Show us your tow rigs!

[Emptytemples]

Double fill up. Ouch. . . The rig and the new AR before the lake this past weekend.

 

[silverJ]

Figured I’d jump in here. I just bought my first boat, 2023 Yamaha AR220, and didn’t really have a dedicated tow rig. For now I’m using my 2008 Porsche Cayenne. I never realized that these things are rated for 7,700lbs when using the oem hitch setup. I picked up the oem hitch and control module off of EBay and have now pulled the boat with it three times. Mine is only a VR6 powered unit but it pulls the boat just fine. We have a couple of trips planned to head out to western Maryland (Deep Creek Lake) that I’ll probably opt to borrow my dads truck for due to the elevation changes but for local use around the upper Chesapeake Bay area the Porsche is doing just fine.
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That's a surprising beast rig! My friend is actually debating between Cayenne and this nice Grand Cherokee with new AT tires from 4Wheelonline installed just last month.

 

[allamerican149]

2022 Ram 1500 Laramie G/T with our 2017 212 Limited S

 

[2kwik4u]

That's a surprising beast rig! My friend is actually debating between Cayenne and this nice Grand Cherokee with new AT tires from 4Wheelonline installed just last month.

My Q7 (same chassis as the Cayenne) is a helluva tow vehicle. Better than my '15 Sierra FS pickup was for certain. Really similar feel to the Trailblazer SS I had, but better brakes and dampers on the Audi. I think my Yukon was a little more robust in general terms, but it didn't have the power/brakes/chassis dynamics that the Q7 has.

 

[adrianp89]

My Q7 (same chassis as the Cayenne) is a helluva tow vehicle. Better than my '15 Sierra FS pickup was for certain. Really similar feel to the Trailblazer SS I had, but better brakes and dampers on the Audi. I think my Yukon was a little more robust in general terms, but it didn't have the power/brakes/chassis dynamics that the Q7 has.

Cross-shopping a Cayenne and a Grand Cherokee is interesting. Similar size but two different classes of vehicle.

 

[2kwik4u]

Cross-shopping a Cayenne and a Grand Cherokee is interesting. Similar size but two different classes of vehicle.

Agreed. Very different target demographics there.

 

[adrianp89]

Agreed. Very different target demographics there.

I was just looking at the new Cayenne. The Turbo GT - what an absolute monster of a SUV.

"If I won the lotto - you wouldn't know - but there would be signs"

 

[Corsair21111]

My Q7 (same chassis as the Cayenne) is a helluva tow vehicle. Better than my '15 Sierra FS pickup was for certain. Really similar feel to the Trailblazer SS I had, but better brakes and dampers on the Audi. I think my Yukon was a little more robust in general terms, but it didn't have the power/brakes/chassis dynamics that the Q7 has.

I love the first generation Q7’s, Touareg’s and 957 Cayenne’s. I worked as a Audi/Porsche/VW tech for many years and know these vehicles really well. I’m actually looking at picking up a 2013 Q7 TDI to replace the Cayenne with. My oldest daughter just turned 16 and I promised to give her the Cayenne so come December I’ll be without a daily driver for myself. I had really considered a full size suv but just don’t want to have to park one of those all the time. The Q7/Cayenne is such a perfect size. Plus these used Cayenne’s and Q7 are usually priced a bit lower because most people are a bit afraid of buying one with a 100k on the odometer. For me these things are easy to work on.

What year is your Q7 and what motor is in it?

 

[2kwik4u]

What year is your Q7 and what motor is in it?

2017 Q7 Prestige. Has the 3.0T/8Spd ZF driveline. Air suspension, adaptive chassis package, tow package, and Black Optics trim.

The 4 wheel steering makes it tow and park like a dream. plenty of power. Giant brakes. Very stable chassis, even under load. Sporty enough to not be a boring drive. I really enjoy it.

 

[Corsair21111]

2017 Q7 Prestige. Has the 3.0T/8Spd ZF driveline. Air suspension, adaptive chassis package, tow package, and Black Optics trim.

