Towing with a 480..

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Darren
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Towing with a 480..

Post by Darren » Sat Sep 09, 2006 4:48 pm

I did a search on some old topics and the general impression I got was just that 480s arn't for towing! But the question is, can they? :bla:

I'm thinking (again) of getting a Volvo 480, but even though they may have a good 1.7 engine, its petrol, would it be any use for towing a small trailer holding a small car (such as a Mini)? I'd imagine it would put a dent in the fuel economy none-the-less.

Also, minus the towing, what kind of mpg would a 1.7 and 2.0 480 be getting urban and rural? (Having trouble working out the 'Fuel consumption' on the Specifications section of the website!)

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Post by Ral » Sat Sep 09, 2006 5:01 pm

I'm getting about 31-ish mpg, while driving for mileage though. Ie. going 60 on the motorways and trying to overtake when I don't have to accelerate to do so etc. When I wasn't doing that, I was getting more like 28-ish. Mine's a 1.7 non-turbo. I'd be interested to see what other people are getting, cuz the numbers I've heard from a few people on here just don't add up for me.

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Big Brother
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Post by Big Brother » Sat Sep 09, 2006 5:36 pm

I don't see why it shouldn't tow a trailer. Be better if you had a 2.0
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guitarcarfanatic
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Post by guitarcarfanatic » Sat Sep 09, 2006 6:36 pm

My 1.7 non-turbo had a knackered clutch and towed my turbo 480 (which weighs more) on a Towbar for about 120 miles. Fuel consumption wasn't affected much ( it was mainly B roads which I would normally get between 36-42 mpg travelling at 60/70mph and I had an average of 32mpg for the journey back. Around town is where consumption drops! In the old 1.7 N/A I would get about 18mpg just travelling a 10 minute journey at speeds at 30mph and under to and from work each daya nd I get similar in the turbo too. My turbo is around 28-32 when I'm doing a mixture and the 1.7 non turbo was about 32-36 with mixed driving.

Hope this helps!
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Post by coyote1980 » Sun Sep 10, 2006 7:12 am

Agree with Adam here, I think the 2-liter is the car to have when you want to tow trailers with a 480.
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Post by Sophie » Sun Sep 10, 2006 3:19 pm

Didn' Dragon tow his Ned trailer with the 480 ? My ex b/f used to tow 480's(+ trailer) with his 86 ES, still does ! That's how we brought Bakke's old auto ES back from Belgium.
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Post by SteveR » Sun Sep 10, 2006 5:29 pm

My 2L TT gets 30 - 31 on short drives to work and aroun dth evillage. As soon as I ma on a run it moves up and on a motorway cruise nudging 40 sepending on speed ie 60mph will give 39 and 70mph gives 37/38.
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Post by JohnTurbo » Sun Sep 10, 2006 5:35 pm

SteveR wrote:My 2L TT gets 30 - 31 on short drives to work and aroun dth evillage. As soon as I ma on a run it moves up and on a motorway cruise nudging 40 sepending on speed ie 60mph will give 39 and 70mph gives 37/38.
I averaged 42mpg in my turbo (standard setup) at 70mph over 300 miles. I'd have thought the n/a should be better than this.
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Post by chris1roll » Tue Sep 12, 2006 6:46 pm

The 480 only weighs 1050kgs or so... mine was 1080 on our weighbridge.
Towing more than say 850-900 kgs is inadvisable, I would say, and the weight of a trailer and car combined would be illegal.

In fact, just checked the handbook, max permissible braked trailer weight is 900KGS, so this will be the plated weight on the VIN. More than this, would indeed be illegal.

Sure, the 480 would tow it easy, stopping again however.....

WE get the traffic police in all the time to weigh overloaded vehicles...
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Darren
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Post by Darren » Tue Sep 12, 2006 6:52 pm

Thanks for all the help guys. :)

I can only get insured on a 1.7 now, but I'm still pretty convident on towing. I believe you need a licence to tow a tralier heavier than 750kg (?) if you passed your test after 1998 (?), but I can't confirm this.

I think when the time does come to tow the Mini, the Mini will be fairly stripped out anyhow, as I only intend on towing it when it goes to get welding done - That would knock back some weight!

Thanks also about the fuel ecomony figures too, very interesting. I guess I'll have to wait and see for myself! :wife:
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Post by Sophie » Thu Sep 14, 2006 11:14 am

480 Turbo > 1989 Graphite Grey
MR2 MK1 > 1989...
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Post by dragon » Thu Sep 14, 2006 11:45 am

Sophie wrote:Didn' Dragon tow his Ned trailer with the 480 ? My ex b/f used to tow 480's(+ trailer) with his 86 ES, still does ! That's how we brought Bakke's old auto ES back from Belgium.
I did, and it didn't like it at all - brake fade all over the shop, clutch moaning.

480's. Towing. Don't do it, unless it's the smallest of the small trailers to take some guff to the dump.

just my 2p.
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Post by billy5000 » Thu Sep 14, 2006 3:55 pm

Hi all

on the matter of towing,the tt i had before tow`d my dads crippled mk1 golf with no real effort and tbh it was the smoothest tow ive driven or been driven in.

not like the rac who broke my towing eye off my saab 9000i

he didnt close the side door and thought slamming his brakes on would help close it,normally yes but Not while still towing a car behind.

jesus it pulled to the left when he did it:o

totally buggerd the bumper around the eye and now i can move the eye full left and right so no more being tow`d in that!.:)

basically if your steady and easy on the clutch than it should be ok but only for short distances really.

besides i think its not ok to use a rope anymore and your now suppose to use a dolly type sytem (not 100% so dont qoute me)

eitherway be slow and easy especially pulling off:):)

when the guy who brought my old 525i bmw tow`d it home i was steering the beemer and he was hammering at around 55mph and i had only sidelights to see anything at gone 10 at night around sharpe country lanes and i can tell you its hairy not to mention when the rope broke and we tied it back leaving about 2-3ft gap from one car to the other:o


not advisable to anyone with a weak heart hehee

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Post by AOD » Tue Sep 19, 2006 11:40 am

Hey....volverte !! :hopping:
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Post by lee » Tue Sep 19, 2006 12:22 pm

I once towed a trailer tent with my ES with no problems until it came to a hill where it did struggle from a standstill.

I also towed my car trailer with my old 440 turbo with a 440 turbo on it. This didn't appear to struggle too much even though the clutch was slipping.
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

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Post by chris1roll » Tue Sep 19, 2006 7:41 pm

:wall: Yes, but it would still be illegal!!
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