General Stilo JTD Towing a Caravan?

[paullawton2007]

Afternoon all,

Been away for a few months since i crashed my beloved m/wagon!:bang:

Anyway im back on the market for a Diesel Stilo pref 3door.

I need some advice on whats the better tow car the multiwagon or 3dr?. the caravn is 1100kg i know the stilo can pull 1300kg? has anybody else done any towing with theres?

if anyone knows of any decent looked after ones, let us know

Paul

 

[roy lovelock]

i think you maybe out of luck there, if memory serves i think the kurb weight limit is 800kgs. i will have a look around and look.
this was the reason why we gave up on the idea of having a caravan when we only ran stilos.

 

[Stilo Nutter]

According to my owners handbook, none of the stilos have a kurb weight lower than 1090kgs.

The 3dr diesels weigh in at 1265kgs for the 8-valve and 1285kgs for the 16-valve and yes the book says the diesels can tow 1300kgs braked, but the law states that the trailer/caravan can't out weigh the tow vehicle. Actually the law regarding towing is quite complicated especially with people having pre 97 and post 97 licenses and now there are new rules for people who have passed their test since 19th Jan 2013.


Laws for 1997-19/01/2013 License Holders, copied straight from a direct.gov.uk PDF about towing and license entitlements.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consu...n/@motor/documents/digitalasset/dg_067672.pdf

B - Cars

Motor vehicle with a MAM of
up to 3,500kg, no more than
eight passenger seats with or
without a trailer – weighing no
more than 750kg.

As category B but with a
trailer weighing more than
750kg. The total weight of
the vehicle and trailer together
can’t weigh more than 3500kg.
The weight of the trailer, when
fully loaded, can’t weigh more
than the unladen weight of the
vehicle.

https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car - This gives a run down of the different License entitlements.

Page 12 of this direct.gov PDF should explain it much better than the first one; https://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_cons.../@dg/@en/documents/digitalasset/dg_185825.pdf

 

[roy lovelock]

thanks stilo nutter, i knew that it was tight and for some reason i remembered 800kgs - maybe that was something else.
We needed a larger caravan as there are 5 of us so the stilo was of no use to us, but the op maybe able to make use of that.
Im now thinking about the 407sw, hmmmm, i maybe able to re approch this now.....

 

[Stilo Nutter]

So yes, a 3 door JTD or MultiJet can legally tow a 1100kg caravan as long as that is the caravans fully laden weight. As for the 3 doors worth as a tow car, I'm not sure.

I drive a JTD multiwagon and have towed an 1100kg caravan a short distance, it did slow me down a fair bit, but not too much slower given that you are restricted to 50mph on A roads when towing anything anyway. My stilo towed it just fine though, I was able to accelerate up some steep hills without dropping down from 5th. It's just those small twistys that slow you down quite a bit when towing, but are usually fun when not towing.

Hope any of these have helped.

 

[Stilo Nutter]

thanks stilo nutter. We needed a larger caravan as there are 5 of us so the stilo was of no use to us

No problem Roy, the law about this and so many things today is so stupid and mind-bendingly complicated it's ridiculous.

When you say you needed a larger caravan and your stilo wouldn't do, how large are ya talking and which stilo did you have?

I ask because the JTD MW has a kurb weight of 1410kg and a paylod of 510kg including the driver, so you can take advantage of the full 1300kg braked towing allowance and there's a lot of 5 berth vans out there that are within that limit.

The only other towing restriction for us 1997-19/01/2013 License holders is something that I only found once and it took ages for me to find it buried in the gov.uk website is that we are limited to a caravan/trailer with a maximum body length of 23' long, but that's not counting the A-frame. I'm glad I found it though 'coz I'd hate to get pulled over and get fines and/or points on my license because I'm towing something longer than I should be even though it would be within the weight limits.

 

[roy lovelock]

we have got a aging 1.9jtd mw now, but i wouldnt dream towing with her now as she is past it.
The van i was looking at was about 1500-1600kgs, big un.
We did look at the other 5 births at the time but they were a bit to small for our liking.
Looking at the 407sw (2.0 diesel) though it has a much higher weight limit, and tbh its more up to the job of towing.

I knew my wife couldnt tow (she passed in 2001), she only has car on her licence, but i have grandad priviliges (1993) on mine also i have my class 1 and pcv so licences wouldnt be an issue.

I did look at this about 10 years ago so vans probo have got a lot lighter now.
Im more in the thinking now though to get a good camper van that can be stored when not in use.
I do remember looking at it back then and thinking what a mine field, so easy to get nicked and that was another reason why we decided to not bother.

Also the stilo in my mind is a bit light, its a nimble car for its size, my wife like to take everything including the kitchen sink with her when we go away so weight would be a big issue.... she would see a big estate car and a trailer to fill up with her stuff, not so long ago i hit the roof at her as she loaded the roof box with so much weight it bowed, then when i unloaded and reloaded the car it was on the rear axle stops....

