What Towing Vehicle Is Good

[jrocket]

Hey all. I am hoping to get a car to race in the near future and as it will be an unregistered car I will be trailering it around of course. But in preparation I am trying to find a vehicle that will be suitable to tow a tandem trailer with this car on it.

I hope to buy a 180sx for racing so i know what sorta vehicle weight i have to pull. Currently I am thinking of getting a VS commodore ute maybe V8 but if a V6 will pull it ok i will prob buy that.

I want a ute cos i want to put the motor bike in the back to take on trips.

So i guess my question is "will a VS V6 ute pull a trailer with 180sx car on it, comfortably" or should i look at getting a V8.

I am not too sure about the towing vehicle weight requirements but will check vic roads on that.

Any one have suggestions.

[evil_weevil]

VS V6 utes "can" pull that weight load - maybe a falcon ute of similar age? I thought the falcon had a higher payload/towing weight? def not 100% sure

VS V8 utes actually hold their value fairly well so finding one might take a bit longer.

Ideally Id be going for an 8 - sure the wallet wont like you filling a track car and a V8 but just that more torque will be helpful

edit - thinking out of square here....but a Hilux? mid 90's model you can find easily, they tow and are unbreakable!

[jrocket]

Hmm interesting. I was thinking of using something different such as a hilux etc but was unsure what sort would be suitable as well as affordable.

I was thinking of a ford ute also maybe 6 or 8 but I am kinda leaning towards holden as i like them more But i rather a V6 than a straight six.

Well since i prob wont be using the ute to tow the trailer everyday i was thinking maybe just go with the V6 for ecconomy reasons. Also prb will get one on gas.

But I havent ever ventured to the dark side and got a V8 before, so i kinda want one to see what its like.

Well thanks for the feed back so far.

[ctjet]

hmmmz...

Best Tow Vehicle?

[jrocket]

Well I i guess i am asking whats the "best" tow vehicle for my application.

[JVP]

hilux

that is all.

[Neil]

I use an Ef 6cyl Falcon wagon. After much discussions with people in the industry the commodore was a scratching,,,straight 6/4l against V6/3.6l and apparently a much more reaiable unit. V8's never ever entered into the equation,,,the only V8 allowed in my driveway would be a Mustang.

One thing you have to keep in mind is not only are you towing a race car but you are also going to be carrying a shit load of equipment. Start writing a list of what you think you would take to a race meeting and then add another 100 kilo's

Neil.

[STATUS]

dont ever think of towing with a 80 series 4.0 landcruiser it was the shittest thing we have ever used. we put about 80k on our tow car each year doing all the drift rounds including WA and the 4.5l GU patrol is about the best thing we have used to date, it is duel fuel and can nearly make adelaide non-stop travelling at between 100-125...

I love my V8's (my background) but a VS V8 is a pretty puss thing and i dont believe it would be worth the extra expense and fuel usage over a V6, the falcon 4.0l in my 90' LTD used to tow better than my oldies vs wagon so it is also food for though.

A ute unless loaded right can be sketchy to tow in the wet too.

Edited April 26, 2007 by URAS

[ZENNON]

i have a hilux and a r32 and my r32 tows 10 times better than the hilux

hairdryer powA!!!1!1!elven

*wisper* note: hilux is a 86 model with a 4y (ie 4cyl 2.2 petrol) and has 300k on the clock - so yeah mine is shit - lolz

[jrocket]

Hmm you have given me a bit to think about. Yeah the vehicle i want has to be a ute as i want to use it for more than just towing. Might look at a ford 4ltr ute then.

There seem to be lots of ford utes for sale on carsales.com.au so i might look at these.

Thanks for the help people.

[rgr34]

how about a hilux surf turbo diesel.... there affordable.... the 3.0l variant would be the go as the 2.4 are abit gutless.

[STATUS]

how about a hilux surf turbo diesel.... there affordable.... the 3.0l variant would be the go as the 2.4 are abit gutless.

the TD surf have an inherently weak engine. a V6 navara would be interesting...... i have not tested one though.

[Beer Baron]

we are using a navara STR (turbo diesel). It's pretty damn good. has 4 doors, decent space in the back (which we ruined with a hard top, but needed for security). Plus of course we got stupid and changed the ecu, and added a boost controller for some more torque and power. but yeah, it tows very well, even up to silly speeds, fuel usage is not the best, but it's not too bad. especially if you keep it around 100kmh and stay off boost as much as poss. looks very mean in black too with the roll over bar and foggies.

