1 Litre car + Bike Trailer

[ash t]

Just a simple question.
Im getting a car next month, and was just wondering if a 1 Litre car would be ok for towing a trailer loaded up with 1, and sometimes 2 bikes.

Sorry for a boring, bone question.

Ash
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[Bendy]

Maybe one if it's a light trailer and a light bike. Wouldn't try two.

[garry]

all depends on the car ...

what is it ?

and pullin one bike , pw50 or st1100 ?
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[scol1]

Put the car on the trailer and tow it with the bike

Seriously though,you should check what the maximum towing weight is for your car,and it makes a big difference if the trailer is 'unbraked' or not........it'll tell you the info you need in your handbook.

J.
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[ash t]

Not sure what car. Not bought it yet. Probably a Corsa or a Fiesta.

It will be carrying my CBR400, and maybe sometimes another CBR400 at the same time.
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[Gazdaman]

I wouldn't.

I drive a 1.2 corsa, and that's damn gutless at the best of times. 16v model aswell.

I would use my corsa to tow my TZR250 on a trailer. But I certainly wouldn't take 2 CBR400s.

Fill the car with 5 people, and see how it goes. You'll soon see why you don't want a trailer.

Gaz

[Sparks!]

1 bike + trailer on my 2ltr turbo diesel peugeot slows it down a bit, wouldnt fancy trying 2 sports bikes on a smaller 1.2 non turbo car would happily tow both with my trusty peugeot though
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[Gazdaman]

With 5 people in my corsa you can actually hear the clutch cry as you try to pull away...

Gaz

[Kickstart]

Hi

Looking here and it seems the max towing weight for a 1L Corsa is 450kg for an unbraked trailer. However, even if legal I would really expect it to barely move.

Mind you, looking at that the new ones weigh 1400kg. That is a hideous amount for a poxy little 60hp box. Go back to the early 1970s and an early Alfasud had 63hp from an 1186 engine yet it only tipped the scales at 862kg. My little car manages to weigh about 1200kg, and that is with 4wd.

All the best

Keith
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[extreme3d]

Don't confuse towing with carrying... basic physics, you can tow a lot more than u can carry....

Towing limits are nothing to do with power but are based on the weight of the vehicle.

A good example of towing is on any road - a lorry

A good example of inefficient loading is the space shuttle. By towing a shuttle up to the upper atmosphere behind a conventional aircraft and then letting it do the final hurdle itself you can get it into space with very little fuel (and therefore power) than compared with it's usual piggyback booster affair.

(It's lofted with the booster though as its much much easier to get the craft into a correctly position and calculated orbit when fully laiden with a 6 tonne satellite. You can also get it into higher orbits. )

[M1ke]

My 1.8 diesel Fiesta has 59bhp and manages to tow two 400cc bikes without too much hassle, it sits at 70mph ok (on flat) and the brakes work fine. Its not fast pulling away but its bareable. I wouldn't say a 1.1-1.2 with similar power would be much different.

[california_rookie]

An open trailer with a sub-500lb bike should be alright.

Worst case scenario.
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[Davo]

[quacker_boy]

i got an idea ash...buy a bigger car and as a couple of people have already said get a diesel mate.

their engines have got a lot more torque especially at lower revs so they'll be fine when pulling away...also diesel engines are more economical.

[colin1]

i agree with quacker
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[Kickstart]

[quacker_boy]

[Knowlsey]

i've got a 1.2 corsa, and i have pulled a small trailer filled to the brim with crap, if the trailer is light enough and you are only towing one bike there should not be a problem, even with kerbside weight ratio

[ZRX61]

[lilredmachine]

a decent weiand blower takes more than that just to turn.
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[Rob W]

[ZRX61]

[Bendy]

My diesel Laguna only makes about 75bhp and it tows really well, the key being that its a fairly big heavy car that overpowers the big heavy trailer. Tows more comfortably than my more powerful Golf did.

Having pulled heavy trailers with smaller cars, it's sometimes not fun. You gotta think about what happens if the trailer wants to go in a different direction to the car - which is going to win.

[Minky_monkey]

Ash, how long have you had your licence mate?

Check up on this from the DVLA as you may be exceeding your licence allowance for Maximum Authorised Mass and in certain cicumstances, you may need to take another test.

https://www.dvla.gov.uk/drivers/dl_towing_trailers.htm#2.%20%20CAR%20DRIVING%20LICENCE%20FIRST%20OBTAINED%20SINCE%201%20JANUARY%201997

[mrchips]

My 60bhp diesel Orion pulls handy enough.
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