Towing with 2011 Touareg TDI??

[spearo]

I'm about ready to pull the trigger on a new TDI but am concerned about it's towing abilities. I'm pulling a 20'box trailer with race car, tools, pit bike,,etc. Haven't scaled it but I'm thinking it's around6k - 7k lbs. fully loaded. The Touregs torque & 7700 lb rating seems ok but I've read somewhere in the forum that the max hitch weight is 308lbs. If I use the 10-15% rule of thumb for distribution, it seems the Toureg will not work. Also, a buddy of mine who has a Cayenne, said he can't use a weight distribution hitch due to suspension & on-board computer. Would this apply to the VW? I want the car but may have to go with my original choice being the Gas Tundra or F250 diesel. Thanks in advance.

[burnsy1]

Actually I believe the max tongue weight is something like 620. It does say in the manual not to use a weight distribution hitch. I've asked my dealer about this...and how one should expect to abate sag at the rear wheels but have not heard back. Previous versions of the touareg had air suspension which took car of weight distribution.

[chittychittybangbang]

I just uploaded this picture for you It's a sticker on the 2010 trailer receiver. The 2011 figures are the same.

Yes, there was a wrong figure in the 2011 FAQ article which had some early Euro information in it, it's now been corrected, thank you both for pointing this out.

[spearo]

Thanks for the info guys. I think I'll just need to scale the trailer fully loaded & then adjust accordingly. Looks like the Toureg a great option.

[wensteph]

Does the current manual say no WD hitches? There are lots of conflicting opinion on this; I'm coming around to the opinion that it was not OK to use a WD hitch on air, but OK on steel. Google weight distribution hitch touareg or some combination of same to expand the search outside Touareg or VW forums. I found some posts that indicated the manual for Touaregs with air state not to use WD hitches, but that it's not a restriction on Touaregs with steel suspension. Over on some of the Airstream forums and even on a Range Rover forum there are posts from Touareg owners that pull 22-25' Airstreams with no problems using WD hitches.

[burnsy1]

I'm trying to get details on the weight distribution hitch as well. Unfortunately...googling hasn't helped much because any information I've found is based on experiences with the previous years touareg, and it was re-designed for 2011. I have scanned the blurb about wd hitches from my 2011 tdi manual. It's enough to make me paranoid until I can get some semi official answer from VW.

[uscgmoose]

Originally Posted by burnsy1

Actually I believe the max tongue weight is something like 620. It does say in the manual not to use a weight distribution hitch. I've asked my dealer about this...and how one should expect to abate sag at the rear wheels but have not heard back. Previous versions of the touareg had air suspension which took car of weight distribution.

Any update from your dealer yet? It seems like the 7700 tow rating is probably not realistic if the tongue weight is only 616. Maybe for boat towing, but you'd be hard pressed to find an RV/trailer that weighs near 7700 but has a loaded tongue wight of only 616 or less. Realistically this thing can probably only tow a 5000 lb trailer without exceeding the tongue weight once you load up the trailer with all your stuff. This seems like the case on most vehicles in this class that advertise towing capability above 5000 lbs. You think "this may work for me and I don't have to get some honkin' truck with poor fuel economy" then you find out the high tow rating comes with a laughable tongue weight. I'd like to hear what your dealer says.

[burnsy1]

Unfortunately my dealer still doesn't know jack when it comes to weight distribution hitches.

[Willie]

By all means weigh both the trailer and get an accurate tongue weight. To get the tongue weight, you'll have to weigh the rear axle of the vehicle with and without the loaded trailer attached. Tongue/trailer weights tend to be heavier than either you expect or the dealer/manufacturer will admit to. I've met exactly one trailer salesperson who was upfront about weights. She didn't have to lie to sell things to guys.

I can't recall exactly what the weight of my aluminum 20 foot gooseneck stock trailer is, but believe it's between 4400 and 5000 lbs empty. That may be somewhat heavier than a bumper pull rated for toting a car. Let's assume 4000 empty for arguments sake. Now add weight of race car, tools, tires etc and I'd bet you're over 8k on trailer weight.

[ronvanb]

I think that you can disable the air suspension in the computer, can't you? I don't see why a WD hitch would be a problem as it is designed to put weight back on your steer tires. The air system would just "think" you have a greater load in the car. I drove an Audi Q7 with air suspension and I think I saw a setting for towing, but I could be wrong. My Q7 doesn't have air suspension, but then I tow our large travel trailer with a GMC with a Duramax diesel.