Towing with a GT4...

[Boosted_162]

Im thinking of getting a towbar for the trusty old ST185. Anyone know what sorta loads the car can handle? Will be looking at towing a car trailer (braked, car around >1000kg), and maybe a horse float occasionally if i can be convinced .

Will i need to do anything to make it handle the loads? GT4s do have a standard trans cooler, will have a heavy duty clutch (mine is starting to slip anyway), and good suspension and tyres.

And last of all, anyone know if i can get a detachable towbar? I dont even think ive ever seen a GT4 with a towbar!

Cheers.

[Dell'Orto]

I wouldnt recommend it, anything heavy = the car permanently on boost. Light trailers might be ok, but nothing of substance.

[Boosted_162]

So a stripped AW11/AE82 track car would be too heavy??

[Quint]

anything turbo is pretty bad for towing (except turbo desiels, but they only run low RPMs) as has been said, turbo on constant boost, you'd have it going pop in no time.

[Jazza]

Youd be better buying a diesel truck/ute with a towbar in average condition for a few grand already with a towbar...

As everyones said, your engine wont like it, and for the amount youll spend repairing the gt4 after towing, your better off spending 3-5 grand now on a decent tow vehicle.

[Alex B]

If hes towing it 50k once a month i don't really see the harm, except the fuel cost.

[Boosted_162]

Ideally id like to buy a 4WD, but i can't afford to buy/run/maintain a 3rd car. Obviously i wouldn't be do lots of towing, it does cost a lot to run at the moment without towing!

I guess ill have to do with just driving to the track, as long as i keep my daily driver going

A towbar would still be bloody handy for those random jobs, anyone know about getting a detachable towbar for one?

[Jazza]

Where do you live? My automotive teacher as school had one made for his MKIV supra

[MrOizo]

We used the GT4 the other day to tow a shit load of crap to the dump. was a hired shell tandem with about 550kg on it and went fine. was only about 2-3km but didnt really have too much trouble.. only thing that i could really see being a problem long term was a clutch. with trailers its not too good to launch them - specially with a horse on the back

[Boosted_162]

We used the GT4 the other day to tow a sh*t load of crap to the dump. was a hired shell tandem with about 550kg on it and went fine. was only about 2-3km but didnt really have too much trouble.. only thing that i could really see being a problem long term was a clutch. with trailers its not too good to launch them - specially with a horse on the back

Your telling me! I was towing a big double horse float today (empty!) on the back of my dads ford telstar wagon, its a supercharged diesel, loads of torque, but being fwd was absolute arse to tow, kept losing traction etc. Not doing that again in a hurry

Jazza, im pretty much in auckland.

[Jazza]

Ill found out where he got it done for ya then, cos i mean, supras arnt exactly made to tow Surely if they can make a removable one for a MKIV they can make one for your gt4

[Loudtoy]

Used to use my gts4 skyline to tow floats and cars etc around. Used a bit more gas but found as long as i didn't use 5th gear it was sweet. Rarely on boost apart from accelerating and going up hills etc.
Used to be funny get to a show and have all the people in there flash 4 wheel drives look down there nose at you then pass most of them on the 1st hill on the way home.
Probably be sweet as long as you let it warm up and cool down properly. Never had any problems with the turbo, didn't even get as hot as taking it for a decent thrash not glowing red at all

[BlakJak]

I looked seriously into getting a Towbar for my GT4 - in the end it was time and money that stopped me before I sold it.

If you're careful how you drive when you Tow I shouldnt think that excessive boosting will be a problem. 99% of the towing I do in my Caldina (which I had the Towbar fitted to myself after I bought it) is of an empty or nearly-empty trailer. (Moving furniture and the like, which is relatively light, but bulky). For that sorta stuff a towbar is bloody convenient.
Likewise have towed things like a Freezer-Trailer from a fundraiser event, for example.

On a vehicle with a rear-axel you'll find you get a weight allowance of say 400kg unbraked and ~1.5Tonnes braked, I would think. So if you want to tow a car make sure the trailer is fully braked, obviously.

If you drive sensibly this shouldn't be a problem. I towed a coupla cars with my '4 (out of gas, or stuck on muddy grass, as examples) and it didn't blink. Didn't seem to require much clutch, either.

[Dell'Orto]

If you're careful how you drive when you Tow I shouldnt think that excessive boosting will be a problem.

Doesnt take much to get a ceramic CT26 on boost though

[BlakJak]

If you're careful how you drive when you Tow I shouldnt think that excessive boosting will be a problem.

Doesnt take much to get a ceramic CT26 on boost though

Mmmm. Once you've got momentum though, it doesn't take much to stay that way.

Of course if the tow-route is largely start-stop with a coupla big hills involved, and was being done regularly, i'd be questioning the choice...

I wouldnt choose a -four as a dedicated towing vehicle but theyre fine for odd-jobs, IMHO.

[gleem]

sorry to thread hijack but..

ive just brought a caldina gtt and the old owner used to tow a boat, under high revs the clutchs stinks and something puffs from underneath any idea what that could be or is it nothing to worry about? Im wondering if the clutch is burnt out or just needs new clutch fluid, any ideas

[Boosted_162]

Cheers for the help guys..

Yeah im gunna go looking for one in the next couple of weeks, i think it will just be extremely handy having one. For instance i need to go pick up my new bed in the next week or 2, and im gunna have to borrow my dads car cos i dont have a towbar.

I dont plan towing stuff that often anyway, its expensive enough running a 15psi GT4 as it is . Just might use it to go pick up a car to fix for my daily driver tho!

[bluemaumau]

sorry to thread hijack but..

ive just brought a caldina gtt and the old owner used to tow a boat, under high revs the clutchs stinks and something puffs from underneath any idea what that could be or is it nothing to worry about? Im wondering if the clutch is burnt out or just needs new clutch fluid, any ideas

depends how big the boat was, but that dosent sound to hot,

[Quint]

sorry to thread hijack but..

ive just brought a caldina gtt and the old owner used to tow a boat, under high revs the clutchs stinks and something puffs from underneath any idea what that could be or is it nothing to worry about? Im wondering if the clutch is burnt out or just needs new clutch fluid, any ideas

ohhhh nothing to bad... though you may end up with a similiar result to my latest woe...

Clutch plate el explod`

[MrOizo]

Yeah im gunna go looking for one in the next couple of weeks, i think it will just be extremely handy having one. For instance i need to go pick up my new bed in the next week or 2, and im gunna have to borrow my dads car cos i dont have a towbar.

if you go get one second hand, make sure you check that it fits with the rear diff