Back with another question (1 Viewer)

[MaureenD]

We had our Little tow car Fiat Panda on Friday. We are booked into Car a Tow 17th April.
But theres another question I would like to ask.
Has any one found any ware on the front tyres of the toad while being towed.
Thanks Maureen

 

[DJP]

Hi Maureen

As long as the steering lock is not in the locked position then the wear on the tyres should be about the same as normal road use, or at least that's what i find whilst towing my car/s (Smart/Matiz/Jazz)
Leave the steering lock on in error will see your tyres shot very quickly, somewhere between 2000 and 5000 miles.
I know this from a friends experience, he did it twice with his Matiz
Dennis

 

[Tony Lee]

Some vehicles do show more wear than normal.

One thing that sometimes happens when the MH is on a tight turn, especially on loose gravel and when the toad is very light, is the wheels turn when they should, but don't straighten once the turn is finished and end up getting dragged sideways.

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[MaureenD]

Thanks for your replys. Do you get stone chips on the toad when towing if so whats the best way to stop this.
Maureen

 

[Brian and Jo]

hi maureen,we tow a fiat panda behind our four winds dorado rv.no iregular tyre wear at all.and because of the panda,s light weight you dont know its there.just keep the reversing camera on to remind you

 

[Tony Lee]

Basically three ways to stop stone chips -

A skirt under the a frame stretching between rear of MH and front of toad. This is what I use in OZ where we commonly travel on horrendous roads - heavily corrugated and loose stones that just don't exist in most of Europe - at 60mph. Home made out of shade cloth and elastic cord.

A shield mounted off the a-frame or front bumper up in front of the toad.

A carBra

RV.Net Open Roads Forum: Dinghy Towing is specifically about towing cars and discusses the above options

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[DJP]

HI Maurenn
We us a dirt skirt, which is a mudflap usually found on RV's. It goes right across the back of the motorhome just behind the rear wheels. It stops the stones and some of the spray from the rear wheels.
It can be mounted from a tow bar or from the chassis.
Link Removed
Usually available mail order or from shows.

 

[Tony Lee]

Sorry. I forgot about the skirt.

Mixed reviews about them - whether to use solid or the brush type. Main problem is you have to leave a fair gap beneath them - especially with the solid ones - so they don't hit the ground and kick up stones. On roads with worn in tracks and a raised centre, this gap needs to be quite large - so large that on normal roads, stones might get past anyway.

CarBras and windscreen covers work OK just for the occasional roadworks type gravel, but complaints are that dust and even gravel sometimes get between the cover and the paintwork/windscreen and cause a lot of damage to the finish.

 

[Starman]

Hi Maureen

I've towed a Suzuki ignis for the last 5 years & found no tyre tread scrub or uneven wear at all, good tip is to get a spare unprogrammed ignition key & use that when towing, just in case some divvy tries to nick it, rest is as above, oh & if your fiat has elecronic speedo for milage, it wont record any towed miles.

Mick

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[MaureenD]

Hi Tony
Have you got a photo of the home made skirt as I am very good wich a machine perhaps I could make one
Thanks Maureen

 

[pappajohn]

no noticable tyre wear on our corsa but i did have to have a new windscreen a couple of months ago.......as it was cracked at the edge i can only put it down to a stone being thrown up.

i reckon, for our roads, a dirt skirt would do the job.

our very own Lindy C (stateside tuning)sells them.....around £65/70 + post or get them at the shows.
meant to buy one at newark but forgot oh:

another option might be heavy duty rubber door mats as regular mudflaps.

 

[MaureenD]

Thanks all for your good advice and thanks Pappa for skirt and mud flap tips
Thanks Maureen

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