Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

i use a old el falcon wagon on gas and ive towed my 18 ft boat and race car all over the place with it . i have had patrols to big for a dailey and not used enough for a dedicated tow car.

the old falcon wagon does a mighty job of it and there cheap as chips lol

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/342040-tow-car/page/2/#findComment-5523375
Share on other sites

the x-trail may have a tow rating of 2000kg, but that doesn't mean it will do it nicely. that is basically what the chassis, etc will take. says nothing about how it will tow. i did a quick search on it yesterday and found a lot of posts saying that nissan was a bit too generous with the tow rating for the x-trail.

also you didn't say what engine x-trail you were going to get. if it's the petrol then you will struggle to sit on 100kmh (if you can even get to 100kmh). to put it into perspective, the petrol x-trail puts out about 15% more power and torque than a SSS pulsar, but weighs about 40% more (1100kg vs 1500kg).

i've towed cars in commodores and falcons and they pull fine. we picked up a mates silvia in a vt commodore wagon. sat on 110kmh easily. picked up another car in a vy commodore and with 5 people in the car it sat on 110kmh on the highway fine as well. i've towed a bit over 1000kg behind a GT forrester and it did it ok, but it was small stuff (steel) that didn't even come much above the top of the trailer so there was no aero drag caused from it, unlike a car which acts like a sail and slows you down even more.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/342040-tow-car/page/2/#findComment-5523430
Share on other sites

hmmm this is all really bugging me.

so my max budget is $15k.

i was looking at a petrol x-trail...similar to this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...e=STRK:MEWAX:IT

i could look at a teritory or something like that.

i dont want a 'big' car if thats posible, i certainly dont want a ute or anything that resembles some kind of trades person, and i hate falcons or anything that looks like one :huh:

i do appreciate all your assitance on this guys!

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/342040-tow-car/page/2/#findComment-5523478
Share on other sites

I don't think the Territory brakes are up to the task. One of my girlfriends friends bought one for towing her horse float and was having big problems with brake fade so sold it, other friends were looking at the same thing and were advised against it.

Understand your situation - I went through the same thing but luckily don't need to drive too much so was able to settle for something rugged and haven't looked back. Being commercial white I can also take advantage of the odd sneaky loading zone lol!

Some other food for thought - you can pickup a Pathfinder Ti vg30 for $3-4k these days.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/342040-tow-car/page/2/#findComment-5523494
Share on other sites

I don't think the Territory brakes are up to the task. One of my girlfriends friends bought one for towing her horse float and was having big problems with brake fade so sold it, other friends were looking at the same thing and were advised against it.

Understand your situation - I went through the same thing but luckily don't need to drive too much so was able to settle for something rugged and haven't looked back. Being commercial white I can also take advantage of the odd sneaky loading zone lol!

Some other food for thought - you can pickup a Pathfinder Ti vg30 for $3-4k these days.

wouldn't be hard to get a better set of brake pads for it to help with the brake fade.

fronzenwaffles, by ruling out utes and the aussie 6's and 'big cars' you are rulling out all of the best options for towing with. you are simply choosing the best of the worst options by going a soft roader. they are simply a small hatchback with a set of 4wd tyres on them really.

if you really don't want to go a ute or a family car then you are best off going a diesel patrol or landcruiser wagon. ideally they are the best option anyway. they aren't the best option for daily driving in traffic though. you really have to really look at your priorities and go from there. do you want a good tow car, a good everyday car or something in between? you won't really find something that does all 3, and the option that is the best option for the inbetween is, unfortunately for you, a commodore or falcon. but there is also the option of a stagea to consider. personally i hate the look of the stagea, and would take a commodore or falcon wagon over one, that's why i never really said much about it before (even though you mentioned it in your first post). plus the fact that the running cost when towing will be much higher thanks to having to run on 98. plus the aussie cars and reasonably nice to drive. i've owned a few and my next daily will be one.

the other option is, cut your budget in half. get something like a commodore or falcon for about 5k, and then spend the other 10k on something to use as a daily. then you can just use the commodore when you want to tow. only down side is that then you are paying 2 regos, etc.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/342040-tow-car/page/2/#findComment-5523545
Share on other sites

ok so you really think the stagea is an option? i do like them and i would know how to service it since it shares lots of parts with the R33. so far from what i understand the stagea would have enough balls (if not more than the x-trail) to tow.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/342040-tow-car/page/2/#findComment-5523561
Share on other sites

meh...I'd still take a stagea every time :huh:

99% daily driver, capable but not perfect for the 1% towing. Easy to work on and cheap to modify if you are so inclined. Mine has been fine chasis wise, I've been towing with it for years. Only thing I still need to do is heavier rear springs.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/342040-tow-car/page/2/#findComment-5523572
Share on other sites

LOL

xtrail more fun than a stagea??

