Jump to content
SAU Community

What Towing Vehicle Is Good

jrocket

By jrocket,
in General Automotive Discussion

 Share

Recommended Posts

jrocket Proficient

jrocket

Posted
Posted

Hey all. I am hoping to get a car to race in the near future and as it will be an unregistered car I will be trailering it around of course. But in preparation I am trying to find a vehicle that will be suitable to tow a tandem trailer with this car on it.

I hope to buy a 180sx for racing so i know what sorta vehicle weight i have to pull. Currently I am thinking of getting a VS commodore ute maybe V8 but if a V6 will pull it ok i will prob buy that.

I want a ute cos i want to put the motor bike in the back to take on trips.

So i guess my question is "will a VS V6 ute pull a trailer with 180sx car on it, comfortably" or should i look at getting a V8.

I am not too sure about the towing vehicle weight requirements but will check vic roads on that.

Any one have suggestions.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/166207-what-towing-vehicle-is-good/
Share on other sites
evil_weevil Grand Master

evil_weevil

Posted
Posted

VS V6 utes "can" pull that weight load - maybe a falcon ute of similar age? I thought the falcon had a higher payload/towing weight? def not 100% sure

VS V8 utes actually hold their value fairly well so finding one might take a bit longer.

Ideally Id be going for an 8 - sure the wallet wont like you filling a track car and a V8 :) but just that more torque will be helpful :)

edit - thinking out of square here....but a Hilux? mid 90's model you can find easily, they tow and are unbreakable!

jrocket Proficient

jrocket

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Hmm interesting. I was thinking of using something different such as a hilux etc but was unsure what sort would be suitable as well as affordable.

I was thinking of a ford ute also maybe 6 or 8 but I am kinda leaning towards holden as i like them more :) But i rather a V6 than a straight six.

Well since i prob wont be using the ute to tow the trailer everyday i was thinking maybe just go with the V6 for ecconomy reasons. Also prb will get one on gas.

But I havent ever ventured to the dark side and got a V8 before, so i kinda want one to see what its like. :)

Well thanks for the feed back so far.

Neil Grand Master

Neil

Posted
Posted

I use an Ef 6cyl Falcon wagon. After much discussions with people in the industry the commodore was a scratching,,,straight 6/4l against V6/3.6l and apparently a much more reaiable unit. V8's never ever entered into the equation,,,the only V8 allowed in my driveway would be a Mustang.

One thing you have to keep in mind is not only are you towing a race car but you are also going to be carrying a shit load of equipment. Start writing a list of what you think you would take to a race meeting and then add another 100 kilo's

Neil.

STATUS Grand Master

STATUS

Posted
Posted (edited)

dont ever think of towing with a 80 series 4.0 landcruiser it was the shittest thing we have ever used. we put about 80k on our tow car each year doing all the drift rounds including WA and the 4.5l GU patrol is about the best thing we have used to date, it is duel fuel and can nearly make adelaide non-stop travelling at between 100-125...

I love my V8's (my background) but a VS V8 is a pretty puss thing and i dont believe it would be worth the extra expense and fuel usage over a V6, the falcon 4.0l in my 90' LTD used to tow better than my oldies vs wagon so it is also food for though.

A ute unless loaded right can be sketchy to tow in the wet too.

Edited by URAS
jrocket Proficient

jrocket

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Hmm you have given me a bit to think about. Yeah the vehicle i want has to be a ute as i want to use it for more than just towing. Might look at a ford 4ltr ute then.

There seem to be lots of ford utes for sale on carsales.com.au so i might look at these.

Thanks for the help people.

STATUS Grand Master

STATUS

Posted
Posted
how about a hilux surf turbo diesel.... there affordable.... the 3.0l variant would be the go as the 2.4 are abit gutless.

the TD surf have an inherently weak engine. a V6 navara would be interesting...... i have not tested one though.

Beer Baron Grand Master

Beer Baron

Posted
Posted

we are using a navara STR (turbo diesel). It's pretty damn good. has 4 doors, decent space in the back (which we ruined with a hard top, but needed for security). Plus of course we got stupid and changed the ecu, and added a boost controller for some more torque and power. but yeah, it tows very well, even up to silly speeds, fuel usage is not the best, but it's not too bad. especially if you keep it around 100kmh and stay off boost as much as poss. looks very mean in black too with the roll over bar and foggies.

