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Towing : Superb III v Insignia


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Well, that's a surprise! Just completed my first towing trip with the Superb III and I have some stability issues. There is movement of the car from the caravan in only light winds and certainly the car's stability is affected by bow waves from articulated lorries and other vehicles. I am comparing this to my last towcar, a 2l TDI Insignia hatch manual gearbox, which was noticeably more stable towing the same caravan.

 

I put this down to the softer suspension in the Superb plus a contribution from running on 17" wheels and the Skoda being the lighter of the two cars. The Superb is a 2l 150 TDI estate with DSG, kerbweight inc driver of 1520kg. Caravan is a Lunar Ultima 540 single axle with a MTPLM of 1435kg. The Insignia had a kerbweight inc driver of 1613kg and 18" wheels.

 

No problems with the performance of the engine and DSG when towing. Handled the extra weight with ease including much running in 6th gear and averaged about 30mpg on a trip from Derbyshire to Northumberland.

 

David Motton of Practical Caravan had no stability problems in his test of a similar Superb model published on YouTube 0n 29 March 2016 albeit with a caravan 110kg lighter.

 

Anybody else have stability issues? 

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Yes, the answers are in there. Because of the Superb's much vaunted title as Towcar of The Year though, I expected it would be rock solid towing.

 

The Insignia was a 2011 model. The kerbweights are published in the owner's handbook which is still viewable online.

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I find the steering much lighter on my Mk III compared to my Mk II so set the steering mode to sport to stiffen it up a bit.  My 'van is only 1350 MTPLM though and I tend to have some weight in the boot which used to help the Mk II as well.

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Yes thanks for the advice unclerichy. I don't have DCC on my Superb although I do have drive mode selection! I think the mistake I made was not opting for 18" wheels which would have given a more solid ride when towing on lower profile tyres. This saved £450 , DCC would have been another £750. I have the boot pretty well loaded when caravanning.

 

David Motton in his Practical Caravan demo found that normal mode setting of DCC was best for towing - sport mode was 'too fidgety' and comfort mode was 'too soft'. Is normal mode of DCC equivalent to the standard chassis setting of the Superb without DCC?

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Hi Jeff A,

I am very surprised you have stability issues towing with a Superb III. I have towed over the past 10+ years with a Mondeo Estate, then a Superb II estate (manual 170 on 17” wheels) and now a Superb III estate (manual 190 on 18” wheels). I have towed our Coachman Pastiche 460/2 (MPTLM 1420kg) widely around the UK and in France and Spain. I have always found the Superbs extremely stable, even in some vicious cross winds. Also I tend to tow ‘making progress’.

I have not noticed any difference between the 17” and 18” wheels on the two different Superbs. However, you might want to check the rear tyre pressures you are using. We are just two plus a dog; I used 40psi on the 17” wheels on the Superb II and now use 38psi on the 18”wheels on the Superb III. Other than that, I assume you have done all the usual checks on the loading of the caravan and its nose-weight – and the tyre pressures on the caravan. At the risk of teaching grandmothers etc, did you also ensure that any paint was removed from a new towball to ensure that the hitch stabiliser is not contaminated?

Finally, I don’t have DCC on my SEL Exec model, but the mode control does affect the power steering. I find that using the sport mode does tighten the steering response and I prefer this both for towing and solo driving.

I do hope you get it resolved and can enjoy towing with the Superb as much as I do.

Cheers

Paul R T

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Hi Paul R T

Thanks. I feel better just reading your helpful comments! Yes, I've been towing since 2003 with a variety of Vauxhalls (Astra, Vectra and Insignia) until acquiring the present Superb III in May this year now with about 2k miles on the clock. Vans used have been a Bailey Ranger 460, Bailey Pageant Monarch and the present Lunar Ultima 540 since 2015. I towed with the Insignia from 2011. We are just two.

