Does anyone tow a caravan with a mark lll Octavia Estate. If so, what tyre pressure do you run with in front and rear? My caravan is 1300 kg fully loaded. 

 

Thanks

The manual states run the "full load" settings when towing, so whatever is in your fuel filler flap (if not missing)

 

Edited 25 July, 20223 yr by varooom
Image Added

Towards the Eco pressure it shows on the filler flap for a loaded car and the tyres your car has.

 

If that feels wrong you can let the pressure down a bit.  That would be setting them when cold, but setting them cold depends on what the weather is at that time, low teens or high 20's. 

9 minutes ago, varooom said:

The manual states run the "full load" settings when towing, so whatever is in your fuel filler flap (if not missing)

 

Says 2.5 front and 3.2 rear so I will inflate to this even though only one passenger in back as it will have luggage etc in there. 

It's easier (read faster) to remove air than add 👌

I presume you need higher pressure because when braking it will transfer the weight of the caravan/trailer into the car, and therefore onto the wheels.

 

As @roottoot mentioned, if it feels really "off" then drop a little front pressure, but just beware under breaking it will transfer the energy forward.

Thank goodness for Braked trailers.   There is a difference in towing braked and unbraked trailers.  But then that shows in what a vehicle can tow unbraked. 

On 25/07/2022 at 22:45, Dupont said:

Says 2.5 front and 3.2 rear so I will inflate to this even though only one passenger in back as it will have luggage etc in there. 

I think it wise to follow the manual's recommendations and resist the temptation to lower pressure even if it feels 'wrong'.

The Octavia is a relatively light vehicle (less so if you have diesel and awd version) so a 1300kg towing weight on the back is compromising performance but I am sure you are aware of the potential risks and drive accordingly.

I'm presuming the caravan is a single axle unit with simple sliding mechanism activating drum brakes. The brakes are essential but they do have their limitations and their effectiveness can easily be compromised by water ingress, overheating or even irregular servicing.

In the event of an emergency braking situation there are all sorts of unusual forces being exerted on the rear of the vehicle (effecting both front and rear tyres) with excessive thrust and downforce on the towbar the extent of which will depend on a number of factors including caravan centre of gravity, its braking system efficiency and road gradient. In the worst situation you will need the recommended high car tyre pressures to resist tyre deformation and consequent compromised tyre/road contact that could eventuate from heavy braking loads.

I'll repeat what I posted in another tyre pressure topic: You don't wear seatbelts for the comfort or convenience but for when things go drastically wrong and I consider this is a similar situation and personally I would go for safety over comfort tyre pressures.

Do not take out a poorly serviced caravan or one not checked including brakes and the tyres, tyres condition including the tyre wall you do not easily see but will when the wheels are off when checking the brakes. Be sure to have the tyre pressure on the trailer / caravan correct. 

 

Take care of all advice from anyone.   

Under inflated is an issue, over inflated can be an issue.

You want to know the steering feels right, that the outfit feels stable, it is not about 'comfort'. check tyres are not over heating.

 

Get the pressures right. that means having a good tyre pressure gauge and a means of inflating tyres. 

Know your cars weight loaded and what you are towing weight loaded.  Know the nose weight.   Know how to load the van.

Take the outfit to the local weigh bridge, that is what they are there for.

 

http://protyre.co.uk/car-help-advice/driving-tips/tyre-pressures-for-towing-a-caravan

 

 

 

 

Edited 27 July, 20223 yr by roottoot

6 hours ago, Gerrycan said:

I think it wise to follow the manual's recommendations and resist the temptation to lower pressure even if it feels 'wrong'.

The Octavia is a relatively light vehicle (less so if you have diesel and awd version) so a 1300kg towing weight on the back is compromising performance but I am sure you are aware of the potential risks and drive accordingly.

I'm presuming the caravan is a single axle unit with simple sliding mechanism activating drum brakes. The brakes are essential but they do have their limitations and their effectiveness can easily be compromised by water ingress, overheating or even irregular servicing.

In the event of an emergency braking situation there are all sorts of unusual forces being exerted on the rear of the vehicle (effecting both front and rear tyres) with excessive thrust and downforce on the towbar the extent of which will depend on a number of factors including caravan centre of gravity, its braking system efficiency and road gradient. In the worst situation you will need the recommended high car tyre pressures to resist tyre deformation and consequent compromised tyre/road contact that could eventuate from heavy braking loads.

