Towing with X5 / other suggestions

[e36clubracer]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

It was a 2018 or 2019 - 7.3L powerstroke.

If it was a 2018 or 2019 that is a 6.7L powerstroke and has about double the power what the old 7.3L powerstroke had. Those two engines are VERY different.

The old 7.3L (both the IDI and DI versions) was slow and steady but very reliable and still highly desirable.

[spxxx]

Originally Posted by e36clubracer

If it was a 2018 or 2019 that is a 6.7L powerstroke and has about double the power what the old 7.3L powerstroke had. Those two engines are VERY different.

The old 7.3L (both the IDI and DI versions) was slow and steady but very reliable and still highly desirable.

On that note... I have an extra older 7.3L for sale, there's an issue with the block (mysterious oil leak internally) but 4 different turbo diesel shops in the Bay Area couldn't figure out the issue so we just swapped the motor.

[P1zzaboy]

I love the touareg Tdi for towing. It's a robust and fun daily driver. Mine's DPF deleted and has cayenne 6 piston brakes. Makes it even more fun. I previously had a 2016 v8 f-150 and found the touareg to do a better job towing. The f-150 engine and transmission combo was always between two gears which was annoying

And yes that's the fuel consumption with the setup on the picture. 6 hours drive, mostly on the flat at 100km/h

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by e36clubracer

If it was a 2018 or 2019 that is a 6.7L powerstroke and has about double the power what the old 7.3L powerstroke had. Those two engines are VERY different.

The old 7.3L (both the IDI and DI versions) was slow and steady but very reliable and still highly desirable.

I'm not up to speed on the year to year differences so I'm guessing it was the 6.7. It was a monster compared to what I was expecting.

[1FastSicilian]

I've towed with several trucks, and theres soooo many variables.

2011 Silverado 1500 -- pulled OK, brakes sucked and felt a little gutless.2018 f-150 5.0 - nice power, brakes were decent but the transmission didn't know what gear it wanted to be in so it was annoying.. Good part was 17mpg towing!

2019 Ram 1500 (photo'd below) towed amazing, couldn't tell I had a trailer on.. 13mpg and very smooth.

[admranger]

Originally Posted by 1FastSicilian

Oh to see those gas prices again.

[askjeeves]

Originally Posted by 1FastSicilian

I've towed with several trucks, and theres soooo many variables.

2011 Silverado 1500 -- pulled OK, brakes sucked and felt a little gutless.2018 f-150 5.0 - nice power, brakes were decent but the transmission didn't know what gear it wanted to be in so it was annoying.. Good part was 17mpg towing!

2019 Ram 1500 (photo'd below) towed amazing, couldn't tell I had a trailer on.. 13mpg and very smooth.

Any issues with those Vulcan straps? Im deciding between ordering those or getting a set from Macs.

[1FastSicilian]

Originally Posted by askjeeves

Any issues with those Vulcan straps? Im deciding between ordering those or getting a set from Macs.

nope love them.. I sold this trailer w the straps and my buddy who bought it still uses it all the time to tow his side by side and now on my new trailer i got the same straps.. they're pretty good quality

[redpriest]

Diesel RAM? Looking into this atm.

[redpriest]

Actually kind of torn on this choice. I'd want to get a 2500/3500 RAM for being able to haul a stacker, but the stacker is a year or two out (maybe). TRX is not nearly as capable of a tow vehicle but it would be fun to own for a while.

[butraymond]

I use 2019 Nissan Armada to tow my m2c. Living in the city so I have to rent Uhaul trailer. Armada is rated 8500lbs, Uhaul is 2200lbs, m2c is 3500lbs. 0 problem and easily drive 80mph on highway. 13.6mpg when towing vs 14.6 drive in city.

[spxxx]

I ended up picking up a 2016 35i X5 with the 3rd row w/ air suspension.

My wife has been driving it while we figure out her next car, it's pretty damn great for a 6 year old car.

Haven't towed with it yet but finished some preventive maintenance and it's been rock solid for 3k miles

[///Mobbin]

Originally Posted by butraymond

I use 2019 Nissan Armada to tow my m2c. Living in the city so I have to rent Uhaul trailer. Armada is rated 8500lbs, Uhaul is 2200lbs, m2c is 3500lbs. 0 problem and easily drive 80mph on highway. 13.6mpg when towing vs 14.6 drive in city.

Appreciate this and everyone's posts here. I towed an F80 m3 on a Uhaul trailer with a Range Rover Sport as my first towing experience and it was extremely unpleasant. Had to re-connect the trailer by myself in the morning in the dark and then tow in the rain with the wind blowing the heavy trailer around behind my short wheel base RR-Sport. It did have the 5.0 NA v8 so power was fine but I think the short wheelbase and weight of the load was playing against me here.

