omfg, a tow vehicle?

Not sure who's insurance company ended up buying the new truck. Gas station refused responsibility and everybody started throwing lawyers at each other...

I've seen green gas pump handles for 87 unleaded in NH. Gotta be careful.

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fiasco
Not sure who's insurance company ended up buying the new truck. Gas station refused responsibility and everybody started throwing lawyers at each other...

I've seen green gas pump handles for 87 unleaded in NH. Gotta be careful.

Yeah gotta be careful! Cause they don't write like 87 Octane or Deisel in large letters or anything ANYWHERE....!!!! The dirty corporate lackey shills!

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John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

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john vanlandingham

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fiasco
Not sure who's insurance company ended up buying the new truck. Gas station refused responsibility and everybody started throwing lawyers at each other...

I've seen green gas pump handles for 87 unleaded in NH. Gotta be careful.

Yeah gotta be careful! Cause they don't write like 87 Octane or Deisel in large letters or anything ANYWHERE....!!!! The dirty corporate lackey shills!

I can read, but we both know that half of Massholes are functionally illiterate. The sad thing about this whole fiasco is that the gas station that fooked up my dad's truck is also the 'best' "lickem and stickem" place in the area for safety/emissions inspections.

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SeanP
I remember seeing green handles on the fuel pumps in Europe (AG and Belg) and they WEREN"T diesel. Crazy.

Green handles over here tends to be for unleaded gas.

Diesel is very common over here - every station carries it, and always has for as long as I can remember (20 years at least, though my dad in-law tells me that he once owned a diesel back when that was only common for commercial vehicles - caused a few funny situations at some stations from time to time - nowadays it's a near 50-50 split I would recon).

Back in the olden days before unleaded, we had red handles for leaded gas, and black for diesel (because they make nice black clouds, and the gas was RED back when it had some vitamins in it dammit!).
Then along came unleaded, and this was very environmental and all, so every body got very green about it, and the handles for unleaded gas got green... weee...
Now you just about can't get leaded or lead-substituted gas anywhere, so you don't see the red handles anymore.

Diesel is still black even with particle filters, better mileage and everything - but apparently that's not enough to move to green - would be kinda weird too I guess... changing the de facto standard like that.

Anyway - can't believe what you "need" for tow vehicles? 6.5 liter turbo diesel... man... that's some engine...
Ok, I've been around the US a couple of times and as JVL probably can testify you have a more... "diverse" landscape than in Denmark... especially when it comes to elevation (we're just behind The Netherlands when it comes to being a FLAT country). But I make do with a 2.0 litre turbo diesel with 130 hp and 330 nm torque (what's that? around 230 ft/lbs?) in my Ford Mondeo Estate (ok, not much room for spares :-)).
Common tow rigs over here are vans, usually 2.5 litre turbo diesels with 130-150 hp and the same 300-350 nm torque. They tend to have much lower gearing, so power is adequate... also we are not allowed in the EU to go more than ~55 mph with a trailer, so that's ok.

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Brgrds
Brian





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/2011 04:33PM by wildert.

would 230 TQ really tow 5K pounds over the Donner summit ? (at any speed) what about at 65 ?

maybe 65 on the downhill part...

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A1337STI
would 230 TQ really tow 5K pounds over the Donner summit ? (at any speed) what about at 65 ?

I have no clue since I haven't tried it - but 2500 kgs seems a bit... much . At least by our standards.

We are also a caravanning people, and I know most people here with the same type of car as me, buy 1500-1700 kg caravans, and go down through Europe (through the passes and everything) on holidays with no problems. Given a van with a lower gearing, I would suspect that 2000 kgs should be do-able no problem.

Our neighbor has a BMW 530d and a 2000 kg caravan - no problems (except he's got a real lemon for a Beemer... keeps breaking down - big time!). But towing is just fine . But that's a fairly big and pretty strong car by our standards - but still without the low gearing of a van.

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Brgrds
Brian

sound hopeful

coursed i need to pay off my CC first, and then find money for a tow rig, moving money, and I'm getting this really dumb feeling I'm going to buy a certain ring for my little lady .

doomed i tell you, my finances are doomed!