I'll repeat what I posted in another tyre pressure topic: You don't wear seatbelts for the comfort or convenience but for when things go drastically wrong and I consider this is a similar situation and personally I would go for safety over comfort tyre pressures.

It is a single axle van. It is actually loaded up to about 1250kg and I would say my Octavia Estate is about 1600kg fully loaded. I will inflate the front tyres to 36psi as recommended and the rear to psi. Thanks.

2 hours ago, roottoot said:

Do not take out a poorly serviced caravan or one not checked including brakes and the tyres, tyres condition including the tyre wall you do not easily see but will when the wheels are off when checking the brakes. Be sure to have the tyre pressure on the trailer / caravan correct. 

 

Take care of all advice from anyone.   

Under inflated is an issue, over inflated can be an issue.

You want to know the steering feels right, that the outfit feels stable, it is not about 'comfort'. check tyres are not over heating.

 

Get the pressures right. that means having a good tyre pressure gauge and a means of inflating tyres. 

Know your cars weight loaded and what you are towing weight loaded.  Know the nose weight.   Know how to load the van.

Take the outfit to the local weigh bridge, that is what they are there for.

 

http://protyre.co.uk/car-help-advice/driving-tips/tyre-pressures-for-towing-a-caravan

 

 

 

 

I have inflated the caravan tyres to the correct 60 psi and have a nose weight of 75kg with all the heavier items in the van over the rear axle packed low down. Heavier item in car go over rear axle. The van is well serviced with new tyres. 

Have a nice time. 

Safe travels to you 🤝

 

8 minutes ago, roottoot said:

Have a nice time. 

 

6 minutes ago, varooom said:

Safe travels to you 🤝

 

Thanks both. 

 

I omitted I will be putting 45 psi in rear tyres. 👍

8 hours ago, Dupont said:

I omitted I will be putting 45 psi in rear tyres. 👍

 

If you are going to inflate your tyres to more than 3 Bar (44psi) make sure they are XL (eXtra Load).

 

SL (Standard Load) tyres can be inflated up to 3 Bar (44psi) and XL (eXtra Load) tyres can be inflated up to 3.5 Bar (51psi).

 

Check on the tyre's sidewall for maximum inflation pressure.

 

Edited 27 July, 20223 yr by Carlston

With the caravan correctly loaded and the caravan tyre pressures and nose-weight correct, provided the car is sensibly loaded, it should drive well.

 

1 hour ago, Carlston said:

 

If you are going to inflate your tyres to more than 3 Bar (44psi) make sure they are XL (eXtra Load).

 

SL (Standard Load) tyres can be inflated up to 3 Bar (44psi) and XL (eXtra Load) tyres can be inflated up to 3.5 Bar (51psi).

 

Check on the tyre's sidewall for maximum inflation pressure.

 

Just checked. Looks like they are extra load. I did tell the tyre place I tow a caravan.

I towed with mainly a diesel Ford Focus and two Yeti and I am reasonably certain I never inflated the tyres as high as 44 psi.

I was very finicky about correct loading of the caravan and everything was weighed and marked with its weight in kilos so

I did not exceed the all up weight. There were only my wife and myself in the car so heavy stuff was loaded forward of the

rear wheels in the footwells to keep the centre of gravity low and lighter stuff on the seats and in the boot, this made it easier

to get at the spare wheel without piling stuff by the side of the road (in the event of a puncture)

Incidently my caravan tyres were rated for speed, I was witness to a caravan tyre blowing without being involved in the resulting

mayhem and in going to help noticed the tyres were more probably more suited for a wheelbarrow. (my own opinion)

Bear in mind that with tyres inflated to max 44 psi that the car may handle differently when unloaded, particularly in the wet.

Edited 28 July, 20223 yr by gumdrop
additional safety info.

1 minute ago, gumdrop said:

I towed with mainly a diesel Ford Focus and two Yeti and I am reasonably certain I never inflated the tyres as high as 44 psi.

