Towing 1.25T boat across the Nullabor ... aftermarket oil cooler?

[Moph]

I'll be towing a 16' fibreglass half cabin boat on single axle trailer from Adelaide to Perth in late December this year. ATM weight is around 1.25T. Tow rig is a VF Series I Calais V Sportswagon with the 3.6L V6 auto and 2100kg rated factory towbar.

I understand that there's a small oil cooler built into the bottom of the OEM radiator. Will this cope okay with summer conditions on the Nullabor or should I fit a separate aftermarket cooler? Cool with spending the money if it's warranted but also would rather spend it on other toys if the stock cooler is adequate.

Cheers

 

[stooge]

i would fit it

 

[Fu Manchu]

I’m pretty sure there is a factory oil cooler available for towing that fit VE-VF.

 

[Skylarking]

On such a long drive, I’d invest in an oil cooler and may even consider a trans service prior to the trip depending on vehicle k’s since last service.

Also, from May to August you get prevailing westerlies so it’s not a good time to be driving from Adelaide to Perth

Luckily your doing the trip in late December, you shouldn’t be driving into head winds the whole way. That time of year the prevailing winds are SSE so most likely you’ll get cross winds on your trip (so a little wind assistance blowing you home)

https://www.windfinder.com/windstatistics/nullarbor

 

[Fu Manchu]

Wind directions may well have predominant directions but it should be noted that the presence of large High pressure systems in the summer doesn't mean they are stationary. Winds will shift a fair bit around their movement. Sea breezes will mostly be afternoon after land heating has occurred. Favourable conditions with tail winds can often occur before the sea breeze.

Also in the winter as the dominant features are cold fronts, these cold fronts also make way for offshore winds. In winter months, travellers will experience plenty of tail winds as well.

 

[Skylarking]

^ weather is never static, rather it’s always changing.

But tell that to a guy I know that road his bicycle from Perth to the east coast. Along the Nullarbor, he spent what seemed forever riding into head winds. He noticed the prevailing head winds very much.

The Nullarbor is a 2 day slog, not a half our drive, so the prevailing winds do have an impact. If they are not strong averaging headwinds, a car driver may only notice the higher fuel consumption if he’s paying attention. If they are strong, he’ll notice unless he’s asleep at the wheel.

It’s just something else for OP to consider on his 3000 odd km drive from Adelaide to Perth.

 

[Moph]

Thanks guys, consensus is that it's worth fitting so I'll have it done. I'm at 70,000km and it's been logbook serviced since new so not sure that that's included a trans service. I'll ask the gearbox workshop what they recommend.

It's not my first trip across the Nullabor and I've experienced the roaring headwinds. Last trip was a fair while ago - 2009 - when we moved to Perth and did the trip in 30 hours in a 1.3L Suzuki Sierra with myself, the wife, two staffies and a 5x3 trailer. Stopped for a 2 hour kip near Eucla and the winds were buffeting the car around even while stopped.

Was a surprisingly comfortable trip. Sierras have a great seating position and the 4x driving lights are all 55W HID - I was less uncomfortable at the end than prior trips in a VQ Caprice.

 

[Daniel Souza]

Get an OBDII Bluetooth dongle só you can monitor all the temperatures during the trip.

 

[Moph]

That's a cool gadget. Is there a recommended dongle? Also what would be considered 'too hot' for auto trans fluid?

 

[Forg]

A Sierra is lighter than that boat, so just because you towed the Sierra across the nullarbor comfortably doesn't mean it'll be the same for the boat.

Hope that helps.