Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: Markie on 24 September 2006, 13:03:58
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Its all in the title folks.....has anyone ( course they have) got any experiences of towing and if so can anyone tell me what sort of weight they have towed.
I am looking at towing a trailer with car on it, and seperatly a horse box with horse in it.
Trailer i reckon is 300 kg and big car 1,5ton - so thats a tow weight of 1.8ton
Horse is 3/4 ton and box the same so thats a tow weight of 1.5 ton.
Would a 2.5 v6 omega tow this weight without problems?
Tyring to work out for the Ranault we have - which is a 2,5v6 auto and about 100kilos lighter than the omega just how much we could tow in weight comfortably.
If anyone can give me stats for the omega then i am sure the Safrane wont be far away.
thanks in advance
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Being american, I have never towed that much with a car - only pickups. Even if the car can pull it, it doesn't meant that it will be pleasant or even really that safe to tow that much. Only the first issue is being able to pull it, the others are brakes, stability, and tongue weight. In that respect the Omega is better than the Safrane b/c RWD. Therfore I will defer to others on the strengths of the Omega, but I would not say that they are readily comparable to the Safrane.
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eventually found renault manufacturer specification....
towing weight including car 3235kg
car is 1485kg
so i assume it leaves a gross towing weight of 1750kg according to renault....
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The plates on a v6 2.5 Omega seem to suggest it can tow around 2 tonnes. Martin Imber will probably be your man...
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http://www.ntta.co.uk/faq/default.htm
It's usually suggested that you don't tow anything that's more than 85% of the weight of the tow car. If you're towing another car + the trailer it's on the 85% 'rule' will go out of the window & your only problem then will be stopping it all! :o
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As Omegas clear states max gross weight is 2000kg more that car weight, I would suggest that brakes and engine are up for it (obviously easy to cook brakes towing). Stability may be another factor, not sure how well stabilisers etc would work in this situation.
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Hey,
I have towed a double horse trailer containing 2 med horses with no problem at all - just the normal 'feel' of towing - Once you get used to the weight etc !! Only thing with horses that is a little unnerving at first is they keep shifting around!!!
I Have an auto MV6 & is was a dream to tow with!
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thanks guys
taking the 85% rule ( please i am doing this in my head so it may not be to the kg) the 1535kg safrane should be towing no more than about 1300kg. Thats still enough - as we have recalculated my oringnal post figures - to tow a horse box ( 750max) and med horse ( 500kg)
Does rule me out for trailering omegas/ 7 series etc on that rule :o but 200/ 400 series rovers and vectras will be easy!
I reckon - over a short distance of max 50 miles, and doing this infrequently ( once a month) it should not over load the safrane.
Remember its a bigger than laguna type renault mated to a volvo 2.5 20v enine and auto box. And its on a 99 plate with 82k.
So although not quite mv6 its a meaty machine ;D
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The plates on a v6 2.5 Omega seem to suggest it can tow around 2 tonnes. Martin Imber will probably be your man...
Jamie - what plates are you referring to so i can perhaps check the Renault?
EDIT - chassis plate of course - DOH ;D
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yup, chassis plates...
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Doesn't it make a difference whether the trailer is independently braked...or not? :-/
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Yes, there should be 3 weight limits;
tongue weight
weight no brakes
weight with trailer brakes
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Yes, there should be 3 weight limits;
tongue weight
weight no brakes
weight with trailer brakes
tongue weight is known as nose weight for those of us who speak the Queen's English.... ;D
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yup, i am aware of this and anything i buy will be independantly braked, y`know this could have been solved by putting a tow bar on the mv6 ( but this is soooooooooo not gonna happen)
Or giving up the booze :-? :-[ :-X
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Or giving up the booze :-? :-[ :-X
but this is soooooooooo not gonna happen
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Or giving up the booze :-? :-[ :-X
but this is soooooooooo not gonna happen
;D more chance of me fitting a towbar to the mv6 ;)
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I think 100% is the legal limit for a car - but don't quote me on it.
Omega will handle 1800kg (car weight) with a 75kg nose weight, I tow at around 1200kg and have a lot in hand.
Safrane I wouldn't go over a ton as Renault autos are rubbish.
Also being WWD would not be a good tow car.
