by colin b on Tue Aug 28, 2018 10:23 pm
I tow a Jurgens J2204 weighing 1.8 tones laden with an MN and my fuel consumption varies between 14 l/100 under normal conditions to 18l/100 punching into a howling headwind last week. I have been told that aerodynamic drag is a far bigger factor than weight in towing and goes up quite dramatically as speed increases.
The only trouble I have had is with overheating the auto transmission and I now monitor that with a scan gauge which also shows me the water temp, horsepower output and real speed. When I see the tranny getting hot under the collar I lock it into 4 and ease back to below 40hp output which is usually around 80kmh and she cools down pretty quickly. My transmission guru told me that towing that van was just too much for that tranny which makes Mitsubishi's claim of "tow 3 tonnes with a tonne in the tub" look a bit optimistic.
I am considering fitting a new muffler which Grapnel claimed will boost performance fairly cheaply without going the whole hog and replacing the whole exhaust and intake system.
Try not: Do or do not, there is no "try". (Jedi Master Yoda)