1 hour ago, Stonekeeper said:

 

It's a manufacturer cost saving.  E.g if you make 100,000 cars and the vehicle needs a better cooling system to tow and it costs an extra £50 to produce. Make the 10,000 who want a towbar ask and pay for it and save £4,500,000 in production costs? (example figures not costed  but you will get the idea)

 

Not all cars will need it but the manufacturer covers their back for future complaints about overheating if it was.

 

I think it has come about because of the relatively small engines people are thinking they can tow with, In the 1980s i wouldn't have dreamt of towing a caravan with anything less than  1600cc  car now we are towing with 1000cc tuned to the death engines in a big car.

I used to regularly tow a four metre open runabout with a Mk1 Mini (850cc) without issues in the early 70s. 

9 minutes ago, Warrior193 said:

I used to regularly tow a four metre open runabout with a Mk1 Mini (850cc) without issues in the early 70s. 

 

How much over the 400kg towing capacity was it?

 

Did you negotiate many hills?

 

I had a Mini metro in the 80s that couldn't get up Telegraph hill in Devon, had to stop to let the clutch cool down with a trailer tent

 

My Father in law towed a caravan with a Reliant robin in the late 60s😂

Edited 21 February, 20242 yr by Stonekeeper

4 minutes ago, Warrior193 said:

I used to regularly tow a four metre open runabout with a Mk1 Mini (850cc) without issues in the early 70s. 

I also used to tow things which was well over the weights limits but times have changed and I think poss for the better,

but on saying that there are some drivers that cannot handle a car let alone a trailer, but also they go well over the top 

Could you not have found something smaller to fan the radiator with to cool it down than a trailer tent?

1 minute ago, Stonekeeper said:

 

How much over the 400kg towing capacity was it?

 

Did you negotiate many hills?

 

I had a Mini metro in the 80s that couldn't get up Telegraph hill in Devon, had to stop to let the clutch cool down with a trailer tent

Way over, I think, I don't remember the weigh bridge numbers when Dad and I raced it in the BP60 harbour races  - I was running a Reece-Fish carb at the time, but no other mods - standard cooling. Yes, lots of hills -  was living in Wellington, NZ at time.

Hi All

got my new car today. 
no factory towbar prep 

Please see photo of weights.  
as I understand it the 2nd weight is a total car + trailer. Right? 

 

41 minutes ago, jimcallaghan said:

Hi All

got my new car today. 
no factory towbar prep 

Please see photo of weights.  
as I understand it the 2nd weight is a total car + trailer. Right? 

 

Yes you are correct, so means you can tow 2015Kgs 

12 minutes ago, RADIOTWO said:

Yes you are correct, so means you can tow 2015Kgs 

 

1600kg

Car 2015kg. Car can tow 1600kg totalling 3615 as I read it.