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Or giving up the booze :-? :-[ :-X
but this is soooooooooo not gonna happen
;D more chance of me fitting a towbar to the mv6 ;)
That is your answer not using the poor car!
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not going to happen Martin, i dont want to spoil the clean lines of the MV6.....
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There are lots of weights to consider when towing but the main one to affect you with the Omega and a braked trailer is the UK Law which requires that the actual laden weight of the trailer (trailer plus contents, spare wheel etc etc) must weigh less than the kerb weight of the car.
The kerb weights vary with model and trim but are generally in the 1700kg area.
If you meet this requirement then you have to look at Maximum Train Weight, axle weights (only a problem if car is fully loaded) and vertical load on towball / nose weight of trailer. (Check for a plate on the towbar, the Omega can handle 75kg iirc but some cheaper towbars are only certified to 50kg)
The Renaults can be absolute swines to work out the towing capacities. They are usually fairly light for their size which can be a problem on kerb weight vs trailer laden weight. If you get past this stage then read the handbook very carefully, they quote a tow weight based on a driver only so you have to deduct the weight of any passengers or additional luggage etc and its amazing how the limit falls. You still see Renaults towing large caravans etc but if there was an accident then the insurance company could refuse to pay on the grounds that the vehicle was being operated incorrectly.
I was looking at a 2l scenic once, kerb weight 1300kg, and worked out that with family and holiday luggage onboard then the tow weight was around 800kg, this seemed very low so checked with Renault UK who didnt know but got it confirmed by the Regie eventually.
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There are lots of weights to consider when towing but the main one to affect you with the Omega and a braked trailer is the UK Law which requires that the actual laden weight of the trailer (trailer plus contents, spare wheel etc etc) must weigh less than the kerb weight of the car.
The kerb weights vary with model and trim but are generally in the 1700kg area.
If you meet this requirement then you have to look at Maximum Train Weight, axle weights (only a problem if car is fully loaded) and vertical load on towball / nose weight of trailer. (Check for a plate on the towbar, the Omega can handle 75kg iirc but some cheaper towbars are only certified to 50kg)
The Renaults can be absolute swines to work out the towing capacities. They are usually fairly light for their size which can be a problem on kerb weight vs trailer laden weight. If you get past this stage then read the handbook very carefully, they quote a tow weight based on a driver only so you have to deduct the weight of any passengers or additional luggage etc and its amazing how the limit falls. You still see Renaults towing large caravans etc but if there was an accident then the insurance company could refuse to pay on the grounds that the vehicle was being operated incorrectly.
I was looking at a 2l scenic once, kerb weight 1300kg, and worked out that with family and holiday luggage onboard then the tow weight was around 800kg, this seemed very low so checked with Renault UK who didnt know but got it confirmed by the Regie eventually.
thanks matchless - bit of minefield isnt it!!
Renault will be towing - predominatly - a horse and box at max 1250kg so it should be okay as this is still 200kg less than the car, and passnger ( we will be travelling light in such situations)
looks like i need to reserch this even further...... ::)
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eventually found renault manufacturer specification....
towing weight including car 3235kg
car is 1485kg
so i assume it leaves a gross towing weight of 1750kg according to renault....
"towing weight" is this the Maximum Train Weight (MTW) on the VIN plate?
1485kg sounds about right for the Safranne kerb weight but check what this includes.
Are you sure that the MTW applies to the auto version?
I found that the only reliable info came through e-mailing Renault UK Technical Help.
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yep i have checked with renault and in the owners handbook - the manual 2.5 allows an additional 110kg
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If you want to tow alot then its worth buying a Land Rover.
The 110 and the Disco can tow 3.5T and if the brakes are hydralically linked then it goes up to 4T.
Ive had just over 3T of sand on a 600kg trailer behind a 3.9ltr V8 disco and it coped easily, even did an emergency stop to see what would happen and it was fine.
The problem with higher weights you get into problems with tachos, especially if your doing it commercially
I would guess the Renault would have the guts to pull the trailer, but if it is over loaded and you get a pull its an expensive business!!
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And just to add to the debate. I hope you passed your driving test before January 1997 otherwise you have even more towing issues and are limited to very light trailers only!
