Towing Interstate With My Fg Xr50 Turbo – Beware Super Long Post

[SmokinXR6]

All,

Firstly I do apologise for the super long post. I wanted to document and share my recent experience and also wanted contrast it with my towing experiences from the past. Also I have posted this story on another Forum but considering my recent car of choice I also wanted to share my experience with everyone here at FordXR6turbo.com. If this is inappropriate I do apologise. Before you start reading you might as well grab a coffee or a tea as you will be here a while. Hope you get something out of it.

Just completed my first interstate trip with my XR50T towing my boat.

The trip itself is nothing new to me, being an avid sports / game fisherman who loves fishing remote destinations. One of my favourite destinations is the Spencer Gulf in SA. To date the furthest I have towed my boat was from Melbourne to Port Lincoln. In total I would have driven over to SA towing my boat some 15-20 times over the last 10 years.

During this time I have used several tow vehicles, all with their pluses and minuses. My boat of choice is a 19ft Hines Hunter. It is without a doubt my other “Pride and Joy” having recently completed a 2 year restoration and rebuild.

As my wife is originally from Adelaide my family always joins me for the Melbourne to Adelaide leg of the trip. Therefore the boat and tow vehicle is called upon to carry extra gear as we go way for 2-3 weeks at a time. My boat empty (and dry, I.e no fuel) weighs in at 1,600kg (weigh-bridge certified), with extra gear on board this goes up to 1,800 – 1,850kg (I always make sure there is very little fuel is on board before leaving to minimise the towing weight). When you factor in 2 adults, 2 kids and extra gear in the boot my tow vehicles are called upon to carry / drag along somewhere in the vicinity of 2,000 – 2,100kg.

To give you an idea I have listed the tow vehicles, there good and bad points and some of the destinations:

1. Ford BA XR8 (fitted with Factory WDH)

Melbourne to Adelaide, Melbourne to Port Pirie & Melbourne to Port Lincoln. It handled these trips easily. Found the ride to be a little on the firm side. I do recall feeling a little sore arriving in Adelaide and again in Port Lincoln. Nothing major I might add.

The only problem I had with this setup was the car tyres. After some 30,000km the rears were shot due excessive wear on the inside. I partly blame myself and a lack of experience as I never got the car wheel aligned. Looking back I should have got the car wheel aligned after each trip, as I feel this would have made a difference. As for fuel economy it would average from 18-21L/100km, not bad considering certain sections of the journey are a killer on fuel with huge hills to negotiate. Car was great when it comes to reversing the boat as it has a decent turning circle.

2. Landcruiser 100 series, 6cyl on duel fuel

Borrowed my brother’s Cruiser as I was in between jobs (had to hand the XR8 back to the lease company). Only used it once. It certainly is a very stable towing platform. Performance wise it was sluggish although that was largely due to the power loss associated with the LPG system. Also one of the thirstiest vehicles I have ever towed with.

The other thing that stood out for me was the car/boat combination was not very manoeuvrable due to the large turning circle of the Cruiser. I would often find myself having to correct the boat when reversing by pulling it forward (hope this makes sense)

3. Ford Territory Ghia (with factory WDH)

Over a 3year period I would have completed approx 7-8 interstate trips with the most popular trip being Melbourne to Whyalla (still love going there). The Territory was a good compromise between the Cruiser and the XR8. Excellent ride, very comfortable and decent power to boot.

As for fuel consumption she was a thirsty sucker coming in 2nd behind the Cruiser. She would often average in the low 20’s (L/100km) and peaking as high as 23-24l/100km on the toughest leg of the journey.

4. Nissan Navara D40 (2.5L TD)

Decided to give Crew Cabs ago. Tricked up with a nice set of 18” wheels and full leather interior I completed around the same number of trips as I did in the Territory. The Navara had a lot going for it, heaps of space, very versatile, very good ride and commanded the boat well.

Now this is where it gets a little interesting. Performance wise it took a little getting use to being my first diesel. With plenty of low down torque she could pull away from a standing start with ease, however overtaking from 90km was possible as long as I got on the gas early. Having said that most of the time I would just wait for an overtaking lane as the little diesel had bugger all top end power.

What also surprised me was its fuel economy. Now I must admit when towing my focus is not on getting the best economy as I am more focused on getting to my destination as quick as I can. Having said this the Navara would average around the 18-20L/100. Its fuel economy would really take a dive when pulling my boat through the big hills as I would often have to gear down to maintain speed. In fact at any speed below 110km (unless the road was dead flat) I would have to sit in 4th gear (5 speed auto).

