There is lot's of quoting "UK Law" here without actually quoting it.  Wikipedia?  really??

 

The car weight empty isn't actually empty but with all the fluids and a tank of fuel and a 75kg allowance for the driver.  The idea being you could then put around 700 kg of people and luggage in it to make the all up mass if you chose to but would have to load it sensibly.

 

It might also be worth mentioning that if you have a caravan newer than 2012 the basic weight includes one full (old style) gas bottle and a spare wheel among other things in the calculation.

 

The Train weight is the maximum weight.  Advice is you should not tow a heavier trailer than your vehicle as in certain circumstances the trailer can push the car.  This could be construed as driving without due care and attention or dangerous driving.  That is a judgement call by the police or VOSA if they stopped you and they would have to prove it in court.  If VOSA stop you they will axel weigh your car and trailer to make sure they are within the plated limits of the vehicle and trailer.  They have no grounds to do anything if it is - unless they have seen you driving dangerously.  In the case of VOSA they would need video evidence to pass to the police.  Both VOSA and the Police have access to portable weigh scales if needed so they don't need to take you to a weigh bridge to get an accurate figure.  The 85% rule is not a rule at all, and not law, just advice.  If it was law you wouldn't get 44Ton articulated lorries driving around as the tractor unit only weighs in at around 7tons.  

 

Bottom line is if you have the confidence / training and tow upto the max weight thats fine.  If you feel more comfortable towing at 85 /75/ 10% of whatever the vehicle weight is thats also fine.  I was lucky enough to axle weigh my car and van when setup.  I always pack in the same way and i always check my nose weight with a gauge before hitching.  I am both confident and happy i tow within the law.

 

Happy camping.

4 hours ago, unclerichy said:

I tend to stick to 80kg (1350kg MTPLM on a 280 4x4) as the car and caravan seem happy with that and it allows for any measurement error caused by my road and driveway being slightly sloped. There's always weight in the boot though (either mobility scooter or luggage) and I set the drive mode to individual with suspension and steering set to sport.  I also have one of the roll-over measuring plates (name escapes me) so take a measure of the caravan's weight at the start of the season to make sure I'm legal.

 

The only occasion for a bit of up/down action (🧐) is the hill out of my village.  The road surface is so poor (undulating with many a pot-hole) that it tends to induce some pitching. Once I'm off the hilly bit it's all good and the car settles.

 

There are many people on the various caravan forums who insist that 85% is a legal limit whilst others point out they've towed at 100% since Adam was a lad without issue.  Caravanners eh? 😁

 

 

Thank you for this, I'm going not try 80kg this week, it's got me wondering if the EXEC model has softer springs. I have an IV on order, which is heavier, more stiffly sprung and has DCC so hopefully this will help!

16 minutes ago, highflight130 said:

There is lot's of quoting "UK Law" here without actually quoting it.  Wikipedia?  really??

 

The Train weight is the maximum weight.  Advice is you should not tow a heavier trailer than your vehicle as in certain circumstances the trailer can push the car.  This could be construed as driving without due care and attention or dangerous driving.  That is a judgement call by the police or VOSA if they stopped you and they would have to prove it in court.  If VOSA stop you they will axel weigh your car and trailer to make sure they are within the plated limits of the vehicle and trailer.  They have no grounds to do anything if it is - unless they have seen you driving dangerously.  In the case of VOSA they would need video evidence to pass to the police.  Both VOSA and the Police have access to portable weigh scales if needed so they don't need to take you to a weigh bridge to get an accurate figure.  The 85% rule is not a rule at all, and not law, just advice.  If it was law you wouldn't get 44Ton articulated lorries driving around as the tractor unit only weighs in at around 7tons.  

Firstly I mentioned Wikipedia & Gov.co.uk as I wanted to get the terminology and phrasing correct.  They both said the same so the point was factual.

