Tow bar carrier / Nose weight etc

[figbat]

Don’t forget to check the overall load vs the car’s maximum authorised mass. Our Volvo XC40 does not have enough payload capacity for five blokes, their bikes, kit and the racks even though it will physically carry it all. The roof load and towbar load are all ok, but the overall weight is way over the MAM.

 

[lazybloke]

I've often had 4 bikes on a tow-bar carrier, which is pretty close to the max weight guidance. Usually a roofbox too.

Fuel economy doesn't suffer too much if I "handle" the accelerator pedal very carefully and keep speeds below about 65mph.
Car handling - never noticed much difference, but I do manually drop the aim of the headlamps.

 

[briantrumpet]

The bikes are 55kg total and the carrier (if I get a 3+1 Thule classic) is 20.7kg

If Halfords still do their cheap 4-bike version, it's a fantastically sturdy bit of kit. I took four bikes & four people & luggage 850 miles down to my French place with the trusty 1000cc Clio. And the same coming back, obvs. About £6k-worth of bike hanging off a £500 car.

 

[KneesUp]

The 1.2 5008 is one of those modern small engines. It’s 129bhp - so it’s not going to be breaking any landspeed records with 5 people in it but it’s not like your mums Nova from 1990.
I’ve done north of England to South of France with 3 people, 3 bikes and lots of stuff with 140bhp. You forget it’s there after a while, when your pace of life drops to holiday speed rather than dashing all over the place speed.

 

[briantrumpet]

The 1.2 5008 is one of those modern small engines. It’s 129bhp - so it’s not going to be breaking any landspeed records with 5 people in it but it’s not like your mums Nova from 1990.
I’ve done north of England to South of France with 3 people, 3 bikes and lots of stuff with 140bhp. You forget it’s there after a while, when your pace of life drops to holiday speed rather than dashing all over the place speed.

Ha - the 1.3 Chrysler Sunbeam I inherited as my first car was 58bhp.

 

[Jameshow]

Ha - the 1.3 Chrysler Sunbeam I inherited as my first car was 58bhp.

Pug 205 1.0 was about 44bhp...