Fast forward to today and I have a new GMC Sierra 1500 AT4 with a 10-speed transmission, 6.2L v8 engine, and a nice long wheelbase, looking forward to towing again with the new rig! I was thinking to buy a fancy lightweight and easy to use Futura trailer (I may still) but perhaps I should try the Uhaul again first, will likely only tow ~4 weekends/year and have a Uhaul store about a mile from my house. Appreciate the Uhaul success stories, may speed up my adoption of slicks as well.

Fwiw, I've also tried bringing slicks to the track in the car with me but find the labor aspect of swapping tires twice/day is not for me.

[///Mobbin]

Thread showing how to make the front lip of the Uhaul trailers work with low front bumpers - LINK.

I made a small custom set of small race ramps for this though you could easily make the same more economically out of wood.

[SAMM3Y]

Originally Posted by ///Mobbin

Thread showing how to make the front lip of the Uhaul trailers work with low front bumpers - LINK.

I made a small custom set of small race ramps for this though you could easily make the same more economically out of wood.

Cool, I do like the convenience of a Uhaul and their trailers tow well. You can reverse the cars on there too and not have to worry about the front clearance

[Kelse92]

The front wheel stops on Uhaul trailers are literally two bolts each side to take off… Just bring an impact gun and appropriate sized socket. No need to do anything crazy, chances are if you’re going to the track you’re bringing an impact anyway

[b4hand]

Originally Posted by Kelse92

The front wheel stops on Uhaul trailers are literally two bolts each side to take off… Just bring an impact gun and appropriate sized socket. No need to do anything crazy, chances are if you’re going to the track you’re bringing an impact anyway

I'll say that if you have an undertray, it may be hard to get the tie down ratchet mechanism to open all the way to loosen the wheel wrap. I had a tough time the last time I used a uhaul trailer and if I had an undertray idk if it would have worked.

[JackPaul]

I'm new here and I wanna add that towing experiences with the X5 can vary among different owners, so it's always helpful to seek feedback from those who have firsthand experience. Exploring forums or reaching out to X5 owners could provide you with more specific insights and recommendations.

[SYT_Shadow]

What attracts me about towing with a X5/X7 is they are really nice cars. With the comfort seats they're so great. Available air suspension, great brakes and handling.

I still keep a set of E70 20" sport wheels and the 21" sport wheels that are 11.5" in the rear, in case I get another E70 or a F15 and tow with it.

[Cmassey3]

This thread has sent me on a rabbit trail for tow vehicles since I'm starting to consider one myself. This one slots into the use case where an X5/Cayenne could also work.

I found out the Gen 1 F150 Raptor Super Crew has a 8000lb tow rating: https://www.svtperformance.com/threa...d-bad.1006311/

It's far from the best truck for towing, especially with the softer suspension, but it would be a riot in between. You can get the 1st gens for under $30k Whereas a 3/4 ton would be less fun, too much truck to putt around town, and more expensive. Even though I like the idea of a diesel or a mega truck, it's more on the budget end and use case of a privater race team than an occasional track day transport. If I had something that was basically a dedicated tow rig, it would sit unused for months.

My neighbor does SCCA often and used to tow with a Power Wagon, now a Ram TRX. I cringe a little bit at the squat, but it seems to do fine with the enclosed trailer. I think the desert trucks can work as long as you understand the limits, also might want to stick to aluminum open trailers.

[spxxx]

So over the last 1.5yr I've been loving the X5, no issues at all and we always pick the X5 over my dad's F350 7.3L which is crazy. It's just so comfortable, unless there's crazy wind on Hwy5 but even still the sway control seems to help.

My wife now wants something a bit bigger and newer since the X5 (with driver assistance package) somehow doesn't have blind spot mirrors + we have a second kiddo now... We were looking at X7's which are incredibly nice, quietest cabin I've ever been in. My wife really likes the Q7 though so we're leaning towards a 2019 3.0, she hates the LCI interior (she's a single hump fan )... Just a hard search because most websites and dealers don't even know if the cars have air suspension. Might end up keeping the X5 since they're only selling for $18-19k with our mileage.

Anyone here tow with a 3.0 Q7 without air suspension? I guess I could always add aftermarket bags if we upgrade to a bigger trailer.

I still prefer the X7 but I'm happy to save $20k on the Q7... You can find a pretty nice 2020 X7 for $55-60k whereas lower mile 2019 Q7's land around $35-40k.

[leftfootbr8king]

Get some airbag helper springs fitted in the rear and your squat issues will go away.