wedge07

Basicly I want to start taking my Rs turbo and my st220 to some shows instead of just one.
Will my mondeo be ok doing this?
It's lowered 40mm and running on 20" rims, is there any way I can tow without changing any thing? Cheers

Bailes1992

Mondeo ST220 isn't homologated for towing. Therefore it is illegal to tow with them full stop.

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

As above.

Isnt it on the lines of as long as the car your towing and the trailer weight is lower than the vehicle your towing with it is ok.

Bailes1992

That's usually the case providing you don't exceed the maximum towing weight of that vehicle.
The ST220 isn't plated at all for towing therefore you cannot tow at all.

gus

iTrader: (1)

doesnt it need to shown on the vin plate or something

gross train weight

st220kyle

As mr bailes says, no exceptions. ST220's cannot tow at all regardless of weight etc.

wedge07

I thought normal mondeos could so the mondeo st can? Maybe I'm wrong, where can I find out? Dvla?

wedge07

I mean the escorts only 950 kg

st220kyle

Look in your owners handbook, it says something along the lines of... It is not permitted to fit a towbar to an st220.
I dont know why, it just isn't.

wedge07

Ok mate cheers, ill prob still end up doing it anyways haha.

ste1806

I'm not 100% but i think it is due to rear structural changes for the exhausts, so the correct mounting points for the tow bar are no longer there.

stuboy

my mate could never find one for his st200 estate so st220 be almost same

Bailes1992

Bit of a twatish thing to do isn't it?
If you crash you can garuntee the insurance wouldn't pay out!

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

So what if you welding strong sections of chassis leg to the back of the mondeo then took it to a vehicle testing station and got someone to check it over. Would that not work??

Kevin_Mc

The mk1 Fabia vRS can't legally tow a trailer even though it's the exact same shell as the normal cars (which are type approved).

There's a guy local to me with an identical vRS to mine's and he has a two bar fitted which he uses regularly

wedge07

So basicly By the sounds of it, it's a load of bull? I'm going to have a look round and see what bars will bolt on.
Cheers guys

Kevin_Mc

I know on the Fabia it certainly does fit, it's almost as if Skoda decided that no-one would want to tow with a vRS so didn't have it type approved. Not sure if it can be retrospectively applied.

Don't know if there have been changes made to the Mondeo chassis that would prevent you from physically fitting one but I know I wouldn't let it stop me towing with it. Smart idea or not I'd be tempted.

foxy06

States the the handbook that the ST220 cannot tow!

Its same for Audi RS4's also, the more high performance of the range seems to be affected by it for whatever the reason.

The Youth.

iTrader: (1)

all the mountings for the tow bars are there in the rear chassis , the reason it cannot tow is it wasn't type approved by ford when new

You are taking a big risk fitting a tow bar and using it from a legal point of view

steve

dojj

iTrader: (3)

The reason it was hemoglobined for riding us that the rear bumper under tray needs to be cut

Everything else is exactly the same as any other Mondeo as far as fixing points go in the chassis rails so all this talk about it being different is bollocks

There's even a slot to mount the offside exhaust hanger in the chassis rail

I've got an st kit on my estate and other than fitting a sponge between the bumper and the tow bar, everything gets just fine and dandy

So based on the "technicality" that they didn't doesn't mean to say that you can't, ford didn't bother so you can't, and don't buy into the dmf failing talk either

The Youth.

iTrader: (1)

In English dojj lol

if you mean the reason it wasn't type approved then that's not correct as the ST TDCI (which I have) also had to have the rear undertray cut and that is type approved

steve

FOCUSTARD PIE

iTrader: (7)

My ST220 estate has a Ford supplied and fitted towbar, never towed with it though.

dojj

iTrader: (3)

you sure they type approved the sttdci ?

the petrol one wasn't for the reason that they didn't want to chop about the rear end or sell specific kits to mount the bar an inch further out but that was back in 2002 when they first came out, the sttdci came out later so if they did for that then what did they change?

paulsheerin

As far as I was aware the ST220 was Fords flagship model so Ford didnt want the aesthetics of a towbar taking away from its sporting image, whereas all other models in the lineup were homogolated for towing including the ST TDCI.

This would tally with other stories on here such as VRS and RS4s not being homogolated but their less sporty models being type approved