I was very finicky about correct loading of the caravan and everything was weighed and marked with its weight in kilos so

I did not exceed the all up weight. There were only my wife and myself in the car so heavy stuff was loaded forward of the

rear wheels in the footwells to keep the centre of gravity low and lighter stuff on the seats and in the boot, this made it easier

to get at the spare wheel without piling stuff by the side of the road (in the event of a puncture)

Incidently my caravan tyres were rated for speed, I was witness to a caravan tyre blowing without being involved in the resulting

mayhem and in going to help noticed the tyres were more probably more suited for a wheelbarrow. (my own opinion)

I have everything weighed, nose weight large heavy items low down and tyre pressures at recommend pressures. They say the Octavia Estate should have 45 psi in rear when towing or fully Laden and 36 psi in front. I did my last journey towing with 35 psi all round and while it was ok, I do feel it could have been better given that the Octavia is such a highly rated tow car.

 

So, we shall see....😁

@Dupont Out of interest because i do not think it is said anyplace, what is your Octavia Estate as in engine / gearbox and what size tyres does it have fitted?

1 hour ago, roottoot said:

@Dupont Out of interest because i do not think it is said anyplace, what is your Octavia Estate as in engine / gearbox and what size tyres does it have fitted?

It is a 2.0 Octavia Elegance Estate with DSG box. Tyres are 225/45/17's.

There is a risk of overinflating the front tyres, the nose weight on the towball loads the rear suspension and applies a turning moment about the rear axle unloading the front suspension, this is more noticable with stiff rear springs like on my Yeti, as the jockey wheel is lowered you can visibly see the rear suspension sag and the front suspension rise but the physics are exactly the same for the softer sprung Octavia estates.

 

If you look at the load/pressure icon it shows 3 or 4 passengers plus luggage and its the rear tyres that get the most inflation, the fronts hardly any extra.

 

If you are towing a caravan or trailer without a full complement of passengers and luggage/goods in the rear of the vehicle inflating the front tyres over the standard setting will result in less effective front brakes, thankfully most of us when towing try to avoid anything other than gentle braking but emergency situations may not be foreseeable or avoidable although most often are.

4 hours ago, J.R. said:

There is a risk of overinflating the front tyres, the nose weight on the towball loads the rear suspension and applies a turning moment about the rear axle unloading the front suspension, this is more noticable with stiff rear springs like on my Yeti, as the jockey wheel is lowered you can visibly see the rear suspension sag and the front suspension rise but the physics are exactly the same for the softer sprung Octavia estates.

 

If you look at the load/pressure icon it shows 3 or 4 passengers plus luggage and its the rear tyres that get the most inflation, the fronts hardly any extra.

 

If you are towing a caravan or trailer without a full complement of passengers and luggage/goods in the rear of the vehicle inflating the front tyres over the standard setting will result in less effective front brakes, thankfully most of us when towing try to avoid anything other than gentle braking but emergency situations may not be foreseeable or avoidable although most often are.

I only had one passenger in the rear but was fully loaded with luggage, food, etc. I put 35 in front and 45 in rear and nose weight was at 76kg. I also had a roof box on with about 30 kg in weight. 

 

The car towed beautifully all the way. In fact I hardly knew caravan was on the back. Only when white van man went past at 80 mph did I get the odd twitch and not much I can do about that. 😁

If you hardly knew the caravan was on the back, I would say there was something wrong! I agree though, the Octy is a great tower.

 

In terms of tyre pressures, I go for the pressure mid way between normal and fully loaded. Whatever that is...

14 minutes ago, Swirly182 said:

If you hardly knew the caravan was on the back, I would say there was something wrong! I agree though, the Octy is a great tower.

 

In terms of tyre pressures, I go for the pressure mid way between normal and fully loaded. Whatever that is...

Well it was a figure of speech. With 1250 kg on the back it is always going to let you know it is there.

 

The Octavia Estate towed it beautifully though. It was fairly stress free. 

 

 

I tow with a Mk 3 hatchback 1.5TSi DSG and go by the fuel flap notice 2.5 bars front and 3.2 bars rear. Boy is that hard when travelling a short distance at those pressures. I always adjust my pressure before and after towing - you see very few people on campsites doing the same. They either tow with under inflated tyres or drive while on camp on over inflated tyres. Neither is good for the tyres or safety.