towing a ae86(what powerplant needed)

[Voodoo]

hey yall, just wondering what kind of size engine id need to tow my ae85 on a car trailer? what could i get away with?

[cr1mnl]

anything above 2000cc should be fine. anything smaller will do it but will struggle.

[Monsterbishi]

And remember that the car will be legally rated to tow xx amount of kg, braked and unbraked - so even though a car you look at may be powerful enough, make sure it's able to stop too :-)

[RedMist]

Thought with the new towing regulations in place (yet?) you wouldn't be able to tow a trailer and lightweight race car without something like a big 4WD.

[MattrickMotorsport]

Make up an A frame cheap and its not counted as a trailer

[Voodoo]

A frame? whats a a frame trailer look like? like im think'n a A frame shape wouldnt suit to sit a car on?

[Monsterbishi]

A frame? whats a a frame trailer look like? like im think'n a A frame shape wouldnt suit to sit a car on?

It's not a trailer as such:

http://www.2cvcity.co.uk/frames.html

Edit: Trailer rules:

Although trailers with a laden weight of less than 2,000 kg are not required by law to have any of the above brakes, the law does require that every light vehicle and trailer combination must be capable of stopping within a distance of 7 m from a speed of 30 km/h. In effect, this means that the maximum allowable weight of an unbraked trailer is limited by the weight and braking ability of the vehicle towing it.

As a guide, the Land Transport Safety Authority (LTSA) recommends that the laden weight of an unbraked trailer should not exceed 3/4 of the unladen weight of the towing vehicle and then only if the towing vehicle's brakes and tyres are in excellent condition. A trailer heavier than this may prevent the vehicle combination from meeting the 7 m from 30 km/h brake performance requirement. If the trailer is equipped with brakes, it may be possible to safely tow a trailer heavier than 3/4 of the unladen weight of the towing vehicle, but the 7 m from 30 km/h brake performance requirement still applies.

Most vehicles have tow ratings given to them by the manufacturer specifying the trailer weight that the vehicle can safely tow. Although the law does not require these tow ratings to be followed, it is recommended that they be taken into account.

Trailers with a laden weight between 2000 kg and 2500 kg must have a service brake (direct or indirect) and either a breakaway brake or twin crossed safety chains that are strong enough to prevent the trailer breaking away if the coupling fails. Park brakes are not required.

Trailers with a laden weight of 2,500 kg or more must have all three types of brakes, and service brakes must be of the direct type.

[wde_bdy]

Most vehicles have tow ratings given to them by the manufacturer specifying the trailer weight that the vehicle can safely tow. Although the law does not require these tow ratings to be followed, it is recommended that they be taken into account.

The law may not require you to follow the factory specified towing limits, but your insurance company will make you bend over, touch your toes and take it if you have an accident while exceeding them. Something to keep in mind.
General guidlines are 3/4 of the weight of the towing vehicle for unbraked, an 1.5 times the weight for braked trailers. For towing a car a braked trailer is always a good idea no matter what your towing it with. Just as an indication my brothers tandem trailer for his stockcar weighs over 500kg, my single axle is around 300kg (and soon to be fitted with brakes).

Callum

[Monsterbishi]

Most vehicles have tow ratings given to them by the manufacturer specifying the trailer weight that the vehicle can safely tow. Although the law does not require these tow ratings to be followed, it is recommended that they be taken into account.

The law may not require you to follow the factory specified towing limits, but your insurance company will make you bend over, touch your toes and take it if you have an accident while exceeding them. Something to keep in mind.
General guidlines are 3/4 of the weight of the towing vehicle for unbraked, an 1.5 times the weight for braked trailers. For towing a car a braked trailer is always a good idea no matter what your towing it with. Just as an indication my brothers tandem trailer for his stockcar weighs over 500kg, my single axle is around 300kg (and soon to be fitted with brakes).

Callum

What you quoted me saying was taken directly from the LTSA website, so the insurance company can't do much there can they :-)

[wde_bdy]

The insurance companies don't necessarily follow the LTSA's rules, I was just posting that as a warning. I have seen them not pay out on a Commodore towing a stockcar, stopped fine but when the trailer got a sway on and threw the car over a bank the insurance company said "oops, that trailer was heavier than the sticker on your car allows, no money for you". That really hurts when you have just totalled your road car AND your race car.

Callum

[Voodoo]

so on all that, is there any model cars u would recommend gettin for the job, towing a car trailer(small,prob single axel) with ae85 (which is under 1000kg?) so maybe full weight of 1300kg max, dont really want to get a holden or ford if i can help it, around a 5k budget

[dodgy]

nothing wrong with the old hiace van.

[MattrickMotorsport]

Bah A Frame is waaaaaaaay cheaper and so much easier

[Voodoo]

Bah A Frame is waaaaaaaay cheaper and so much easier

i take it with the A Frame that the Vehicle being towed still using its wheels and that the A Frame just makes it steer?

sounds like a good idea, but what if u wreck your car at the track ,and the steering or wheels are buggered, or am i missing something here?
if u still think its a good idea , anyone in CH,CH sell them? and could i safely tow a AE86 with like a 2L or even maybe a 20v 1.6?

[wde_bdy]

You still need to be able to stop in 7m at 30kmh with an A frame, biggest advantage is it is heaps lighter than a trailer. Also consider a dolly trailer, these just carry the front wheels. I wouldn't tow an AE85 on an undraked trailer with anything less than a Falcon or Commodore, since your looking at 12-1300kg. Even then I don't think either is rated that high unbraked. A Hiace van may also do the job, but check the factory tow ratings first.

Callum

[passenger pete]

You could just find a mate who has a big 4wd

[MattrickMotorsport]

Bah A Frame is waaaaaaaay cheaper and so much easier

i take it with the A Frame that the Vehicle being towed still using its wheels and that the A Frame just makes it steer?

sounds like a good idea, but what if u wreck your car at the track ,and the steering or wheels are buggered, or am i missing something here?
if u still think its a good idea , anyone in CH,CH sell them? and could i safely tow a AE86 with like a 2L or even maybe a 20v 1.6?

If you wreck your car at track welll up here in Aucks we just borrow someone elses trailor and they use A frame

[Voodoo]

ok, sorry to keep this ongoing, one last question/s ,
ok so can i get a small Braked trailer , can tow it safely with a 2l?,
kinda looking at 2l (4wd 2wd) stationwagons options, as i will be using as daily driver and still want econermy , also theres afew single axel trailers for sale, how easy and exspensive would it be to convert to braked?

Cheers

[wde_bdy]

Adding brakes to a trailer is not cheap, parts alone is around the $900 mark for Trojan hubs, stubs, calipers and coupling. You can do it cheaper using Falcon or HQ Holden stubs etc but you need to know someone who can put it all together for you AND get it legal.

Callum

[RS13]

Man, I've had my dads 4AC AE82 sedan towing a car trailer, (double axle), with a complete RX4 sedan on it, with NO problems, aside from pathetic acceleration.. taking it gently, braking was perfectly fine. I also towed a 323 familia with 4 people in it with my 2K starlet, across town, no problems.

It doesn't really matter how much HP the towcar has, once you're rolling theres a fair bit of momentum, it may take slightly longer to stop, but as long as your brakes are up to scratch, I don't see any issue. I'm sure a 1000kg AE86 will present no problems.. I do however recommend A-frames, they are extremely easy to work with, very handy.