estate for towing

[robb]

Hi guys ,Which 406 estate would be best for towing a largish caravan ?. At the moment I tow a freedom microlite with my 2 litre petrol which tows with no problem ,but the missus wants a bigger 2 berth caravan and I was wondering if anyone tows a caravan with theirs and which size engine they have ,petrol or diesel .thanks in advance .......Rob

[midsmike]

Hi guys ,Which 406 estate would be best for towing a largish caravan ?. At the moment I tow a freedom microlite with my 2 litre petrol which tows with no problem ,but the missus wants a bigger 2 berth caravan and I was wondering if anyone tows a caravan with theirs and which size engine they have ,petrol or diesel .thanks in advance .......Rob

hi ive never towed a caravan with my saloon but ive towed lots of cars, big vans, l200's and big trailers ive pulled just under 3 tonn with my 2.1 td and it pulls gd

[Gary406]

dont see why the 2 litre petrol wont do it mate. what power does the petrol 2litre have ?

a hdi 110 will probably have more torque . but still dont see why the 2 litre petrol wont pull it ok ..

[robb]

Hj Gar y Dont know what the power is on mine ,just wondering if any other members had any advice on which is more suitable thanks for your answers

[Gary406]

the best one will probably be a 2.2 hdi. with 137 bhp and a lot of torque....

[grasmere59]

What weight of caravan are you thinking about? I towed a 1385 kg 2 berth caravan on short distances with my old Rapier 110 hdi estate and to be honest i didn't like it at all,it was a bit of a white knuckle ride to be honest.I towed the same caravan with my Executive 110 hdi and for some reason it felt more stable.It will struggle to pull 5th on slow gradients so be prepared to stick in 4th on some hills.You will have to do something with the rear suspension i reckon as they are too soft in my opinion,i was looking at fitting a pair of Grayson spring assisters (rubber rings that go between the coils on the springs) also you have to take into account that the 406 has quite a low nose weight rating (80kgs i think) so you have to load the caravan carefully.I'm going to try hard this year to sort the 406 for towing because i only get approx 20 mpg from the BMW when towing and it can cost a fortune to get down to Cornwall etc.I'm going to get the 406 remapped in the next couple of months to up the bhp and torque.I'm towing the caravan back from the dealers on Saturday so it'll give the 406 another test.

[midsmike]

it all depends on how many axles its got if its a twin then ur car will hardly have anythink to carry just pulling

[plod]

I towed a caravan with my car and was doing 70 down the M1 no problem
I do think the extra oomph from the remap really helped

[Doggy]

Notwithstanding grasmere59's comments regarding stability with a caravan, (which he clearly is better placed to judge), I have towed fairly heavily loaded trailers with mine and find it the best tow car I have used. It's mostly about torque & they stack up like this, (from memory):

2.0 petrol, about 140 lb/ft?
XUD 145 lb/ft
HDi 90 155 lb/ft
2.1 TD 180 lb/ft
HDi 110 184 lb/ft
HDi 136 245 lb/ft
remapped 2.2 HDi 295 lb/ft

[grasmere59]

Another thing to think about is the 85% rule,although it is not law rule of thumb is that what you are towing weighs no more than 85% of the tow vehicle's kerbweight.The cops are preety hot in the summer pulling over car/caravan outfits for overweight situations and i have heard stories of insurance companys voiding claims on accidents where overweights have been involved.

[grasmere59]

Also it depends aswell when you passed your uk driving test i think,if you passed after 1997(i think) you are limited to the gross weight of your car and trailer/caravan,don't quote me on this but i think it's on the goverment website.Another good website if your thinking of getting a bigger caravan is "whatowcar",it can match your car and caravan for compatibility.

[robb]

Thanks for all the info guys things are a lot clearer now

[STALLED]

Don't you find the rear suspension on the 406 a bit too soft for towing?

I'd rather be using something like a Omega or C5/Xantia if the choice came!

[robb]

Don't you find the rear suspension on the 406 a bit too soft for towing?

I'd rather be using something like a Omega or C5/Xantia if the choice came!

I have noticed its a bit soft but if I buy a heavier caravan I will as Grasmere suggests get some spring assisters

[benczuk]

I have towed a 900kg 2 berth and a 1300kg six berth whit my old 110 hdi without issue. I hardly noticed the lighter one was on the car (easily maintained 70 on motorway). You felt the larger one, but it wasn't struggling.

I now tow my 1300kg one with my 2.2 136 hdi which actually won caravan club tow car of the year in 2002. The extra power goes a long way to help maintain speed. i had to fit some spring assisters (there are threads here on whether they are a good thing or not and if they place extra strain on the spring, but i needed them so there wasn't much option) to the rear to stop it dropping to far when loaded, but apart from that it tows like a dream.

re stability - the large overhang behind the rear wheels means a stabilizer device is highly recommended. once fitted you should have no problem.