Towing with a Focus, safe? Or asking for trouble

Phate

Phate

Phate

Caporegime
Joined
1 Nov 2003
Posts
35,691
Location
Lisbon, Portugal
Hey all,

Simple question really. Would towing a single car trailer loaded with a track car (so it'll be lighter than a normal car) using a 2002 1.8 Focus be ok?

Or is this really asking for trouble and should I use/get a 4x4 instead?

Ta!
Jake
 
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[TW]Fox;19858543 said:
I would be amazed if the max towing weight of a Focus is sufficient for this.
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+1 , Weight of the Trailer and load (the track car) would be far too heavy for the focus IMO.
 
On my travels, I often see small ish cars & trailers that have come to grief.

Even if it is withing the weight limits, as said, I would strongly advise you don't.

Asking for trouble indeed.
 
What track car and how much would it weigh?

A typical small trailer eg Brian James clubman or Minnomax would weigh somewhere between 3-400kg. If you had something like a caterham or a single seater that weighed under 500kg I don't think you'd have a problem.
However - even a significantly lightened small track car (pug 205 / 106 etc) is likely to be well over 800kg and will start to be a problem towing with a 1200kg Focus.

Most towing websites recommend you don't tow more than 85% of the unladen weight of the car and for someone experienced in towing 100%.

There is a secondary benefit to having a particularly light track car ... you might get away without having to take a trailer test. Even with a post 97 driving license you can actually tow a load heavier than 750kg under certain circumstances.
"Category B vehicles may be coupled with a trailer up to 750kgs MAM (allowing a combined weight up to 4.25 tonnes MAM) or a trailer over 750kgs MAM provided the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle, and the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes MAM."

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/CaravansTrailersCommercialVehicles/DG_4022564

I use an Octavia 1.8t 4x4 for towing and it does the job well. The benefit of the 4wd system (apart from the obvious traction advantage) is that the car is also 100kg heavier than a FWD octavia (1480kg) Fortunately I have a pre 97 license, but I had my trailer MAM downrated to 1400kg so that if necessary my wife with a post 97 license can tow it also (not that it's likely to happen!).
 
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pcoltrane said:
However - even a significantly lightened small track car (pug 205 / 106 etc) is likely to be well over 800kg and will start to be a problem towing with a 1200kg Focus.
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A 205 1.9 GTi starts life at 880kg, if a stripped out track car couldn't get under 800kg there's a problem. A friends 205 tarmac rally car with a full cage is well under 700kg.
 
Dogbreath said:
A 205 1.9 GTi starts life at 880kg, if a stripped out track car couldn't get under 800kg there's a problem. A friends 205 tarmac rally car with a full cage is well under 700kg.
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My point was more that an 800kg car + 400kg trailer would already be at 100% of the unladen weight of the Focus rather than how light you can make a 205.
You're unlikely to be towing your track car empty of fuel etc and might even want to carry a spare set of wheels too and you need to take all that into consideration.

The suitablility of the Focus for towing will largely depend on the track car + trailer in question, so Phate - let us know what track car you had in mind :)

If you're looking at something heavier than the cars mentioned above, you might have to swap your focus for something heavier .. although this doesn't need to be a 4x4, there are plenty of normal cars that will tow a reasonable load well.
 
Just a few numbers:

First, check your models towing limit weight.

Second, the 85% rule. Mainly used for people who tow caravans, make sure the MTPLW (Maximum Technical Permissable Laden Weight) of the trailer does not exceed 85% of the kerbweight of the car. I appreciate the trailer may not have that spec (like a fixed weight caravan would), but you could always find out the two weights of the car/trailer and make sure you don't exceed 85%. This isn't a legal requirement but more a recommendation for stability.

Third, license. You only need to acquire your B+E part of the license (if you don't already have it) if the gross train weight of the outfit (car, fluids, trailer, YOU) exceeds 3.5 tonnes. You can legally tow a caravan/braked trailer over 750kg as long as the outfit weighs less than 3.5 tonnes.
 
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