The 4 wheel steering makes it tow and park like a dream. plenty of power. Giant brakes. Very stable chassis, even under load. Sporty enough to not be a boring drive. I really enjoy it.

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I love it! The 3.0T is a great motor too. My wife has an ‘18 A6 3.0T with a stage one ecu and tcu tune on it. That thing is a monster.
I’m really glad to hear that the 3.0T tows well. Those engines are way less complex then the TDI’s and I have seen a bunch of used Q7’s with that drivetrain. Thanks for the info!

 

[2kwik4u]

I love it! The 3.0T is a great motor too. My wife has an ‘18 A6 3.0T with a stage one ecu and tcu tune on it. That thing is a monster.
I’m really glad to hear that the 3.0T tows well. Those engines are way less complex then the TDI’s and I have seen a bunch of used Q7’s with that drivetrain. Thanks for the info!

Thanks. I've been him-hawing around getting a tune for awhile now. VAST out of Michigan has some great reviews and are reasonably priced. The CREC motor has a ton of capability and cooling capacity as well, which honestly is one of the reasons I think it makes a great tow vehicle. It's not strong at all speeds like my SS was (the Q7 is down ~60ft-lbs and ~75hp in comparison), but it's more refined all the way around. I also haven't had any cooling issues, and the fuel mileage is significantly better in the 3.0T as compared to the old 6.0L N/A in the SS. That lowered "muscle-SUV" feel is somewhat unique and definitely fits the "soccer dad" lifestyle I have going.

I do have some heartburn over this particular example of the Q7 though. I call this one the "Zero-F*#^ks-Given-Q7". The previous owner was an exceptionally large real estate agent that beat the snot out of this car. The drivers seat has several worn/broken bushings, the lumbar is obviously broken and the arm rest is already cracked and broken. Beyond that the rear hatch looks like someone stuffed a pissed off Wolverine in there and then drove around for a couple hours with it wanting out badly. Center row looks like it's never been sat in though. Once I got it home (bought online and drove up and bought in the dark - Never again) I was pulling corn stalks out of the radiator, there's mud caked on literally everything underneath. There's a missing insulation/skid panel on the drivers side. It lookse like it was driven through a muddy corn field in the winter at speed. I've replaced the brakes already and the AudiForum guys said they've never seen brakes some completely destroyed before.......SO....this particular example of the platform is not great.

With that said, I've considered moving into either an SQ7 or just another regular Q7 again in a few years. I really like the size/shape of the vehicle, and it fills most of my needs and wants. I bought this one in the middle of the pandemic at $42k with 38k miles on it. Doubt I'll see that pricing again, and I'll likely go new or CPO for the next one anyway. It's just really hard to beat the size and usability of it. It's big enough to do a lot of things, including tow very competently, but it's not as unwieldy as my Yukon was. The Yukon felt very much like big burly squishy vehicle. It felt just about invincible, but it was slow and un-enthusing to drive when it wasn't working. The Q7 feels downright athletic overall in daily driving, and then can be "tamed down" a bit with the family in the car to do tow/vacation/soccer duties. It's a LOT like my TBSS was, but everything is just a click or two more refined, and there's LOTS more tech.

 

[2kwik4u]

Well......had to brag about it didn't I........Watched it leave on a rollback from lunch. I'll add two things I DISLIKE about it.

1) No spare tire. Only a small air compressor and a can of German fix-a-flat
2) ABS based tire pressure monitoring. Drove 4 blocks on a flat tire before it alerted me.

 

[johhnyboat]

Done towing for good, sold the trailer, this is my permanent home. https://ocsunsetmarina.com/boatel-boatyard/

 

[BlkGS]

Well......had to brag about it didn't I........Watched it leave on a rollback from lunch. I'll add two things I DISLIKE about it.

1) No spare tire. Only a small air compressor and a can of German fix-a-flat
2) ABS based tire pressure monitoring. Drove 4 blocks on a flat tire before it alerted me.

