Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: wheelchairkid on 19 April 2007, 16:32:16
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Hi to all
I have got a 1995 Vauxhall Omega CDX auto 2.5, it has done 73,400 miles from new. I want to get a caravan and get away for a while, has any of you ever towed a caravan with a automatic Omega? :-/ If yes what size and weight is your caravan and how did it tow?
Yours
Jason :y
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Hi to all
I have got a 1995 Vauxhall Omega CDX auto 2.5, it has done 73,400 miles from new. I want to get a caravan and get away for a while, has any of you ever towed a caravan with a automatic Omega? :-/ If yes what size and weight is your caravan and how did it tow?
Yours
Jason :y
I am sure many on here have towed caravans, if only to clog up the roads and upset me ;)
The Omega is a very good towcar apparently, and the autobox has an oil cooler, so thats not a problem. If you are doing lots of towing, renew the autobox fluid more regular...
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Many members here have automatic Omega's and tow fairly big Caravans.
As mentioned the box has a oil cooler so towing is now a problem, the low down grunt of the V6 helps too :)
I belive 1 member here used to tow in a 3.0 MV6 and with a carvan in tow, showed a Citroeon Piacsso a thing or two at the lights :o ;)
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I am sure many on here have towed caravans, if only to clog up the roads and upset me ;)
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However! If you have towed before you can legally tow a van, when fully laden does NOT exceed the mass weight of the Omega fully laden.. i.e. 1:1 ratio... I suggest only for experienced towers!!!!! Realistically! the ideal ratio is 85% of the weight of the Omega, get a decent stabiliser bar or Alko combined hitch... My 3.0l auto has bags of torque at around 3k revs when towing my 1000kg van.. It'll pull half as much again, NO PROBLEM.... :y
Just keep out of the way of bikers and travel at night, it's far easier..... ::) ::) ::) ::) ::)
Also as TB says, the Omega has a cooler as standard... Have you got an auto too??
DC
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Hi to all
I have got a 1995 Vauxhall Omega CDX auto 2.5, it has done 73,400 miles from new. I want to get a caravan and get away for a while, has any of you ever towed a caravan with a automatic Omega? :-/ If yes what size and weight is your caravan and how did it tow?
Yours
Jason :y
Sorry didn't read it properly, never listened at school either!
DC
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Hi yes my Omega is auto, I used to tow a twin axle caravan with my old shogun, but I had to get rid of that because getting in and out of it from my wheelchair got to hard.
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Look for a van about 1300 kg , no sweat for your Meega!
DC
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Many members here have automatic Omega's and tow fairly big Caravans.
As mentioned the box has a oil cooler so towing is now a problem, the low down grunt of the V6 helps too :)
I belive 1 member here used to tow in a 3.0 MV6 and with a carvan in tow, showed a Citroeon Piacsso a thing or two at the lights :o ;)
It was a dual carriageway and a Renault Scenic
Had a few with the 2.6 as well!
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I have a Bailey Discovery 400 and I have towed it with 3 cars, the 2.0 was a little under powered but still managed OK. The rolled car was very good, with the extra torque and stiffer suspension. The 2.6 has done around 700 miles so far towing with no problems - including mid Wales mountains and M5/A30 to Cornwall.
On the A39 out of Wadebridge going East I was able to maintain a totally unsuitable speed up the hill - but the w****r in the Fixed or repaired daily Escrap struggled past at 80 and then slowed right down and held me up >:( I did not want to do 80, but if I had to the car would have done it.)
Basically the auto Omega is a very accomplished tow car, only weakness is softish suspension, but then this is kinder to tha A frame
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yes they can,
I tow a 1.2 kg (empty) van with my omega - keeps to legal max speed very well. I am wary of a length of pipe in the radiator to act as gearbox fluid cooler ( I know Vall say its all thats required) so have always had an air cooled oil rad fitted.
pre updatable autoboxes tend to hunt for gears and can become a bit of pain. You may find it smoother to stick the lever into 3 if this happens
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yes they can,
I tow a 1.2 kg (empty) van with my omega - keeps to legal max speed very well. I am wary of a length of pipe in the radiator to act as gearbox fluid cooler ( I know Vall say its all thats required) so have always had an air cooled oil rad fitted.
pre updatable autoboxes tend to hunt for gears and can become a bit of pain. You may find it smoother to stick the lever into 3 if this happens
Remember, the g/b oil is cooled by the coolant in the cold side of rad, not by the airflow over rad. This helps keep the oil cool...
