X5 Towing an Enclosed Car Trailer! - Page 4

JCL · #31 12-20-2010, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matyoka

TowX,

That was the best reply ever. Yes, I am looking for a factory tow hitch and will get it installed somewhere near by. Montana has no BMW dealerships, so a shop will have to do. The trailer will be the four wheel Uhaul that is similar to yours in the picture. I know they are 2200 lbs and the 911 is around 3700 lbs? That is very close to the 6000 lbs tow capacity and there are some big ass mountains I have to get across to reach Idaho.

What expense am I looking at for a complete OEM tow hitch including harness, ball and tongue?

From $500 to $600, plus installation. Any shop can do the installation.

Something to watch with the U-Haul trailer is weight distribution. You want 10% of the loaded trailer weight on the hitch ball. To do that on a car hauler, you have to pay attention to where the car is positioned. You may need to load it backwards to get enough tongue weight. Trailer sway is often related to inadequate tongue weight.

Also suggest you follow withidl's suggestions re the automatic transmission. Use manual mode, and cruise control, to avoid hunting between gears on long climbs.

I had no trouble towing approximatelhy 5000 lbs with the 3.0, so I think you will be fine with the 4.4

Good luck.

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Matyoka · #32 12-20-2010, 10:36 PM

Is this a good deal?

BMW E70 X5 Trailer hitch kit class III OEM BNIB - eBay (item 300398870175 end time Jan-15-11 04:49:14 PST)

JCL · #33 12-20-2010, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matyoka

Is this a good deal?

BMW E70 X5 Trailer hitch kit class III OEM BNIB - eBay (item 300398870175 end time Jan-15-11 04:49:14 PST)

Doesn't seem a bad deal, but you don't have an E70, you have an E53. They don't use the same hitch.

Matyoka · #34 12-20-2010, 10:57 PM

Thanks for the update on the model, you guys are awesome.

c4racer · #35 12-21-2010, 01:42 AM

That is one sweet looking 911, that must be a lot of fun on the track!! I'm jealous.

TowX · #36 12-21-2010, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matyoka

TowX,

That was the best reply ever. Yes, I am looking for a factory tow hitch and will get it installed somewhere near by. Montana has no BMW dealerships, so a shop will have to do. The trailer will be the four wheel Uhaul that is similar to yours in the picture. I know they are 2200 lbs and the 911 is around 3700 lbs? That is very close to the 6000 lbs tow capacity and there are some big ass mountains I have to get across to reach Idaho.

What expense am I looking at for a complete OEM tow hitch including harness, ball and tongue?

You'll be fine as long as you take your time and be patient in the mountains.

UHaul trailer has surge brakes so no need to worry about connect up electric brake controller, which simplifies the installation. As JCL suggested, you'll need to watch weigh distribution, but the 911 has it's weight in the tail so that will help offset the tongue weight. My experience with the UHaul car trailers is that they're very nose heavy empty so your rear weight bias will help. The easiest way to know how you're loaded is to center the 911's jacking point (roughly the center of gravity of the car) between the trailer's axles.

I spend 80% of the time towing on the interstate in 5th gear, using the manual mode of the trans. Otherwise the trans will hunt back and forth between gears which will build up a lot of heat. Don't be afraid to downshift to keep the revs in the engine's sweet spot- peak torque is about 3400 rpm so climbing grades on the interstate you should keep the engine spinning at that rpm or higher to be easiest on the engine. Even though you'll be close to the 6000 tow capacity you should be fine.

However- one other thought..... If you're going to spend close to $1,000 to buy and install the hitch and wiring, why not spend the $$ on a professional carrier like Reliable or InterCity who will move the Porsche in one of their enclosed carriers for you. Unless you plan to use the BMW for towing in the future. Not sure what they charge these days but Reliable delivered a friend's 996TT a few years ago from FL to Chicago for about $1500 as I recall. And part of that fee was an upcharge for having to maneuver through the city on crowded northside residential streets to drop the car in front of his house. Just a thought.

TowX · #37 12-21-2010, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by c4racer

That is one sweet looking 911, that must be a lot of fun on the track!! I'm jealous.

Lots of fun for sure! At the moment it's undergoing a few small changes in my garage- converting from torsion bars to coilovers, and I've yanked the old 3.2 and am building a 964RS 300hp 3.6 for it. Unfortunately work is taking up all my time so I've not been able to spend much time on building the engine recently.

c4racer · #38 12-21-2010, 02:27 PM

it's a doubled edged sword, but I certainly prefer it when work takes up a lot of my time!!

I used to race in the CMC series with NASA in CA in a 83 Camaro. Crude, but very fun and surprisingly fast around a track even with only 240hp.

TowX · #39 12-22-2010, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by c4racer

it's a doubled edged sword, but I certainly prefer it when work takes up a lot of my time!!

I used to race in the CMC series with NASA in CA in a 83 Camaro. Crude, but very fun and surprisingly fast around a track even with only 240hp.

Totally agree, these days it's nice to have the work. But this consulting contract had me commuting to NJ from Chicago five days a week. So by the time I get home late Friday nights I just want the family time. Have a lot to try to get done while I've got a few weeks off for the holiday.

I'm in the process of converting the car into a NASA GTS3 car though I'll need to add weight to offset the new HP to stay in the class. I'm still going to be pretty close to the limit of the power/weight ratio as it is. CMC and some of the other NASA classes look like a lot of fun. And NASA is a great group to run with too.

c4racer · #40 12-22-2010, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TowX

Totally agree, these days it's nice to have the work. But this consulting contract had me commuting to NJ from Chicago five days a week. So by the time I get home late Friday nights I just want the family time. Have a lot to try to get done while I've got a few weeks off for the holiday.

I'm in the process of converting the car into a NASA GTS3 car though I'll need to add weight to offset the new HP to stay in the class. I'm still going to be pretty close to the limit of the power/weight ratio as it is. CMC and some of the other NASA classes look like a lot of fun. And NASA is a great group to run with too.

CMC was fun because it takes the car out of it and really forces you to improve as a driver. The level of competition is very high. But even for a mid-packer like me there was always somebody to race and have a good time. And I learned a lot. Plus it is a great group of guys very willing to help - I miss the people more than the racing in many ways.

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