Towing With A V6 Commodore

[joerod]

Hi All,

Need some help

I have been towing towing a 5.3 Haines, (115HP) with a V6 Commodore (Short Distances) and it's been going OK

Just in the process of upgrading to a new V6 Commodore which I will more than likely keep for the next 4 or 5 years. I will be looking at taking the boat to the south coast (Nowra, Kiama etc) or North (Port Stephens). Has anyone towed this sort of weight (apprx 1.5T) in a V6 commodore over that sort of distance?

If So, how often and how is the car?

Thanks !!!!

[domza]

Are you talking about the new VE commodore?

if its auto i would get a transmission oil cooler (they might come standard these days), but i think u should have no problems towing that size boat, just keep an eye on the heat gauge.

[joerod]

Are you talking about the new VE commodore?

if its auto i would get a transmission oil cooler (they might come standard these days), but i think u should have no problems towing that size boat, just keep an eye on the heat gauge.

Yes, I am talking about the VE Auto, (SV6). They are rated at 2,000KG but just want to confirm if anyone else has tried long distance towing.

[lighthouse2k]

I've towed my 540f Melbourne to Sydney in a BA falcon ute and that is absolutely no problem. Use 3rd most of the time and it chews the juice but it gets there no problem at all. Get a bit of heat on the f3 but its never gone over half but they are some pretty big hills.

[Geoff]

Roddy I'm towing 800kg long distances , Pt Stephens , Bermagui with a VX.

Whilst this is about half your weight I think the prinicaple of weight V's speed will apply.

I normally cruise on the freeway around 85 - 90 kph , a bit slower up hills. I find there is very little strain on the car , especially the gearbox. Also , the fuel economy is far more respectable than pushing along at 110 kph.

Don't forget the "power" button , if that what they still call it. Whenever towing it should be activated so the gearbox changes down gears therfor placing less strain on the motor / gearbox

Geoff

[Frantic]

I tow my 492F 500km up the coast to nambucca at chrissy and thats with a VZ V6 and if i take it easy i

usually get as low as 12lt per 100 km.

[dangles]

if the car u are getting is an auto,best thing you can do is upgrade the auto trans cooler to the largest possible, will help to keep the auto oil colder and prolong life of the oil and gearbox. The "power" button or also known as "overdrive off" buuton should also be turned off, this will prevent the auto from hunting between o/d and 3rd gear(if a 4 speed auto)

[Benb]

I have a VS V6 Ute and towed a trailer with tools approx 1500kg from Sydney to the Blue Mountains on the M4 and i cooked the auto, it got so hot that it started reving out in drive at 110km/h and i thought it had slipped into neutral but when i looked down to see it in drive i thought mmmmm time to stop, opened the bonnet to see smoke coming from the auto cooler lines (i have the large cooler fitted) and thought s##t i have done it now.

After letting the car idle for 5mins jumped in and put it into drive and to my amazement no probs off we go, now i should explain a few things first:

It was a friday afternoon

It was 32 degrees

My average speed was 120kmh/h

I had been doing this drive every day for 4 months, most days with the trailer at the same average speed

I was not using the power button (V8 button in terms of fuel consumption )

All of the above is what contributed to the overheating auto so as long as you take it easy, use the power button, you should be fine. The problem with autos is the torque converter, the commies have a locking torque converter which locks effectively turning it into a direct drive which is much better for towing as it produces much less heat when locked, a VS will lock at 60km/h with the power button on or when in 3rd and 80km/h when off or in drive, a VT onwards will lock at at about 50 to 60km/h in drive, 3rd and power mode which is even better which is good to see they improved them as they are a bit of a week point (the torque converter) for the VS and earlier but was greatly improved from VT onwards so you should be fine.

Just to let you know i cooked it 3 more times each time just backing off for a while allows the auto to cool a bit and you can get back on the juice again, the problem is it cooks the converter and it stopped locking which made it overheat easier and the oil would only last about 5000km before it needed changing.

I did about another 30,000km including towing my 21ft timber half cab 2500kg shot distances before i did anything about it and when they pulled the auto out the converter was blue from the heat, the mechanic said he had never seen one like this before and all they did were autos so they had seen a few.

So dont stress even if you cook it all you need to do is stop and let it cool down for a few mins and she will be as good as new.

Good luck with the tow

P.S if you need a new auto i can put you onto a good guy

[Flightmanager]

You could of course get a manual , no overheating probs then !!! Much better control , particularly when climbing / descending steep grades.

Ross

[fishingrod]

You could of course get a manual , no overheating probs then !!! Much better control , particularly when climbing / descending steep grades.

Ross

I have the manual in the VZ V6. The clutch only feels "adaquate" towing 1500-1600kgs. It does the job "OK" though.

cheers

Rod

Edited July 19, 2007 by fishingrod

[joerod]

Thanks All.

As for auto vs manual, the maximum towing for auto is 2100KG and manual is 1600KG (out of the Commodore brochure). Not sure why though

I think I will go with the V6 Auto..

