Just wondering...
We have lived here in France for 13+ years now, but have been caravanning for just for a couple of years. We have been towing our 1200max weight old Lunar with a 90hp Peugeot 406, so top speed anywhere was 90kph - the car just didn't have the pull, and would slow on hillls.(Interesting last summer over, and back over the Massif Central, and in and out of Millau!)
However we have now got a Skoda Superb Estate 140cr, which has been remapped (before I got it) and from acceleration figures it probably seems to have 170-180 bhp now.
So I wll have much more performance. As you will probably know there is not a lower limit on the autoroutes for a car and caravan - 110kph or 130kph is legal - and I do see outfits that do that...not that I am particulary planning on that speed - fuel consumption must be shocking...
What speeds do you cruise at on the Autoroutes?
(Heads up the max speed on all single carriageway roads is reducing from 90 to 80kph this summer!)
Thanks
Steve
Check the gross train weight of car. This is the max allowed weight of car & caravan together, ie not the actual weighbridge weight of combination but max it could be. If it’s over 3.5t then your motorway limit towing is 90kph same as trucks.
I’m under that but cruising along with the trucks at 90k does me. Plenty of cars are under 3.5t gtw. It’s nothing to do with weight of caravan. French law takes only max allowed gtw of car. If you have small car towing large caravan you may be ok for 130k but large car with small caravan is 90k. Thats the French for you. There don’t seem much enforcement of the limit though so tow at whatever speed you are comfortable with.
Thanks again Opensauce...does seem daft that a potentially less stable light car, heavy van outfit gets to be legal at 130....whereas the 'accepted' safer heavy car, light van is restricted to 90...
As you say, that is France...we know all about that.
3 years ago we towed out Bailey Pageant Bordeaux (1300ish) with an isuzu D max, well over 3500 but I towed at the same speeds I do at home; stick it at 62mph on cruise control. 2 years ago we towed the same van but with a VW amarock, it was only the 2l auto so used to junt the gears at every hll if it was in auto, so although I used to try to keep it around 60-62mph I never towed on cruise control. last year we had a Rav 4 with the same caravan and again I tow at 62 on motorways.
Assuming traffic conditions, weather and hills are all safe, ie I dont go flying down a 2 mile stretch of 1 in 6 mountain at 62mph :D That's not to say the dutch with their little citroens pulling bigger caravans than mine still fly past me doing 80mph+ but ime the dutch, when they get behind a wheelm are all bonkers
I've not been pulled over by police, that's not to say that what i was doing was legal, I dont think French plod much care unless you're driving like an arse, as well as pick up trucks being few and far between in France
Post last edited on 18/01/2018 18:01:38
------------- Doing whatever the rice krispies tell me to.
We stick to speed limits on normal roads usually 50ish moh, on motorways we stick around 60 as in uk, its close to 90kph as we have Santa Fe which is a large car!
Its easy for speed to creep up so might go a tad over! Cruise useful on less busy autoroutes!
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
We tow our van at 110-120 weather and traffic dependent. Never been stopped and never get a 2nd look from the police. See many outfits overtaking me too, mostly Dutch with their vans swaying around behind them
Thanks all for your input.
Grandad K - I've never towed in the UK.
The motorways over here are generally much quieter (with exceptions)and it's a much bigger country, so being able to legally travel faster would be an advantage in some instances.
It's a funny rule this max train weight - I've still got our Peugeot 406 estate and it's train weight is under 3500kgs. So it's legally allowed to pull a caravan at 130kph, but the heavier,more powerful Superb, better suited to higher speeds is limited to 90kph. The cars are virtually identical in size, so I guess the Police visually would have nothing to alert them of a 'crime'if I was to exceed 90 in the Skoda..
All hypothetical anyway, I'll just hitch it up and see how if feels, then drive accordingly.
Cheers,
Steve
Quote: Originally posted by Grandad Kenny on 18/1/2018
Between 90 and 100 on dual carriageways and speed limits off motorways. Why tow any faster than you would in UK?
France is a totally different environment. We go faster when it’s appropriate on toll roads. Traffic much lighter and easier to keep your distance with the odd exception.
we holiday every year in france and i pretty much tow at the same speed i do in the UK which is just under 60mph so just over the 55mph limit.
i know, and have seen, french guys towing trailers at well over 90mph (not whilst towing myself). i was overtaken by an oldschool peugeot 205 towing a small trailer when driving our company Nissan navara, i thought i would speed up to see how fast he was towing. at 90 i was just able to keep up as he weaved through the motorway traffic.
anyaway, for me 60 seems safe, driving faster wont get you to your destination much quicker but it will burn fuel and the risk of acidents is higer. even if my outfit was less than 3500kg i would likly tow at just under 60.
------------- First van bailey ranger 550/6
Now the proud owner of a coachman amara
If i set my cruise at 60 on car my Tom Tom reads 57, LR discovery. It was even worse on my last car a 2016 A6. 4mph difference. I set my CC at 62-3 to compensate
GPS more accurate than a car speedo.
------------- Happy Days
Carnac twice the years before
Garangeoire Vendee 2 weeks july16
Garangeoire Vendee 2 weeks June 17
Strathclyde march 18, Anstruther Week April, Blairgowrie, May 18
Chateau de Lez-Eaux Saint Aubin Des Preaux 2 weeks 2018
Loree du bois Les Mathes 3 weeks jul19
Belhaven Bay 1 week july 2020
Yes, I use cruise control frequently, and not just on motorways ...
I usually tow at between 60 and 70 on motorways ...
The speed of towing will depend on many things ... and how the unit 'feels' ...
Dependencies include: Weather (rain/wind/temperature etc), tyre pressure changes (heat can make a huge difference ... both the ambient and the tyre's friction heat), loading of caravan and car ... there are probable minor variations (eg amount of food/drink being carried, how much water in the toilet system), and, of course, the volume of traffic on the road.
When I towed an FC, it was anything up to 81 mph on motorways ... but it was so much easier to tow!
Oh, and, yes, George ... I usually compensate by bumping up the CC by 3-4 mph if close to the legal limits.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: At what speed do you tow in France?
