TDI Trailer Operation: Guide & Tips

Hi everyone,

Yesterday, I tested out my new clutch because next week I'm going on vacation, and then my Ibiza will have to pull a 600 kg trailer with the aerodynamic properties of a wardrobe through the beautiful avenue of the B96 road.

"Yesterday, during the test, the fuel consumption was around 7-8 liters at a constant speed of 80 km/h, and increased to 9.5 liters at 100 km/h, but of course, you don't typically drive that fast, especially not on a country road with trees on both sides."

Okay, here's a question for everyone:

Around 70-80 km/h, the trailer doesn't significantly hinder the TDI engine, even in fifth gear, so it still accelerates acceptably. The question is whether this is really good for the engine (at around 1500-1700 RPM), or whether a lower gear would be better when towing, even with a light load (uphill, into the wind).

What do you think?

"@Rainer and others: The tip about the mirrors from ATU was great - they fit perfectly (see picture) and currently cost 46 euros."



Best regards,

Jan.

Jan6K wrote:

Around 70-80 km/h, the trailer doesn't significantly hinder the TDI engine, even in fifth gear, so it still accelerates acceptably. The question is whether this is actually good for the engine (around 1500-1700 RPM), or whether a lower gear would be better when towing, even with a light load (uphill, into the wind).

Hi Jan,

If the engine had to deliver almost its full torque in 5th gear for an extended period, I would cautiously shift back to 4th gear to increase the oil pressure and coolant circulation.

"The load on the engine should be clearly reflected in the instantaneous power consumption, in my opinion."
If the indicator in the same RPM range barely increases or doesn't increase at all when the accelerator is fully pressed, the engine is effectively running at full load, even if the accelerator pedal is only partially depressed (at low RPMs, the full fuel injection amount is already required with relatively little pedal movement).

As you can easily determine, this potential maximum consumption can be calculated as follows: apply full throttle in 5th gear at 1500 rpm. Based on the ALH engine (approximately 12 liters per 100 km), the ASV engine should consume around 14 liters per 100 km.

If the "Dutch living room" setting (presumably a comfortable cruising speed) results in an instantaneous fuel consumption that briefly exceeds approximately 11 liters, I would shift back to the 4th gear.

Hi Ulf,

"On the Ibiza, the maximum consumption is around 13 liters per 100 kilometers, which occurs in the fifth gear. Therefore, this should be on the safe side. At 100 kilometers per hour on a flat road, it reached a peak of 9.5 liters, so it should be safe at typical road speeds."

And going uphill, you'll see... subjectively, it seemed to me yesterday that there's still plenty of potential – even in fifth gear, the car still responds well to the accelerator.

I'm definitely curious about the average fuel consumption. Last year, on the same route and with the same trailer, my parents' Passat 1.8T used over 11 liters (regular gasoline).

Best regards,

Jan.

Okay, I wish you a wonderful vacation.
Regarding the B96 route: where exactly does it go? It sounds like it's near the Baltic Sea. If so, your car shouldn't encounter too many obstacles, except for the section between Neustrelitz and Neubrandenburg.
By the way, my Ibiza also reaches its maximum fuel consumption of 12.9 liters per 100 km in the 5th gear.

So, I wish for lots of sunshine and beautiful days!

Best regards,
Phil.

Hi Phil,

Yep, the Baltic Sea is correct, more specifically the northern part of the island of Rügen. So it's not really far, about 280 kilometers. And what you said about the mountains is also true, although some of them are quite impressive.

And... thank you very much for the weather wishes!

Best regards,

Jan.

Hello Jan,

First of all, I wish you a wonderful vacation.

But to answer your question:

You definitely won't be driving 80 km/h because the truck drivers will push you along. Usually, you'll be going around 95 km/h (according to the speedometer - 90 km/h according to the navigation system), and then you'll have the problem with the low engine speed. Stay in fifth gear until your foot reaches the floor, then it's time to shift down a gear.
I'm not familiar with the route from your place to the Baltic Sea, but I know I have to go via the A7 (Kasseler Berge), and that's the only place where I have to shift my Dutch-registered apartment (on a trailer) into fourth gear.
By the way, the fuel consumption is 7.5 - 8 liters per 100 km!

600 kilograms??? That's quite a sweet little... mine weighs a ton (and has even been weighed at 1.1 tons when loaded ).

Hi Bertil,

I know the Kassel hills... The hills on the B96 are sometimes steeper, but MUCH shorter and less extensive. So, probably no reason to worry, especially since your car is lighter than mine, and mine has 20 horsepower more. That trick with the accelerator probably won't work completely - I usually use cruise control, but then the fuel consumption display should work quite well... and you'll hear it anyway. *Briefly*, full throttle at 1900 RPM isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Let's see... I don't know yet whether the fuel consumption will be lower than yours, because the B96 unfortunately goes through several villages with traffic lights, etc., where you have to stop and accelerate - that kind of driving uses a lot of fuel. And there are even villages with potholes the size of children's heads... And unfortunately, there is no highway from Berlin to Stralsund .