Beer Baron Grand Master

Beer Baron

Posted
Posted

yeah, it's an 04 model i think. i'll see if i can find a pic.

it's a good daily kind of car. can fit plenty of tools and crap in the back. tows well. can fit 4 or 5 people in it easily. has good head room. and it looks kind of like a mini hummer in black... lol ok i'm dreaming. the gun set-up seems to be an F250 or some other F series but sadly they are far too much dough. >_<

PIG747 Mentor

PIG747

Posted
Posted
we are using a navara STR (turbo diesel). It's pretty damn good. has 4 doors, decent space in the back (which we ruined with a hard top, but needed for security). Plus of course we got stupid and changed the ecu, and added a boost controller for some more torque and power. but yeah, it tows very well, even up to silly speeds, fuel usage is not the best, but it's not too bad. especially if you keep it around 100kmh and stay off boost as much as poss. looks very mean in black too with the roll over bar and foggies.

yeh i have a mate that uses one of these for towing and has never had a problem.. even with a full car and tyres and tools in the back..

also has a mate that uses a pajero for towing and it does the job fine considering it only cost him $5gz to buy

Omurru Veteran

Omurru

Posted
Posted

I've got a VS V6 dual fuel wagon and it's not hugley bad but I wouldn't recomend one if your gonna be using it for towing alot, especially at highway speeds. Need something with more torque and a heavier rear end. We've got a brand new hilux at work and i've towed a 3tonne GPU with it and it was like nothing was behind me......

wrxhoon Grand Master

wrxhoon

Posted
Posted

Best tow vehicles are turbo diesel 4WD's, they are not cheap to buy though.

I tow a 3.2 t boat with 100 series 4.2lt turbo diesel landcruiser, no probles at all, I had a 80 series landcruiser turbo before that, again excellent tow vehicle. They will provide you with a resonable fuel ecconomy as well . I use about 15-18 lts per 100km , the same landcruiser towing your 180sx ( should be about 2 t) will return about 13-15 lts per 100 km .

Don't be tempted to use petrol 4WD's , they will send you broke on fuel (25-30 lts per 100 km).

The commie will tow in either 6 or V8 form and so will the falcon ( better than the commie because it has leaf rear springs ). the problem with these car type utes is that the tow bar is bolted on sheet metal so you always worry if the tow bar is still there, especially if you use a weight distribution hitch and you should .

STATUS Grand Master

STATUS

Posted
Posted (edited)

i hate the 80 series diesel too.... damn slug ^^^^ the 100 series a mate has seems to be a bit better than the 80 but it was out of our price range though, youre obviously happy with yours. Maybe next year we will test drive one.... i like the V8 model as it has better appointments and i reckon as a duel fuel would work out ok...... we have already put 95,000 on the GU in 13 months..... total of 262,000km..... due for a trade in already :(

i must admit we were pricks when we bought our 4wd we took the whole setup and test towed each car 6 differrent models in total :cool: we actually spend less $$$ on the petrol gas combo than we would with a diesel and it actually tows faster and easier than the 4.2lt landcruiser did when we test drove it.

post-34927-1177671915.jpg

Edited by URAS
wrxhoon Grand Master

wrxhoon

Posted
Posted
i hate the 80 series diesel too.... damn slug ^^^^ the 100 series a mate has seems to be a bit better than the 80 but it was out of our price range though, youre obviously happy with yours. Maybe next year we will test drive one.... i like the V8 model as it has better appointments and i reckon as a duel fuel would work out ok...... we have already put 95,000 on the GU in 13 months..... total of 262,000km..... due for a trade in already :(

i must admit we were pricks when we bought our 4wd we took the whole setup and test towed each car 6 differrent models in total :cool: we actually spend less $$$ on the petrol gas combo than we would with a diesel and it actually tows faster and easier than the 4.2lt landcruiser did when we test drove it.

You must be talking about the none turbo 4.2 landcruiser, right? Turbos have plenty of grunt, even more than the 4.7 v8 and they have the same appointments as the petrol , no difference at all. On the other hand you can buy poverty pack 4.2 none turbos and you are correct in saying they are slugs . 4WD's on gas towing heavy loads can use gas at a freightening rate like 30+ltrs per 100km, so the price advantage is all gone!! This is the reason all heavy trucks are turbo diesels !!