Well yes actually. I think it's going to open up a whole new world of activities for me :blink:

Plus I will own a track car, I don't want a fuel guzzling boat. If I didn't own the skyline then maybe the stagia would appeal, but honestly I'm over driving the line on the streets. Very excited about building a real track car! ;)

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/342040-tow-car/page/2/#findComment-5525632
Share on other sites

ok so you really think the stagea is an option? i do like them and i would know how to service it since it shares lots of parts with the R33. so far from what i understand the stagea would have enough balls (if not more than the x-trail) to tow.

stagea has a buttload more power than an x-trail. torque wise (which is what matters when towing), the stagea has about 30% more torque. the reason being that the x-trail has a non turbo, 2.5L 4 cylinder, and the stagea has a 2.5L turbo 6.

i found a car with the same power figures as an x-trail. a VRX lancer. would you think of towing a car with a VRX lancer? no. why? because it doesn't have the power. so then to think of towing with a car that has the same power but weighs a few hundred kg more is just silly.

Well yes actually. I think it's going to open up a whole new world of activities for me :blink:

Plus I will own a track car, I don't want a fuel guzzling boat. If I didn't own the skyline then maybe the stagia would appeal, but honestly I'm over driving the line on the streets. Very excited about building a real track car! ;)

the x-trail weighs pretty much as much as a stagea. you would find fuel economy similar on day to day driving, although once you started to give it the beans then the stagea would drink a bit more. having said that, things like tyres for the x-trail will be a fair bit more than the stagea.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/342040-tow-car/page/2/#findComment-5525679
Share on other sites

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


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Seat of the pants assessment of the new intake: The car is way less "doughy" when hitting the loud pedal, especially off idle when stopped or in traffic, I did use a cheapo lazer thermal thingo to measure the temp around where the pod filter got its air, it was between 55 - 60°C, in saying this the car was shut off and not moving, so the OEM intake pipe was not supplying any fresh air to where the pod was when the car was at least moving A weird bonus was induction noise on the throttle in the cabin increased a bit,  I was worried that I was actually going to lose some of that induction noise I love so much, outside though, when I got the daughter to do a WOT drive by pass for me, the induction noise has increased alot when on the throttle, not quite ITB doort, but well up there I'm extremely happy with the results and have been exploring the country roads in the region  As for house mods: 1.New front fence is up and is awesome, it really upgraded how the joint looks from the street, and the added security is nice 2. Electricians have replace some interior lights, and with more lighting in the garage, a few new motion detecting lights out the front above the garage, front room, and at the front door, which I have already found heaps helpful coming and going, also now has fancy pants CCTV all round the house The only hold point for power though is the solar and batteries due to supply issues, although this will happen over the next few weeks 3. I have done a heap of landscaping out the front and I'm almost ready to do a new small retaining wall with some nice blocks to replace the brick and cemented in rocks around the raised garden beds cemented in river stone "was the fashion at the time" the house was built. I currently have a pallet of retaining wall blocks and 2 bulka bags of 20mm blue metal to replace the wood chip that is in the raised garden beds around the house 4. I now have 3 big raised garden beds for out the back to grow some vegetables, about 70cm high, 200cm long and 100cm wide 5. My 2 compost bins are already pretty full with brown, green and kitchen waste from the landscaping I'vedone so far, but they will probably take a few months to break down, so anything else that gets chopped, trimmed, and kitchen waste will just start filling the base of the raised garden beds to about 30cm before I start throwing 40cm of good compost, and stuff, for the vegetables to grow in, I'll need a few ton of compost and soil, but the local supplier can sent me bulka bags of the stuff Basically the logs, wood chips and a few strategically placed rocks for drainage, will give the beds some good organic materials down low to break down over time, and they will hold moisture during the warmer months to save the water in my big arse water tank if we don't get alot of rain So, all in all, the car and house mods are going well, and I'm really enjoying being retired, I sleep in too 0700 and slowly plod around inside until I feel like actually doing anything, and only work in the yard for as long as want, which has actually been alot over the last few weeks,  although when you look at it, it seems that not a huge amount of work has been done,  until I look at the before I started the work pics Happy days and good times indeed 
    • hahaha yeah. Plan is to get side skirts and probably just rear pods. But going to do them one-by-one. I've got a set that I really like from RHDJapen, but that one isn't shipped to AU. So need to find someone who can get it for me
    • Here's an idea, answer the questions I asked you as they are trying to work out WHY the LSD will be binding up in a straight line.
    • You haven't driven many modern cars then have you? Most of them have sfa steering feel with their stupid electric bullshit steering systems.
×
×
  • Create New...