I have a Dacia Duster Bi-Fuel which has a Renault 1.0 tce Petrol, 3 cylinder engine like that used in the Renault Captur. It seems very capable and Whattowcar says that it will tow our Elddis Xplore 302 no problem. Does anyone have experience of towing using this lovely little turbo engine please?
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This is not a car I would choose to tow with, it makes 100 bhp at 5000 rpm and 125 lb/ft at 2000 rpm. To put that into perspective that is less horsepower and only marginally more torque than my motorcycle. The Xplor 302 is very light at a max of 929 kg and on the flat you should have no problems. But on any sort of hill or in anything other than a very light headwind that lack of torque will soon begin to tell, you will also see fuel consumption decrease dramatically. 125 lb/ft is too little torque at too high rpm. For comfortable towing I would like at least 180 lb/ft at about 1500-1800 rpm. This is what an 1800 cc-2000 cc diesel would expect to produce. Small capacity turbo petrol cars are great for everyday driving, very responsive and lively, with good fuel consumption, but I would not use one for towing.
Can't comment on your car/outfit directly, but I've got a Citroen with the petrol 1.2l 3 cylinder engine and tow a bigger 4 berth, heavier van at 1310Kg MTPLM, I've got a bit more power (130 bhp at 5500rpm) and torque (170ft/lbs at 1750 rpm) than you but it tows incredibly well with no great performance or economy issues. No guarantee that my experience will be mirrored with your outfit, but equally, it shows it can be viable.
You will no doubt get the usual comments of 'only a big diesel will tow satisfactorily' and don't even think about a tiny petrol car for towing! 10 years or so back I would have agreed, but the current generation of high performance petrol engines are a world apart from previous generations and many people have no personal experience of them but still damn them on past performance and expectations. You will undoubtedly have to use the gears more than with a diesel engine, but that doesn't mean it's impossible to use as a practical tow car. Mine cruises in 6th gear on motorways, has climbed every hill I've encountered in lumpier bits of the country, and returns 30 plus mpg, it'll willingly and all too easily exceed the 60mph towing limit. Your outfit will not be quick based on the numbers, but that doesn't automatically make it unusable.
Only question mark, don't rely on towing capacities, kerb weights and such like published on various web sites (even towing advice sites!), often they are just plain wrong or are not applicable to UK spec cars or your specific model (trim specs have a baring!). Only work with the weight/capacity figures marked on the car, manufacturers documents and V5 registration document to verify all is in order to tow.
Thanks for responding folks. Martin, I tow normally with our Nissan NV200 camper van. With it's 1.5 Dci Renault turbo diesel it excels. It's 8 years old now and at first I was wary of the small capacity but it's proven it's capabilities. I now feel in the same situation with our second car.
Monty, Having spoken to a few friends, there is a definite old attitude about engine capacity and I agree with your comments. We would run mean and mean with no awning or excess tins of food and water in the caravan. My gut reaction is , after driving the Dacia with the 1.0 Tce engine for 5,000 miles from new, that it would be capable but until you actually try it , you cannot be sure. hence asking if anyone else has done it already. Thanks for your input. It is useful before committing £440 for a towbar/elecs fitting.
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Caravan is under a tonne. It will tow it ok. How fast do you need to go ? Saw French caravanner towing a 1 tonne caravan with same car same engine as you. He was happy with it.
I've experienced a turbo failure at just 15,000 miles on this 'lovely little turbo engine' and vowed to avoid small petrols with turbos.
If I was contemplating towing with it I'd be looking at having an oil temperature gauge fitted to ensure the oil cooler can cope with the turbo being on boost more (oil capacity is less than a gallon).
I'd couple this with more frequent oil changes than recommended,
Quote: Originally posted by billy on 18/5/2021
Caravan is under a tonne. It will tow it ok. How fast do you need to go ? Saw French caravanner towing a 1 tonne caravan with same car same engine as you. He was happy with it.
Billy you know as well as I do, the French will tow anything with anything
I once saw a Dacia being towed by a sit on mower and a caravan being pulled by an old Aixam. It was smoking quite a bit though.
------------- XVI yes?
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
Yes look out for Aixams in France. Voiture sans permis. It takes a determined effort to lose your licence for drink drive in France but for those that do succeed they can drive an Aixam & carry on drinking.
Quote: Originally posted by billy on 19/5/2021
Yes look out for Aixams in France. Voiture sans permis. It takes a determined effort to lose your licence for drink drive in France but for those that do succeed they can drive an Aixam & carry on drinking.
I didn't know what an Aixam was so I've just googled it. Seems you can drive them without a licence from the age of 14, which I thought only applied to small mopeds. No longer it seems!
Daveyjp, less than a gallon of oil is not small. I do however take onboard oil temperature. Full synthetic essential with any turbo. I have decided not to bother fitting a towbar. I shall stick to towing with my Nissan camper van.
------------- cramming for my finals in the twilight zone
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Anyone towed with Renault 1.0 tce engine
via mobile 18/5/2021 at 8:23pm
