Towing Limits on MY18 TIGUAN 140TDI

[tomskiboy]

Hi All,
We've had our Tig now for a little over a month now and the wife and I are thinking of getting a boat. I understand that the Tig is rated for 2500Kgs. My question is how realistic is this figure.

Having visited a few boat yards the sales and service guys recommend that I don't tow anything over 1400Kg with the Tig. A bit confused. Is there a formula or rule of thumb for matching tow weight to vehicle?

I saw one caravan website suggest that drivers should not exceed 85% of vehicle GVM.

We upgraded our old Passat for this very reason (2500Kg tow capacity). I hope we didn't buy the wrong car.

Also, with regards to the 4Motion, has anyone had any issues with tigs on slippery steep inclines (like boat ramps) whilst towing?


Thanks in advance

[Umai Naa!!]

The towing capacity is whatever the car manufacturer states.

However, towbars can be rated at less than this, which should also not be exceeded. I've yet to see a genuine towbar that is rated less than the vehicle's tow rating with regards to VWs of the last 15 years or so.

As for the boat ramp, the 4Motion system is pretty good, but with the DSG transmission, don't try and slip the clutches in it. You either go, or you don't. Hill Hold, etc should be perfect for this.

[IsDon]

Have a look here:

YouTube

It’s a little more complicated than just what the manufacturer states.


Not only does the maximum towing capacity need to be considered, but also the tow ball download limit and the combined mass limit of the vehicle and the boat.

[theresanothersteve]

As IsDon says, you have to consider the gross combined and towball weight as well as the claimed towing capacity.

You also have to add the towball weight (ie, if its 200 KG you add 200 KG to your esky, passengers, fishing gear and so on inside the car) to everything else in the Tig to make sure you don't exceed the Tig's maximum unladen weight.

I haven't crunched the numbers, but generally speaking SUV wagons usually come out better than crew cab utes.

Don't believe everything you read on the internet, and what I've seen of the caravan forums and websites they are the least reliable of the lot (says he posting on a web hosted forum). Some of the specialist 4WD sites, provided you ignore the opinionated twats they attract, have some very wise people who do know what they're talking about.

[jpvw01]

Hi All,
We've had our Tig now for a little over a month now and the wife and I are thinking of getting a boat. I understand that the Tig is rated for 2500Kgs. My question is how realistic is this figure.

The 2500kg towing capacity is very optimistic. Combined with a maximum allowable towball weight of 100kg the guidance you have received is in the ballpark. What boat do you want to tow ?

[Rooboy]

Not only does the maximum towing capacity need to be considered, but also the tow ball download limit and the combined mass limit of the vehicle and the boat.

Thanks for summing that up. Such a pity that bloke can't do the same. I can't sit through 12 minutes of his verbal diarrhoea to find the 30 seconds of fact.

[theresanothersteve]

This guide explains it all very well.

Vehicle weights explained | tare, kerb, GVM, payload and trailer figures - Car Advice | CarsGuide

The main sticking point is towball weight. Typically you want it to be 10% of the trailer weight for stability, but the catches are the maximum towball weight and its effect on vehicle mass. I believe Tigs have a towball weight of 100KG, so you can overcome vehicle mass by leaving your overweight mate at home but the towball weight means you are looking at a 1 tonne trailed load. About what the boat salesman says...

[IsDon]

Thanks for summing that up. Such a pity that bloke can't do the same. I can't sit through 12 minutes of his verbal diarrhoea to find the 30 seconds of fact.

No, much easier for everyone else to do the research for you.

[Hillbilly]

The actual legal rule is that the towing limits of a vehicle are The rated limit set by the manufacturer OR the rated limit of the fitted towbar

WHICHEVER IS THE LESSER

EG Vehicle 2500kg towbar 3000kg Limit is 2500kg Vehicle 2500kg Towbar 2000KG Limit is 2000KG

As for Ballweight it should be listed in the vehicle manual and there are no statuatory legal weights.

On Euro cars it is low because of the design of vans over there as they are much lighter than Aussie models

Also a trailer which has a GTM ( loaded weight limit on axles only) of over 2000kg must have electric brakes controllable from the drivers seat and a breakaway setup.

As said your towball weight forms part of the payload of the Tig or tug or whatever.

The pic explains it clearly and same applies regardless of whether its a van a boat trailer , a car transporter or a big tradie trailer.

The acronyms ATM ,GTM & GCM are STATED LIMITS and NOT actual weights. What your rig weighs is "Actual loaded weight" and may not legally exceed those limits.

[Sydneykid]

I noted that one of the your questions was how will it tow, which is somewhat different to what's legal to tow. I recently towed a race car and trailer at 1.9 tonnes using a 110TDI with DSG and it did it easily. I had it set at 145 kgs on the hitch with 50 kgs of preload on the load equalisers, so it sat almost level (not bum down) and it was very stable at any speed. Obviously not pulling it out of a boat ramp (that would be unfortunate), but my driveway and street are both pretty steep and with no clutch slip it basically idled up the hill.

It towed about the same as my Stagea, just used half as much fuel.

Based on that I'd expect 2.5 tonnes to be easy, requiring just a bit more juggling of the tow ball weight so it towed nice. With a race car it's relatively easy to move it back or forward a few mm's on the trailer. Or move the tyres, fuel and tools. With an extra 50nm of torque the 140TDI would be slightly better again.


Cheers
Gary