does any1 no which is the best gear to stay in whe n towing my caravan,? ive got tdci auto, on my veccy it was recomended i stay in 3rd gear, is it the same for my mondy??

i guess it would depend on road speed, any hills etc....

Or do you mean for motorway cruising?

Surly an auto box will choose the right gear for the road and speed, only if the box is hunting up and down would I hold it in one particular gear

when towing with an auto i only hold gears when going down long hills so it acts as an engine brake.

the only reason i ask is my vectra used to struggle a bit when towing but then it was a petrol auto, next time we tow the van i will try both ways and see wot happens and let you know, :)

I have just changed from a Mondeo 2.2 Titanium X Tdci 06 plate which I bought new in August 06 to a 2.0L Titanium Automatic Tdci Nov 60 plate to help with a left knee problem when dealing with the clutch. I can't give you a comparison between the two cars re. towing, my only comment at the moment is the Auto (probably obviously) is not as economical as the Manual but I'm trying to learn how to improve it.

To answer your question. I did 58,000 miles in the 2.2 and towed a Caravan thousands of miles in France while I had it. I spent Seven weeks in the Spring and Autumn from Calais to Monaco and all places in between, my habit was to stay about Four days on a site then move on. The lorry drivers in France normally stay at 60mph so I drove at 63 mph in 5th Gear on Cruise Control at 2000 rpm on the Motorways, this was a comfortable speed that allowed me to overtake lorries when I wanted to and not have them sitting up behind urging me on. I obviously abided by the normal speed controls and had to come out of Cruise Control up hills or long gradients but resumed normal speed and condition as soon as possible. I had long comfortable journeys sitting in my `armchair' listening to Story Tapes, bliss.

In England it's a different story, my habit is to drive at 55mph under the same Cruise Control conditions and let the rest of the traffic, especially lorries, fight their `battles' around me, not allowing them to urge me on or having them slow me down. You have to develop a different attitude to the people around and not get annoyed at their antics but the journey can be just as restful and enjoyable.

I wish you many `restful and enjoyable' miles towing.