Towing your M3 to the tack? Anyone?

[m3larson]

Has anyone towed there M3 to the track say using a X5 4.8? I have a trailer that is 2,430lbs curb weight and the M3 is around 3,500 pounds? That very close the the 6,000 limit. Anyone else doing this?

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by m3larson

Has anyone towed there M3 to the track say using a X5 4.8? I have a trailer that is 2,430lbs curb weight and the M3 is around 3,500 pounds? That very close the the 6,000 limit. Anyone else doing this?

How much gear are you taking with you,as you are right on the trailer weight limit?My normal rule of thumb with light duty tow vehicles is no more than 75-80% of rated tow capacity including what you carry in the truck.What kind of brakes do you have on the trailer?

[attbimmer]

I have towed my E36 M3 track car with an 08 X5 4.8i. At its heaviest the car was around 2900lbs and the trailer was around 1500lbs, so quite a bit lighter than what you are planning on. Still towing with the X5 was great. I had no problems what so ever.

[noxredna]

Why are you even towing your car to the track? Are you running radials already? If not why don't you just drive the m3 onto the track? That is what makes the e92 m3 so special.

I did a trackday over at NJMP last weekend with the Porsche club. Had a bunch of cup cars, GT3s, etc. and most of them were gutted out with roll cage and were towed onto the track. I just drove onto the track with my E92 m3, warm it up a little bit, drove with them and kept up with them an after my sessions were done, I just drove right out of the track compound back to my apartment.

[m3larson]

Originally Posted by noxredna

Why are you even towing your car to the track? Are you running radials already? If not why don't you just drive the m3 onto the track? That is what makes the e92 m3 so special.

I did a trackday over at NJMP last weekend with the Porsche club. Had a bunch of cup cars, GT3s, etc. and most of them were gutted out with roll cage and were towed onto the track. I just drove onto the track with my E92 m3, warm it up a little bit, drove with them and kept up with them an after my sessions were done, I just drove right out of the track compound back to my apartment.

Need to rent a open air tailer I guess. I am right at the capacity with a trailer at 2,400lbs and my Fat M3 at 3,500lbs

1. The track is 800 miles away
2. I have Track Tires on
3. My wife has the x5 to drive around while I am at the track.
4. What makes the M3 so special? Me.

[lucid]

I started considering this as well. Most of the tracks I want to go to are ~350 miles away; I have no interest in racking up miles on my M3 driving to the track. And I might use the setup for a dedicated track car later on, and the X5 for the winters. I'll have to find a place to store the trailer, but I guess I can find a lot in the suburbs or something.

I've been looking at trailers and I found one at 2000lbs, so the total is about 5500lbs. The X5 is rated at 6000lbs, so that should be fine. I trust the rating methodology.

I don't have an X5 yet. Boy, these things are selling for 12k-13k with ~80k miles. They have taken a hit clearly. I would rather get the 3 liter version. Is that also rated at 6000lbs? Is the rating for the chassis, the power, or both?

I see that it would cost about 1k to get the dealer to install the hitch. Any suggestions on that?

Also, are the brakes on the trailer a requirement or a recommendation? I can see things getting really tight if you were to rely on the X5 brakes only with a combined 10000lb and a pivoting mass in the back. Should I be looking for a specific type of brake setup on the trailer? Are there any issues with making the trailer brakes work with the X5? How is the brake bias controlled?

Finally, are there any insurance concerns here? If both cars are on my regular policy, will they both be covered in a tow situation?

Thanks in advance.

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by lucid

I've been looking at trailers and I found one at 2000lbs, so the total is about 5500lbs. The X5 is rated at 6000lbs, so that should be fine. I trust the rating methodology.



Also, are the brakes on the trailer a requirement or a recommendation? I can see things getting really tight if you were to rely on the X5 brakes only with a combined 10000lb and a pivoting mass in the back. Should I be looking for a specific type of brake setup on the trailer? Are there any issues with making the trailer brakes work with the X5? How is the brake bias controlled?

Finally, are there any insurance concerns here? If both cars are on my regular policy, will they both be covered in a tow situation?

Thanks in advance.

I think that you find that in most States that a trailer over 2000 lbs require brakes and here in Ontario it is manditory over 3000 lbs.The simplest brake system is surge brakes which do not require any hookup from the tow vehicle,but are useless in slippery road conditions as they require the tow vehicle start decelerating before activating.But a proper setup under reasonable traction conditions will out perform electric brakes most of the time.I have had surge brakes with 4 wheel dics on an aluminum open car trailer that worked great in summer condtions but I discoved how useless that setup was in snow quite quickly!Electric brakes do not stop nearly as quick on bare pavement and are subject to fade & adjustment issues but do work much better in slippery conditions as you can control the brake bias by the controller.

I think that if you are looking at an X5 you must make sure that you have a proper weight distributing hitch and the proper trailer brake setup in order to make the towing hassle free.Used 1/2 pickups are also dirt cheap right now and would probally be a better choice IMO.

