TowX,

Hiring a trucking service sounds great, but last time I did it I was charged 1000 more from Angel's trucking to come all the way up to the Canadian border. They delivered my M3 from Jersey to Montana for a lot more than the usual haul. However, it still is a great idea as I am not going to tow anything else with the X5. At least not in the near future...

I will give it some serious thought and look into some prices.

Thanks a lot for the idea.

Lev

My X5 was doing well towing my race bimmer for over 250 miles.I didnt actually think of the weight distribution,but it felt really solid.At times I was going over 60 in a heavy downpour and never felt uncomfortable.
Thank you for the advice for the towing in manual mode.I was thinking how can I make it stay on higher gear,but never thought that it has to be done in manual/sport mode.If I put my 2000 528it in manual it will usually downshift earlier then normal.
http://www.picvalley.net/u/2808/5687...qkhHRhSjpu.JPG

I tow my E46 M3 in a 26ft enclosed trailer with my 05 4.8is. It's a pretty tall trailer as well. The X tows it fine, I wasn't expecting it to though. My X takes about 10-15 minutes to adapt, once the trailer mode pops on the dash and she tows like a dream. The self leveling suspension works fantastic as well.

I can tow at 65-70 all day with no issues and still get around 12mpg.

The X5 really impressed me as the last time I towed the trailer the trailer brake controller was not functioning. I never knew, the X5 towed and stopped the trailer just fine... actually, it tows much better than my buddy's F-150. The X5 has more power, better braking and gets 3-5 mpg more when towing.

That is an impressive picture! Just curious, do the V8's sound as comfortable above 4k rpm as the I6 does? It sounds as so at home at high revs, seems like it can stay up over 5k for miles!!

i notice that the I6 NEEDS to get above that mark to keep going on certain inclines or even roads. My 4.4i just hums at a lower rpm because of the power it can still provide to get up hills at alower RPM.

I do think that the I6 stays at higher rpms nicer than the V8

Looks like the paddock at VIR.

I'd be extremely careful towing that trailer with the X5. Virginia law could hold you liable if you were involved in an accident if you were towing more than the X5 rating. And I suspect that trailer weighs 3200-3500 empty. Add another 3000 for the E46, 400-500 for misc spare wheels, fuel etc and I bet you're pulling more than 7,000 lbs, half a ton greater than the legal tow rating for the X5.

It is VIR. The X5 is no different than any other truck with regards to tow rating or exceeding it. The trailer is much lighter than it looks, it's a cheap stripped-down trailer. My buddy said it weighs around 2200lbs. The M3 is around 3200 and only bring basic tool box. I have not exceeded the 6k rating although it is pretty close. That said, I will be towing a feather-lite all aluminum trailer next year.

I tow out to VIR twice a year, usually in garage 1&2 just over the roof of your X5.

I'm amazed that your trailer's that light. I've been pricing 20' trailers and every steel one is over 3,000 lbs, with most in the 3200-3400 range. Aluminum ones like Featherlite, R&R and ATC are in the 2300-2400 lb range with Torflex axles. I'm also impressed with your fuel economy, I've never done better than 11 - 11.5 pulling an 1100 lb all aluminum open deck trailer with my 911 (2450 lbs) though I do have 8 wheels and tires up on the tire rack which is wind resistance.

Maybe I'll see you at VIR next season. Street M3 or a track car?

I ill find out the exact weight and get back to ya. The fuel mileage is fantastic! I averaged 12 on the way to VIR and 13 one my way back this past trip. I usually keep the cruise set at 5 over.

The M3 is a dual purpose car for now... next year it will have coilovers, 4pt roll bar and race seats/ harnesses. The M3 is pretty modded already,

03 E46 M3 with SMG
Dinan Intercooled S/C with boost upgrade (512BHP)
Headers
UUC Exhaust
Dinan 3.91 diff
Dinan stage 3 suspension (not impressed)
Brembo 380mm 6 pot's front, 4 pot Brembo rear
Dinan Sways
and some other suspension mods. The car needs a set of dedicated track wheels/ tires and coilovers BAD! It's pretty quick, I dynoed at 408whp before the boost upgrade... i'm hoping shes around 440-460whp currently.

I will be hitting VIR as often as possible this coming year, I'm sure I'll see you out there.

cars are sweet, but i see a tranny in your future