How to buy a motorhome...

[gridgway]

I'm back on the motorhome trail, but no idea where to start...

My racing needs to be more self sufficient...towing the race car and staying at the circuit.
Needs 4 berth
Needs to be useful for non-race-car-towing touring
Needs to be modern, light and efficient, yet not frail nor depreciating

Anyone in the trade or any pointers?

Cheers
Graham

[majordad]

.Way cheaper to use premier inn, motorhomes are awful bad towers as well,

[911hillclimber]

I can well remember Bob Watson telling me that way way back.
Having said that, the ever increasing numbers at hillclimbs flies in the face of that advice.

Lot of messing about, prepping and cleaning too (on a monday)

Call Roger Moran at Moran Motorhomes.
He is ex British hill champ and knows what will work for 'our game' (ie big enough to tow a car and trailer)

[jwhillracer]

.Way cheaper to use premier inn, motorhomes are awful bad towers as well,

Sweeping statement, and not really true these days. We have towed to events all over the UK (and Ireland) with everything from our original VW to our present Hymer.
Be very careful with towing capacity on motorhomes, some have little or no permissible towing weight.......
Have a chat with the guys who use them at the events that you attend, and as Graham says, speak to Roger Moran, who knows our sport and its requirements.

The second one that you buy will be exactly the one you want.............

JW

[redrobin911]

I've towed to race events for the last decade and not only is it much cheaper it's also much more fun esp night before race a meeting having a laugh and a few beers with the others in the paddock - I wouldn't dream of staying in a hotel.

Motorhomes tow perfectly well once trailer is loaded properly - a good trailer makes live much easier - do some research on this also?

Gross train weight is the key for towing - will be stamped on the camper but you need a GTW of 1500kgs min this can be hard to find as already mentioned. I also had the engine on my previous fiat ducato engine camper chipped to give more power for towing - helped loads. I have an Airstream at the mo and its wonderful but my previous Hobby 725 was great for race weekends only had 1500kgs GTW. The big American motorhomes are very good value - tow well - loads of room - hard on fuel!

By the best you can afford - with new prices from £40k to well over £100k and used from 1/2 or less. Consider your sleeping needs for racing and also for leisure and if they differ as this is important when choosing a layout.

[keith fellowes]

Used a Rimor on a Merc chassis to tow a heavy trailer with the rally car and it was well up to the job, Would recommend a rear drive one with twin rear wheels. Rimor or Kentucky would be worth looking at, but all the advice above about weight limits is spot on.

[gridgway]

Thanks for the advice all. I understand that there is extra faff involved in a motorhome and a race weekend. I've had the luxury of travelodges(!) and team support for the last few years, but have decided to ratchet down the cost and the seriousness. I rented a motorhome for one event and it was really good to stay at the circuit.

Can anyone expand on the GTW thing please? I think I got to understand it before, but can't remember what I worked out. Also from memory the big US motorhomes got too heavy to tow on a normal licence or something like that.

Graham

[Uk911]

Graham,
You can drive and tow using a big America motorbike on a normal licence as long as it's not for business or profit use. I have an A class pilote with a 2.3 turbo diesel and it tows my twin axle brain James trailer and hill climb car no problem at all. My advice is to go look at the motorhomes you like and see if they will take a tow bar and what there max towing cap is, then work out trailer and race car weight and see which ones fit the bill. Biggest aid to good safe towing is ensuring trailer is loaded correctly and vehicle is correctly loaded/strapped down.
If your at race mtgs ask other competitors with motorhome / trailer set ups for a look around and there input........happy hunting, a camper van at a race mtg is the best there is you always have hot cold water and a base to chill in / eat etc, you can't take a premier inn to a circuit.......Mark..

[mean_in_green]

Best check your licence entitlements first!

GTW is Gross Train Weight. The total weight of the motorhome, trailer and car must not exceed the GTW value.

Trouble is most motorhomes are at maximum weight all the time, so a 3.5t one with a GTW of 5,500 or 6,300kgs (the commonest GTWs) doesn't have much to spare. You can get 7,000 or even 8,250kgs train weights on vans but they're uncommon / special order (plus over 7,500kgs requires additional licence entitlement).

[Highfield]

Graham - contact Mel Spear (964RS Forum on PCGB) as I know he has a Motorhome and pretty sure I have seen it tow his 964 Cup Car ?

Ian

[rhd racer]

Graham - contact Mel Spear (964RS Forum on PCGB) as I know he has a Motorhome and pretty sure I have seen it tow his 964 Cup Car ?

Ian

Hi Graham

I bought Mel's old motorhome as it happens (the one we used as the team bus at the 24 hour karting). It as airbags on the rear and tows exceptionally well, better than a range of cars I have had over the years and a VW transporter. In my experience, the greater the towing mass the better, relative to what you are towing.

The advice re GTW is sound, but you will find there is pretty much a linear relationship with engine size which helps. Clearly you are towing 1500kgs or so, therefore you do not want to be shifting into 2nd on long motorway hills - that means a 2.3td (maybe) or 2.5td / 2.8td (more likely). There are only a few RWD options these days, and most would have one given the choice, but there is limited choice, so most like me have 2.8tds and front wheel drive - and are therefore careful at hillclimb venues which are a)hilly b) grassy c) wet!!

Therefore, the decisions which aren't made for you are pretty much;
1. Type (Coachbuilt / A Class) - this will be personal choice and accepting that many A class are LHD which may or may not work for you
2. Layout

Point 2 will be a balancing act. You will want a large garage for wheels / spares / barbecue etc, which means a fixed rear bed up high, or a converting rear lounge like we have. Your wife / family might have other ideas!

I suggest getting the Mrs involved, get the storage issue nailed very earlier, and then go looking at lots of layouts that meet this requirement. You will find that this alone will narrow a very wide market to a very narrow one, making choice much easier. My final tip is to keep to a budget - as JW says the range of what's available is so broad that you always end up wishing for more (if we put in another £8k we could get this or that! - it is a bit addictive)

I cant recall where you live but we are in the epicentre of motorhome dealers with two of the largest in the country on our doorstep, just south of Newark in Notts. Happy for you to come and look over ours and have a chat if you are thinking about taking a visit to them - we spent ages deliberating all the options and my wife is very motorhome savvy.

The other upside is if you are pulling your house apart like we are, it is a welcome kitchen and currently my office too!

All the best
Wayne