I tow with tyre pressures set to full load so on the Superb these are front 36psi and rear 43psi. The van tyres are set to the recommended 52psi. I'm using the integrated towbar and have removed the paint from the towball.

The Lunar is a 'biggish' van for the Superb at 24' shipping length and there is an issue with the noseweight which without the personal allowance loaded is above 90kg. I store equipment under the fixed bed behind the van axle to achieve a noseweight of about 90kg. The back seat and boot of the car are reasonably loaded with the rest of the caravanning luggage. The point at issue is that with the same van and weight distribution, the Superb is more 'unsettled' when towing than the Insignia which I wasn't expecting. The only towing trip so far with the Superb was earlier this month from Derbyshire to Northumberland, then to North Berwick in Scotland, then near Keswick in the Lake District and then back home, about 530 miles of towing so a reasonable test of the Superb.

On the next towing trip, I will try the Superb sport mode and do some redistribution of weight in the van.

Thanks for the tips.

Jeff A

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6 hours ago, JeffA said:

Hi Paul R T

Thanks. I feel better just reading your helpful comments! Yes, I've been towing since 2003 with a variety of Vauxhalls (Astra, Vectra and Insignia) until acquiring the present Superb III in May this year now with about 2k miles on the clock. Vans used have been a Bailey Ranger 460, Bailey Pageant Monarch and the present Lunar Ultima 540 since 2015. I towed with the Insignia from 2011. We are just two.

I tow with tyre pressures set to full load so on the Superb these are front 36psi and rear 43psi. The van tyres are set to the recommended 52psi. I'm using the integrated towbar and have removed the paint from the towball.

The Lunar is a 'biggish' van for the Superb at 24' shipping length and there is an issue with the noseweight which without the personal allowance loaded is above 90kg. I store equipment under the fixed bed behind the van axle to achieve a noseweight of about 90kg. The back seat and boot of the car are reasonably loaded with the rest of the caravanning luggage. The point at issue is that with the same van and weight distribution, the Superb is more 'unsettled' when towing than the Insignia which I wasn't expecting. The only towing trip so far with the Superb was earlier this month from Derbyshire to Northumberland, then to North Berwick in Scotland, then near Keswick in the Lake District and then back home, about 530 miles of towing so a reasonable test of the Superb.

On the next towing trip, I will try the Superb sport mode and do some redistribution of weight in the van.

Thanks for the tips.

Jeff A

 

+1 on Paul R T's advice. Your new rig will almost certainly take a little adjustment to find the sweet spot. Our Superb and Yeti are exceptionally strong tow cars but you have to carefully balance a relatively low nose weight against their relatively high max tow weight.

 

We've towed long distance with them both at their maximum weights (over 2 tons with the Yeti!) and not had a problem, but we had to make a number of small adjustments as you describe before finding the groove.

 

Sounds like you're on the right track - and you've definitely got the right kit! :-)

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I towed for the first time with my MK3 280HP after towing quite a bit with a modified MK2 Octavia RS. Well, I can say the Superb handled it..... superbly. I tow 1300kg (car on trailer). Around town the superb picked up to speed better, I put that down to the additional torque and grip. going up and down inclines (especially up my driveway) the AWD prevented wheel spin just dragged the whole lot up.

 

On the highway (100km/h) it purred and I overtook other cars no problems, no movement but I found the ride was much better after putting the suspension into Sport mode to firm it up. Less comfy on the long ride, but less bouncy movement coming from the trailer - perhaps I need to move the car back a little for less ball weight?

 

Anyway, thought id add my 2c. I'm thoroughly happy with the way it towed except for one small point.

 

I use a electric brake controller as the trailer has electric brakes (I'm in Australia) and the brake lights stay on for around 0.5 a second after taking my foot off the brake. being DSG, its already taking off as I remove my foot from the brake pedal but as the trailer brakes are triggered from the lights, the car attempts to take off while the trailer is still braking. annoying, but I may need to find another trigger for the controller. turning down the braking force helped, but that doesn't help actually stopping it all.

