2.000km Volllast mit Wohnwagen --> very damaging to the engine?

Hello,

Inspired by some of the posts here in the forum, where positive feedback was given about the excellent towing capabilities of our TDIs, I also decided to purchase a trailer coupling. Now I want to attach my brother's camper to it and drive about 2,000 km south.

When I took a test drive with the trailer this weekend, I realized that the maximum speed is 110 km/h. Since I also like to travel relatively quickly with a caravan, I'm wondering how that would affect the engine. The engine runs at approximately 2300 rpm and would likely be constantly running at 90-100% throttle (or Cruise control) should be used.

Therefore, my questions are:
- Is this load actually acceptable for the engine, or are there likely to be problems / extreme wear and tear due to this combination of constant full throttle and relatively low RPM?
- Is the cooling performance actually sufficient, or should I expect it to run hot constantly at 40°C outdoor temperature? (Both water and oil temperature)
- Or do you think I should instead take my brother's thirsty Audi 100 2.3 5-cylinder gasoline engine for such trips?

Thank you in advance for all the answers, regarding this somewhat unusual thread.
-Private

Hello,
Okay, then just quickly tell me when and where you will be available. As for me, I have no desire to face you as a raging time bomb with an additional mass attached.
Max d. A.

Hello,

If you're already driving your caravan at around 90 PS and almost constantly at full throttle, I find that concerning.
Your camper needs to have a fairly modest wind resistance, as with my billboard-like structure with 110 horsepower, I can easily achieve several more kilometers per hour.
So, wenn Sie also wirklich nicht einen "Jahrmarkt"-Container hinter sich her ziehen, überprüfen Sie, ob Ihre Bremsen richtig eingestellt sind und ob alle Radlager in Ordnung sind. Auch der Luftdruck der Wohnwagenräder spielt eine wichtige Rolle. My bike is difficult to load (in addition to the usual stuff, a motocross motorcycle, tools, fuel, etc.), I operate at 2.8 bar.

Of course, your engine should be able to handle several thousand kilometers of continuous full throttle. My previous 1.6D with ~60 horsepower (okay, it's not really comparable) developed a blown head gasket after approximately 25,000 kilometers of continuous campervan driving at just over 215,000 kilometers. The engine also overheated regularly when driving with a campervan. One must also say that this engine generally holds up well, but it is not indestructible, as I have unfortunately found out.
Although the engine didn't completely fail at the end, the oil consumption was excessive.

If your car doesn't already have an oil cooler next to the water-oil heat exchanger, I would definitely recommend installing one.

My conclusion: rather than 110 km/h, I prefer 105 km/h and to tailgate the truck in front. This will save a lot of fuel. Between 110 km/h free and 105 km/h truck wind shadow, I have an approximate 2 l/100 km fuel consumption difference.

Hello, Rainer

Just a quick question, regarding the attachments, are 80 allowed? The honks, when they start overtaking trucks, I could always... Sorry, I just don't understand.

@Rainer:
You should have given your 1.6 engine a water cooler from a Golf 1 Diesel. Did we do that back then, too? It never got too hot again!
The Golf 1 radiator is a bit thicker, about 50%; that's what it needed!

The only thing that kills a motor is running it at full throttle for too long without enough cooling air, i.e., on a narrow road. So, on the AB, he gets enough air and, with a functioning cooling system, shouldn't have any problems.

Hello,

Julian wrote:

Just a quick question, are 80 attachments allowed? ...

thankfully, I haven't been in that situation for quite some time
http://www.kochanhaengerwerke.de/100_km.htm

Hello, Rainer

Damn....sorry. But when I saw so many Heinis driving south on the A7 on the weekend, who were already swaying dangerously at 100 km/h...then I'm definitely in favor of 80 km/h.

Thank you, Julian and Rainer, for your responses!

@Rainer: The caravan is an older Hobby, approximately 5m long. It shouldn't have an unusually high wind resistance. The brakes are free, and nothing gets hot (even after 80km of driving). I'll check the tire pressure.

The 2.0l difference in fuel consumption seems very high to me. I measured 40mg/U exhaust gas at the intake. This corresponds to 5.04kg/hour at 2100U/min at 100km/h, which in turn corresponds to about 6l/100km. And if I had to maintain full throttle at 100km/h, would that be about a rough calculation error ? It seems so low to me... Unfortunately, I don't have MFA.

I don't know if my 1997 G3 AHU has an additional oil cooler, I need to check that first. Can I easily install one later? What will it cost approximately?


@all
I think I'll probably be able to go on vacation with my TDI relatively calmly.

I think I'll set the cruise control to 100 km/h. The 110 km/h felt a bit too risky, as my vehicle is only allowed to go 80 km/h, and I wasn't quite as comfortable going 120 km/h on my test drive (on a free highway, going downhill). Ultimately, I don't want to constantly drive at the maximum level of concentration and alertness, but rather to arrive on vacation in a relaxed state.

And also, these 100 km/h only apply as long as the track is clear and there is little side wind. I will rarely need to overtake at this speed, as trucks are often just as fast. And if I do overtake, then only when there is sufficient space and sufficient speed difference. I know myself, how annoying truck races on the highway can be.


for completeness: @Max d. A: Tour: A7 from Schleswig-Holstein to Würzburg --> Nuremberg --> Munich (July 20th) --> Innsbruck --> Italy (July 21st).
Return trip on 7/4.

Greetings
Private

Hintour: A7 from Schleswig-Holstein to Würzburg --> Nuremberg --> Munich (July 20th) --> Innsbruck --> Italy (July 21st).
Return trip on 7/4.


So, I would avoid the A3! Better:

Take the A7 (at Schweinfurt Werneck) and merge onto the A70, then head to Bamberg, A73 -> Nuremberg -> short A3 -> A9 Munich.
It's very easy to drive, the A70 is usually completely empty. And it's also shorter!

