Thread: Mods for Towing a Caravan

Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift

Someone please explain about this tow in 3rd,,
with standard tyres thats 3K revs at 100kph
seriously?
wow..


apart from that,
make sure you can actually jack the van up,, you know its height, and weight fully loaded,
know what stud pattern and brakes, you have, even if you can what bearings it takes.
I put a PWR cooler as far forward behind the grill as possible,, and also bought the largest one with the same diameter piping as the box, no buildup or drop in pressure.
Check ALL your gearbox external cooling line joints. give them a twist. just do it.

Hi Pedro
It's also 2500 revs at 80Kph which is perfect for that speed. For 100Kph Lockup in drive is obviously the best.

Nick

Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift

Someone please explain about this tow in 3rd,,
with standard tyres thats 3K revs at 100kph
seriously?
wow..

Sound rubbish right? I wish I knew that when my D2 was newer. It is good advice.
You need to watch water, EGT & transmission temperatures to appreciate how much cooler everything can run in sport 3rd locked.
I used to tow 2.9t with my D2, most of it in 3rd unless the road was flat & the wind was from behind. The difference in temperature between locked & unlocked torque converter can be as much as 60deg if you are pulling hard.
Add the chip & boost box, bigger intercooler & straight through exhaust & you had better be watching the EGT because it flies up into the 700's if you are not careful.

I sometimes thing unmodified is better. Just my experience.

Here are some of the things I have found important, so I hope they help.
My approach is not to stuff around with shortcuts, but to fix it right the first time, as it's cheaper in the long run.
Does yours have rear air suspension and does it keep it level when towing? If you don't have rear air get airbags in the rear springs. If you have it but it's not working properly get it fixed.
The auto and transfer case should be thoroughly serviced with fresh oil, make sure the filter inside the auto is replaced and if the gears are slipping get that fixed. An auto oil cooler is an excellent idea.
The cooling system will need a thorough test and don't hesitate to replace hoses or the core if it shows even the slightest problem, as it's cheap insurance.
You might want to get gauges fitted for engine and exhaust gas temperatures.
The brakes will be working harder so they need a thorough service. You will need a good brake controller such as Redarc or Tekonsha if you don't already have it. Get the van's brakes serviced too.
Are your wheel bearings, axles, flanges and CVs up to the extra load?
Only after all those are done would I start seeking more power. If the basics are not right then more power might just make the problems worse.
You might also consider a dual reversing camera with a second camera on the back of the van to make reversing easier.
Also, maybe a set of 6 tyre pressure warning system to warn about deflating tyres.
Do you have wider mirrors to see around the van?
As was said above, check you have a jack which can actually lift the van.
Towing puts extra pressure on tyres, so make sure they are up to the job.
BTW I didn't tow in third auto in our D1 but I did intervene more frequently to manually pull it down to avoid lugging. Find the sweet spot in the revs and use the shifter to keep in that range, I recommend.

It would seem using a V8 to tow is a much simpler proposition,,
My main concern is not unlocking the box,, hence I dont tow in sport, I dont want a downshift to an unlocked 3rd, so I just let it lug in 4th, it seems happy to keep towing down to around 1900 rpm,, in 4th.

Timely thread as I'm setting off tomorrow pulling 1.8 t of van with Charlie my D2a Td5, for the long weekend with high 30 deg days predicted.

Mechanically he is totally bog standard and over the almost 5 years I've owned him I've had no problems towing even on 40 deg+ days. A bog std tune means I don't have to obsess about EGT numbers.

We may be a bit slower getting up to cruising speed and on the hills but can easily exceed the speed limit otherwise.

My only recommendations are on hills to drop back into third before you drop below 80kph and loose lockup and get your transmission serviced more regularly that recommended.

If you start modding then it is likely to trigger more mods down the drive line to cope. For example flashing/ chipping the ecu will mean an egt gague and driving to it, upgrading the transmission to cope with the extra torque and so on.

Cheers

Steve

Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift

It would seem using a V8 to tow is a much simpler proposition,,
.

Ah popcorn time starts again. Having towed the same van with both the rover V8 and Td5 I find the Td5 torque curve much better for towing. The D2a auto has the same torque as the V8 but it's arrives much lower in the rev range.

Cheers

Steve

Originally Posted by Rok_Dr

Timely thread as I'm setting off tomorrow pulling 1.8 t of van with Charlie my D2a Td5, for the long weekend with high 30 deg days predicted.

Mechanically he is totally bog standard and over the almost 5 years I've owned him I've had no problems towing even on 40 deg+ days. A bog std tune means I don't have to obsess about EGT numbers.

We may be a bit slower getting up to cruising speed and on the hills but can easily exceed the speed limit otherwise.

My only recommendations are on hills to drop back into third before you drop below 80kph and loose lockup and get your transmission serviced more regularly that recommended.

If you start modding then it is likely to trigger more mods down the drive line to cope. For example flashing/ chipping the ecu will mean an egt gague and driving to it, upgrading the transmission to cope with the extra torque and so on.

Cheers

Steve

You're quite right.

Originally Posted by Rok_Dr

Ah popcorn time starts again. Having towed the same van with both the rover V8 and Td5 I find the Td5 torque curve much better for towing. The D2a auto has the same torque as the V8 but it's arrives much lower in the rev range.

Cheers

Steve

er, no. 300 Vs 340.
and I doubt either sees this rpm except locked up in 3rd or 4th,
Take off from lights and the tacho goes straight over 2K, and the rattler goes well over.
From your boys unwillingness to tow in 4th I cant see them ever seeing a lockedup 1900rpm,, well, ever!