Hi,
I have a Skoda Octavia Estate (2007) and recently had a Witter detachable towbar fitted (the vertical mounting type). I towed the caravan with it for the first time at the weekend, and found the towbar itself was grounding on speedbumps with the van attached. I checked the noseweight and it was spot on (75kg), and the car itself wasn't heavily loaded. Looking at the removable towbar itself, it's clear that the ground clearance is small even when the car is unladen.
I have considered adding spring assisters (the back of the car does sag just over an inch when towing), but my insurance company refuses to cover them. I have had brand new rear springs fitted, but it has made little or no difference.
So I'm probably going to have to go back to the towbar fitters (who fitted the bar two weeks ago) and complain, as Witter was their choice, not mine. I was wondering if anyone else had had a similar problem or knows whether a different make of towbar would have better ground clearance? A couple of centimetres would make all the difference. I prefer to go with a detachable, as I have reversing sensors on the car. Does anyone have any idea what are my chances of getting them to replace the bar with a different type, as in my view it's not fit for purpose?
Any thoughts appreciated! And just to re-iterate, the car wasn't overloaded and I can't fit spring assisters due to an awkward insurance company.
Then the lower vertical flange profile looks very low; I am not surprised it catches the speed bumps.
Is yours the more sportier orientated model? The only options I could think of, if assistors are not allowed due to insurance troubles, would be to fit stiffer springs, if such things exist, from Skoda or aftermarket. These may be just as tricky with insurance though. Can an airbag suspension system be retro-fitted?
I bought 20% extra stiffer springs for the Land Cruiser; inexpensive at £100 for the pair.
Just FYI, the whattowcar.com recommends to back your noseweight down to 70kg; 5 kgs wont make the difference between hitting the speed bump or not I suspect.
------------- Regards
Chris
Caravanning for 22 years
1997 Toyota Land Cruiser 3.0TD & 2004 Avondale Mayfair 510-5L
Previous towcars:
2002 Nissan Primera - sold
2002 Ford Galaxy - Died & scrapped. Good riddance.
1998 BMW 525TDS SE - PEx
1998 VW Passat SE - Crashed into & scrapped
1997 Peugeot 406 GLX - PEx
Then the lower vertical flange profile looks very low; I am not surprised it catches the speed bumps.
Is yours the more sportier orientated model? The only options I could think of, if assistors are not allowed due to insurance troubles, would be to fit stiffer springs, if such things exist, from Skoda or aftermarket. These may be just as tricky with insurance though. Can an airbag suspension system be retro-fitted?
I bought 20% extra stiffer springs for the Land Cruiser; inexpensive at £100 for the pair.
Just FYI, the whattowcar.com recommends to back your noseweight down to 70kg; 5 kgs wont make the difference between hitting the speed bump or not I suspect.
It's the standard Estate, not the sports model. The towbar is the removable swan neck one shown on the web link you give. I think the vertical clearance is the same for the flange one shown at the bottom.
I fitted a flange type towbar, with a very narrow bash plate, and fitted the 2 plugs below the bumper trim.
The parking sensors were 4 across the back; the bar was between 2 of them, and the parking sensors were unaffected by the fitting of the ball, as they didnt have an obtuse enough angle of senstivity to pick up the bar.
Only a thought...
Like this one;
http://www.towbarswestlothian.co.uk/
But, you can always see the bar.
Post last edited on 01/09/2013 12:53:02
------------- Regards
Chris
Caravanning for 22 years
1997 Toyota Land Cruiser 3.0TD & 2004 Avondale Mayfair 510-5L
Previous towcars:
2002 Nissan Primera - sold
2002 Ford Galaxy - Died & scrapped. Good riddance.
1998 BMW 525TDS SE - PEx
1998 VW Passat SE - Crashed into & scrapped
1997 Peugeot 406 GLX - PEx
We originally bought the car with a flange towbar fitted, which played havoc with the sensors. Hence why I was keen to replace with a detachable. It's true though that the new towball doesn't trigger the sensors when fitted, so a fIxed swan neck might be a good compromise. I don't know if the towbar fitters will agree to change it though. I would think if the removable bar is bottoming out then I would have grounds to complain, but who knows...
I will presume the plugs have always been below the bumper trim?
The main point these days is avoiding bumper cuts; this puts metalwork of the towbar nearer the ground. Some towbars, Bosal springs to mind, have a bumper cut for removable towbars, but a flap cover with primed finish is provided; a car spray shop will top coat to match. These can hardly be seen until close up; a good cosmetic compromise.
If its not fit for purpose, despite keeping within the 75kg Skoda max nose load, then Its worth the debate with them.
As its a popular towcar, I do wonder if others have had this issue.
Found them; come out level from bumper, with flap when removed.
------------- Regards
Chris
Caravanning for 22 years
1997 Toyota Land Cruiser 3.0TD & 2004 Avondale Mayfair 510-5L
Previous towcars:
2002 Nissan Primera - sold
2002 Ford Galaxy - Died & scrapped. Good riddance.
1998 BMW 525TDS SE - PEx
1998 VW Passat SE - Crashed into & scrapped
1997 Peugeot 406 GLX - PEx
Quote: Originally posted by Octavia4x4 on 01/9/2013
I do not have reversing sensors on mine, did not take that option, do have a flange bar/ball fitted:
This is how my unit sits with a good load in the back and 75kg nosweight:
Thanks. I believe the 4x4 has stiffer suspension though. Mine is the standard 2wd model. I'll discuss with the towbar fitters this week and report back what they say.
i had a 07 plate 1.9tdi estate with a fixed flange bar fitted and standard parking sensors.no problems with parking sensors. i fitted rubber do nuts in the coil springs to stiffen up rear springs, also kept nose weight to 65kgs. now got octavia scout which does have stiffer rear springs.i keep nose weight at 65kgs and rear of car only drops 1.5 inches with a full boot
To be honest I think the MAD spring assisters would have been the best solution, as the car does sit quite low at the back when loaded up. Trouble is, our insurer refuses to cover ANY suspension modification, even though the guy on the phone acknowledged that it is a safety modification. They did offer a quote for an alternative underwriter, but i was £200 more expensive! So I guess I'm going to have to wait for renewal time and look elsewhere for another insurer who will cover the spring assisters.
What is the towball height though? From the above picture i cannot see it grounding out on standard speedbumps. ARe you sure its not the jockey wheel grounding?
What is the towball height though? From the above picture i cannot see it grounding out on standard speedbumps. Are you sure its not the jockey wheel grounding?
Quote: Originally posted by Grampian91 on 01/9/2013
What is the towball height though? From the above picture i cannot see it grounding out on standard speedbumps. ARe you sure its not the jockey wheel grounding?
I didn't post a picture, that's someone else's setup. The towball height is 400mm unloaded. Yes it's definitely the towbar grounding out - the bottom of the detachable neck is covered in scrapes. The jockey wheel used to ground out on our old (lower) flange towball... Now we have a different problem!
Quote: Originally posted by diesel steve on 01/9/2013
i used rubber blocks that you can get from halfords.about £15 and insurance co, not interested, fits into coil spring in 10 minutes
I thought I'd read elsewhere that the rubber assisters were an insurance notifiable modification. I think it depends a lot on the insce company and who you talk to...
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Topic: Detachable towbar ground clearance
