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Towing capacities


chrisjpainter
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Are the regs different from here to the US or are the cars actually built differently? We've been trying to find the towing capacity for my partner's 2L TDi 4x4 VW Tiguan. Some sites are saying 2200kg, others 2200lb and it seems the American sites are all in pounds, thus stating less than half the towing capacity. We're hoping for a 2200kgs, or else she's already been pulling over the max! The car feels fine with it though, so I'm thinking it's the heavier weight. Anyone got any words of wisdom?

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As I understand it (and happy to be proved wrong)

Any thing from 1500 to 2800kg depending on the model. have a look on the vin plate it should tell you the weights then its just a case of subtracting one from the other! or it should be but some manufactures don't make it easy and may no give a train weight or will give you a unladened   weight and a GTW so you take the first ad fuel, driver, shopping etc the take that from the GTW. then you might have it but you have to take the gross weight of the trailer in to account, your car may be 1800kg and have a GTW of say 4500kg but if your trailer is rated at a gross weigth of 3500kg you cant tow it even with nothing in it because the gross permissible weights don't and up!

Hope that helps 🙂

Clear as mud I know 🤪  

Take a look here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYHnZFwWH-8 I know its aussy bit it will give you an idea of what you need to know and how to work things out and his videos are funny

Edited by bluesj
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1 hour ago, chrisjpainter said:

Are the regs different from here to the US or are the cars actually built differently?

Yes, European type approval is radically different from US DoT requirements

1 hour ago, chrisjpainter said:

We've been trying to find the towing capacity for my partner's 2L TDi 4x4 VW Tiguan

You don't state what vintage it is, but http://www.towingcapacity.co.uk/car-make-model/volkswagen/volkswagen-tiguan/ appears to be pretty exhaustive.  I'd surprised if something based on a passat has anything like a 2 Te tow capacity.

If you don't trust that source, look at your V5 (logbook),  2nd page, top right, section O.

If that's blank, to avoid any doubt, speak to your local VW dealer, and quote the VIN at them.  Whilst you're at it,  get the max permissable down force on the towball and load your trailer appropriately.  

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1 hour ago, udderlyoffroad said:

Yes, European type approval is radically different from US DoT requirements

You don't state what vintage it is, but http://www.towingcapacity.co.uk/car-make-model/volkswagen/volkswagen-tiguan/ appears to be pretty exhaustive.  I'd surprised if something based on a passat has anything like a 2 Te tow capacity.

If you don't trust that source, look at your V5 (logbook),  2nd page, top right, section O.

If that's blank, to avoid any doubt, speak to your local VW dealer, and quote the VIN at them.  Whilst you're at it,  get the max permissable down force on the towball and load your trailer appropriately.  

Boom. Well played, sir, well played indeed. Towing of 2200kg. That agreed with towingcapacity.co.uk, which was pleasing.

Thanks, chaps. Question answered! Pigeonwatch wins again. 

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  • 4 weeks later...
On ‎22‎/‎07‎/‎2020 at 10:43, Ricko said:

I always remember my ex army series III Landrover: 2 tonnes unbraked, 4 tonnes braked ! 

All trailers designed to be over 750kg must by law have brakes so unsure where you get 2 tonnes unbraked.

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A good friend of mine was stopped by the police for towing his caravan with a brand new Mercedes, they said it wasn't made to tow that weight. Yet Mercedes sold him this as a car he asked to tow this weight. He had a nightmare getting money back and returnig the car to Mercedes as they were adiment it was the correct weight size etc to tow legally. 

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