| C4 - DS4 Owners :: Forums :: C4 Towing :: C4 Towing, roof bars, bicycle carriers and roof boxes |
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Towing with C4 Picasso 1.6 Blue HDi Automatic |
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Mss1641
 
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  Member No: #46941
Joined: Dec 02 2016Location: North Yorkshire |
I am thinking of towing a caravan, just after a bit of advice, firstly is this car powerful enough to tow a 4 berth caravan comfortably, also being automatic, is it better to stay in automatic or use manual gears to tow? Thanks | ||||
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FrankBullitt
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    Member No: #19238
Joined: Apr 12 2011Location: Cambridgeshire |
There is no reason why you couldn't tow with your car but you probably need to be realistic to a degree - when you say 4-berth which 'van are you considering as the weight really is the key thing here. We bought a Bailey Pursuit 430/4 which has a maximum weight of 1229kg and decided to bite the bullet and replace our old DS4 with a 2.0 at the same time, in the main because we are driving down through France with it and I didn't want to be a mobile road block! Our set-up works a treat. If you are thinking of pulling something heavier than this I'd be mindful of the limitations whilst you are driving but don't let it put you off. Also be aware that if a driver passed their test after 31st December 1996 they are limited to a gross train weight (car, payload and caravan) of 3500kg unless they have sat a test for a B+E license. |
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Mss1641
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Member No: #46941
Joined: Dec 02 2016Location: North Yorkshire |
Thanks for advice  Also I have looked at the max tow weight braked for my car which is 1.6 blue HDI 120 BHP auto and states 1600kg, I know a basic question, but does this mean I can safely tow any caravan up to that weight, or do I have to take into consideration whats in the caravan as well ie equipment, food, gas etc how do I gauge what the weight is as well as basic caravan weight?
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FrankBullitt
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Member No: #19238
Joined: Apr 12 2011Location: Cambridgeshire |
In terms of weight be very careful and read this; - Click Here - Put simply, legally you can't tow something (total weight including everything in it) of 1600kg - however, you need to be mindful of some important points; A solid rule of thumb is that the total loaded weight of a caravan should not exceed 85% of a cars kerb weight. Citroën, rather oddly, quote a low kerbweight that is not entirely accurate - the figure in the brochure that is the 'mass in service' is what every other manufacturer calls kerbweight (i.e. 1555kg), so 85% of this is 1320kg. In addition you need to check your weight plate on the C4P as PSA have a habit of allowing you to trade some payload against towing weight, so if you towed 1600kg you might find you were quite limited on what you can carry. For simplicity I below is the figures on our DS4 Kerb weight - 1540kg Gross car weight - 1935kg Train weight - 3235kg Max Towing Weight - 1550kg You can see that if I loaded the car up and put 1550kg on the back of it then it would be overweight at 3485kg - as it is, I work on the basis my car is full and therefore I'm limited to 1350kg (85% is 1310kg), my caravan is 1229kg MTPLM so no issues there (in reality I think it's probably about 1175kg when we load it). I suspect you will end up with a similar 1300kg. Ours tows well, it would be just under 80% fully loaded. With the C4P 1.6HDi I wouldn't really want to tow a heavier van than mine - it would be stable but have limited performance. |
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Mss1641
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Member No: #46941
Joined: Dec 02 2016Location: North Yorkshire |
Many thanks for your detailed reply, appreciate your time explaining, thank you. | ||||
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DeuxChevaux
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 Member No: #16472
Joined: Nov 21 2010Location: North Norfolk UK |
If you go on the Caravan Club web site it has a section about matching the car you drive with the caravan you are interested in and is very informative. As an aside if you are new to caravan towing they do some very good novice courses which are well worth doing and for members excellent caravan insurance (sorry if this sounds like an advert) | ||||
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Mss1641
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Member No: #46941
Joined: Dec 02 2016Location: North Yorkshire |
I'll take all advice going thanks for your help.
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