towing a trailer

[Tk]

right im seriously considering stripping everything out of the pulsar and using it for track use only,
do you recon i would get away with towing the car (on a trailer) using my 2001 1.7 td astravan ?

[jungle-jim]

i don't see why not?

if you passed after january 1997 it changed the law on towing weights.

you know the car still has to be road legal to do track days don't you?

so you could still drive it to some venues.

do you remeber that escort RS that broke at the pod?

his mate turned up in a corsa diesel van and trailer to take it away.

mind you, they were sitting near the farm at the end of the road with their hazards on? :oops:

[Tk]

i didnt think car had to be road legal to do track days

and yes the rst being towed by the combi van did spring to mind

[stockcar]

be very wary of your towing weight thats applicable to the towing vehicle.................VOSA are getting sh*t hot on clamping down on peeps and the fines are a little large!!

in your handbook you should be able to find a 'braked' and 'unbraked' (normally only 750kg) total tow weight applicable to your car...............

at a guess you'll be marginal with an astra van when you take the car and trailer into consideration, regardless of what others do

also if you don't have enough stability in the towing vehicle it can make for an interesting trip!!

[jungle-jim]

you need to look into the legality of track cars my friend.

but i thought they had to be "road worthy" thus requiring an mot?

if you find out, let me know.

[ants13]

AFAIK a car doesnt have to be road legal for a tarck day but you might get the marshalls look it over in the scutineering bay if they dont think its in a good condition .

about the towing, what you need is an isuzu trooper they have a towing weight of 3.1 tonnes.

[Stuart]

A car has to be in general good condition and of a roadworthy standard. It most certainly does not need to be road legal.........you only have to look at the Sierra to see that isn't

Normal rule of thumb for towing is that your trailer and car shouldn't weigh more than the car/van that is doing the towing, so your Astra won't be sufficient. I use my old Hilux Surf for towing duties and that works well as would most heavy 4x4 trucks or even large estates. People do use much smaller, lighter cars (Pablo used his Rover 75 to tow his and Barts XR4x4) but if you want to avoid grief with Babylon, get a car that is really suitable. It will also make your trips more of a pleasure too :thumb:

[Tk]

im 99.9% sure they dont need an mot etc...
as long as they look ok with no sharp edges then your ok


edited as you beat me to it stu

i asked as i dont want another vehicle to insure/tax etc just for towing, i guess i could get a bigger van but i like the nimble astra for work duties, the transit i had last year was a pig

back to the drawing board :roll:

[jungle-jim]

so would you need an MOT and tax to insure the car, even if its for track use?

[Bubble]

Be very carefull with towing weights, the laden trailer shouldn't really weigh more than 90% of the towing vehicle to be safe. You also need to be aware of the nose weight on the tow-bar. It's all OK untill it goes wrong

Picture the scene of a Ford Explorer 4X4 towing a 26" twin axle caravan jack-knifing on the A12 while overtaking an artic

It wasn't much fun being pushed sideways @60mph by a caravan