Hi,

Quote:

The 2.0l difference in fuel consumption seems very high to me. I measured 40mg/U exhaust gas at the intake. This corresponds to 5.04kg/hour at 2100U/min at 100km/h, which in turn corresponds to approximately 6l/100km. And if I had to maintain full throttle at 100km/h, would that be about a rough calculation error? It seems so low to me... Unfortunately, I don't have MFA.

As I mentioned, my "egg" (car) also has the nickname "The Billboard," and the campervan is quite tall, so the differences when driving in the wind are significant.

Personally, I don't believe that you are able to achieve a speed of 100 km/h with your caravan and a real speedometer reading of ~105 km/h, while also having a fuel consumption of 6 liters per 100 km. This will naturally depend on the speed you're driving at, but I estimate at least 8l/100km for you.
Tell me about your vacation when you get back.

Hello, Rainer

Hi,

The 110 km/h figure also seems quite low to me. My Ibiza, with a 600 kg trailer and a length of 3.70 meters (okay, smaller than the mentioned part, but the frontal area, which is crucial for aerodynamics, probably isn't much smaller), was easily able to reach 110 km/h in a test. There was still a lot more potential, the limiting factor here was the fact that I had taken my foot off the gas.

At stroke 100 (i.e., approximately 95), the ASV consumed between 8 and 10 liters, according to MFA (highly dependent on headwind), and when accelerating without a trailer, the maximum consumption was approximately 13 liters in 5th gear. So, there was still a good piece left to be removed.

The overall average for the 280 km route from Berlin to the northern tip of Rügen (all country roads with some hills) was 7.8 liters, with an average speed of 90 km/h, and almost the entire distance was driven with cruise control. Okay, here's the translation:

"However, it ran perfectly on the mountain at 5, with almost 2000 revolutions."

For comparison: The previous year, I had my parents' Passat 1.8T with the same keychain on the same route, and the fuel consumption was 11.5 liters under comparable driving conditions. Subjectively, I preferred the Ibiza more because the overhang at the rear is shorter, which results in better handling.

Best regards,

Jan

Okay, here's a representative from the campervan/RV community:

My old 1Z with tuned ~115hp engine had a hard time on the highway going uphill, especially with Wowa (a ~5m long, 1200kg GVW vehicle). On flat roads, I could reach 120 km/h with a lot of acceleration and against the wind. I didn't really notice any significant wear and tear. The AHK (auxiliary cooling system) was retrofitted, so the cooling system that was originally fitted with the standard AHK was not present. This meant that the coolant temperature quickly rose, especially when it was warm outside, and it would quickly exceed 90 degrees.
Now with my new pass and 130 hp (factory-installed AHK), this is no problem at all. I just got back and drove the rig at full speed (up to 130) on the A9 in scorching heat. Everything was fine. Constant 90 degrees and even at 130, it wasn't the end!

Just to reassure you: I have officially registered my vehicle with a top speed of 100 km/h and I have sufficient experience with towing/Wowa (presumably a type of trailer or vehicle).

@jan6k
take it slow! you're going on vacation! or are you on the run? as rainer says: use the windbreak!

Hi,

Wear is primarily dependent on speed and temperature. If you would like to read more about this, I can send you some information. So, 2300 Umin is not the problem.
Shift down and then use the 4500 to climb the hill, that's it!

You're completely in control of the temperature; just check it.

Otherwise, follow what Rainer wrote: 5 km/h less doesn't make much of a difference in travel time.

Yes, too: Define 'Full Throttle'! If that's full power, you're running at just under 4000 RPM, but 2300 is not full throttle.

I haven't checked, but at 2300 RPM, the 66 KW engine produces less than 50 KW. Far from full throttle. This should also not be a major thermal issue.

Hi,

Also, I'd like to chime in from the camper area:

My 1Z used about 2 to 2.5 liters more and was a perfectly acceptable train car. My AXR, which is a SUPER train, consumes 3 to 5 liters more.
Horror consumption is easily achieved at high speeds, in strong winds, and under other adverse conditions.
Driving at 100 km/h roughly costs 1.5 liters more than driving with the protection of a suitable wall behind you.

@Julian

If a campervan (WoWa) gets stuck, it's usually simply due to being incorrectly loaded.

Also, more about consumption:

My 1'z used approximately 3 liters more.

If I'm driving my current AWX at approximately 80 km/h on the BAB (German highway), I need around 7 liters instead of 6. At 100 km/h, it's about 8 liters, and at around 120-130 km/h, it's between 9 and 10 liters. A mix of country roads and highway driving consumes approximately 8 liters.

and regarding the wobbling: I agree with Bertil. A reasonably well-loaded Wowa runs quite stably! An anti-wobble coupling provides very good services in terms of driving stability!

Hi,

@Julian

If a campervan becomes unstable, it is simply overloaded in 90% of cases.

Well, if Dad only drives it once a year, there's a lot of missing practical experience. And I don't think it's very considerate of the 'brumming' drivers that the caravan drivers are always treated as a hindrance at 70-80 km/h. 'You just give it a bit more gas and go 90.'

@julian

Your attitude is not exactly commendable, and in my opinion, you should moderate yourself a bit. One should not judge everyone the same way... ! Since you, in my opinion, do not drive such a vehicle, I would say that you should think before you act. However, there may also be technical reasons for driving at 70 or 80. So far, none of those who drove on the BAB 70 or 80 have been caught. It was at least 90!

I don't know if you want to prohibit anyone, including the 'papi' or the grandfather, or anyone else, from driving through the area in a 'container'! If such a vehicle is considered a traffic violation, its driver will certainly be made aware of this and will know how to behave accordingly!