I'd recommend you get more weight to the front of your trailer...jerking around is usually a sign of tongue weight being too low. You want to make sure 15% of the total weight is on the tongue, so move a few of the heavy things off the axle, and move them as far forward as you can.

 

It is probably a single axle right? Do as NickM says. Bit more weight in the front 50-100 lbs or so

 

Thank you both. That sounds like brilliant advice. It is very hard to work out the best thing to do - different websites offer different advice - I was told to always aim for 85kgs of nose weight, but I guess that is the "average" and you have to adjust for your caravan's individual MTPLM and your towcar's limit. (I have just read that the ideal is 7% of MTPLM which is 97.3kgs in my case).
I will aim a bit nearer to that on my next trip.

Would you adjust the suspension settings at all? Is it safe to tow with the suspension set to High?

Also, what would you say is the best Comfort / Auto / Sport mode?

Cheers!

 

Just set the suspension to auto...it'll compensate for the trailer on its own...always aim for 15% of total load on the tongue for most stability while towing.

 

The Touareg can handle a tongue weight of up to about 275 kg

 

For the metrically challenged that's 616 lbs. according to the decal on my 2003 installed factory hitch

 

I think she is from the UK since she uses kg's and the word brilliant

Overthere they also use a diffent hitch system which I think does not give an alternative on height on the hitch

 

The only thing is - I am limited by the caravan tongue weight - 100kgs, and you have to go with the lower figure of the two.

I will load up to 100kgs next time and hopefully that will make all the difference.

Still interested to know if raising the suspension (to level out the caravan which is ever so slightly nose-down) would make the outfit less stable or if it would actually be better because the caravan is more level.

 

I'm not sure what part of the world you are in, but for north american setups, you adjust the trailers level by changing your hitch reciever. ie: you must match your receiver to the height of the trailer, somtimes this involves a drop, sometimes its a rise...this is why when you go into a hitch shop you'll see dozens of receivers all of them with varying heights.

For the 3 different trailers I tow I literally have 3 different recivers...

You do not adjust receiver to trailer height via suspension...and for proper stability your vehicle and trailer MUST be level ie: truck trailer must look like ths: - - not like this - /

SO between increasing your tongu weight and levelling out your trailer via the proper receiver you should take out any instability you had...if instability still exists check out your bearings and suspension on your trailer.

 

54 plate is Uk

 

Yes - I am UK! Sorry - didn't realise this was not a UK site oops!

No - we don't have adjustable hitches unfortunately, and luckily the van is more or less level - the difference is tiny so perhaps simply raising the suspension will help. I will get in contact with my VW garage and ask their advice tomorrow.

I think more noseweight is key too.
Will know as soon as I drive down my road on the next trip!

Thanks for all your input everyone!

 

Jenny.

The car will automatically adjust to the weight of the caravan, and normally shouldn't be altered. The fault will most likely be in the loading of the van, and there is good advice above.

This forum has people from all over the world, and with different towing equipment. The USA has a very different set up to that you use in the UK.

Ours (New Zealand) is similar to yours, but not identical.

In the USA the Touareg is not a big car, while for you it is a very big car. Pretty big for us too.

I bet that moving the weight forward makes the difference