[lucid]

Originally Posted by Gearhead999s

I think that you find that in most States that a trailer over 2000 lbs require brakes and here in Ontario it is manditory over 3000 lbs.The simplest brake system is surge brakes which do not require any hookup from the tow vehicle,but are useless in slippery road conditions as they require the tow vehicle start decelerating before activating.But a proper setup under reasonable traction conditions will out perform electric brakes most of the time.I have had surge brakes with 4 wheel dics on an aluminum open car trailer that worked great in summer condtions but I discoved how useless that setup was in snow quite quickly!Electric brakes do not stop nearly as quick on bare pavement and are subject to fade & adjustment issues but do work much better in slippery conditions as you can control the brake bias by the controller.

I think that if you are looking at an X5 you must make sure that you have a proper weight distributing hitch and the proper trailer brake setup in order to make the towing hassle free.Used 1/2 pickups are also dirt cheap right now and would probally be a better choice IMO.

Thanks. Agreed on the pickup truck point, but I am hoping to get some winter utility out of the tow vehicle in the snow as DD. I'll look into the brake setup the trailer I am eying has.

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by lucid

Thanks. Agreed on the pickup truck point, but I am hoping to get some winter utility out of the tow vehicle in the snow as DD. I'll look into the brake setup the trailer I am eying has.

Almost forgot here are a couple of video's on towing that I was involved in on a show that we sponsored'



http://www.emal.ca/video/snowtrax.wmv

[m3larson]

Originally Posted by lucid

I started considering this as well. Most of the tracks I want to go to are ~350 miles away; I have no interest in racking up miles on my M3 driving to the track. And I might use the setup for a dedicated track car later on, and the X5 for the winters. I'll have to find a place to store the trailer, but I guess I can find a lot in the suburbs or something.

I've been looking at trailers and I found one at 2000lbs, so the total is about 5500lbs. The X5 is rated at 6000lbs, so that should be fine. I trust the rating methodology.

I don't have an X5 yet. Boy, these things are selling for 12k-13k with ~80k miles. They have taken a hit clearly. I would rather get the 3 liter version. Is that also rated at 6000lbs? Is the rating for the chassis, the power, or both?

I see that it would cost about 1k to get the dealer to install the hitch. Any suggestions on that?

Also, are the brakes on the trailer a requirement or a recommendation? I can see things getting really tight if you were to rely on the X5 brakes only with a combined 10000lb and a pivoting mass in the back. Should I be looking for a specific type of brake setup on the trailer? Are there any issues with making the trailer brakes work with the X5? How is the brake bias controlled?

Finally, are there any insurance concerns here? If both cars are on my regular policy, will they both be covered in a tow situation?

Thanks in advance.

If your looking for just a tow vehicle then I would go truck or a Tahoe. I use my X5 for traveling and work so I was going to use that to tow with.. I know the older 3.0's had a 5000lbs limit.

[1MOREMOD]

im also considering this. Seems like it would be nice to have your own support vehicle there for tools and such. not that it cant be driven to the track but what do you do with everything you need for the day without towing?

[lucid]

Originally Posted by chriszeh

im also considering this. Seems like it would be nice to have your own support vehicle there for tools and such. not that it cant be driven to the track but what do you do with everything you need for the day without towing?

I take the backseat off and the track wheels fit nicely side by side without obstructing rear vision. The tools go in the trunk.

[lucid]

Originally Posted by Gearhead999s

Almost forgot here are a couple of video's on towing that I was involved in on a show that we sponsored'



http://www.emal.ca/video/snowtrax.wmv

Thanks for the videos. No way I'm towing in snow!

[1MOREMOD]

Originally Posted by lucid

I take the backseat off and the track wheels fit nicely side by side without obstructing rear vision. The tools go in the trunk.

then what? you set your stock wheels and tools on the side of the road or drive with all this junk in the car?

[lucid]

Originally Posted by chriszeh

then what? you set your stock wheels and tools on the side of the road or drive with all this junk in the car?

What junk? What road?

Everything I need including a large torque wrench, other tools, spare pads, oil and brake fluid fit into a single plastic container and the jack has its own container. Driving with the track wheels in the back and the container&jack in the trunk is not a major issue although a trailer would surely help.

Yes, you leave your stock wheels and tool container at the paddock while you are on the track. If you are worried about your wheels you can lock them with a cable. I guess someone can steal your tools, but I haven't heard of that being a problem.

[1MOREMOD]

okay thats what i was asking? where does all your stuff go while you are on the track? so in the paddock and nobody is gonna mess with it.

[lucid]

Originally Posted by chriszeh

okay thats what i was asking? where does all your stuff go while you are on the track? so in the paddock and nobody is gonna mess with it.

People leave their stuff out all the time. I wouldn't leave my vallet out, but I don't worry about the tools. If someone is intent on stealing them, they can, but I think that is unlikely given there aren't random people around.