Towing with a TDI VW Jetta

[ROBERT CROSS]

Kevin,

I really don't think there are a lot of people around here with any first hand experience to answer such a Jetta question.

Our first TV, 85 Jeep Grand Wagoneer overheated it's front brakes on a long downhill run, cheep pads...my bad!!
The single axle drums on our 63 Safari and the Jeeps Parking (in this case, emergency) brakes kept things under control until the Jeeps front discs cooled down, our one and only brake thrill in 23yrs of Streaming.

IMHO If you ignore normal brake maintainence, they may ignore you.

[Tom Nugler]

Originally Posted by Gringo

how do the guys at Can Am work it? .....

I had the opportunity to take in Andy’s seminar at Alumapalooza. He gave everyone a lot to digest. A couple of people were recording the presentation. I hope it ends up on You Tube someday.
The primary focus was to explain the way they set up the tow vehicle, WD and Anti sway systems. Reinforced or custom receivers, better tires and suspension upgrades, the correct way to set up the WD bars and why they are so critical to handling. Check out the vids on the Can–Am site.
To back up his claims he was giving test-drives in this combo.

Tom.

[Gringo]

Do those hitches reduce your ground clearance any?

[slowmover]

Boy, I love how short that distance between TV and TT!!!!

Compare to the distance on my Dodge truck and Silver Streak where the measured distance between tailgate (not bumper) and corresponding heighth on the trailer is 60" [5'] (with OEM hitch receivver and, admittedly, longer H/A)

Everything concerning hitch rigging and road performance is better with that shortened distance, including fuel economy.

[mutcth]

Originally Posted by Gringo

Do those hitches reduce your ground clearance any?

Depends on the modification needed to reinforce the hitch and whether that becomes the lowest point on the undercarriage.

My van has a 2" square pipe running from the middle rear of the receiver forward to a suspension carrier. I have bottomed out on it on occasion (pulling out of a gas station) but it's not quite the lowest point on my van. (My WD bars also hang a bit lower.)

It's less of an issue for something like a higher-up SUV.

Tom

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by MrUKToad

I'd imagine all the Can Am customers out there will be smiling at the success of the Jetta as a tow vehicle for an Airstream and the somewhat alarmed comments of the non-Can Am customers.

Smiling yes, alarmed no. I think we have all read the negative posts many times before.

Generally speaking folks have pre conceived ideas about towing/tow vehicles and it is easy to see how they could get blindsided with the sight of the Can Am combination.

I believe they would change their mind set once they did some research and realize that 40 years of experience and 1,000's of custom set-ups have lead up to today's combinations.

Ya, we continue to wave the Can Am flag. We are one satisfied customer.

[lylesgl]

WOW! Does all this info mean it is possible for me to tow a 16' late model Bambi with my 2009 Honda Civic????

That would be sweet!!!!

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by lylesgl

WOW! Does all this info mean it is possible for me to tow a 16' late model Bambi with my 2009 Honda Civic????

That would be sweet!!!!

Since your Honda Civic doesn't produce any noteworthy amount of torque, I don't think it would be a good candidate. Honda avoided the production of torque altogether for a very long time, and only recently has allowed their V6s and the big 4 in the Accord and Element to make a little twist.

[Gringo]

now, a brushed, stainless DeLorean would look pretty good at the front end of a Bambi.

[henw]

Which tow vehicle to use draws about as many opinions as the topic of camping at Walmart.

I would think that engineering science should be readily available to adequately address the better parameters that a tow truck/car should meet for a given trailer hitch/length/weight. Cut and dry.

Can and should have different meanings.
How about some good objective data tables or the like?
Any one with such at hand to share here? A reference bible for towing?

Tom

[Gringo]

Well, here's a start. Click on # 7. for more autos. there's quite a list.
HowStuffWorks "Towing Capacity Chart"

[Tom Nugler]

Originally Posted by henw

I would think that engineering science should be readily available to adequately address the better parameters that a tow truck/car should meet for a given trailer hitch/length/weight. Cut and dry.

One of the slides in Andy's PP presentation was the formula they use to determine the approximate trailer weight for a particular TV. Hp, torque,1st gear ratio, final drive, tire circumference... I wish had taken notes, or at least a camera.
I too would like to be able to find some sort of spread sheet where you could plug in the numbers and review the results.

Tom.

