Driving With A Trailer - Volvo XC90 Owner's Manual

06 Starting and driving

Driving with a trailer

General
The load capacity is affected by extra acces-
sories mounted on the car, such as a towbar,
load carriers, space box, the passengers' com-
bined weight etc. as well as towball load. The
load capacity of the car is reduced by the num-
ber of passengers and their weight.
If the towing bracket is fitted by an authorised
Volvo workshop, then the car is delivered with
the necessary equipment for driving with a
trailer.
•
The car's towing bracket must be of an
approved type.
•
If the towbar is retrofitted, check with your
Volvo dealer that the car is fully equipped
for driving with a trailer.
•
Distribute the load on the trailer so that the
weight on the towing bracket follows the
specified maximum towball load.
06
•
Increase the tyre pressure to the recom-
mended pressure for a full load. For tyre
pressure decal location, see page 172.
•
Clean the towing bracket regularly and
1
grease the towball
•
Do not tow a heavy trailer when the car is
brand new. Wait until it has been driven at
least 1000 km.
1 Does not apply to the towball if using a stabiliser hitch.
152
•
The brakes are loaded much more than
usual on long and steep downhill slopes.
Downshift to a lower gear and adjust your
speed.
•
The engine is loaded more heavily than
usual when driving with a trailer.
•
The engine and gearbox can overheat if the
car is driven with a heavy load in hot
weather. If the temperature gauge for the
engine's cooling system goes into the red
zone, stop and let the engine idle for a few
minutes. The automatic gearbox responds
through a built-in protection system. See
the message on the information display. If
the car overheats, the air conditioning may
be switched off temporarily.
•
In the interests of safety, speed should be
restricted to 80 km/h, even if the laws of
certain countries allow for higher speeds.
•
Move the gear selector to park position P
when parking an automatic car with a
hitched trailer. Always use the parking
brake. Block the wheels with chocks when
parking a car with hitched trailer on a hill.
.
Trailer weights
Information on permitted trailer weights, see
page 266.
WARNING
Follow the stated recommendations for
trailer weights. Otherwise, the car and trailer
may be difficult to control in the event of
sudden movement and braking.
NOTE
The stated maximum permitted trailer
weights are those permitted by Volvo.
National vehicle regulations can further limit
trailer weights and speeds. Towbars can be
certified for higher towing weights than the
car can actually tow.
Automatic gearbox, driving with a
trailer
NOTE
Some models require an oil cooler for the
automatic gearbox when driving with a
trailer. Check with your nearest Volvo dealer
as to what applies to your car if you have a
retrofitted towbar.