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Am I crazy - long trip towing boat upcoming....
- Thread starter heckler1
- Start date
I'm sure that will prove to be invaluable information for others contemplating towing trips. Good that it was at low temperatures too. Do you know the combined weight of the boat plus motor plus trailer combination? [Edit: And is the trailer braked?]
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Hopefully others can use the info - there isn't a lot of info online really..
I worked out about 950KG. +/-50KG
Boat 500kg, outboard 200kg, trailer 250kg, but thats internet research as opposed to actual weights
[Edit - yes braked trailer. Didn't like it as the spring needs adjusting I think, it shunted on the spring a lot. Lifting off down hills it seemed not alot happened, then more not alot happened, then eventually a shunt happened, if that makes sense]
The shunt was more of a clunk if you take away the dramatic word shunt
. The actual towing experience was brilliant, heavy car with weight low, 4wd and loads of torque with no gears, it was really easy. As I was nursing range I wasn't using much throttle but it had more than ample power, I was always aware of the tonne or so I was dragging but it wasn't a problem at all.Aside from the novelty of the % dropping so quickly, sitting at nearly 60mph was utterly straightforward. As I say it seemed to me that the braking on the trailer needs adjustment, (though I confess its my first braked trailer experience, but I cannot believe it is supposed to be so clunky when the car itself applies the brakes)
Disregarding the range it made a great tow car.
should have put the outboard in the boot, then it'd have been lighter to tow
wonder if the trailer wasn't braked, would you get better efficiency through improved regen?
should have put the outboard in the boot, then it'd have been lighter to tow
wonder if the trailer wasn't braked, would you get better efficiency through improved regen?
That's a heck of an outboard to put anywhere! I never thought about that point about the braked trailer ... though now that you say it I reckon that must be the case. Certainly if the braking mechanism is a bit clunky and on/off. I wonder if someone with experience of large braked trailers can add any useful info to this.
@pdk42 did another thread of towing his glider across Northern Europe. I think I dropped some w/mile numbers in there too for towing a 250kg dingy.
I'm on mobile just now and couldn't immediately find the thread - will try to remember to drop it in later. I think it's good to link up reference material if we can as it helps answer people's questions.
I'm on mobile just now and couldn't immediately find the thread - will try to remember to drop it in later. I think it's good to link up reference material if we can as it helps answer people's questions.
I did think a sticky or wiki with w/mile experiences with different configurations would be handy for people. Towing, bikes, roof boxes etc.
But we have lots of stickies already, and this would take a bit of effort to ensure reasonably consistent records. Do you use the car's rating (I never look) or abrp's weighted 65mph number (not everyone will have). Up to @VanillaAir_UK really?
What level of regen did you use?
I wonder if in this case, coasting rather than regen would have given more range, and reduced the brake shunt.
Another thought: sitting with the trucks would probably have given you some aerodynamic benefit, too.
A further thought, if the tow car had been an Audi AWD hatchback ICE, would the mpg have fallen by half? In other words, does towing with a Tesla have the same impact on range as with an ICE?
Anyway, very well done.
I wonder if in this case, coasting rather than regen would have given more range, and reduced the brake shunt.
Another thought: sitting with the trucks would probably have given you some aerodynamic benefit, too.
A further thought, if the tow car had been an Audi AWD hatchback ICE, would the mpg have fallen by half? In other words, does towing with a Tesla have the same impact on range as with an ICE?
Anyway, very well done.
Cardo
Active Member
Anything with a MAM over 750kg has to be braked, so… ?
Don’t think anyone has mentioned the screen on the boat. That is one massive airbrake, which certainly will not have helped with the range. I can easily see that making quite a noticeable difference to the drag on the overall vehicle.
Cardo
Active Member
The impact is more noticeable on an EV due to the relative efficiencies. The % range lost on an ICE is less noticeable as the % of fuel burnt that goes towards locomotion is far lower than the % used for locomotion in an EV. With an M3, throw in the quite slippery body shape, and the efficiency losses are highly noticeable. A more aerodynamic trailer would make a huge difference, as that boat is one big airbrake.
I have no direct experience of braked trailers but any unnecessary application of brakes is going to have a significant range impact. I came across this page which outlines the adjustments routine.
NTTA - Trailer Servicing - Trailer Brake Adjustments & System Settings
Trailer Servicing - Trailer Brake Adjustments & System Settings
www.towitall.co.uk
You need to be dangerously close to a truck to get any worthwhile improvement. There's a Mythbusters episode about it and some US transport research kicking about.