Towing with X5 / other suggestions

[1FastSicilian]

Originally Posted by spxxx

What's pretty cheap? I've never been a truck guy even though most of my family is super blue collar / redneck haha. Starting to think that a truck would be nice after moving to a larger house where the home depot runs have become too much for my Q7/X5.

that's the main reason I got mine. Home Depot runs and taking my ATV riding... the perk of trailering the m3 was an added bonus.

In my area, if you don't go crazy with options, Ive seen them lease in the low 500s per month, sometimes even the 4s.

Thats better then spending 60-70k on a new truck if you're not really using it everyday.

[roastbeef]

Is this the new tow rig chit chat thread? Just picked up a couple parts from Banks before the prices went up before the end of the month.

[1FastSicilian]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

Is this the new tow rig chit chat thread? Just picked up a couple parts from Banks before the prices went up before the end of the month.

damn man, No stacks?!!? lol

Jk, the banks exhaust probably sounds great!

[Cmassey3]

What do they use in the EU to transit HPDE cars to the tracks? I know there's some American trucks over there, but not enough for it to be the major choice.

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by 1FastSicilian

Ive been towing with my 2022 Ram 1500 laramie quite a bit and its been great.. Has all the luxury features of a modern day suv and also has more space and towing capacity...

You can also lease these pretty cheap if you wanted too.

My main complaint with the Ram is the rear coil spring suspension is too soft. I've been looking at leasing a Chevy 1500 with the 2.7l. Prices have been falling for the 1/2 tons and I think the end of year will have some great deals.

I do want to get a 3/4 ton diesel in a couple of years since I have a 28' gooseneck trailer. It's a hand me down that I will need to basically rebuild...should be a fun project

then one year later...

[1FastSicilian]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

My main complaint with the Ram is the rear coil spring suspension is too soft. I've been looking at leasing a Chevy 1500 with the 2.7l. Prices have been falling for the 1/2 tons and I think the end of year will have some great deals.

I do want to get a 3/4 ton diesel in a couple of years since I have a 28' gooseneck trailer. It's a hand me down that I will need to basically rebuild...should be a fun project

then one year later...

Easy fix! I got these off amazon that go right into the rear springs. Hook them up to a port by the rear license plate and throw 25lbs in the bags and zero sag!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...e?ie=UTF8&th=1


My friend has the 2.7 in the silverado.. He says it gets the job dones but it definitely feels underpowered when pulling an 18ft steel deck car hauler and his e36..

[leftfootbr8king]

I’ve got some air helper springs in the rear coils of 4Runner, makes a huge difference. They are prone to leaks, though.

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by Cmassey3

What do they use in the EU to transit HPDE cars to the tracks? I know there's some American trucks over there, but not enough for it to be the major choice.

lightweight trailers, sensible midsize suv or just normal cars, and they are generally better drivers.

[leftfootbr8king]

Yea I saw a lot of 3 series diesel wagons and x3’s towing track cars when I lived in western Europe.

[nsogiba]

Another weekend towing my M3 down to WGI with my X5, a bit over 300 miles round trip. Between the car, trailer, extra wheels and tools I was probably right at the rated capacity, but the ride was uneventful and relaxing.

I think I have the stability portion pretty well set up - a short hitch to minimize lever arm and aftermarket air bags at 50psi did great to minimize squat and sway. Once up to speed I had no problem maintaining 75mph comfortably. The trans wanted to shift down to 7th on some hills while cruising, so I experimented with keeping it in M8. No issue with that either.

My only complaint was that it would be nice to have a bit more power off the line, so I'll likely be looking into a downpipe and Stage 2 flash (currently Stage 1 MHD).

[1mBad]

Not letting me upload photos -- Here's a link

I tow with f15 diesel, tuned. Got 25mpg at 70mph with this setup. will likely get a different trailer, may go for an aluminum enclosed. Extremely comfortable and capable. Would definitely recommend an x5 diesel for towing but i'd recommend the e70 chasis. F15 is a bit fragile....
I have the stealth hitch installed so we can take advantage of the euro towing capacity.

[amg6975]

Originally Posted by 1mBad

Not letting me upload photos -- Here's a link

I tow with f15 diesel, tuned. Got 25mpg at 70mph with this setup. will likely get a different trailer, may go for an aluminum enclosed. Extremely comfortable and capable. Would definitely recommend an x5 diesel for towing but i'd recommend the e70 chasis. F15 is a bit fragile....
I have the stealth hitch installed so we can take advantage of the euro towing capacity.

As someone with an F15 and an enclosed aluminum trailer, there's no way in hell I'd try to tow it with the X5. They catch wind and wakes off trucks and stuff way too much. It felt sketchy (I'm probably just being a wimp) with my old GMC 1500 (with blown rear shocks.) I just got an F250 and it finally feels at home behind the truck. It still moves around but it doesn't feel like it's going to yank the thing off the highway.

