New corrola tows 1.3 tonnes..!!!!?

[oldboot]

The wife is looking at a new car... the 01 corrola is fine but she has that look in her eye:o .

So i'm looking thru the specs.

Towing capacity
450Kg wothout brakes
1300Kg with brakes
:o :o WOT THE:o :o

Thats more legal towing capacity than a V8 XC falcon.

the front wheel drive might be a littl problem on some boat ramps

But 1.3TONNES

cheers

[joeT]

Modern cars with modern suspension and brakes, why not? I remember watching an episode of Top Gear where the stig took at diesel Astra around a track heaps faster than the 3 presenters could with a Ferrari, Lambo, and Maserati from the 70's.

However, I don't think their ratings have boat ramps in mind. These are maximum ratings and should be reduced in adverse conditions - like slippery boat ramps. Their ratings are based upon ordinary conditions like towing a heavy box trailer, which I think a corolla could do no problems if the trailer was braked.

[oldboot]

Just the notion of the car you sell to little girlies, having anything like that sort of capacity is a bit...... incongruous.

I supose it has 100Kw under the bonnet that works out to arround 130-140 horsepower, thats more than was comming out of the 253 V8 in the HQ holden.

I know even the current trolly would blow the doors off most of the competitive vehicles I was hanging arroud in motor sport 25 years ago.

Oh how things have changed.

cheers

[FNQCairns]

We have the current model corrolla as a work car 2.0L?, it is a sure footed little car in the wet which is nice, the rest is fairly typical, the gearbox is designed to lug the engine to save fuel on average which is great for the masses but hurts my sensibilities, allround it is a good car, dislike I cannot change gears unless foot is on the brake or having no chance to treat it like older cars - stop, Park, turn off/key out, seatbelt/door open and out the door. Gotta sit there and wait for it to decide to tell a solenoid to give the key back, small thing but shit's me every single time!.

Guess it will save someone a runaway shopping trolley! somewhere, someday.


cheers fnq

[griz066]

No way in hell i would be towing 1.3 with it

[oldboot]

The 1.3 tonne may seem a bit silly but.

compare it with a HQ 1 tonner with a 253.

It has more power, ( the torque fugures match up too)
It weighs more unloaded (over 1.2 tonne)
has much better brakes.( 4 wheel disks ventilated on the front and ABS)

It just seems completly silly on the surface.... but as you look closer and compare the specs with traditional "towing cars"..... it just looks mor and more credible.

:huh: :-/ :o

cheers

[Scott nthQld]

here's the thing though, my car, an 06 falcon ute 5sp manual is only rated to tow 1.2tonnes!! I would find it hard to believe the a corrolla can to that much. Does this mean, if you get pulled backwards into the briny when launching your 1.2ton boat that toyota will replace the watr damaged/rusty car under warranty? after all, you wouldn't be operating the vehicle outside factory recomendations.

[ozscott]

the new cars are heavy because of all the crap in them that makes people go goo and gar...the old cars 1.2 tonns was all steel...I would really love to know if anyone tows 1.3 tonn with a corrolla for more than a heartbeat. Further torque these days comes courtesy of variable valve timing - the old style torque was moving mass - strength. The old style brakes tended to be heavier in calliper weight and rotor weight - they would tend to be less effected by heat. The 1.3 tonn is a bit of a bad joke...

My 95 Discovery easily tows 2 tonns. I would tow a little more with it comfortably. My brother tows 3 tonns with his 94. Both our trucks are able legally to tow 4 Tonn - BUT I wouldnt be doing it - good tow vehicle and tough, but not a 4 Tonn tow vehicle for regular trips - leave that to the Fseries and Dodge Rams etc thanks. My VT Commodore with S suspesion (FE2 - Police spec) towed by 800kg haines nicely, but I wouldnt have wanted to go over the ton with it and the V6 was working even with the haines...So in the real world my bet (please someone prove me wrong with photos and a record of reliable towing with a Corona) is that the realistic tow capacity of the Corrolory is about 750kg.

Cheers

[whichway]

Hi

Yes and a Rav 4 is rated to tow 1.9 tonnes!

Whichway

[ozscott]

:) - Ohhhhhhhhhhhh......what a feeeeeling!

[Horse]

I just hope the clowns who look at those specifications are not travelling behind me at any speed

[oldboot]

remember the 1.3 tonnes is with trailer brakes.

It is a fair comment that a lot of the weight is, body deadening and soft furnishings........but not all that much...... these modern small cars have a lot of metal in them..... all you have to do is look at the size of the pillars.
the modern toyotas do very well in crashes ( who cares about the lab tests) I've seen a couple in substantial hits & there is plenty of substance there.

on the matter of brakes....back to the HQ comparison
any way you look at it the brakes on the corrola are bigger
the brakes on the HQ were pittiful.

the unbraked towing capacity is quite low at 450KG so the towing capacity takes into account the brakes.
Remember these guys are looking down considerable public liability issues when they make these recomemdations.
AND there is no way I would compare a corrola to a landcruser ( for instance ) but it would be a better towing option that a mazda bravo 1800 ute.....check the lousy figures on one of those one day.

now i'n not about to undertake towing a 20" fiber glass with twinn 250's on the back with a corrola
BUT
it is a realiatic to consider it adequate for a small to meduim tinny.

as far as sliding backwards into the bay.... its no more likly than anyother car.....lots of people manage small to medium boats with front wheel drive cars.....magna, camry.........
Hell there are plenty of cases.... pictures too.... of blokes letting their 4WD slide gracefully into the deep.

cheers

[pursuit001]

hi my thoughts are the same that seems alot of weight to be pulling with such a small car and being a 4cyl i wouldn be to keen on doin it .
cheers pursuit.

[Dan5]

It's funny (or ridculous)what people consider as a tow vehicle,i once saw a daewoo hatchback towing a 5.6 quinnie ledgend with a 115fstrk down the highway,i was following it and from behind it looked like there was nothing towing it!!! I pulled up alongside and just shook my head in amazement::) You D##khead i thought how is that little piece of junk gunna stop that in an emergancy? Some people just don't care,i mean a little 4.2 tinnie would be a handfull in a tricky situation with that type of vehicle let alone a bloody big 5.6 quinnie.
Dan......

[Gilli]

Yeah it may be able to tow 1300kg but the legal limit is, you can tow the amount that your "vehicle" weighs. thats where the transport department get you, the legal limit in Queensland is determined by the weight of your car.

[Hamish73]

Also remember that mechanical override brakes (as used on <2T trialers) are a good as useless. In an emergency braking situation I would guess they would be sufficient to prevent a jackknife, but thats about it.

[oldboot]

In queensland the sole determining factor on how much you can legaly tow is the manufacturers specified towing capacity. ....unless your car is too old to have a manufacturers specified towing capacity.
It has been that way for many years. Otherwse most blokes towing large boatsnad caravans with patroll's, crusers and discoveries would be in big trouble
Most cars had specified towing capacity by 1980.

If you tow interstate you would be wise to check out the regs.

The transport inspections teams.....) a copper and a transport inspector riding together.... regularly target northern bound "turtles" , just north of the border, during the spring migration.

I'm 100% with you with overriding brakes..... properly tweeked electric brakes with a decent controller are a wonderful thing.

cheers