BullittSV6
Member
- Joined
- May 5, 2008
- Messages
- 428
- Reaction score
- 8
- Points
- 18
- Age
- 38
- Location
- Adelaide, South Australia
- Members Ride
- 2005 VZ Commodore SV6
Hi all, so today I've been towing a trailer from Whyalla to Adelaide (380 kms) with the return trip tomorrow. Its not just any trailer. Its a 10' x 5' coates furniture trailer. One hell of a bohemoth! Its coupled up to my 1600kg tow bar.
Now being a fully enclosed furniture trailer, its damn high. Around town at 60 or 80, the alloytec has enough grunt down low to shift it. But the highway driving has exposed a real shortcoming. Accelerate in 3rd (4000rpm), cruise in 4th (2500rpm), don't even try to go in 5th it WILL slow down. Admittedly this is the first time I've towed at highway speeds (100km/h is the limit for the Holden tow bar so I'm sticking to that)
I started off in D but when I first got to 100km/h the gearbox wouldn't settle, changing between 3rd and 4th. In the end I turned active select on and held the gear in 4th and after 10 minutes tried D again and it held fine.
Now normally cruising unloaded in 5th I average under 10L/100km and get a good 700 kms out of a tank. But today I averaged a whopping 22L/100km, giving me less than half the range I normally get. If I had a V8 would the difference be the same?
Having said that the cooling system held up fine, it did actually move above the 2nd lowest notch for the first time in the 18 months I've owned this car. But I was really shocked with the fuel consumption.
Now being a fully enclosed furniture trailer, its damn high. Around town at 60 or 80, the alloytec has enough grunt down low to shift it. But the highway driving has exposed a real shortcoming. Accelerate in 3rd (4000rpm), cruise in 4th (2500rpm), don't even try to go in 5th it WILL slow down. Admittedly this is the first time I've towed at highway speeds (100km/h is the limit for the Holden tow bar so I'm sticking to that)
I started off in D but when I first got to 100km/h the gearbox wouldn't settle, changing between 3rd and 4th. In the end I turned active select on and held the gear in 4th and after 10 minutes tried D again and it held fine.
Now normally cruising unloaded in 5th I average under 10L/100km and get a good 700 kms out of a tank. But today I averaged a whopping 22L/100km, giving me less than half the range I normally get. If I had a V8 would the difference be the same?
Having said that the cooling system held up fine, it did actually move above the 2nd lowest notch for the first time in the 18 months I've owned this car. But I was really shocked with the fuel consumption.