Thanks again

[pelican]

I have the manual in the VZ V6. The clutch only feels "adaquate" towing 1500-1600kgs. It does the job "OK" though.

cheers

Rod

Thing that scare manufacturers in manuals is backlash and the pressure it can apply to gears along with no room to fit very heavy duty clutches. They don't even make heavier clutches and springs for a lot anymore. With thin lightweight flywheels they have little to bite against , a softer metal and not much metal to distribute heat. Also with an auto you don't get the solid lock up backlash so there is a lot less strain on the drivetrain when you back off or use the engine as a brake. The drivetrain in many modern cars is physically lightweight. It is very strong up to a point then goes bang.

Falcons have the sealed auto so not even sure if they still offer a larger transmittion cooler or heavier better oil grades as they are sealed for life - about 200k normal use or 120-150 real life

Ps- remind me never to buy a car off you if you treat them that hard- ouch. Go and buy a proado or cruiser that can cope day in day out with that treatment. 120k/h under full load will really get a small auto red hot. Surprised they could get the bolts undone to pull it down.

[fishingrod]

Ps- remind me never to buy a car off you if you treat them that hard- ouch. Go and buy a proado or cruiser that can cope day in day out with that treatment. 120k/h under full load will really get a small auto red hot. Surprised they could get the bolts undone to pull it down.

Remember its Nailit that your not buying a car off. Not me !

I just made the lonely quote above it

cheers

Rod

Edited July 20, 2007 by fishingrod

[pelican]

Remember its Nailit that your not buying a car off. Not me !

I just made the lonely quote above it

cheers

Rod

Sorry will eventually learn how to drive this site and use the reply button on the bottom so it doesn't do the quote.

[fishingrod]

No worries, im just protecting my squeeky clean reputation HEHE

I'll send you a PM re the quote button and how-to etc .... it took me a few goes to get it right myself, so dont worry !

Rod

[mrsswordfisherman]

You can also take a look at HELP by pressing the button up top of forum. It gives lots of explanations about how things work

OR CLICK HERE FOR INFO JUST ON POSTING

Cheers mrsswordfisherman

[lighthouse2k]

I have an oil cooler on my BA Auto. Also had the auto gearbox oil changed at 120 000 k and it was fine and the gear box is still pretty much perfect I would say, no shunt or funny noises, I have had to have the oil changed in the LSD diff twice so far though.

Mostly its run great and my mechanic reckons the BA onwards are a great car. The AU's are pigs!

[Seazar]

I've had a v6 VP com engine towing mine at 2.5 tonne. Though it it wasn't in a commodore. It was in a Hilux conversion with a t700 auto box.

I had a bit of drama with heat from bothe the transmission and the engine. One of the reasons is that the load was heavy & the temps were going high when climbing hills. Speed was down so the wind draft wasn't enough.

If you have heating probs maybe look at a 4 core radiator. More surface area for cooling. Also make sure you regularly service the transmission. I heard that they aren't like the old tri-matics where it was disaster changing oil. These need to be looked after. They generate a Sh%@ load of heat under load. You can easily fry an egg on it.

Another way to reduce load is to select a gear that keeps the revs in the torque band (sweet spot). They like that & manage well.

I reckon if I managed you shouldn't have any probs. Hope that helps.

Cheers

Zol

[pjbink]

I have an oil cooler on my BA Auto. Also had the auto gearbox oil changed at 120 000 k and it was fine and the gear box is still pretty much perfect I would say, no shunt or funny noises, I have had to have the oil changed in the LSD diff twice so far though.

Mostly its run great and my mechanic reckons the BA onwards are a great car. The AU's are pigs!

Whats wrong with the AU's (apart from the AU1 which wasn't much chop)? My AU11 has done 108,000 kms with no repairs. I think you will find that there is not a lot of difference mechanically between the AU11 and 111 and the BA.

[Jason Scerri]

mate we were towing our 5.7m allison 189 with our VT series 2 commy. Have towed it to bermagui, port stephens, swr and the car has never played up at all. I dont have the oil cooler but I have been told MANY times by mechanic mates that it is the one thing I should fit just for peice of mind and to help look after the tranny.

cheers Jas!

[joerod]

mate we were towing our 5.7m allison 189 with our VT series 2 commy. Have towed it to bermagui, port stephens, swr and the car has never played up at all. I dont have the oil cooler but I have been told MANY times by mechanic mates that it is the one thing I should fit just for peice of mind and to help look after the tranny.

cheers Jas!

Thanks Jas,

I think the 189 Allison is a little heavier that 530 Breeze So hopefully I should be fine.

Whats on the Back?

How far out have you been in it ?

Have you been to browns or the Shelf ?

[fishingrod]

I think the 189 Allison is a little heavier that 530 Breeze So hopefully I should be fine.

Ive got a 189.

The actual hull length is around 5.35m excluding bow spirt and pod (the pod is not a extension of the underside of the hull)

I had mine weighed before I bought it and it went a fraction over 1400kgs with half fuel, typical safey gear and a dual axle trailer. (115hp 2 stroke)

cheers

Rod