The perfect motorhome tow car

wildebus said:
it does depend on the type of 4WD. I've had 2 RAV4s with full-time 4WD and a Celica GT4 with full-time 4WD and none of those should be towed all wheels down (or in fact ANY wheels down - had the GT4 towed once and the rear wheels had to go on a dolly and the front lifted up.)
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Don't knock it into neutral going down a hill then lol. There's been a lot of mis-information about towing. Automatic and 4wd stuff generally confused ;)
 
Minisorella said:
We had a Toyota Aygo as a local runaround for several years (basically the same car as the Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107) and it was surprisingly spacious inside for passengers. Really rubbish boot space, although the back seats folded for extra storage. Petrol engine and well over 50mpg. We still had it when we got the motorhome but were never tempted to tow it.
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Like you Jenny. Mandie and I drove for years a Citroen C1. Nice car, roomy. With the re seats down have done many a trip to the local recycling plant with garden rubbish etc. Economical and reliable.
Phil think you need to go and test drive afew,good luck.
Cheers. David
 
St3v3 said:
Don't knock it into neutral going down a hill then lol. There's been a lot of mis-information about towing. Automatic and 4wd stuff generally confused ;)
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I'll go by the manufacturers user manual where it had a section in bold saying something like "this vehicle must not be towed". ;)
the older RAV4s also had to have same sized tyres in terms of rolling circumference otherwise there would be damage in the longer term.
PS. not a good idea to coast down a hill anyway. why would you want to do that except increase fuel consumption and risk?
 
wildebus said:
I'll go by the manufacturers user manual where it had a section in bold saying something like "this vehicle must not be towed". ;)
the older RAV4s also had to have same sized tyres in terms of rolling circumference otherwise there would be damage in the longer term.
PS. not a good idea to coast down a hill anyway. why would you want to do that except increase fuel consumption and risk?
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See Rav4


;)

The same sized tyre thing is correct, it's effectively a lesser version of towing with just the front wheels off the ground.

I wouldn't coast a vehicle anywhere, but people do. "Brakes are cheaper than clutches and gearboxes" I think it's an older attitude, but still rubbish lol.

Edit to add: They've said no to things like land cruiser because they have a transfer box that someone could put in neutral and things would not be lubricated by the shaft not splashing oil around.
 
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Tezza33 said:
It is a grey area on the continent because some countries still allow it but until you get stopped you never know, it is definitely not legal in Spain but I saw a few in Germany, Holland, Belgium and France earlier this year, France declared it was illegal a few years ago but they haven't actually stopped it yet, I stopped towing mine in Europe when France changed their ruling on it because it isn't worth the hassle, I want to enjoy my trip not be worried about breaking the law.

I think the Panda Cross would be a great tow car Phil, my Panda has been no trouble behind me and it doubles as a trailer as well as a car, it is useful at meets or CL/CS sites.

The only downside is you get fed up of the comments from people who wonder why you would want to tow a car :p:unsure::devilish::ROFLMAO:
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Te zzz, Donrevy has a house in Spain and I asked what they do about the A Frame as I thought they were illegal there. I was told while it is illegal for Spanish residents it isn’t for UK visitors. That may change though depending what outcome we get if/when we leave
 
wildebus said:
I'll go by the manufacturers user manual where it had a section in bold saying something like "this vehicle must not be towed". ;)
the older RAV4s also had to have same sized tyres in terms of rolling circumference otherwise there would be damage in the longer term.
PS. not a good idea to coast down a hill anyway. why would you want to do that except increase fuel consumption and risk?
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I haven’t checked for ages DAVE but I think the instruction not to tow automatics was for cars with torque converters, it used to say not to be towed above 40mph on the cars I had, above that you had to either disconnect drive shafts or lift drive wheels off the road.

Most autos now are some sort of electronic/remote robotic activated clutch on a manual gearbox so probably not an issue. If it said no in manual wouldn’t tow it though
 
New Panda cross and several other Fiat/Suzuki models cannot be towed 4 down , we have two Suzi 4grip , and a Fiat Sedici in all the owner manuals cannot be flat towed . The new Panda 4x4, and Jimny all use the same selectable 4wd system . The old jimny uses a different system , The old Jimny is what I would recommend, light and very boxy with 4wd if needed ruggedly built with a separate chassis . Added benefit capable of towing your Moho off soft ground . Well proven as a toad .
 
Sorry, I thought you were meaning automatics and not towing, should have waited til my meds kicked in lol. Guess it’s down to winding the diffs on a 4x4 huh?
 
nabsim said:
I haven’t checked for ages DAVE but I think the instruction not to tow automatics was for cars with torque converters, it used to say not to be towed above 40mph on the cars I had, above that you had to either disconnect drive shafts or lift drive wheels off the road.

Most autos now are some sort of electronic/remote robotic activated clutch on a manual gearbox so probably not an issue. If it said no in manual wouldn’t tow it though
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We are going off topic now, but I am talking about 4WD cars I have owned - and I do tend to read the owners manuals as it usually a wise idea. Also short term recovery towing is quite a bit different to dragging a car thousands of miles on a A-frame.
When I had my Celica GT4 recovered (rad cooling fan failed so didn't want to risk overheating), a dolly was used as the manual SPECIFICALLY stated it must not be towed with wheels on ground. Simples.
 
Any vehicle with a torque converter auto cannot be towed (without prior dismantling) for other than very short distance at very reduced speed unless 1 of 2 things .
1 . It has a rear pump in the autobox (very very rare cant call one to mind ATM )
2. It has a neutral position in the transfer box if a 4wd capable vehicle .
 
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