1st Tow With The Galaxy

[Chilli]

Just towed for the 1st time with my Galaxy 130bhp. :D

 

Having towed for the past 3 years with a Mondeo 130bhp i feel let down by the Galaxy. The mondeo was awesome, fast and pulled with ease. I am towing the same caravan (swift challenger 520). While i did'nt feel the van behind me on the straights 60mph, as soon as there was an incline the car slowed and down i came in gears. As well as that the mpg was 25, does anyone know if thats any good. I am unable to compare to the mondeo as this did not have a trip computer.

 

Anyway we still had a good time while in Shrewsbury. Will are gearing up for our main holiday, a trip down to Torquay 300miles. :D

 

Steve

[bigdaddy]

And dont forget the galaxy is twice the weight of your old mondeo

[johnb80]

As the previous poster said the Gal is a lot heavier and can of course carry a lot more on board than the Mondeo. Add to this it's not as aerodynamic and you would expect the performance to be well down. That said, the Gal should be a lot more stable and safer towing than the Mondeo.

 

You fuel consumption I would say is about right, i can just get mine into the 30's towing a huge Tow-A-Van.

 

Regards - JB

[Chilli]

It does seem more stable than the Mondeo, but that wasn

[Guest pablo]

Hi, i have a 2.8 V6 galaxy, it tows great, very stable. I have a swift Conqueror 520, so comparable to yours, but only get 16 MPG, 25 MPG sound very resonable. In last months CC Mag, 2.0D Honda CRV tested, 23MPG. 2.2 Toyota RAV-4, 21 MPG.

 

I'm going to the Loire Valley with mine in August, 1200 miles at 16MPG, Oh God.

 

Still cheaper than 7 people flying.

[Chilli]

16mpg :( Think i'll stick to the desiel LOL.

 

Steve

[tim-spam]

Were you using 6th gear? This is too high for towing at 60mph (or even 70), as the engine is only turning at around 1700 rpm, which is well below the maximum torque speed of 1900 rpm. In addition, any slowing down slows the engine further, which further reduces the available torque. Using 5th gear, 60 mph equates to around 2000 rpm, which is ideal, and the engine will be much more resistant to slowing down, as any slight reduction in engine revs will tend to increase the available torque.

[Chilli]

-UPDATE-

 

Hi again,

 

I recently changed my old Gal for a new 2.2TDi 170BHP. This towed the van brilliantly. But next month i'm due to change to an Elddis Crusader Superstorm to accomadate the kids growing up B)

It's going to be hard on the old MPG but hopefully worth it. :P

 

Steve

[big_kev]

Thats a bit heavy for a Galaxy to tow safely isn't it ?

 

Think it may be illegal on the length as well ( over 7 metres ).

Edited February 18, 2010 by big_kev

[Chilli]

Hi Big Kev,

 

Thats some of the questions i have asked and i have been reassured that all is well.

The Galaxy will tow 1800 and unladen the van is 1610 i can add 190 to it but as i won't be taking an awning this should not be a problem.

 

But i am open to advice

 

Steve

[kevinp72]

I too get about 25-30mpg when towing. I have and Adria Adora 520. The Gal does need a bit of work throught the gears on inclines, but tows well.

 

Kev

[RADIOTWO]

Hi Big Kev,

 

Thats some of the questions i have asked and i have been reassured that all is well.

The Galaxy will tow 1800 and unladen the van is 1610 i can add 190 to it but as i won't be taking an awning this should not be a problem.

 

But i am open to advice

 

Steve

 

Hi Steve

 

Depends where you have asked ! if you asked at a caravan dealer he will say its fine, but as Kef has said its a but heavy for the car.

 

Look on this site:

 

http://www.whattowcar.com/

 

You should be looking at about 85% of the kerbside weight of the car or less, and don't forget the police etc are getting very keen on

overweight outfits,

Its not worth it if you get the whole lot confiscated on you way to your holls !

 

Radiotwo

Edited February 19, 2010 by RADIOTWO

[Chilli]

Hi Radiotwo,

 

Thanks for your advice all the advice is appreciated.

 

I found that link by chance a few days ago and it's a very useful tool, it says depending on how much i place in the van that it's a 94% match. This didn't bother me to much as i don't speed and have towed for 10yrs or so. But what has worried me is the 7m length for towing.

 

As i understand it this is 7m not including the towing frame (Elddis = 6.8m) but i have now spoken to the caravan club who say that this van can only be towed by a commercial vehicle.

 

OH THE JOYS OF CHANGING VANS or growing kids :P

 

Steve

[RADIOTWO]

Hi Radiotwo,

 

Thanks for your advice all the advice is appreciated.

 

I found that link by chance a few days ago and it's a very useful tool, it says depending on how much i place in the van that it's a 94% match. This didn't bother me to much as i don't speed and have towed for 10yrs or so. But what has worried me is the 7m length for towing.

 

As i understand it this is 7m not including the towing frame (Elddis = 6.8m) but i have now spoken to the caravan club who say that this van can only be towed by a commercial vehicle.

 

OH THE JOYS OF CHANGING VANS or growing kids :P

 

Steve

 

Hi Steve

 

what is the exact length of the caravan ?

 

Radiotwo

[Chilli]

I,ve spoke with the Dealer today to cancel the deal :(

I've now got to stop the kids from growing or maybe give one away :huh:

 

Spoke with Elddis, Caravan Club and both say the length was ok but that the weight was pushing it for the GAL and i do love my GAL so it's the caravan that goes :)

 

Steve

[wmne14507]

Just towed for the 1st time with my Galaxy 130bhp. ;)

 

Having towed for the past 3 years with a Mondeo 130bhp i feel let down by the Galaxy. The mondeo was awesome, fast and pulled with ease. I am towing the same caravan (swift challenger 520). While i did'nt feel the van behind me on the straights 60mph, as soon as there was an incline the car slowed and down i came in gears. As well as that the mpg was 25, does anyone know if thats any good. I am unable to compare to the mondeo as this did not have a trip computer.

 

Anyway we still had a good time while in Shrewsbury. Will are gearing up for our main holiday, a trip down to Torquay 300miles. :(

 

Steve