Thursday, Dec 07, 2017 at 19:59
" I have heard front wheel drives aren’t very good for towing ?"
A lot depends on the design of the car. Collyn Rivers
COLLYN said in one of his technical books that a particular model Citroen was a good tow car despite being front wheel drive. The reason was it had next to no overhang at the rear. The overhang is the distance between the rear axle and the tow ball. That distance is a lever and the van will use it to try and wag the end of the car from side to side if it starts swaying. .
The main problem with a front wheel drive is a load on the back will take weight off the front wheels. These are responsible for driving, steering and about 80% of breaking. Having them in full contact with the road at all times should be your number one priority.
Toyota will almost certainly have designed the Kluger to have a higher tyre slip angle at the front than the rear. That is the angle between the distorted tryre in corners and the wheel. The reason for the higher angle at the front is to make the car understeer in corners instead of oversteering which is sliding its rear end out first. Look through these photos and the charts. Little
suspension changes can make a big difference.
HANDLING
Loading up the rear and adding weight on the tow ball can reverse this feature of the
suspension design. To help restore it you can lift the rear up with a WDH [weight distributing hitch]. This may be listed in the car's handbook as being essential , it is on my Toyota, so do not ignore it if yours is the same. They lift the rear of the body and take weight off the rear axle. That weight is then redistributed between the front wheels of the car and the wheels of the caravan. Lifting the rear with stiffer springs or air bags can not do this.
Two problems can develop here. One is a WDH is not suitable in many off road conditions because the angle between the car and trailer may exceed the bending limits of the bars and damage them or the car. The other is the latest overseas research is saying you should not allow a WDH to put more than 50% of the weight removed from the front wheels back onto them.
If you find your car feels a little light in the front end while towing then reduce the front tyre pressures by about 5 psi to help increase the slip angle.
Other things to do are:
Insist on the dealer weighing the van and its tow ball weight before you buy it. Vans are notorious for having higher tare weights and tow ball weights than are listed on the specification sheet.
Try and avoid having anything mounted outside on the back of the van. Weight out there just makes it easier for it to swing its tail from side to side.
Do not overload the rear end of the car. If it sags below its limits then you have done something wrong, not Toyota. If you start modifying the
suspension then you can end up with a car that looks good and feels great on the road until that one day when something causes the van to get the wobbles then all hell can break loose in seconds. Look up caravan jack knifing on Utube and you will see what I mean. The idea is to have a car that is always in control of the van, not the other way around.
These two links are always worth reading if you are new to towing.
DYNAMICSTOWING WEIGHT GUIDE
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Follow Up By: Frank P (NSW) - Thursday, Dec 07, 2017 at 20:35
Thursday, Dec 07, 2017 at 20:35
Great post, Splits, thanks
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Follow Up By: Johnnykluger - Thursday, Dec 07, 2017 at 21:53
Thursday, Dec 07, 2017 at 21:53
Thanks splits great advice I will take it all on board
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Follow Up By: Member - mark D18 - Friday, Dec 08, 2017 at 13:14
Friday, Dec 08, 2017 at 13:14
Johnny
After reading Splits reply I wouldn't be surprised if you decide never to leave your driveway while towing . Just drive to the conditions dont overload and you won't have a problem .
Talk about overthinking something . !
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Follow Up By: RMD - Friday, Dec 08, 2017 at 14:37
Friday, Dec 08, 2017 at 14:37
Mark D18
When towing all is
well until it isn't. Splits is trying to alert Jonny to avoid the " when it isn't situation. Just going cruising with little awareness CAN be fatal, perhaps not to you but to someone. At a guess I would think Kluger ( shocking name) will not have shocks good enough to control any more tail load mass than a normal load. If it can't control that mass, then the fun starts. Allow people to make others aware and not dismiss it as trivial. Caravan crash statistics might persuade you to be more concerned when advising others.
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Follow Up By: splits - Friday, Dec 08, 2017 at 21:29
Friday, Dec 08, 2017 at 21:29
Mark D18
When towing all is
well until it isn't
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So true. Hundreds of caravans jack knife each year while cruising along the highways but try and find a driver who knew something was wrong before it happened.
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At a guess I would think Kluger ( shocking name) will not have shocks good enough to control any more tail load mass than a normal load."
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Unfortunately few are carrying a normal load. The usual thing is owners load the car up with whatever they want to put in it with each item placed wherever they want it to go. They then hook up their van or trailer and if the rear end sags it is the car manufacturer's fault not theirs.
They then turn to the aftermarket industry to solve their problem without having a clue as to how their
suspension alterations are going to make the car handle in an emergency situation, particularly when towing..
You can put the maximum load on the tow ball and the maximum load, correctly distributed, inside the car but you can't do both at the same time.
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