as height was perfect for the Zone. I do have stability control but it never goes off.

I run 38 psi front and 45 psi rear tyres , 45 psi on the van. I use two sets of wheels, 22 inch last trip but normally 20 inch if doing more dirt.

I am assuming you have a dual axle van, but searching the brands group may give you more info than this board.

Good luck with it.

Its so strange I read your post and guessed the zone would be over 3 tonne and you had no issues. I might double check the tow ball wieght and try and reduce the hitch distance from ball to pin. just a question bails, does the Zone have an anti sway module in it ?