I have a VS Acclaim ie 1995, IRS model and now wish to fit a heavy duty tow bar to pull a caravan. I have been told that the car may suffer structural failure if I do this so I pose the following questions. 1) Can anyone out there confirm this and if so, what can be done (if anything) to address the problem? 2) What other modifications are needed to enable towing a medium sized (single axle) caravan? 3) Can the IRS differential take the additional load? 4) What about cooling. Is the radiator of sufficient capacity to take the van? I already have the auto transmission cooled. 5) What tow bar would you recommend? Cheers
back in the day there was a kit which had extra supprots for the boot area and also a trans cooler and possibly a larger trans sump... hayman reece or simillar may do a tow bar for these things still but i have no idea, i do know up to 2 yrs ago you could still get a brand new tow bar for a vp.. i can look in to this if you like or ring your local parts dealer
This was called the tow pack. Even now, when you buy a new Commodore, you can option the tow pack in three different towing strengths. I have been told that if you use these cars for constant heavy towing (without a tow pack), the car "stretches" and you will not be able to shut the back doors.
gauranteed you could still buy new tow bars for this car. Hayman reese is probably the best tow bar on the market. How much does this caravan weigh ? I have towed a boat with the same car you have, and i would suggest you invest in heavy duty or adjustable shocks or air bags, heavy duty rear springs, and if you want to spend a little more cash get a deep transmission pan. this will hold more trans fluid and assist cooling even more. A switch for the cooling fan would also be a bonus.
I brought a new Hayman Reese 2100kg tow bar, boot strut support and electronic brakes for my VS Statseman (IRS) in JAN '09 from TJM in Geelong cost me just over $1100 but had a mate who is a mechnic fit it if you get it done through a TJM store it was $1400 or ARB for $1700 with elec brake. And don't lower your car to much because the tow bar hangs pretty low and will scarpe on everything!! Hope that helps Pat
Thanks for your help and advice. Good idea about that extra transmission "sump". The probable caravan will be max 1500kg so the 1600kg Hayman Reece should be the best optiion. What about a 2nd hand towing kit from a wrecker? Is a larger radiator available for a VS?
Shouldn't need a larger radiator just a trans cooler you can get them from autobarn or bursons and the like
The heavy duty towbar will be fine, it should come with the boot supports. They are extra bars that fit in the sides of the boot from the floor up to the bottom of the parcel shelf. The only other extra I would recommend if you are planning on towing long distance is a weight distribution hitch. What this does is transfer the load off the towball to the chassis of the car. It is two bars that hook into an attachment that bolts under the towball and is held up on the draw bar of the van by chains. It lifts the front of the van and the rear of the car and makes it level and a lot safer towing. There is a heavier version that uses a whole new removable heavy duty tongue hitch but that is more for heavier vans. It all comes down to how much ball weight you have with the van.