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A1337STI
would 230 TQ really tow 5K pounds over the Donner summit ? (at any speed) what about at 65 ?

5k is a pretty light load, my emclosed trailer weighs 3k empty. The 5.3 Silverado pulled it pretty well but muyFord 460 has 400tq and will pull a building over...and they are pretty affo6dable.

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A1337STI
would 230 TQ really tow 5K pounds over the Donner summit ? (at any speed) what about at 65 ?

lessee, a reasonable rally car weighing 2550lbs---youse saying sensible people have trailers that weigh TWOTHOUSANDFIVE HUNDRED POUNDS????


No wonder I use and recommend tow dollies...


Of course some people, for reasons known ONLY UNTO GAWD!!!!!! insist on LOADING THE CAR INTO their truck....somehow forgetting that even an old, near cripple old blind geezer like me car PUSH a 5000lb vehicle, but I can't lift and carry 1/10 of that.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/2011 09:55PM by john vanlandingham.

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john vanlandingham

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A1337STI
would 230 TQ really tow 5K pounds over the Donner summit ? (at any speed) what about at 65 ?

lessee, a reasonable rally car weighing 2550lbs---youse saying sensible people have trailers that weigh TWOTHOUSANDFIVE HUNDRED POUNDS????

There's a reason for a little saying over here (that you most likely know): Everythings bigger in Americs :-)

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Brgrds
Brian

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wildert

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john vanlandingham

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A1337STI
would 230 TQ really tow 5K pounds over the Donner summit ? (at any speed) what about at 65 ?

lessee, a reasonable rally car weighing 2550lbs---youse saying sensible people have trailers that weigh TWOTHOUSANDFIVE HUNDRED POUNDS????

There's a reason for a little saying over here (that you most likely know): Everythings bigger in Americs :-)

alting är större utan förnuftet....

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Quote
fiasco
Not sure who's insurance company ended up buying the new truck. Gas station refused responsibility and everybody started throwing lawyers at each other...

I've seen green gas pump handles for 87 unleaded in NH. Gotta be careful.

BP? All the BP stations down this way have green on the gas handles and black on the diesel. All other stations follow the "green = diesel" convention. So, BP is bowing to the greenies and using that for marketing; wish I could find a law to stop the confusion. I end up so worried I smell the end of the nozzles anymore....probably looks prety weird!

Mark B.

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wildert

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john vanlandingham

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A1337STI
would 230 TQ really tow 5K pounds over the Donner summit ? (at any speed) what about at 65 ?

lessee, a reasonable rally car weighing 2550lbs---youse saying sensible people have trailers that weigh TWOTHOUSANDFIVE HUNDRED POUNDS????

There's a reason for a little saying over here (that you most likely know): Everythings bigger in Americs :-)

Yeah, makes sense. I used to sell equipment for companies from Germany and Italy (still do but indirectly now), and I recall when one of the applications engineers came over for a week of sales support work. He ended up going from NY to DC to NV, back to OH, and then to CA in one week. After that, he said he understood how big the USA is, and was bit more in tune with the USA mentality. Not that he agreed with it, he just accepted it more. The larger American cars in lttle, ancient European streets not only look out of proportion to what is expected for a car there, it can be a real issue getting around. They do OK on the Autobahn, though.

BTW, how often do club level ralliers do 1000 km tows in Europe? It's pretty common here. 70 mph makes it tolerable; 55 mph is miserable. And with power requirements going up drastically with speed increases from 55 to 70 just to push the air apart, a powerful engine makes sense.

Mark B.

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starion887
BTW, how often do club level ralliers do 1000 km tows in Europe?

Heck, only a couple of contries have a 1000km a cross the widest part period!

I just came back from RWV, a mere 300 miles for me. If I was still living in Portugal, that distance would take me to any rally in the championship (except islands) and most of the rallies in Spain as well!

Now back on topic... I have a powerstroke van and its the BEST of all worlds. Economic ~14mph towing @75, big cargo area with shelves, compressor, etc..., its covered so in a pinch I can just throw parts and tools inside and lock it up and not worry about shit going bye bye. Its still nimble enough to get on a narrow stage and turn around after picking up the car.