Do you think a 2WD Ford Kuga with 2000cc engine is man enough to pull a rally car and trailer ?
Do you think a 2WD Ford Kuga with 2000cc engine is man enough to pull a rally car and trailer ?
Big Wing sold and gone to be a film star
without knowing the weight of anything its hard to say, its all down to the max gross train weight for the car and what the rally car and trailer (plus any spares etc) weighs.
but if you ignore weights theres no reason why the Kuga couldnt pull it, most cars will actually tow far more than legally allowed
Most of the time it would be a Brian James Clubman trailer with an Escort on the back
Last edited by alancdavis; 09-11-2017 at 21:29.
Big Wing sold and gone to be a film star
Pretty sure it will tow it no probs, youre looking at approx 1500kg, whats most important is the nose weight on the trailer hitch, especially when towing with fwd car, make sure the trailer is loaded properly otherwise you'll very easily lose grip on the front of your Kuga.
personally i think this whole thread was an excuse to post that pic
not sure with Kuga but is it petrol or diesel ? petrols in my experience have less low down torque so you end having to rev them. I have had both diesel and petrol tow cars for caravans at about 1400kgs and the diesel wins hands down thats not to say that the petrol won't do it but it becomes hard work revving the petrol all the time.
as graham says weight is the guiding factor most modern cars that can tow (yes thats right some can't) seem to top out at about 2000kgs (you need to check that) but you never want to be on the limit I think 80% is a rough guide. Also as Erikmex states check nose weight as you car/tow bar will have a limit on nose weight.
but then you get a landrover 90 which i think will pull 3000kgs probably not very fast though.
Last edited by wildo105e; 09-11-2017 at 22:54.
According to Ford the maximum towing weight with a braked trailer for a 2000cc 2wd Mk1 Kuga is 2000kgs. Check the manufacturers rating plate inside the drivers door. The top figure on the plate is car plus passengers & luggage. The second is the maximum towing gross weight. ie Car, trailer & load.
You should have ample weight in hand if you are towing a Mk2 Escort with a lightweight trailer, as long as it's distributed correctly.
2100kg but it will tell you on your v5
Best towing vehicle ive owed is 3.0L Hilux, will pull 3500kg with 1 tonne in the bed, plus having such a long wheelbase makes it very stable.....trailer wont try and push you wide when driving around roundabouts, which is what i found when using a SWB shogun previously, im now sold on pickups for towing.......ive towed my Escort at 90mph and it was very steady, yes i was in hurry officer!
Do yourself a favour and get a van for rally servicing and towing, preferably one you can stand up in, if you need to carry a few people get a crew cab. It might mean an extra vehicle to tax & insure but you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it. I have a Mercedes Sprinter, its sectioned so that the rear area is all rally service stuff and spares, the front is the “living” area with stove top, fridge, bench seating, heater, and a separate bathroom room (750mm X 750mm) which has a campervan toilet… (vital for pre start nerves!)
There is a lot of waiting around in rallying, often in the middle of nowhere, often in the pissing rain, the Sprinter has been brilliant. It’s much easier to convince a friend/spouse to come help with service if they have a decent place to sit!
Your car looks mint!
I’ve towed with alsort over the years, 300tdi defenders Td5 defenders and discos discovery 4, various vans, just bought a new transit custom 130bhp euro 6 2.0 and it’s ok but doesn’t pull as nice as my old 2.2 transit. The new kuger might be the same engine.
I townfor trackdays now and borrowed a new ford ranger 3.2 auto, towed nice butbit was a very wet day and a van would have bin a lot better on that day
Personally i find anything fwd crap for towing.
all the cars apart from 2 i have towed with have been fwd and must agree rwd all the way. My current car is the best big turbo diesel big car and rwd and auto it is a dream to tow. I would dread taking it on a muddy field though but that is just a decision i made due to my normal daily mileage.Originally Posted by Erikmex
Which is something you may need to consider if doing rallies as i assume the last 1 mile etc could be quite rough ?? you just need to find the compromise that suits.
Last edited by wildo105e; 12-11-2017 at 10:12.
Definitely, thats why i like the Hilux, its rare that there is decent hard standing at motorsport events, usually end up aprking in fields, i had to tow a few 2wd vans out of a field last year. The other reason i prefer bigger engined tow cars is that whilst most TDI's produce good torque its mostly 'all turbo', i recently tested a new 2.4 Hilux Mk8, nice smooth engine but not as good for towing as the Mk7 3.0l which doesnt even feel like it has a turbo. The bigger engine and longer wheelbase the better in my opinion, Discovery is a cracking tow vehicle too, my friend has a 4wd VW T5 5cyl TDI...great bit of kit but pricey to buy.
I have to agree with that, my transits where ok until it was raining and you needed to do a hill start
How about a 2.2 freelander TD4 ?
Big Wing sold and gone to be a film star
Decent enough for towing low weight but maybe a bit short and light, id imagine it would be ok tho.
What about a LWB RWD Transit? Ticks all/most of the boxes
whats your thoughts on a 2.2 diesel Rav 4? Towing pretty much the same load as alancdavis?
Hoping to take the car for a wee blast at Knockhill next year
whats your thoughts on a 2.2 diesel Rav 4? Towing pretty much the same load as alancdavis?
Hoping to take the car for a wee blast at Knockhill next year
I would imagine it would be fine. Choosing a tow car depends on a lot of things in particular how often do you tow, If it is a now and again track day most cars will suffice and any downsides only occur on the day of towing and you accept that i.e maybe you have to rev it a bit brake a bit harder etc. but the rest of your daily life driving is fine. If you can afford a dedicated tow vehicle then you can be very specific in what you want. Who would want to drive a rally service barge day in day out when you only really need it for the 1 day of the year.
I have to drive 25000 miles a year so that take precedence over pulling things. I am lucky i never really need to drive over muddy fields with a trailer if i did it would just not do it.
I had diesel CRV and a diesel Murano both were fine for towing a 1400kg caravan. Most SUV's will be a good compromise if you get one with 4 wheel drive option you really have the best of both.
Think what I need is as said ,,some thing to tow and double up as everyday car,,No room to keep a huge van at home and also dont want to tax and insure something to use 4 or 5 time a year
Big Wing sold and gone to be a film star
over the years ive towed with whatever had a tow bar...towing was easy ...stopping and how fast you could go were the problems and the legality of it...the best tow veichle i ever had was a swb mk3 transit ..pulled like a train ..you would forget you had the car and trailer behind you...and still was good on milage.....if you dont need to go through london..yo can pick them up for very little money now days...cheers mark
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