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Yep we are both oldies and have driving licences from 1992 so thats ok.
To Summarise - Renault wont be pulling anything more than once a month and a maximum of 50 miles or so.
The weights are well within Renault and the caravan clubs spcifications....
My wife wont sell her renault as she doesnt want to spend any more on a "second" car - and she despises 4x4`s
As she will be doing some of the towing using my car is out of the question, as 1> she cant insure the mv6 and 2> I keep my cars fastidiously clean and she doesnt so arguments would be aplenty. I am part funding this ( about 99.937564%) as it gives me peace and allows me to get a trailer to pick up non runners - again without using the mv6.
So the conclusion - short term is to use the Renault and move onto bigger things if the profits allow ;)
Many thanks to all who contributed to this - oh and by the way....she is off looking to buy agricultural land this morning :o :(
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Sounds reasonable to me. I learned a lot from this thread. I need to go get a UK license, so I guess that means I'll be limited to towing a pack of bog roll at the most ;) Not that it matters, no towing plans in my near future, but good to know since somehow I end up regularly driving other people's road trains? :-? Some vague recollection of being pushed on to the hard shoulder at 70mph coming down a mountain with a 48' trailer . . . . hence my advice about stability! Just keep it slow on the motorway and you should be alright.
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If it's a twin axle trailer, it does help to cut down on the nose weight.
I did read somewhere about a Range Rover being able to tow a trailer loaded with several tons of hay.
But obviously not at 60mph on a motorway!
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Hi Fellas. You are recommended to only tow 85% of your cars kerbweight. These is because if you have an accident the insurers may not pay out because you have exceeded the manufacturers specifications. Beware ! Check your cars manual. :)
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cough cough, bit dusty in here!
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What a bump :y
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I think I was only about 6 when this was first posted ;D
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Have to say when we had a caravan each caravan showroom we went to gave us a different towing weight for our car. At that time we had our old faithful Cavalier.
But when we had the Range Rovers they can according to the handbook tow a braked trailer of 3.5 tonnes :o I thought that was strange as that the actual weight of the Rangie was just under 2 tonnes... so why could it tow more than half its weight again? what happens to this 85% rule then? :-?
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Have to say when we had a caravan each caravan showroom we went to gave us a different towing weight for our car. At that time we had our old faithful Cavalier.
But when we had the Range Rovers they can according to the handbook tow a braked trailer of 3.5 tonnes :o I thought that was strange as that the actual weight of the Rangie was just under 2 tonnes... so why could it tow more than half its weight again? what happens to this 85% rule then? :-?
85% rule is just a pikey caravan club guideline IIRC. There's no (legal) reason why you can't tow whatever's placarded on the towing vehicle as long as you have Category B+E on your licence (newer drivers won't automatically).
Oh, and <cough!>. ;)
Kevin
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I think I was only about 6 when this was first posted ;D
So was I and i wrote it.
Update for what its worth.
Bought brand new trailer ( twin axel) about 6 months ago and i am using the Rangie to tow it with.
And after all that fuss about towing - i have to say that i still havent towed....pops does that...
So i`m still a tow virgin :-X
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Towing in the UK is a big grey area... (post 1997 licence anyway)
Nobody knows the correct law as far as im aware! :-/
Tried looking into it just before I got the caravan, and eveyone / everything I read said something different! >:(
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At one of my previous jobs we used a twin axle, 4 wheel Brian James car trailer to bring cars back to the garage. We never put anything bigger than an omega on it and certainly never put a land rover type vehicle on it. The tow car was a BMW X5, 3.0 TD which handled it very well. On one occasion we used a 2.0 petrol Mondeo in an emergency ( BMW not available ) and the mondeo coped but only just. Repeated use of the mondeo would have killed it. In short you need a trailer with brakes for that sort of weight. Being RWD the omega will tow ok but work the weights out and err on the side of caution. I had a 2.2 safrane and loved it, most comfortable car I've ever owned.
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thanks matchless - bit of minefield isnt it!!
Renault will be towing - predominatly - a horse and box at max 1250kg so it should be okay as this is still 200kg less than the car, and passnger ( we will be travelling light in such situations)
looks like i need to reserch this even further...... Roll Eyes
Stupid question - how much does the horse weigh ?