 

[Stilo Nutter]

we have got a aging 1.9jtd mw now, but i wouldnt dream towing with her now as she is past it.
The van i was looking at was about 1500-1600kgs, big un.
We did look at the other 5 births at the time but they were a bit to small for our liking.

I did look at this about 10 years ago so vans probo have got a lot lighter now.

Yeah, van's from the mid-late 90s onwards are much lighter and yet still affordable and have high berth accommodations.

I knew my wife couldnt tow (she passed in 2001)

Then she can tow, she just has the maximum car and trailer/caravan allowance of no more that a combined weight of 3500kgs and the trailer/caravan can't out weigh the tow car. Same restrictions as me, but we can still tow.

Im more in the thinking now though to get a good camper van that can be stored when not in use.

It's an option, but a camper van needs MOT, tax, insurance and more regular and expensive maintenance in replacement parts whilst caravans & trailers don't as long as the chassis and running gear are type approved. Not saying Campers are a bad idea, there are pros and cons to both. Campers are more maneuverable 'coz you've not got something another 16-25 or more feet behind ya lol.

I do remember looking at it back then and thinking what a mine field, so easy to get nicked and that was another reason why we decided to not bother.

I know, it's crazy. And I bet that because there are so many finite points to each and every law, that even most police officers don't realise that post 97 License holders can tow (and then, how many of them are going to know the full complicated combination of limits?). I keep meaning to print out a paper copy of the useful bits of those pdf's to show officers if I do get pulled and I bet they'd still argue.

Also the stilo in my mind is a bit light, its a nimble car for its size, my wife like to take everything including the kitchen sink with her when we go away so weight would be a big issue.... she would see a big estate car and a trailer to fill up with her stuff, not so long ago i hit the roof at her as she loaded the roof box with so much weight it bowed, then when i unloaded and reloaded the car it was on the rear axle stops....

I know what that's like and I feel for ya pal. I've only just got myself a roof box, but I have still come close to the weight limits without it. It's so easy to underestimate loads because your always loading the boot or caravan one item at a time, so you loose the big picture of how much they all weigh together.

 

[jatkinson]

I know its not a caravan , but ive Towed Quite a few cars with my 3 door stilo Jtd , and it managed it perfect , only slowed me down a little on hills , and i was towing cars WELL over 1 tonne

 

[paullawton2007]

Evening All

good bit of info there about towing!

i passed my test in 2005 so im sure i cab tow a Total combined weight of 3500.

as for the 3 dr towing the one im looking at is 04 with 117k and i would need to put a towbar on, i remember towing cars (a vectra) with my m/wagon and it didnt seem to bother it.

has anyone fitted there own towbar, im not bad on the tools, but unsure if there is a socket To plug the towbar electrics striaght in or if i would have to splice off the loom, been looking at mondeos but would rather a stilo JTD than a ford!..

I need to what is a good tow car for the job, but i want a stilo again and i know them inside out!.

paul

 

[swirl]

whats the prob with a tow bar get on it boy

 

[Stilo Nutter]

Evening All

good bit of info there about towing!

i passed my test in 2005 so im sure i cab tow a Total combined weight of 3500.

has anyone fitted there own towbar, im not bad on the tools, but unsure if there is a socket To plug the towbar electrics striaght in or if i would have to splice off the loom, been looking at mondeos but would rather a stilo JTD than a ford!..

I need to what is a good tow car for the job, but i want a stilo again and i know them inside out!.

paul

Cheers.

Yup, we can tow legally with a combined weight up to 3500kg or a 3500kg vehicle with a 750kg or under trailer.

I fitted my own towbar and I did my own wiring using much heavier gauge wiring than most garages would use. Its not difficult, but it is awkward if you don't have a garage to get out of the weather and out of the dirt n the mud. It's possible though, I don't have a garage so I just waited for a couple of good days to start.

I think the JTD's are a great tow car, the JTD Doblo's have won tow car of the year a few times I think and the stilo has more HP than some of the lower end diesel Dobbies. The MW is heavier so that let's you use the full 1300kg tow limit. Then again because the 3door is lighter to start with yet has the same HP, so it has a better power to weight ratio.

 

[paullawton2007]

well just got back from Bradford, Im in Derby at the minute working till friday then back home to Ellesmere Port

Not what i expected! nothing like the ebay ad

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2004-FIAT...0307839?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3cdf0e827f

it looks mint in the pictures on ebay and only says it could do with a service!

Arrived had to walk past to get to the door, scrapped, dings.

Engine sounded nice enough, but he had just put drop links and springs on because of front knocking, says its a dynamic only thing i found dymanic was the 115bhp engine, interior was the "active spec" id say, only aircon no digital heater/climate control/cd changer etc (he didnt even know about top dashboard).

No service history
no alloy centre caps (there £10/£15 each on ebay them selves)
Needs 4 new tryes (all bad parts worns)
Need tracking
need Wishbones
Poss n/side driveshaft/CV
Good old stilo Faults -Preheat/bulb failure/spanner/service lights
clutch at the top (no good for me towing! told me its ok with a good bite, Yeah good bite at the top!)