5. Ford FG XR50 Turbo (fitted with a Hayman Reece WDH)

What a surprise package this is. Firstly after jumping out of the Navara the first thing I noticed is its manoeuvrability. With a decent turning circle reversing my boat is a breeze.

As for performance this car is truly scary (in a good way). It’s not just a case of towing with a car that has heaps of power and torque; it’s the way she delivers that power that makes it an absolute joy to tow with. The highest RPM I used whilst towing was 3,500rpm and I would often change gears between 2,500 – 3,000rpm. On top of that I could tackle most terrain sitting in 6th Gear. To be honest I didn’t have the courage to tramp the XR50T when towing as I genuinely feared the stress it would put on my boat / trailer would cause something to break.

Looking back I shouldn't have been that surprised when I worked out its fuel usage (using a program called GasCubby on my iPhone). One of the toughest legs of the journey is from Adelaide to Bordertown (around 250km), you burn through a heap of fuel tackling the monster hills between Adelaide and Talem Bend (around 90km). Well the XR50T ripped its way through this leg of the journey consuming 18.5L/100 under full load. To contrast this I noted my fuel usage during one of the real flat legs of the trip (Port Wakefield to Adelaide, around 75km). As I reached the outskirts of Adelaide my trip computer was showing 14.5L/100km. To say I was gob-smacked was an understatement.

The reason why she used such little fuel hauling such a big load at first may not be so obvious. When you tow with a vehicle that delivers the majority of its power and torque at 2,000rpm, then add in the fact that she can cruise along under full load between 1,500-2,000rpm sitting in top gear it shouldn't be such a surprise. Having said this I was quite genuinely blown away.

The ride in the FG has changed somewhat compared to my BA XR8. It never felt harsh and I certainly didn't pull up sore after a long tow. Best of all I took my car back to the dealer after this recent trip for a wheel alignment. I am happy to report that they found no abnormal tyre wear and no adjustment was required. It’s still early days, however it was relief to get a clean bill of health on my tyres.

In closing when I left Melbourne I really wasn’t sure what to expect. In fact I was half prepared to accept my FG would possibly be an ordinary tow vehicle. What I found was the complete opposite. At this stage I can’t see myself going back to a 4x4 and unless Ford comes up with a better sedan that the FG I am sticking with it.

Again sorry about the super long post, just wanted to share my experience.

Please feel free to ask any questions and I will do my best to answer them.

Cheers,

Chris

[ugy]

Great write up thanks for sharing.Sounds like you like your FG as much as I like my BA2. Cheers

[IBOO57]

Agreed thanks for sharing.

All that Torque has to be good for something

[tab]

s

They really are full of awesome

Only one piece of advise as you mention top gear a few times, should really lock it out of top gear (leave it in performance mode) when towing heavy loads I believe.

[Turbonator]

Excellent narrative, very precise. I enjoyed the read. Thanks.

[SmokinXR6]

s

They really are full of awesome

Only one piece of advise as you mention top gear a few times, should really lock it out of top gear (leave it in performance mode) when towing heavy loads I believe.

Hi tab,

Sorry I forgot to mention I always tow in manual mode as I like to always be in full control. Apart from having precise control on the gear change I also use to slow down by down shifting.

I tend to use 6th gear when towing at 100km + and only when the terrain is fairly sedate. I always keep a close eye on my instant fuel usage through the trip computer as its an easy way to tell when the engine is beginning to load up, in which case I'll shift down to 5th.

I do agree with you however. If you are not accustomed to long distance towing best to leave it out of top gear.

Cheers,

[JVK]

Very good write up,plenty of good information.Tell me,do you run an external transmission cooler or does the fg already come with one fitted?

[SmokinXR6]

Hi,

I haven't modified my trans cooler in anyway. I do believe the FG does run a trans cooler as standard on the ZF box, from what I gave read its located near the gearbox itself.

Hopefully someone here can verify this.

Agreed thanks for sharing.

All that Torque has to be good for something

How very true,

This is truly the first time I have ever owned a car where I did not have to ring the its neck when overtaking.

Interestingly this also has a direct link to your stress levels associated with towing big miles.

Putting it simply I felt more at ease with this trip than any of my previous ones and that has to so with the fact that I don't have to push this car hard when overtaking.

I'll be the first to admit 4x4 will always have the upper hand in the towing stability department due to there sheer mass and, wider stance / wheelbase, however strap a set of load levellers on to your Ford and the upper hand is reduced.

Cheers,

[ColinT]

I to think this is a great write up.

I was wondering what to think when I first started reading. Hoping only good things.

Its good to know I will be right to tow anything with my XR50T now.

If only I could convince the guys at work that your pic was actually my car with a boat.

Colin

[Tobey]

How does it go pulling out from a greasy ramp?