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JeffA .....I found a similar issue when I first got my MK3 to replace a Tiguan. I noticed that the Alko hitch damper was very slightly easier to engage ..ie the lever closed with less resistance. I put 2 of the thinnest shims on the pads and it sorted the problem completely. I have assumed the new tow ball was very slightly smaller than the old one. May be worth a try.

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12 hours ago, zei20t said:

I towed for the first time with my MK3 280HP after towing quite a bit with a modified MK2 Octavia RS. Well, I can say the Superb handled it..... superbly. I tow 1300kg (car on trailer). Around town the superb picked up to speed better, I put that down to the additional torque and grip. going up and down inclines (especially up my driveway) the AWD prevented wheel spin just dragged the whole lot up.

 

On the highway (100km/h) it purred and I overtook other cars no problems, no movement but I found the ride was much better after putting the suspension into Sport mode to firm it up. Less comfy on the long ride, but less bouncy movement coming from the trailer - perhaps I need to move the car back a little for less ball weight?

 

Anyway, thought id add my 2c. I'm thoroughly happy with the way it towed except for one small point.

 

I use a electric brake controller as the trailer has electric brakes (I'm in Australia) and the brake lights stay on for around 0.5 a second after taking my foot off the brake. being DSG, its already taking off as I remove my foot from the brake pedal but as the trailer brakes are triggered from the lights, the car attempts to take off while the trailer is still braking. annoying, but I may need to find another trigger for the controller. turning down the braking force helped, but that doesn't help actually stopping it all.

 

Yes, I'm very happy with the performance of the Superb engine and gearbox (150TDI + DSG) towing. I think the softer Superb suspension than the Insignia gives it a slightly less solid feel (I haven't got DCC) but still very manageable. It would be interesting to hear any comments from people who have towed with both Superb and Insignia,

 

7 hours ago, superskoda2 said:

JeffA .....I found a similar issue when I first got my MK3 to replace a Tiguan. I noticed that the Alko hitch damper was very slightly easier to engage ..ie the lever closed with less resistance. I put 2 of the thinnest shims on the pads and it sorted the problem completely. I have assumed the new tow ball was very slightly smaller than the old one. May be worth a try.

 

The Alko hitch stabiliser feels tight enough but I will check it again before the next tow. Thanks for the comment.

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hi,

I have been towing for near on 40 years ( started with an Austin Maxi..... ) so my 10p worth having read all the posts ,- The Lunar is a light van for its size ( we had two Lunars ) so can get blown around & bounce around more. You put things under the bed to get the weight distribution right= pendulum effect ? ( what suits one car ect ) Years ago we had an Avondale Osprey towing on the M6 anything above 45 mph & the van started "wagging" the wardrobe is right at the back & i had put two suitcase solar panels in there. Removed them & hey presto -- can tow at 60mph no bother  ! We have the L&K & i like others found the normal steering too light & "twitchy" so my DCC set is --- steering -- sport. engine/gears- normal. suspension ,-- normal .We do all year round rallies & are about to head north staying at T.H.S's our caravan - Coachman 520/4 Max weight 1,500 Kg ( been replated by makers ) shipping length - 24Ft11 inches, We have had no problems stability wise . we carry a bathroom scale ( plus wood bits ) & check the nose weight before starting off.

One thing when comparing cars -- the distance between the center line of the back axle to the tow ball ( I.E. " overhang " ) could be different......

Stabilizer- the perceived wisdom is the outfit should be stable WITHOUT a stabilizer, stabilizer should not be used to achieve this .

A lighter note-- We were leaving a rally ,it had been raining & the entrance/exit was churned up mud. The chairman with his Disco was pulling people off the field. when our turn came to leave he offered to pull us off, Me -thanks think we will manage . We got going pulled off and as we drove away i called over to him -its a ( soft ) 4x4 ! his face...........

So , keep experimenting :-)

Edited by david 1220
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