Stagea - A Suitable Tow Car?

[kwazza11]

Hey guys,

Well my HR31 is getting to the point of being taken off the road and turned into a stripped out race car. so i'm now looking at finding a second car with all the luxuries, comfortable to drive, shitloads of space and still being able to tow a car trailer with a 1300kg skyline onboard to and from motorsport events (interstate trips included). have been looking at some stageas and they look like everything i'm after.

But, what i'm after is if anyone has had much experiance with using these to tow cars around? do the diffs last? are the autos strong enough to tow 2000kgs? does the rb25det have enough torque to pull 2000kgs up hills?

Cheers guys, any help appreciated!

Karl

[Duncan]

I tow my gtr behind the stagea all the time. including to Tasmania and back.

Good tow car things:

drives nice and straight (I run sydneykids uprated shocks and springs)

very comfortable drive (electric everything)

enough power

Bad tow car thing

uses an enourmous amount of fuel, about 350klm/tank at best

can't take a huge load on the back (had trouble with rear wheel studs breaking with only 2tonne + 500kg in the boot lol)

hill starts can suck - was fine when auto but I converted to manual - lacks torque at idle so the torque convertor really helped it

[Swiper the Fox]

Hey guys,

Well my HR31 is getting to the point of being taken off the road and turned into a stripped out race car. so i'm now looking at finding a second car with all the luxuries, comfortable to drive, shitloads of space and still being able to tow a car trailer with a 1300kg skyline onboard to and from motorsport events (interstate trips included). have been looking at some stageas and they look like everything i'm after.

But, what i'm after is if anyone has had much experiance with using these to tow cars around? do the diffs last? are the autos strong enough to tow 2000kgs? does the rb25det have enough torque to pull 2000kgs up hills?

Cheers guys, any help appreciated!

Karl

We use our Jeep Grand Cherokee to tow our race car around...4.7ltr V8 loads of grunt, full leather, woodgrain, power bloody everything, heated seats etc. They are rated to tow 3 ton and the best thing about them is you can pick up a decent 2000-2002 model for less than $20 000.

Only bad thing is the fuel economy.

EDIT: here's a good one for only $16 000

http://www.carsales.com.au/used-cars/priva...E&Make=JEEP

[kwazza11]

yea i figured any car with good fuel economy and anything close to the style and luxuries of a stag would be close to the 30-40k mark. so with my max 20k budget i've got limited options. i was thinking about a jeep but the option of having the skyline breakdown at a meet and just taking the tow car out for a thrash really appeals. however if the tow car looses a rear wheel on the way out there i could be in trouble!

[_Ryan_]

4.2 GU patrol

[kwazza11]

is there a towing capacity written anywhere on the car? dunno about jap cars but theres usually something written on an ID plate on aussie cars and i cant find any specs on the net.

[Duncan]

meh its been fine every other time, was just way overloaded once and it was good for 1:19 at wakefield.

no load rating on the car, probably is on the japanese manual.

Of course, even with bad fuel economy a $10k stagea can drink a lot of fuel before you have racked up $20k

[66yostagea]

4.2 GU patrol

Yep. We were going to tow an S13 with our Stagea, but opted for a GU Patrol, tray back so we can take a shitload of wheels with tyres to the Drifts.

And with all the tools and other bits for the fourman team the Patrol was a much better option.

I know SK uses his, but by the time you get a towbar, suspension and do some tweaking, $$$$$$$$ gone.

Our patrol with 6 months rego, good tyres and excellent tray back, with sides. a tow bar, electric winch, etc, $6,500. A Pioneer head unit too.

The other point is that with a Patrol you dont have to worry too much about the trailer weight.

Edited September 26, 2007 by 66yostagea

[petrolfix]

I tow my gtr behind the stagea all the time. including to Tasmania and back.

Good tow car things:

drives nice and straight (I run sydneykids uprated shocks and springs)

very comfortable drive (electric everything)

enough power

Bad tow car thing

uses an enourmous amount of fuel, about 350klm/tank at best

can't take a huge load on the back (had trouble with rear wheel studs breaking with only 2tonne + 500kg in the boot lol)

hill starts can suck - was fine when auto but I converted to manual - lacks torque at idle so the torque convertor really helped it

did you snap all of them on one side? what was the full story did you hit a huge pothole?

after market rims? do you have wheel spaces?

[Duncan]

2 studs....who knows....just stopped when the clicking noise started....no spacers....yes aftermarket rims (possibly with wrong size hub rings/locators I've never checked) and never had trouble at any other time

[AlexCim]

I tow my S13 around with my Stagea.

I've also towed 2 smashed S13's, my mates S13, my two mates' S14's and another KE70 corolla...

Did fine, no issues at all.

Fuel, yeh, but thats with any car.

[66yostagea]

4.2 GU patrol

After a trip to the Raceway and back, we are now considering gas.

[_Ryan_]

After a trip to the Raceway and back, we are now considering gas.

forgot to mention TURBO DIESEL... the only way to not double your fuel consumption when towing

[Russman]

I'm considering buying a stagea or toyota chaser as a daily and also to tow motorbike trailers and box trailers (No cars) and I'm happy to hear it has been done.

Are they really slugged hard with the extra weight? I'd only be towing about 600kgs with a trailer and 3 bikes.

How much was it for you guys to get the tow kit fitted?

thanks,

Russ

[_Ryan_]

I'm considering buying a stagea or toyota chaser as a daily and also to tow motorbike trailers and box trailers (No cars) and I'm happy to hear it has been done.

Are they really slugged hard with the extra weight? I'd only be towing about 600kgs with a trailer and 3 bikes.

How much was it for you guys to get the tow kit fitted?

thanks,

Russ

chaser has a lot more torque... also check out an Aristo! Been in all three, own one. Stagea is the most practicle by far!

[Russman]

chaser has a lot more torque... also check out an Aristo! Been in all three, own one. Stagea is the most practicle by far!

My dad and I are going halves as he needs a bit of practical transport and he's sick of driving my 1983 VH commodore.

The chaser is probably my pick but my dad likes the lexus version of the aristo for the leather and electronics. Stagea's are cool too.

Another question... Do chasers or Stagea's have cruise control?

[_Ryan_]

1jzge chasers, lower spec models do but the turbo ones dont.. a mate of mine is selling his chaser due to a loss of licence. very clean, insane power on low boost, i'm tempted but it isnt P's legal.

most jap cars dont have cruise control...

Aristo has the best torque, keep it in mind!

[FelixTRX]

Can anybody post a pic of a standard duty tow bar (just for towing a 6x4 box trailer, nothing heavier).

I'm a boilermaker so I can make my own towbar to legal specs but I need some ideas on how other have attached theirs. And if possible, what material has been used in the construction?

Cheers, Greg.

[Duncan]

cruise control was about 400 to put on my stagea.

felixtrx there is another tow bar thread in this section somewhere with plenty of pics, basically they attach to the chasis rails on each side and then have an extra plate welded into the spare wheel well.

[Russman]

Aristo's are a bit too 'egg on wheels' for me.

cruise control was about 400 to put on my stagea.

Any complaints about the after market cruise?