[DRLane]

Originally Posted by amg6975

As someone with an F15 and an enclosed aluminum trailer, there's no way in hell I'd try to tow it with the X5. They catch wind and wakes off trucks and stuff way too much. It felt sketchy (I'm probably just being a wimp) with my old GMC 1500 (with blown rear shocks.) I just got an F250 and it finally feels at home behind the truck. It still moves around but it doesn't feel like it's going to yank the thing off the highway.

Check out Montrose Trailers - Some pretty rad solutions and entirely custom.

[Sanchez14]

I’ve been towing my e92 on an open steel trailer with a 2018 raptor and it’s been great. The sag is barely noticeable and the ride is so comfy even when towing.

The raptor’s size is getting a bit tiresome as a pseudo daily though and I rarely offroad it anymore. Glad to hear x5, cayenne, and discovery are all viable options for 6-8 track days per year.

Any other thoughts on Cayennes and Discoverys? What else in that size range is worth considering? gx 460 and lx 570 are on my list too.

Grand Cherokee is a no go for me. My parents had an ecodiesel that was a total disaster. Left them stranded multiple times towing a small camper.

[nsogiba]

Originally Posted by amg6975

As someone with an F15 and an enclosed aluminum trailer, there's no way in hell I'd try to tow it with the X5. They catch wind and wakes off trucks and stuff way too much. It felt sketchy (I'm probably just being a wimp) with my old GMC 1500 (with blown rear shocks.) I just got an F250 and it finally feels at home behind the truck. It still moves around but it doesn't feel like it's going to yank the thing off the highway.

Biggest weakness of the F15 chassis is just the short wheelbase. My N55 with a Stage 1 tune has adequate power but definitely is sensitive to bigger vehicles on the road, and that's only with an open (albeit heavy steel) trailer. Agreed that the X5 is not confidence inspiring with a big giant box behind it.

[kolosy]

FWIW, the G05 chassis seems to do a better job. I towed a few times with my G05 M Comp, and it felt pretty darn stable, no noticeable impact from other vehicles. that's towing an open trailer though.

[okusa]

Neither X5 nor Cayenne is safe for trailering an enclosed due to wheelbase length regardless of trailer construction (aluminum or steel). That’s why I recently bought a proper tow rig and am selling my Cayenne diesel, which is the best vehicle I’ve ever owned but I just have no longer have a need for it.

[e92BMW///M3]

Originally Posted by okusa

Neither X5 nor Cayenne is safe for trailering an enclosed due to wheelbase length regardless of trailer construction (aluminum or steel). That’s why I recently bought a proper tow rig and am selling my Cayenne diesel, which is the best vehicle I’ve ever owned but I just have no longer have a need for it.

Recently started looking into trailering, glad we seem to have a thread for everything here. It seems the Cayenne was generally well regarded as a tow vehicle, is your experience/comment specific to enclosed trailers as opposed to open? Reason I ask is also because when I put the Cayenne as the tow vehicle for an m3 on the U-Haul site to rent one it also said it ‘wasn’t recommended’. Thanks!

[DRLane]

Originally Posted by okusa

Neither X5 nor Cayenne is safe for trailering an enclosed due to wheelbase length regardless of trailer construction (aluminum or steel). That’s why I recently bought a proper tow rig and am selling my Cayenne diesel, which is the best vehicle I’ve ever owned but I just have no longer have a need for it.

Not exactly true, but definitely so for a 20’ by 7’ tall enclosed box. A buddy had an empty enclosed behind his X5 roll the combo off interstate 80 in Wyoming heading to pick up another race car. Wind…

There are definitely light weight and aerodynamic options that would work.

[okusa]

Originally Posted by DRLane

Not exactly true, but definitely so for a 20’ by 7’ tall enclosed box. A buddy had an empty enclosed behind his X5 roll the combo off interstate 80 in Wyoming heading to pick up another race car. Wind…

There are definitely light weight and aerodynamic options that would work.

Agree to disagree and you’re buddy’s experience is exactly my concern.

[okusa]

Originally Posted by e92BMW///M3

It seems the Cayenne was generally well regarded as a tow vehicle, is your experience/comment specific to enclosed trailers as opposed to open? Reason I ask is also because when I put the Cayenne as the tow vehicle for an m3 on the U-Haul site to rent one it also said it ‘wasn’t recommended’. Thanks!

I trailered an open Trailex with the Cayenne throughout CA (often at speeds over 80 even in the mountains) for 8 or so years without ever experiencing a single issue.

[amg6975]

Originally Posted by nsogiba

Biggest weakness of the F15 chassis is just the short wheelbase. My N55 with a Stage 1 tune has adequate power but definitely is sensitive to bigger vehicles on the road, and that's only with an open (albeit heavy steel) trailer. Agreed that the X5 is not confidence inspiring with a big giant box behind it.

Yeah definitely. Our X5 is the N63, I have no concern about it having the power to tow my ~6,000lb setup but the aero of the enclosed trailer is a non starter for me. If I had an open trailer I'd 100% tow with the X5 and would never have bought the F250.