[STATUS]

late model yeah? ^^^ those are actually very good, beyond my price range though the D1 garage boys used them all last year and could not say a bad thing about them.

[Beer Baron]

yeah, it's an 04 model i think. i'll see if i can find a pic.

it's a good daily kind of car. can fit plenty of tools and crap in the back. tows well. can fit 4 or 5 people in it easily. has good head room. and it looks kind of like a mini hummer in black... lol ok i'm dreaming. the gun set-up seems to be an F250 or some other F series but sadly they are far too much dough.

[PIG747]

we are using a navara STR (turbo diesel). It's pretty damn good. has 4 doors, decent space in the back (which we ruined with a hard top, but needed for security). Plus of course we got stupid and changed the ecu, and added a boost controller for some more torque and power. but yeah, it tows very well, even up to silly speeds, fuel usage is not the best, but it's not too bad. especially if you keep it around 100kmh and stay off boost as much as poss. looks very mean in black too with the roll over bar and foggies.

yeh i have a mate that uses one of these for towing and has never had a problem.. even with a full car and tyres and tools in the back..

also has a mate that uses a pajero for towing and it does the job fine considering it only cost him $5gz to buy

[Omurru]

I've got a VS V6 dual fuel wagon and it's not hugley bad but I wouldn't recomend one if your gonna be using it for towing alot, especially at highway speeds. Need something with more torque and a heavier rear end. We've got a brand new hilux at work and i've towed a 3tonne GPU with it and it was like nothing was behind me......

[wrxhoon]

Best tow vehicles are turbo diesel 4WD's, they are not cheap to buy though.

I tow a 3.2 t boat with 100 series 4.2lt turbo diesel landcruiser, no probles at all, I had a 80 series landcruiser turbo before that, again excellent tow vehicle. They will provide you with a resonable fuel ecconomy as well . I use about 15-18 lts per 100km , the same landcruiser towing your 180sx ( should be about 2 t) will return about 13-15 lts per 100 km .

Don't be tempted to use petrol 4WD's , they will send you broke on fuel (25-30 lts per 100 km).

The commie will tow in either 6 or V8 form and so will the falcon ( better than the commie because it has leaf rear springs ). the problem with these car type utes is that the tow bar is bolted on sheet metal so you always worry if the tow bar is still there, especially if you use a weight distribution hitch and you should .

[STATUS]

i hate the 80 series diesel too.... damn slug ^^^^ the 100 series a mate has seems to be a bit better than the 80 but it was out of our price range though, youre obviously happy with yours. Maybe next year we will test drive one.... i like the V8 model as it has better appointments and i reckon as a duel fuel would work out ok...... we have already put 95,000 on the GU in 13 months..... total of 262,000km..... due for a trade in already

i must admit we were pricks when we bought our 4wd we took the whole setup and test towed each car 6 differrent models in total we actually spend less $$$ on the petrol gas combo than we would with a diesel and it actually tows faster and easier than the 4.2lt landcruiser did when we test drove it.

Edited April 27, 2007 by URAS

[wrxhoon]

i hate the 80 series diesel too.... damn slug ^^^^ the 100 series a mate has seems to be a bit better than the 80 but it was out of our price range though, youre obviously happy with yours. Maybe next year we will test drive one.... i like the V8 model as it has better appointments and i reckon as a duel fuel would work out ok...... we have already put 95,000 on the GU in 13 months..... total of 262,000km..... due for a trade in already

i must admit we were pricks when we bought our 4wd we took the whole setup and test towed each car 6 differrent models in total we actually spend less $$$ on the petrol gas combo than we would with a diesel and it actually tows faster and easier than the 4.2lt landcruiser did when we test drove it.

You must be talking about the none turbo 4.2 landcruiser, right? Turbos have plenty of grunt, even more than the 4.7 v8 and they have the same appointments as the petrol , no difference at all. On the other hand you can buy poverty pack 4.2 none turbos and you are correct in saying they are slugs . 4WD's on gas towing heavy loads can use gas at a freightening rate like 30+ltrs per 100km, so the price advantage is all gone!! This is the reason all heavy trucks are turbo diesels !!

I wouldn't buy a diesel car and I wouldn't buy a petrol 4WD to use for towing or heavy off-road and sand use .

Landcruisers are very reliable trucks, i did 250k k's ( lots of heavy towing as well) in mine in 9 years with only routine servicing even the orinal clutch lasted the distance .... the 100 series is the 4th landcruiser I own and I will replace it shortly with the 200 series when it goes on sale the end of the year . She will also be a turbo diesel, twin turbo 4.5lt v8...