Best regards,

Jan.

Hi Jan,

I just forgot to mention that my brother easily pulls a 1-ton trailer with his Toledo, which has 110 horsepower. You really don't have to worry about that. Cruise control and a TDI engine when towing is a great combination – just find a large truck (like a semi-truck) in front of you, and you can draft behind it.
That thing about the B96 (I'm not familiar with it, unfortunately) doesn't sound good, so you'll probably need something more.
The fuel consumption with the Toledo was 8-8.5 liters (it really uses more than my 1Z!!, for the same distance from Kiel to the North Sea).

Camping greetings.

Hi Bertil,

I hadn't even thought about the "power" aspect... we already managed to transport that box across half of Norway with a Passat with 87 horsepower and a broken gearbox . My concern was more about the thermal stress caused by high power output at lower RPMs, but that seems to have been clarified.

I'll post an update when I know what the results are... I suspect that in flat terrain, the weight won't make a huge difference, but rather air resistance. It's only when hills come into play that weight becomes a decisive factor in fuel consumption.

Certainly, the TDI, with its 600 kilograms of weight in the back, accelerated better than the Arosa rental car with its measly 50 horsepower, which the workshop gave me as a replacement car recently .

Best regards from a fellow camper.

Jan.

Hi Jan,

The 50hp Arosa is the same car as my 50hp Lupo, and without the tuning chip, it really performs terribly. But you are at least allowed to tow a trailer with a weight of 600kg.

I only experienced thermal issues while stuck in traffic before the Elbe Tunnel, but it was just a high temperature reading that went away once the ventilation started.

Best regards, Bertil.

Three weeks ago, I went on vacation with 'the guys' and a 1-ton trailer. Our Golf 3, a 64 horsepower naturally aspirated diesel, pulled the trailer all the way to the Netherlands. It had 264,000 kilometers on the odometer.

Oh man - never again. 75 was the absolute high - but even better was having a Scania in the rearview mirror. After they passed us, we could comfortably stay in their slipstream at 90 and let them pull us along. Unfortunately, we were driving on a Sunday, so there weren't as many trucks on the road.

Well, you never stop learning.

Best camping wishes and good weather to you as well.
And if it seems slow or sluggish to you, then ride with me in a 64 horsepower naturally aspirated car with a catalytic converter , and then you'll know 'where the luxury beer comes from.'


Arne.

arne

Arne wrote:

Three weeks ago, I went on vacation with "the guys" and a 1-ton trailer. And our Golf 3, a 64 horsepower naturally aspirated diesel, pulled it all the way to the Netherlands. It had 264,000 kilometers on the odometer.

Poor golf course, but thankfully, the Netherlands is quite flat.

Quote:

Oh man - never again. 75 was the absolute high - but even better was having a Scania in the rearview mirror. After they passed us, we could comfortably stay in their slipstream at 90 and let them pull us along. Unfortunately, we were driving on a Sunday, so there weren't as many trucks on the road. Well, you never stop learning. ... Arne

You have a TDI, right? Why didn't you tow the caravan with it? ---> A Corrado TDI with a caravan attached (if such a thing even exists)!!! That's certainly a unique combination .

Hi Bertil,

I probably wouldn't hang 600 kilograms on something like that Arosa... It already struggles to move on its own, so what would happen with that extra weight? Most likely, it would roll backward down a slight hill.

Let's see how people react when I show up with the WW and the Ibiza – I bet most people don't know that there are such powerful engines in those cars...

Best regards,

Jan.

hehe - the Corrado doesn't have a tow hitch. *Thank goodness* - because otherwise, I think I would have seriously considered getting the TDI.

My colleague took some pictures of the AFN radio station. I'll hopefully put them online in the next few days, once I've registered everything.

Regards,
Arne.

Hi Jan6K,
I just read that your Ibiza has cruise control. Was it installed from the factory, or did you add it later? I'm also interested in getting cruise control, and I have the same car.

Hi Schroederliese,

It's standard from the factory. I don't know if that's available in Germany, but in the Netherlands, where my car was re-imported from, it's standard on new cars.

Retrofitting is easy and not really expensive - just search here in the forum, this topic has come up regularly in the past.

In short:

- Look for a loose connector (usually in the footwell).
- Cable with a switch attached (homemade or original part).
- Activate (or have activated) using a diagnostic tool or VAG-COM.

Okay, done. If you build the switches yourself, it will cost only a few euros; otherwise, it will probably cost under 50 (depending on the price of the steering column switch).

Best regards,

Jan.