X5 Towing an Enclosed Car Trailer!

[hayaku]

Originally Posted by B-Line

I always thought the tow restrictions had less to do with the power of the engine (4.8is vs 4.4i) and had more to do with transmission coolant, suspension setup, etc.

Otherwise, why would BMW rate the 4.4 at the same tow capacity as the 4.8is. That never made sense to me, unless you figure the limitations have nothing to do with engine but with collateral parts.

B

the 3.0 has the same limits as the others (all have 6000lb limits)... its more of a chassis limitation i think... and we've all seen how beefy the oem hitch is as it bolts to the frame of the vehicle...

and let me tell you that at 7000-7500 in the trailer and a couple of extra hundred lbs in the x5 towin up and down the grape vine at 65+ while turbo diesels were doing 35 sure felt good and solid...

[Franklin Joseph]

I'm now looking into getting a trailer to tow a racecar.
Currently my X5 does NOT have the tow package.
I'm gonna get one installed soon. I assume the factory BMW tow package is the best.
On my old suburban with tow package, i had a plug for the brake lights etc, will this be included in the bmw tow package or is it separate?

Also, anyone using a brake controller?

I'm looking at getting a sloan kwikload, and the racecar plus spares should weigh around 3000lbs.

thanks
franklin

[kblum]

Everyone recommends the BMW trailer hitch. I will have to agree with them on that. It is expensive but worth getting the right hitch. It does come with the plug attachment. I do not have trailer brakes so I can not advise you on that. I must be the only X5 owner who is not impressed with the towing. Yes it tows fine on straight aways, but on any incline you will need to turn off the cruse control and be prepared for a obnoxious down shit to passing gear.

[hayaku]

trailer brake controllers will need to be spliced into the LCM per the instructions with the hitch. There's 2 excellent articles on this site with pics and full step by step instructions for the brake controller.

i have the prodigy and couldn't be happier with it.

hth

[RamVA]

Originally Posted by kblum

Everyone recommends the BMW trailer hitch. I will have to agree with them on that. It is expensive but worth getting the right hitch. It does come with the plug attachment. I do not have trailer brakes so I can not advise you on that. I must be the only X5 owner who is not impressed with the towing. Yes it tows fine on straight aways, but on any incline you will need to turn off the cruse control and be prepared for a obnoxious down shit to passing gear.

Thanks for the honest assessment. I'm still considering a hitch for my X5, but I suspect that the V10 Dodge Ram has spoiled me for towing. At least the stick shift means not down-shitting.

[withidl]

Originally Posted by kblum

I just towed a 7 X 16 foot trailer with 3 motorcycles and do not know why so many of you owners rave about their X5's. I have a 2006 4.4 and I was not at all impressed with its towing. I towed the trailer form New Orleans, LA to Panama City, FL and ever little incline caused my X5 to down shift into passing gear and reved up the RPS to 4500 and higher. Sounded like it was going to explode. You definitely can not tow with cruise control unless you are on a level roadway . I had to actually get a running start and then slow my pace to prevent the tremendous down shift. We are not talking about any big hills in Louisiana or Florida. My 2003 Volvo XC90 T6 towed better. I suppose it had a different set up in the rear end of perhaps the 4 speed transmission had somethijng to do with it. How could you possible tow a 20' car trailer with that Viper?

I'm the guy with the 31 foot 8,300 pound GVWR Airstream which I've towed over 30,000 miles and my 2001 X5 4.4i just turned 90,000 miles.

Your don't have transmission problems, you should just be using MANUAL MODE. I've written about how I use MANUAL MODE which you can look up. In MANUAL MODE the transmission will not "hunt" gears in an effort to maintain speed. In MANUAL MODE you CAN USE THE CRUISE CONTROL (I use it 95% of the time) since MANUAL MODE will allow the engine to be full throttled without shifting (above 60 mph). If you don't use MANUAL MODE when towing you do risk doing damage to your transmission as the constant "hunting" heats/wears the clutches and degrades the transmission fluid.

[mfiver]

Originally Posted by withidl

I'm the guy with the 31 foot 8,300 pound GVWR Airstream which I've towed over 30,000 miles and my 2001 X5 4.4i just turned 90,000 miles.

Your don't have transmission problems, you should just be using MANUAL MODE. I've written about how I use MANUAL MODE which you can look up. In MANUAL MODE the transmission will not "hunt" gears in an effort to maintain speed. In MANUAL MODE you CAN USE THE CRUISE CONTROL (I use it 95% of the time) since MANUAL MODE will allow the engine to be full throttled without shifting (above 60 mph). If you don't use MANUAL MODE when towing you do risk doing damage to your transmission as the constant "hunting" heats/wears the clutches and degrades the transmission fluid.

Hey Withidl,

Using manual mode, what is the tallest gear you are able to tow in on level ground?

Thanks!

[Matyoka]

Wow, nobody answered in 3 years and 2 months I am planning on towing my 911 turbo from Montana to Arizona sometime after the winter. Will be using my 2005 X5 4.4i. All the info here is awesome and very helpful.

[TowX]

Originally Posted by Matyoka

Wow, nobody answered in 3 years and 2 months I am planning on towing my 911 turbo from Montana to Arizona sometime after the winter. Will be using my 2005 X5 4.4i. All the info here is awesome and very helpful.

I tow my 911 all over the midwest and to the east coast. 2004 4.4 with factory tow package and hitch. I've probably towed 20,000 miles, on flat highways, through the WV and PA mountains, and even in the snow once. I've done 1,000 miles straight stopping only for fuel (very often at 10.5 mpg) and it's a very comfortable. My towed weight with car, trailer, 8 spare wheels and tires, tools etc is 4500-4800 lbs.

I know others have talked about towing big 20' enclosed trailers and 8000 and 9000 lb trailers. I have no idea how. 4800 lbs has the V8 struggling in the mountains. I borrowed my BIL's 20' enclosed Haulmark trailer to move my 911. It was downright dangerous the way the trailer pulled the X5 around. And I was completely illegal too because I was pulling 7000 lbs which is above the X5 tow rating- completely illegal in every state I've ever driven in, and heaven forbid I'd had an accident I know my insurance company would not cover me. I'd considered an enclosed trailer for myself but after that short 3 hour tow, no way. And in the VA mountains I was down to 40 on interstate inclines, some times pulling 5000 in 3rd to make it up the grades.

But with my open aluminum trailer, it has always been a breeze. You will absolutely need the factory BMW hitch and wiring. Plus you'll need a brake controller unless your trailer has surge brakes (UHaul for example). The 4.4 V8 does a nice job for 4500-5000 lbs, I just keep it in 5th rather than in Drive and run 3000 rpm on most interstates, unless I'm on flat highway then upshift to 6th and I can run all day long at 75-80 with ease. But the key is the factory hitch, all the others on the market look like flimsy erector sets compared with the factory part.

[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?