Home Forums Articles How To's FAQ Register
Go Back   Xoutpost.com > BMW SAV Forums > X3 (E83) Forum
Arnott
User Name
Password
Member List Premier Membership Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Xoutpost server transfer and maintenance is occurring....
Xoutpost is currently undergoing a planned server migration.... stay tuned for new developments.... sincerely, the management


Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 02-17-2010, 04:10 PM
JCL's Avatar
JCL JCL is offline
Premier Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Posts: 11,853
JCL will become famous soon enoughJCL will become famous soon enough
Towing with a 2007 X3

We bought a 2007 X3 3.0si (260 hp) a few years back, but never got around to installing a hitch. I put an OEM hitch and wiring harness on in January this year, thanks to the very good instructions posted by X3eme, and the BMW factory service instructions that my dealer printed out for me. It is a lot easier than the X5 hitch that I did in 2003, and took about 2 hours with two of us not rushing at all. We did have a hoist, so we had the bumper at a convenient working height. A couple of comments on the install:
  • We didn't need to take the bucket out of the right rear of the luggage compartment. Instead, we removed the air filter from the outside (under the bumper cover on the right side) and that gave clear access to connect the wiring.
  • The instructions suggest leaving out the clip-in trim piece on the 2007 and newer models (it is black, and rectangular). If you leave it out you need to use a black spray bomb to cover various exposed bits. We did it more neatly by trimming the cover to the 2" square receiver, about 1/4" space on three sides. We also had to trim underneath on the left of this trim piece for the electrical connection. With that done, the hitch is beautifully finished, and the cover is easily removable if you need more access to a locking pin.
  • There is no vehicle recoding required according to the factory instructions. They are explicit on this point. All lights and PDC cancel worked perfectly. No fast blinking.
We towed a U-Haul from Vancouver to Calgary last week, about 1500 lbs trailer weight (estimated, not scaled). This was through several mountain passes, in winter conditions. I wasn't worried about the vehicle brakes at that weight, but I did use the manual transmission on long downhills in the Rockies to avoid heating them up too much. We had a full load in the vehicle as well, and we were able to pull 6th gear fine on most grades, 5th sometimes, and only required 4th on two of the steepest grades through the Coquihalla (10%). That let us cruise at 110 km/hr with the speed control.

The X3 towed beautifully. It isn't as heavy as the X5, but it had more power than my 3.0 X5, and the manual transmission is nicer for towing.

By measuring fill ups, we calculated 11 litres/100 km on the trip out fully loaded and towing at 110 km/hr (equals 26 mpg Imperial, 21.5 mpg US), and 9.5 litres/100 km coming home at 120 km/hr cruise, fully loaded but with no trailer (equals 30 mpg Imperial, 25 mpg US)

A good 2500 km road trip. Two photos attached. We did specifically find a U-Haul trailer that was the same height as the X3, to reduce windage.

Jeff
Attached Images
  
__________________
2007 X3 3.0si, 6 MT, Premium, White

Retired:
2008 535i, 6 MT, M Sport, Premium, Space Grey
2003 X5 3.0 Steptronic, Premium, Titanium Silver

2002 325xi 5 MT, Steel Grey
2004 Z4 3.0 Premium, Sport, SMG, Maldives Blue
Reply With Quote

Sponsored Links

Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 09:22 PM.
vBulletin, Copyright 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd. SEO by vBSEO 3.6.0
© 2017 Xoutpost.com. All rights reserved. Xoutpost.com is a private enthusiast site not associated with BMW AG.
The BMW name, marks, M stripe logo, and Roundel logo as well as X3, X5 and X6 designations used in the pages of this Web Site are the property of BMW AG.
This web site is not sponsored or affiliated in any way with BMW AG or any of its subsidiaries.