 

Also be aware that your driving licence must have the appropriate grading.  If you passed your driving test before 1/1/1997 then you can drive/tow a vehicle with a gross train weight up to 8250kg, but if you passed after this date then you are only allowed to drive/tow up to 3500kg.

 

In respect of Tractor units they are engineered from the getgo to tow, and everything engineered into them is upgraded and configured for it to pull its rated capacity.  Hence a 7ton tractor can pull 44t.  After all that is it’s only job once created.  Also explains why a 28t airport apron taxing tug, can push and pull planes in excess of 100’s of tonnes.

1 hour ago, Fraczish said:

 

Thank you for this, I'm going not try 80kg this week, it's got me wondering if the EXEC model has softer springs. I have an IV on order, which is heavier, more stiffly sprung and has DCC so hopefully this will help!

I have an L&K TDI 150bhp DSG and it has a rated nose weight of 90kg, I have also looked at the Estate ratings in the most recent brochure and the iV model is the same.  Also in the brochure the iV models don’t appear to be much heavier than their equivalents.  In fact their Gross vehicle weights are actually lower which is weird considering the extra batteries/hardware.

 

my car has DCC and I have read (and been advised) to only tow using “Normal”, because anything else can be unsettling to the car (ie, “comfort” too soft and can ground out OR “sport” too hard and can cause car and caravan to bounce) additionally can put them under undue load and shorten their lifespan.  The shock absorbers cost approx £350-400 per corner plus fitting!!

 

out of curiosity I have tried them when towing and I have found the advice to be accurate and as a result have found Normal to be more than adequate, the only option i choose is switching between Sport and Normal for gear shifting.

 

If you have a vehicle where you think the rear suspension is struggling, there are companies out there that do systems to provide additional support.  ie, MAD-suspension.  They do systems that only come into play when you have a heavy load on, so day to day doesn’t affect the ride quality, but when the rear drops down enough (ie, loaded and 90kg noseweight) there is additional hardware in place to improve the handling.  It might have been a while ago, but I knew a mechanic who had it fitted to his Passat estate and he said the difference in driving confidence when towing was huge and wouldn’t be without them.  There are now many more companies/options available.

16 hours ago, taurean7 said:

I have an L&K TDI 150bhp DSG and it has a rated nose weight of 90kg, I have also looked at the Estate ratings in the most recent brochure and the iV model is the same.  Also in the brochure the iV models don’t appear to be much heavier than their equivalents.  In fact their Gross vehicle weights are actually lower which is weird considering the extra batteries/hardware.

 

my car has DCC and I have read (and been advised) to only tow using “Normal”, because anything else can be unsettling to the car (ie, “comfort” too soft and can ground out OR “sport” too hard and can cause car and caravan to bounce) additionally can put them under undue load and shorten their lifespan.  The shock absorbers cost approx £350-400 per corner plus fitting!!

 

out of curiosity I have tried them when towing and I have found the advice to be accurate and as a result have found Normal to be more than adequate, the only option i choose is switching between Sport and Normal for gear shifting.

 

If you have a vehicle where you think the rear suspension is struggling, there are companies out there that do systems to provide additional support.  ie, MAD-suspension.  They do systems that only come into play when you have a heavy load on, so day to day doesn’t affect the ride quality, but when the rear drops down enough (ie, loaded and 90kg noseweight) there is additional hardware in place to improve the handling.  It might have been a while ago, but I knew a mechanic who had it fitted to his Passat estate and he said the difference in driving confidence when towing was huge and wouldn’t be without them.  There are now many more companies/options available.

The varient ordered is atleast 150kg heavier than my current model in a like for like condition which will help. 

The GTW is reduced as the IV has a lower Max Towing capacity 1600/1900 compared to 2000 in my SEL. That will be because if you run out of battery it essentially is a heavy 1.4T. 

It will be adequate for my towing needs but exceptional for my daily driving needs which is a great deal bigger proportion of my typical driving habits.

Bump for @Johnboyab

Edited 17 April17 Apr by Evolution13