VX Berlina - whats needed and where for towing

[evil_weevil]

Hey all :)

So I have myself a nice 2001 VX Berlina sedan V6 auto.

While it seems its not the best choice for towing, its all I have for the moment and will only be used for towing to Wakefield rounds and maybe once a year to QLD or VIC for an event, still very little towing.

It will be towing the mx5.

First thing is Im getting the trans cooler for it, but the actual towball/tow pack - what is best out there? Can someone point me in the right direction on what to buy? should I be looking at an 1800 rated or 2100 rated?
mx5 weighs around 950 then trailer say 3-400 and then some tools and tyres also.

Suspension in the rear...just some heavy duty springs?

Cheers lads,
Chris

[VESSV316]

Your best bet would be a air shock replacement for your factory rear shocks to raise the braked towing capacity to 2100kg.There is plenty of places around that sell these. For the air shocks you may have to see a suspension place or buy the kit from Holden

[Luke@WSP]

Hey Chris,

If you're interested, I've got one of the big Hayman Reece towbars I've just removed from my VY sedan (not sure on the rating but it's one of the slide-in tongues).

[ghz28]

With the Holden kit the difference between 1600kg and 2100kg is primarily the mounting kit for the tow bar. The 2100kg pack has an additional bracing/mounting piece that fits in the spare wheel well. I bought the upgrade kit from Holden about two years ago for my Adventra when I started towing the race car. Was not that expensive, and only took about an hour to fit.

As for the rear suspension, I would suggest the "Polyair" bags inside the rear springs rather than the air shocks from Holden. Both work OK, but I feel the airbags are better suited to the loads. Saying that, your load will be a lot less than the 2000kg plus total load that I have to haul around. The Adventra has the air shocks, and my ute has the air bags, both work well, just the Adventra is automatic.

If you can, upgrade at least your brake pads to something like Ultimates, will make it feel much nicer when it comes time to stop. I went with an electric braking system on my trailer, but with your light weight the overrider brakes will probably be fine.

[evil_weevil]

Cheers lads!

Wow, such a simple item, one I always get decent sets for, yet I over look it for towing - brake pads!!! cheers!