[8342mat]

Having towed to and from Devon without a problem with my auto 163, i have come to a conclusion.

Using the manual side of the auto box and using 5th instead of 6th gear is the way forward.
At an indicated 60mph (58mph on Tom Tom sat nav) the revs are just above 2000rpm.
This is at the start of the turbo power band, hence better torque and the ability to hold the gear rather than hunting between 6th and 5th.


Whilst on holiday a fellow Antara owner towing a twin axle Lunar asked me about 6th gear on his manual.
I advised him to try 5th.
Wonder how he got on ?


Your thoughts ?


Mat

 

[Grumps]

Even without towing 6th is hopeless unless your sitting at 70 on a flat road. If you come across a bit of a hill you are better changing down and that's without towing.

BTW the turbo kicks in at lower revs on the manual probably about. 1500rpm.

 

[Pinty]

I don't tow, but my daily commute involves 16 miles of fast A road and motorway use, and I very rarely use 6th gear. Instead I leave it in 5th and keep the revs up above 2000rpm
My thinking is that this will assist with keeping the exhaust temperature hotter to help burn off the sooty deposits in the DPF, whereas 6th gear drops the revs, and the engine almost seems to labour.
I can say that this seems to have no adverse effect on fuel consumption, in fact at times, I even find it helps the fuel consumption

 

[KenB]

I have a manual 163 BHP.

I tow a 1500Kg caravan ( Bailey Olympus )
Recently did a 400 mile round trip mostly on motorway and was in 6th gear most of the time.
I even accelerated to overtake in 6th.
MPG - 27 outward ..... 25 homeward


No complaints.

 

[antara184]

Yep, I always use 6th gear. Around here most of the roads are 60MPH, 6th gear with cruise control on is not a problem even at 50MPH it's fine. Although I do have the 184BHP Antara.

Same with the tin tent on the back, (1555KG Sprite Sportstyle twin axle) towed down to Cornwall, only on the biggest hills did I need to change to 5th gear. I tried in both gears and 6th was definitely better on fuel economy, albeit very slightly.

Edited by: antara184

 

[Drivingmad]

In my opinion is the manual 163bhp at 35mph per 1000rpm is too high for the torque band. Maximum torque is at 2,000 rpm which equates to 70mph. I find 5th is a suitable gear for A roads and 6th very much an overdrive.

 

[Scottyboy]

I tow a Lunar Lexon1430kg and tend to stay in 5th gear sits at 2000rpm pulls all day stability in wind also good pleased so far

 

[Mikee]

Hi ok what's this manual side of the auto box,mine only has D what I'm I missing out on due to tow my caravan in a few weeks for the first time mine is a 12plate 2.2auto se ,??? Mike

 

[8342mat]

Hi ok what's this manual side of the auto box,mine only has D what I'm I missing out on due to tow my caravan in a few weeks for the first time mine is a 12plate 2.2auto se ,??? Mike

Put the car in to D then push the gear stick across to the left.
It is now in manual mode.
Push the stick forward to go up the gears, back to go down.
You can keep your foot pressed on the accelerator.


When in this mode the car will not let you select a gear that the car will not cope with ie 5th at 30mph or 2nd at 70 for example.


When you come to a stop the car will go into 1st by itself.
Just be mindful especially with the van on the back that if you slow for a give way or roundabout you may want to pull off before the gears have changed, so you could end up trying to pull off in 3rd for example, so be aware of that. Just tap the stick back to make sure it is in the right gear.


The dashboard will tell you which gear you are in at a glance.


I prefer towing on the manual side as it gives better control, when going downhill, and it helps keep the revs up for up hills.


Mat

Edited by: 8342mat

 

[Mikee]

Hi,just tried the gear lever move to the left as you said many thanks for you advice you would think the garage would have told me when I bought it 3wks ago cheers mike

 

[antara184]

 

[wilma08]

It's easy

 

[chrisg]

Hi, My Antara is due to be picked up 4th jan. I've been towing for over 17 yrs now. When I tow with my diesel Mondeo (161) I usually tow in 5th on the motorway on a 6 speed manual box. funnily enough I was towing my Swift challenger sport home from thelake district in all the bad weather and gales last month in 4th gear,probably never went over 40 mph. Upon checking my MPG trip,expecting to see rock bottom figure,I was actually averaging over 40mpg. Usually at 55/58mph I average 30mpg.55 mpg solo.

Just a tip, when getting up to speed, just gently press the accelerator to get to your cruising speed,not burying your foot (like my wife does) helps greatly with the mpg figures.