Stagea As Tow Vehicle?

[lanky71]

Hi Guys,

I've done some searches and can't seem to locate official towing capacity or anyone who has used them to tow a specific amount...

I was thinking a four wheel drive version should be able to tow a reasonable amount?

The main purpose would be to tow a R34 GTR Vspec and rough weight is 1540kg plus a car trailer which would need to be a rented one so say another 700-800kg i'm guessing here.

Meaning pretty much it would need to be able to tow about 2.5t -> 3t.

I have been looking at other alternatives but thought the stagea being a station wagon would be more suitable as a daily and also tow vehicle?

[Duncan]

did you have a look at this thread among others? http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/topic/49484-tow-bars-for-stageas/page__view__findpost__p__5472339__hl__tow__fromsearch__1

also, 1500kg car + 700kg trailer..and don't forget 300kg or so of gear.

basically....in Australia towbar ratings are set by the manufacturer/importer. Stageas don't have that.

Aftermarket tow bars have their rating estimated by the towbar manufacturer and checked by an engineer. In my case the builder rated it to 2t but I never bothered getting it engineered (not the only un-engineered mod on the car).

I think it is unlikely you will find any stagea bar with a rating more than 2t. Even then you need much stronger springs at the back.

If you want to do it legally, you need something like navara which is seperate chassis and rated to 3t. Other than utes, not much is rated that high.

[GTR-N1]

My Forester would have a bit of a tough time of it too I think Drew.

I think you can take the advice of someone above who also has a Navara shirt, Navara cap and Navara insulated can holder

[Duncan]

lol. australia's toughest tradie!

[lilcrash]

Why not go out and get a landcruiser 4t towing capacity just don't expect to get after market wheels to cover the 19" brake discs. But I've happily towed a few car trailers with my rs4s. Only problem was no brakes. But hey when you have brakes equivalent to non turbo skyline brakes on a car this big ofcourse things will go wrong

[SMOKEYV35]

you'd have to really like your rides JDM to try force a stagea to do towing duty. the RB25 is no torque monster and they struggle enough as it is just shifting the bulk of a stagea let alone anything significant behind it.

i'd just buy a falcon wagon - it ain't pretty but it will do the job and will still be reasonably efficient and compliant for daily duties. or yeh, just grab a hilux/navara/rodeo.....

at the end of the day, if your track car is important to you - then i wouldnt risk towing it with a less than ideal car. Rule of thumb is that the tow car should weigh more than what it's towing......because if you get the wobbles up, you don't want the trailer telling the tow car where to go......usually doesnt end well!

[lilcrash]

+1. Smokey said it perfectly. Except for the falcon part. I've had problems with bending steering arms while towing in a falcon.

[KiwiRS4T]

Youi'll be fine. Get a good towbar and a braked trailer. People are pulling Evos and Skylines on trailers behind their C34s now. Make sure the radiator and braking system is in good nick and get an aftermarket trans cooler if its an S1 - the S2 is adequate.

[lanky71]

did you have a look at this thread among others? http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/topic/49484-tow-bars-for-stageas/page__view__findpost__p__5472339__hl__tow__fromsearch__1

also, 1500kg car + 700kg trailer..and don't forget 300kg or so of gear.

basically....in Australia towbar ratings are set by the manufacturer/importer. Stageas don't have that.

Aftermarket tow bars have their rating estimated by the towbar manufacturer and checked by an engineer. In my case the builder rated it to 2t but I never bothered getting it engineered (not the only un-engineered mod on the car).

I think it is unlikely you will find any stagea bar with a rating more than 2t. Even then you need much stronger springs at the back.

If you want to do it legally, you need something like navara which is seperate chassis and rated to 3t. Other than utes, not much is rated that high.

Yeah I am looking at the Navara's, main reason considered the stagea's is because of price point but just read that thread yeah maybe no such a good idea.

My Forester would have a bit of a tough time of it too I think Drew.

I think you can take the advice of someone above who also has a Navara shirt, Navara cap and Navara insulated can holder

Thanks terry.

Why not go out and get a landcruiser 4t towing capacity just don't expect to get after market wheels to cover the 19" brake discs. But I've happily towed a few car trailers with my rs4s. Only problem was no brakes. But hey when you have brakes equivalent to non turbo skyline brakes on a car this big ofcourse things will go wrong

I am looking for something a bit newer and have a strict budget and unfortunately the true 4x4's are out of my price range at the moment.

The brakes did cross my mind was planning on upgrading all 4 plus rear suspension to cope but thinking navara str diesel better option even with heaps of kms.

you'd have to really like your rides JDM to try force a stagea to do towing duty. the RB25 is no torque monster and they struggle enough as it is just shifting the bulk of a stagea let alone anything significant behind it.

i'd just buy a falcon wagon - it ain't pretty but it will do the job and will still be reasonably efficient and compliant for daily duties. or yeh, just grab a hilux/navara/rodeo.....

at the end of the day, if your track car is important to you - then i wouldnt risk towing it with a less than ideal car. Rule of thumb is that the tow car should weigh more than what it's towing......because if you get the wobbles up, you don't want the trailer telling the tow car where to go......usually doesnt end well!

I was looking at the M35 series 250T RS... figured the V6 turbo have a bit more grunt and newer model too.

the falcon I don't believe had the right towing capabilities when I last checked it... but in saying that after reading the other thread (didn't appear when I searched) neither dose the stagea.

Youi'll be fine. Get a good towbar and a braked trailer. People are pulling Evos and Skylines on trailers behind their C34s now. Make sure the radiator and braking system is in good nick and get an aftermarket trans cooler if its an S1 - the S2 is adequate.

Just out of interest how much does your evo weigh in at?

[KiwiRS4T]

I

Just out of interest how much does your evo weigh in at?

Sadly not my Evo and more sadly still not my R34 fronted Stagea!

Many or most people towing cars or boats behind their cars will be illegal. If you want a daily driver to tow a race car from time to time a Stagea would be great. But if you need an almost fulltime tow vehicle thne something like a long wheelbase Landcruiser would be better.

[Raysboostin]

Just out of interest how much does your evo weigh in at?

thats evomitch's setup. from memory his evo was around 1300kg or so

[lanky71]

ok thanks for the info.