If it makes you feel any better, the TBSS knows I've been thinking about upgrading again and decided a very small, very slow brake fluid seep is the right way to punish me for this transgression. When it gets low enough, it throws a momentary check brakes warning going around turns. A top off of fluid should get me going for a few months again, but it's annoying.

A spare tire should be required for any vehicle that seats more than 4 people. A full size spare should be required for any vehicle with a trailer hitch installed by the factory.

 

[2kwik4u]

If it makes you feel any better, the TBSS knows I've been thinking about upgrading again and decided a very small, very slow brake fluid seep is the right way to punish me for this transgression. When it gets low enough, it throws a momentary check brakes warning going around turns. A top off of fluid should get me going for a few months again, but it's annoying.

A spare tire should be required for any vehicle that seats more than 4 people. A full size spare should be required for any vehicle with a trailer hitch installed by the factory.

Brake problems suck.

Car came with runflats. They ride and handle like crap and are stupid expensive.

Rollback was covered by AAA. Tires are covered by Road Hazard Warranty. I'll be out an Uber ride or two and some time. It's annoying, but not really that costly. Keep BoatTowUs current for when I'm towing. Again, annoying, but not really expensive.

 

[adrianp89]

Brake problems suck.

Car came with runflats. They ride and handle like crap and are stupid expensive.

Rollback was covered by AAA. Tires are covered by Road Hazard Warranty. I'll be out an Uber ride or two and some time. It's annoying, but not really that costly. Keep BoatTowUs current for when I'm towing. Again, annoying, but not really expensive.

At least you were covered. I hit a piece of metal on I10 in my truck last year and blew out one of my Ridge Grapplers. That cost me like $500.

 

[2kwik4u]

At least you were covered. I hit a piece of metal on I10 in my truck last year and blew out one of my Ridge Grapplers. That cost me like $500.

So far I'm out $77. New tire was $405 shipped. Most they'll cover is replacement cost (not taxes) of $378. Had a $50 uber ride home yesterday from the office (that's what I get for living in the sticks). Install today is estimated at $100 with Road Force Balance. I'll probably get $75 of that back. Should be under $100 out of pocket, and some time for the annoyance.

Not great, but it could be worse.

 

[adrianp89]

So far I'm out $77. New tire was $405 shipped. Most they'll cover is replacement cost (not taxes) of $378. Had a $50 uber ride home yesterday from the office (that's what I get for living in the sticks). Install today is estimated at $100 with Road Force Balance. I'll probably get $75 of that back. Should be under $100 out of pocket, and some time for the annoyance.

Not great, but it could be worse.

Does the road hazard plan cover all vehicles or just one? Would be nice to have an umbrella one that covers the trailers.

 

[2kwik4u]

Does the road hazard plan cover all vehicles or just one? Would be nice to have an umbrella one that covers the trailers.

Road Hazard came with the tires when I bought them from TireRack. They throw it in "for free" with each set I've bought. I don't want to talk about how much I've spent in tires in the last 4 years.

<--Click for a sad picture of tire expenses (2) more sets not shown there

I've used it a couple times. If you don't have a spare, they'll cover the tow as well. Just call them and let them dispatch a service provider. From there the tire shop evaluates the tire and works directly with TireRack rep. New tire was overnighted and installed, and I never paid a dime.

This time is a little different. I was in a rush so I had AAA come get the car, then will be filing a claim for the tire and installation. It's all online and fairly straightforward.

AAA covers any vehicle my wife or I are driving. I got the "platinum" package that covers towing for a short distance (like 50 or 100 miles). I've used the service a few times now and they've always been really prompt. Rollback was to me within 15min of calling yesterday, dropped me at the office, then dropped the Q7 at the tire shop.

BoatTowUS is for when we're towing the boat, or when the boat is on the water. This covers us to/from the lake, and on vacation and such with the boat. I haven't used this yet, but based on some reports I've seen here, the service is stellar.

 

[Wishfull1]

Traded my '17 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T for a '23 Hyundai Santa Cruz Limited. The Santa Cruz tows the 195 beautifully.