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yes they can,
I tow a 1.2 kg (empty) van with my omega - keeps to legal max speed very well. I am wary of a length of pipe in the radiator to act as gearbox fluid cooler ( I know Vall say its all thats required) so have always had an air cooled oil rad fitted.
pre updatable autoboxes tend to hunt for gears and can become a bit of pain. You may find it smoother to stick the lever into 3 if this happens
Hi Bigall,
I think my Mum's Budgie would be able to pull that ok ;D ;D ;D.
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get a decent stabiliser bar or Alko combined hitch...
A properly loaded 'van shouldn't need a stabiliser of any kind. Although I haven't yet towed anything more than a trailer to the tip with my Omega - yet! - I've towed a large-ish 'van behind my Senator for miles & miles, both here & in France, and have never had some much as a twitch from the caravan.
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I would like to agree fully about the loading issue... However, I've had a few mates who've had blow outs... Stabilisers save lives! It's that simple!! One of them now has 2 x 200Q's and an Alko... I had used to tow without one too, wouldn't consider without now though.. Call it insurance!! :y
DC
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Another handy thing about the Omega autobox is that it is adaptive which when towing reduces the amount of uneeded gear changes, I don't know from what year this was fitted I'm sure that someone will be able to tell you shortly
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I have always used a stabliser - not worth the risk.
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yes they can,
I tow a 1.2 kg (empty) van with my omega - keeps to legal max speed very well. I am wary of a length of pipe in the radiator to act as gearbox fluid cooler ( I know Vall say its all thats required) so have always had an air cooled oil rad fitted.
pre updatable autoboxes tend to hunt for gears and can become a bit of pain. You may find it smoother to stick the lever into 3 if this happens
Even 3.9 Range Rovers can't make up there mind in which gear they want to be in at times whilst towing, so I should expect most autos to do the same. But a guy at work tows with his Omega which eats his 19 foot van :y
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get a decent stabiliser bar or Alko combined hitch...
A properly loaded 'van shouldn't need a stabiliser of any kind. Although I haven't yet towed anything more than a trailer to the tip with my Omega - yet! - I've towed a large-ish 'van behind my Senator for miles & miles, both here & in France, and have never had some much as a twitch from the caravan.
You are braver than me not using a stabiliser :o
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get a decent stabiliser bar or Alko combined hitch...
A properly loaded 'van shouldn't need a stabiliser of any kind. Although I haven't yet towed anything more than a trailer to the tip with my Omega - yet! - I've towed a large-ish 'van behind my Senator for miles & miles, both here & in France, and have never had some much as a twitch from the caravan.
You are braver than me not using a stabiliser :o
When the Senator was tow car of the year it was tested at Milbrook doing 103mph :o :o :o without any kind of stabilising aids.
Stablisers will only aid a stable outfit. It won't correct a badly loaded one.
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The Omega won the caravan club tow car of the year a number of years in a row.
So from that i would guess its a good towcar.
Ive towed boats and my trailer with my windsurfing kit in it without a single problem, and not always at speeds people may expect ;)
A properly loaded trailer shouldnt need a stabiliser, never had a problem towing 1 3/4t mini digger on a 600kg trailer with spare buckets and the like, behind vans and a Discovery
Did once fill the trailer with 3t of sand so it was at the max gross weight behind the Disco, went down the road and did and emergency stop at 40 to see what would happen. Stopped dead staight with no drama, proving good trailer brakes help alot
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I am sure many on here have towed caravans, if only to clog up the roads and upset me ;)
[/quote]
However! If you have towed before you can legally tow a van, when fully laden does NOT exceed the mass weight of the Omega fully laden.. i.e. 1:1 ratio... I suggest only for experienced towers!!!!! Realistically! the ideal ratio is 85% of the weight of the Omega, get a decent stabiliser bar or Alko combined hitch... My 3.0l auto has bags of torque at around 3k revs when towing my 1000kg van.. It'll pull half as much again, NO PROBLEM.... :y
Just keep out of the way of bikers and travel at night, it's far easier..... ::) ::) ::) ::) ::)
Also as TB says, the Omega has a cooler as standard... Have you got an auto too??
DC
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I need to clarify what Dave C has said here, Kerbside wieght is the UNLADEN weight (not laden) a Class B+E licence holder can drive a vehicle upto 3.5 tonnes and a trailer exceeding 750kg. PROVIDING the Maximum authorised mass (or gross vehicle weight) of the trailer (irrelvent whether it is laden to its maximum or not) does not exceed the UNLADEN weight of the towing vehicle. Upto a max wieght of 8.25 tonnes.
I have to know these things...its sad i know!