I wouldn't buy a diesel car and I wouldn't buy a petrol 4WD to use for towing or heavy off-road and sand use .

Landcruisers are very reliable trucks, i did 250k k's ( lots of heavy towing as well) in mine in 9 years with only routine servicing even the orinal clutch lasted the distance .... the 100 series is the 4th landcruiser I own and I will replace it shortly with the 200 series when it goes on sale the end of the year . She will also be a turbo diesel, twin turbo 4.5lt v8...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • GTSBoy
      Mistakes were made, my R34 Story

      By GTSBoy · Posted

      I neglected to respond to this previously. Get it up to 100 psi, and then you'll be OK.
    • MBS206
      Mistakes were made, my R34 Story

      By MBS206 · Posted

      I agree with everything else, except (and I'm rethinking this as it wasn't setup how my brain first though) if the sensor is at the end of a hose which is how it has been recommended to isolate it from vibrations, then if that line had a small hole in, I could foresee potentially (not a fluid dynamic specialist) the ability for it to see a lower pressure at the sensor. But thinking through, said sensor was in the actual block, HOWEVER it was also the sensor itself that broke, so oil pressure may not have been fully reaching the sensor still. So I'm still in my same theory.   However, I 100% would be saying COOL THE OIL DOWN if it's at 125c. That would be an epic concern of mine.   Im now thinking as you did Brad that the knock detection is likely due to the bearings giving a bit more noise as pressure dropped away. Kinkstah, drop your oil, and get a sample of it (as you're draining it) and send it off for analysis.
    • GTSBoy
      Mistakes were made, my R34 Story

      By GTSBoy · Posted

      I myself AM TOTALLY UNPREPARED TO BELIEVE that the load is higher on the track than on the dyno. If it is not happening on the dyno, I cannot see it happening on the track. The difference you are seeing is because it is hot on the track, and I am pretty sure your tuner is not belting the crap out of it on teh dyno when it starts to get hot. The only way that being hot on the track can lead to real ping, that I can think of, is if you are getting more oil (from mist in the inlet tract, or going up past the oil control rings) reducing the effective octane rating of the fuel and causing ping that way. Yeah, nah. Look at this graph which I will helpfully show you zoomed back in. As an engineer, I look at the difference in viscocity at (in your case, 125°C) and say "they're all the same number". Even though those lines are not completely collapsed down onto each other, the oil grades you are talking about (40, 50 and 60) are teh top three lines (150, 220 and 320) and as far as I am concerned, there is not enough difference between them at that temperature to be meaningful. The viscosity of 60 at 125°C is teh same as 40 at 100°C. You should not operate it under high load at high temperature. That is purely because the only way they can achieve their emissions numbers is with thin-arse oil in it, so they have to tell you to put thin oil in it for the street. They know that no-one can drive the car & engine hard enough on the street to reach the operating regime that demands the actual correct oil that the engine needs on the track. And so they tell you to put that oil in for the track. Find a way to get more air into it, or, more likely, out of it. Or add a water spray for when it's hot. Or something.   As to the leak --- a small leak that cannot cause near catastrophic volume loss in a few seconds cannot cause a low pressure condition in the engine. If the leak is large enough to drop oil pressure, then you will only get one or two shots at it before the sump is drained.
    • GTSBoy
      Help! Leak coming under transmission

      By GTSBoy · Posted

      So..... it's going to be a heater hose or other coolant hose at the rear of the head/plenum. Or it's going to be one of the welch plugs on the back of the motor, which is a motor out thing to fix.
    • MBS206
      Mistakes were made, my R34 Story

      By MBS206 · Posted

      The oil pressure sensor for logging, does it happen to be the one that was slowly breaking out of the oil block? If it is,I would be ignoring your logs. You had a leak at the sensor which would mean it can't read accurately. It's a small hole at the sensor, and you had a small hole just before it, meaning you could have lost significant pressure reading.   As for brakes, if it's just fluid getting old, you won't necessarily end up with air sitting in the line. Bleed a shit tonne of fluid through so you effectively replace it and go again. Oh and, pay close attention to the pressure gauge while on track!
×
×
  • Create New...