Towing
Turbo Mini Forums

For all the info you need:

http://www.ntta.co.uk/law/law/identification_plates.htm

for example:

Maximum Trailer Weights....

Type 01: unbraked trailers - max. 750kg gross trailer weight or half the towing vehicle's kerb weight - whichever is less.

Type 02: trailers on overrun brakes - max. 3500kg gross trailer weight

Alex

AlexF

Handy piece of info. Good find. :)

As i cant post new topics i thought i'd ask here. I was looking at buying a new car but noticed on a few towbar sites it says not homologated for towing, i assume that means i'd be breakign the law if i towed with said vehicle?

It means exactly that. You won't be able to buy a towbar for those cars. Cars like the Ka and the MINI.

http://www.twin-turbo.co.uk
http://www.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk/default.asp

A man without a project is like a like a woman without a shopping list.

Just seems a bit weird as its the most powerful version and the standard cars dont have a problem with towing. Thanks anyway

Probably only on small cars due to weight, i assume if the weight of the trailer is greater than the car by so much the chance of fish tailing while braking is greatly increased.

1/4 Mile 14.3secs 96Mph Terminal 10psi of boost.


Fibreglass Parts? - http://www.tdkracing.co.uk/
Split Rims? - http://www.force-racing.co.uk/

The towing capacity of the standard car is fine for a twin axle trailer and mini though. Maybe its because the engine would be too stressed, i've heard of other cars such as bmw's not being homolgated as they over heat apparently..

It is interesting why some cars have homologation and some don't. I don't think it's ever to do with power or weight (or overheating).

If a car has no homolagation then it wont have fixings for a tow bar in the chassis. For cars like the MINI it's presst obviuos why it has no tow bar fittings, the exhaust exit is right in the way.

As for the Ka Ford probaby decided that it it wouldn't lose sales because of it and the copst of designing the fixings was too much.

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

www.twin-turbo.co.uk

Id second this explanation too.

Thinking about it my cousins fiesta st has one on.

1/4 Mile 14.3secs 96Mph Terminal 10psi of boost.


Fibreglass Parts? - http://www.tdkracing.co.uk/
Split Rims? - http://www.force-racing.co.uk/

It is to do with the manufactures as Wil says. If it was not designed to have a towbar fitted then it never can (well if the car was made after a certain date). Nothing to do with the engine or weight of the car.

http://www.twin-turbo.co.uk
http://www.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk/default.asp

A man without a project is like a like a woman without a shopping list.

The car in question is a 172cup, the silly thing is i could buy a 1.1 clio and tow with that the only difference being the rear bumper. Just seems lazy to me that's all.

twin center(ish) exit exhausts on that arent they?

it suprises me that there arent fixings on that model but there are on the other models. thought they would all come off the same line with all the same fixings and then the stuff that gets bolted on would obviously be different.

oh and they might strengthen the chassis too.

obviously i am wrong!

I once thought about buying a Mondeo ST when we had a caravan but was told that it could not be fitted with a towbar.
So as Ben H says, not necessarily down to weight or power.

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

If you do fit a towbar to a car not homologated your insurance will automatically be invalidated,too.

I'm sure homoligation only came in after a certain date and any vehicle earlier than that is exempt.....

My Series 3 Landrover has a tow bar, it certainly isn't homologated (the word wasn't even invented in 1972) and I'm certainly not taking it off.....

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

I think the date is 1998, but that is from memory.

http://www.twin-turbo.co.uk
http://www.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk/default.asp

A man without a project is like a like a woman without a shopping list.

Twin centre exit was the 182 James, this is side exit, oh well will look at other options, cheers

The clio is a small car - while it doesn't make sense the smaller engined one can tow and the 182 can't, unless it was a small trailer, I don't think I'd want to tow with something that small (light) anyway

Doesn't jimster have a Mondeo ST as a tow car?

just my thoughts

Good point, i just didn't want to buy a for a purpose of about 5% of it's main use if that makes sense. I think Iain has a 306 which i also considered.

Team www.sheepspeed.com Racing

Easiest way it to go here

http://www.towequipe.co.uk/?gclid=CMDp6uib8pYCFQaT1Qod6XQCXw

And see if it is listed. I doubt you will have a problem with your car though.

http://www.twin-turbo.co.uk
http://www.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk/default.asp

A man without a project is like a like a woman without a shopping list.

Thanks to Rod for clarifying this - certainly anything earlier than 1998 is not a problem. As he says the word homologation was not heard outside of competition circles until quite recently.I have made and fitted towbars to various vehicles,but this too, now invalidates the insurance,as will any modifications made to an official towbar,even adding tabs for things like stabilisers or straps etc.This country is PC mad and wants to make everyone conform to standards of "safety" which were not concerns of anyone until we got an army of civil servants keen to keep their jobs (sorry, got a bit carried away there, I,m OK now.)

my fiancee has a ford ka and i will never forget when that broke down, i went there with my mates car to tow her home and i spent 10mins trying to find somwhere to hook it on, turned out rope around the front frame worked a treat apart from the ford had limited brakes

Currently building the new engine - 1312 t25 a series!