Thread: Towing a Caravan

If you ever participate in an event where the caravan ESC cuts in,,(and I hope that never happens)
Please write it up.

Its interesting to have an older LR towing a new van with stability control,
usually its a LR with its own software doing the helping.

Originally Posted by Keithy P38

If you read the owners manual it specifically says not to use load leveling devices on P38's.

Keithy I know thank you. What I don't know is why they say that.

Air bags relevel the car but don't change the physics.

When you hook up you can see the front of the car lift. Not only does the back axle take the ball weight but also some more of the weight of the front of the car. That extra weight on the rear axle is not great but what is worse is the reduced weight on the front axle

Putting more air in the rear springs makes this worse. With a tandem axle trailer, As you lift the back of the car it will take more weight off the trailer axles and put it on the towball. This means more weight off the front wheels

The problem is that you don't want your front wheels to be hardly touching the ground. You don't want them to be lighter than an empty car. You want them stuck down. This matters a lot when you are towing something long, with big windage which is heavy.

While I don't use load levellers for 20ft 2 tonne vans or boats I would never tow my big van without them

Wether a spring is made of steel or air it doesn't change the physics. Anyway that is why i do what I do but i know some people won't agree