All in all waste of an evening where i could of been sipping Pints of BECKS for free! and its cost me fuel, must not of thought i know a stilo inside out and faults and specs!, the waitress in the pub im in was worth the late tea!

Anyway a towbar is not that hard to fit? i wouldnt have a problem hands on fitting it or cutting the bumper if needed. just was not sure on how the trailer electrics are done.

THE SEARCH CONTINUE'S, keep your eyes an ears open for me! travel/miles doesnt matter!

Thanks

Paul

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

.
now there are new rules for people who have passed their test since 19th Jan 2013.

What are these new rules out of interest

Engine sounded nice enough, but he had just put drop links and springs on because of front knocking, says its a dynamic only thing i found dymanic was the 115bhp engine, interior was the "active spec" id say, only aircon no digital heater/climate control/cd changer etc (he didnt even know about top dashboard).

It is Dynamic spec, just checked the reg. Also has the front arm rest

 

[Stilo Nutter]

What are these new rules out of interest

Well 1997-18/01/2013 License holders can drive a 3500kg vehicle with a trailer up to 750kg so you can have a total mass of 4250kg train weight, but people who have passed their test from 19/01/2013 don't get that extra 750kg on top of a 3500kg vehicle. They are limited to just the combined train weight of 3500kg.

I'm not sure about all the new restrictions, thats the only one I know of so far. I think one of those PDF's I posted has some details of the new license limits and I don't think the new rules are just about towing. I haven't really checked into it much though because they don't apply to me.

 

[Stilo Nutter]

Anyway a towbar is not that hard to fit? i wouldnt have a problem hands on fitting it or cutting the bumper if needed. just was not sure on how the trailer electrics are done.

Nope, not hard at all. It just takes time to make sure its done right. For the electrics, you will need a 7-way bypass relay and a decent split charge relay and they usually have fitting instructions with them. The only awkward parts are;

1. Running a 20/25/30amp rated positive cable (or 2, doubling it up to spread the amps between 2 cables. I doubled mine up and now have a great power supply in the boot.) from the battery to the boot. There are a couple of ways to do this - 1. Through a rubber grommet in the bulkhead behind the glove box or - 2. Some people go under the scuttle panel and through a grommet somewhere around the front pillar on the passenger side. I couldn't find that grommet so I went through the bulkhead.

And 2. Having someone sit in the drivers seat turning brake lights, indicators, side lights n so on on and off while you identify the cars wiring loom with a multimeter to make sure you have the correct wire to splice to for your 12n socket.

Sounds like a lot, but it's not hard if your ok with electrics.

Hope this helps.

 

[paullawton2007]

Evening All

Im back in the Stilo Gang!

Went and picked a 3dr up from Gloucester yestaday. 87k had loads of work done, never missed a beat on the way home, so plan is the next few week fit a towbar and electrics.

Theres a good bit of info about towing in this thread thanks to others for there input, im sure it will be looked at again!

Paul

 

[Morty Mort]

I've been towing a caravan of 1100-1300 kilos for thousands of km many years with my 1.6 petrol. If that one can work it out, surely a diesel can aswell. Mine is 13-pin fully connected (dual 12+ feeds), with fridge and battery charging while driving.

 

[Stilo Nutter]

I've been towing a caravan of 1100-1300 kilos for thousands of km many years with my 1.6 petrol. If that one can work it out, surely a diesel can aswell. Mine is 13-pin fully connected (dual 12+ feeds), with fridge and battery charging while driving.

Is that 1100kg Unladen and 1300kg Maximum Authorised Laden Limit? If so then you should be careful, the 5-door 1.6 only weighs 1205kg or 1250kg if its a Dynamic, so a 1300kg plated caravan weighs more when fully loaded than your car and will be overpowering it a bit and according to the handbook all the 1.6's are limited to towing a 1100Kg braked trailer/caravan.

A lot of cars are capable of more than the handbooks and the law limit them to, but those limits and laws still apply, I'm not sure of the specific laws relevant to you so just tow safe

 

[Morty Mort]

Is that 1100kg Unladen and 1300kg Maximum Authorised Laden Limit? If so then you should be careful, the 5-door 1.6 only weighs 1205kg or 1250kg if its a Dynamic, so a 1300kg plated caravan weighs more when fully loaded than your car and will be overpowering it a bit and according to the handbook all the 1.6's are limited to towing a 1100Kg braked trailer/caravan.

A lot of cars are capable of more than the handbooks and the law limit them to, but those limits and laws still apply, I'm not sure of the specific laws relevant to you so just tow safe

I know it has been some overload from time to time. And you're right about the 1250kg+driver. When the Stilo itself has been loaded to appx. 1760 kilos (4 persons, luggage and roofbox), it has no problems towing more than 1100 kilos (towing limit for the 1.6). I have to take it easy uphill ofcourse, as high revs and load will build up too much heat. Very important aswell is to have good brake fluid, I had mine at a bioling test recently as 254°C.

Speed limit when towing is 80 km/h.

The Stilo is a fantastic workhorse.