What are people towing with a Rover 75

[HarryM1BYT]

Originally Posted by sn1958

We went with a Swift Challenger 570 and it was right on the towing limit, so I have been using my V8 Discovery to tow with instead. We have decided its time to replace our old faithful Rover 75 Tourer with something better suited to towing and as a daily driver. After months of pondering what to replace the 75 with we have decided to replace it with a Land Rover Discovery Sport. It will be a said farewell for the Rover 75 ... I will be keeping my ZTT 190 though

My diesel pulls my Bailey 1350Kg easily and it seems from the spec. it is much heavier than your 570 at 1206 kgs.

It only struggles pulling away on a steep hill, it is a rather high first gear for towing.

[Annie]

i tow a 1050kg challanger420 and find the standard power just enough but really needs a remap to be an enjoyable towcar

[sn1958]

Originally Posted by macafee2

I have a cdt towing a 2013?Lunar quasar 525, 5 birth. Whist in its 115 BHP setting it was harder work then I would have liked. Remapped to 160BHP has made quite a difference. Even if yours is a CDTI the 29BHP extra a remap gives you will be noticeable. If you like the 75 can anyone close to you let you tow with their remapped car? A remap may be worth considering as its cheaper then changing the car.

macafee2

Thanks for the reply, mine has the Synergy 2 box and I have always felt it pulled very well, I have had a smaller caravan and trailer to try ouy and they were fine. The Swift Challenger is 1595 MTPLM so in theory just under the max towing weight, when we purchased it I thought we were pushing our luck .. Doh

[HarryM1BYT]

Ah, OK - a bit heavier than the table suggested. I have only once been concerned at trying to pull away - it was a very steep hill on a back road and there were lights on the hill. Everywhere else, it pulled perfectly easy take off and I really hate slipping the clutch to pull away.

My back up plan for should I really get stuck on a hill (never happened), was to let the caravan turn sideways near 90 degrees to the car, then you are not towing the full weight as you try to start.

[Mogodon]

Only thing the ZT has towed so far is an Ifor Williams double horsebox.

Considering they're not the lightest things in the world, and are usually on the back of 4x4's the Zed tows it very well, and stability wise it's never twitched an inch even at 60mph (when light), 45/50mph loaded.

[sn1958]

Well the Rover 75 Tourer has pulled the Caravan on a couple of outings, performed well but struggled a bit with the weight at times, and on the motorway it just felt like the tail was wagging the dog. Our replacement tow car has been picked up now, went for an early release Discovery Sport, so the Rover 75 has had its final clean this week and will soon be for sale.


First outing with the Caravan and Rover 75


It made it north of the border


The caravan is just that bit too big for the Tourer to handle

[HarryM1BYT]

Originally Posted by sn1958

Well the Rover 75 Tourer has pulled the Caravan on a couple of outings, performed well but struggled a bit with the weight at times, and on the motorway it just felt like the tail was wagging the dog. The caravan is just that bit too big for the Tourer to handle

I surprised you are struggling with that, my Bailey has been as stable as a stable thing throughout the years I have had it, never a waggle. Could be your weight distribution/ packing method?

There are a few Challenger models, which one is that?

[sn1958]

Originally Posted by HarryM1BYT

I surprised you are struggling with that, my Bailey has been as stable as a stable thing throughout the years I have had it, never a waggle. Could be your weight distribution/ packing method?

There are a few Challenger models, which one is that?

Its a Challenger 570, weight distribution was all ok and nose weight checked etc, its a 1595 MTPLM caravan so I think its just a step too far for the R75 with its maximum tow capacity at 1600. In hindsight not the best choice of caravan for the tow vehicle. On the whole it was fine and stable, just on the motorway when overtaking lorries you got the feeling the car just didn't have the weight to keep the caravan in check if anything did go wrong. There was also the risk of being overladen on the GTW with everything so close on weights.

I don't know if the rear suspension was just a bit too soft and that didn't help with things, I did get some MG Rover OE self leveling units for it, but by then had decided either the car or caravan had to be swapped so didn't get them fitted.

With the Discovery Sport its a different beast and it pulls like nothing is on the back, but it has a tow capacity of 2200 and is a much heavier vehicle. Project get a caravan has been an expensive dabble in caravanning ... Doh ... But on the plus side me and the wife both love it and cant wait to hitch up and get away when we can.

[HarryM1BYT]

Originally Posted by sn1958

Its a Challenger 570, weight distribution was all ok and nose weight checked etc, its a 1595 MTPLM caravan so I think its just a step too far for the R75 with its maximum tow capacity at 1600.

I see where you are coming from, that is around 200Kg heavier than mine. I have read that adding dampers to the caravan's suspension can help a lot with stability when towing, but have never had reason to try them.

[7T5]

I would guess that near the max the car is nearing its limits. Good move getting something bigger. My van is nice and light for my 75, 950 from memory no more and its a dream to tow.