[VIKING]

Originally Posted by henw

Which tow vehicle to use draws about as many opinions as the topic of camping at Walmart.

I would think that engineering science should be readily available to adequately address the better parameters that a tow truck/car should meet for a given trailer hitch/length/weight. Cut and dry.

Can and should have different meanings.
How about some good objective data tables or the like?
Any one with such at hand to share here? A reference bible for towing?

Tom

It sounds sooooo easy when you just say it like that. Now try and figure it out! The book of How To Tow What You Want has to be written for each possible combination of vehicle and trailer, and each possible modification to each vehicle and trailer, taking into account the age and condition of each vehicle. It begins to sound like a life-time project. It seems better spent time to learn your own particular combination and perfect it, than to try to figure out what would amount to thousands or tens of thousands of possible combinations, most of which would never be tried in the real world.
Keep the shiny side up,
and the rubber side down.
Rich the Viking

[c_lewis77]

@ gringo: a delorian tv sounds interesting...but does all of the aluminum affect the Flux Capacitor?

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by c_lewis77

@ gringo: a delorian tv sounds interesting...but does all of the aluminum affect the Flux Capacitor?

Go to Best Buy for the Dilithium Crystal upgrade.

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by REDNAX

Go to Best Buy for the Dilithium Crystal upgrade.

some people think it's hard to find diesel... where do you get your antimatter?

[Wsmith]

Originally Posted by Gringo

Well, here's a start. Click on # 7. for more autos. there's quite a list.

HowStuffWorks

"Towing Capacity Chart"

With a Chevy if its bigger than a little red wagon you have to buy a truck TV. Interesting

I think two things contributed to U.S. cars not being able to tow. When the removed the compression from the engines and introduced unleaded fuels. That was a Government push after the first oil crises. They destroyed the muscle car industry for for a while. The didn't run everything with a computer and there was sine pinging going on for a few years. They also put the uni-body frames on a lot of mid size cars.

[Wsmith]

Originally Posted by c_lewis77

@ gringo: a delorian tv sounds interesting...but does all of the aluminum affect the Flux Capacitor?

I don't want the job of polishing the Delorian that was brushed stainless.

[barts]

Originally Posted by Wsmith

I think two things contributed to U.S. cars not being able to tow. When the removed the compression from the engines and introduced unleaded fuels. That was a Government push after the first oil crises. They destroyed the muscle car industry for for a while. The didn't run everything with a computer and there was sine pinging going on for a few years. They also put the uni-body frames on a lot of mid size cars.

Leaded fuel was phased out because it poisons catalytic converters, which were needed to keep the air breathable (ever live in LA in the 60s - I did) and it turns out lead was poisoning people who lived in cities as well, since the lead compounds from the fuel ended up in the air and dirt. Remember changing plugs every 15K miles because they ended up lead-fouled?

60's and 70's cars ran very crudely, with rich air-fuel ratios and very high emissions. They also got terrible mileage. Modern cars cat accelerate faster, stop quicker and last far longer than their 60s and 70s counterparts, and use less fuel doing it. Find a 3000 lb 70s car that does 0-60 in less than 8 seconds, does 120+ mph and gets 40+ mpg at 70 mph - like my Jetta.

The reason towing ratings have been reduced is far more likely lawyers than engineering, although people's preference for front wheel drive also may have something to do with this.

- Bart

[mutcth]

Originally Posted by barts

The reason towing ratings have been reduced is far more likely lawyers than engineering, although people's preference for front wheel drive also may have something to do with this.

I get to talk with a lot of fellow vehicle engineers through work. I've been told point blank that they don't spend the money validating higher tow ratings on certain vehicles because their marketing department tells them "3500 pounds is enough capacity for 90% of the buyers."

If there is no competitive advantage to up the tow rating, the engineers can save the money and weight beefing up cooling systems and hitch structure and put it somewhere else. Plus an automaker assumes anyone who wants to tow will just go buy one of their shiny (high-profit margin) SUVs.

Given the level of performance of modern vehicles using unleaded fuel and the strength of modern unibodies, those reasons don't really pan out. Consider that the Jeep Grand Cherokee has long been a unibody and it is rated to tow a good-sized trailer; same goes for the German SUVs. The Chevy Caprice towing the triple-axle AS in the brochure linked earlier in this thread was built during the dark days of strangled engines and low power; I think it had about 150 hp from its V8. But it was still rated for towing...

Tom