VW Touareg 2 towing capacity

[Jblaverty]

I dont suppose finding an 08 T Egg TDI with adjustable suspension would make any difference?

[wncrasher]

Why not just buy a nice car/SUV you want as a daily and keep your truck for towing? As an 04 model, you won't get a whole lot for it, and it shouldn't be costing much in taxes, plates and insurance.

[rottnk9]

So are you pulling a 34' trailer with your Touraeg? I was told that due to the short wheel base I shouldn't tow anything longer than 22'.

[dkottum]

Originally Posted by rottnk9

So are you pulling a 34' trailer with your Touraeg? I was told that due to the short wheel base I shouldn't tow anything longer than 22'.

His 34' weighs less than my 25'. His distance from hitch coupler to trailer axle is longer than mine. His frontal wind resistance is less than mine. Some of the reasons why a Touareg would tow his trailer better than mine, which is 9 feet shorter.

There are too many meaningful factors, not to mention Touareg's independent suspension and diesel engine, as well as hitch assembly, to consider only trailer length.

doug k

[Timofeevich]

Towing 1991 Airstream Excella 29' (Empty Weight: 5600lbs / 2540kg; GVWR: 6800lbs / 3084kg; Hitch Weight: 700lbs / 318kg) with 2008 VW Touareg V10 TDI Individual R-Line (with Air suspension) St.Petersburg-Moscow-Kiev-Odessa (1100 miles / 1800km) on General Grabber AT 255/60-R18 tires (without weight distribution and with friction sway control AL-KO AKS 3504):

HOW TO change side friction pads - YouTube

[Westfalia]

Nice setup!

[JFScheck]

Well, it looks level and that's a good sign....

[Jim Flower]

Originally Posted by Timofeevich

Towing 1991 Airstream Excella 29' (Empty Weight: 5600lbs / 2540kg; GVWR: 6800lbs / 3084kg; Hitch Weight: 700lbs / 318kg) with 2008 VW Touareg V10 TDI Individual R-Line (with Air suspension) St.Petersburg-Moscow-Kiev-Odessa (1100 miles / 1800km) on General Grabber AT 255/60-R18 tires (without weight distribution and with friction sway control AL-KO AKS 3504):

Fabulous set up. How many watts are you producing and what size is your inverter? Are you happy with it? Do you want more? Jim

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by wncrasher

Why not just buy a nice car/SUV you want as a daily and keep your truck for towing? As an 04 model, you won't get a whole lot for it, and it shouldn't be costing much in taxes, plates and insurance.

I think the idea here is to use a top rated TV for towing a high end trailer like the Airstream. There are a number of towing reports that praise the prowess of the T-reg. We are talking performance... handling, emergency maneuvers, braking, comfort. That is the reason for going that route.

[JFScheck]

I gotta admit - my diesel TDI Touareg had PLEANTY of engine towing my 2009 Classic 25FB up and over the Rockies, Appalachians, etc. - for me that was never a problem, it was that damn heavy as heck "Tongue Weight" of my Airstream, even though I could tow 7,700lbs - it was MAX PAYLOAD that was my limitation.

My daily driver is a 14 SRT Grand Cherokee that has almost the identical Max payload that my TDI Touareg had (it is rated to tow 7,200lbs) and even with its 465lbs torque (60lbs more than the diesel Touareg) I would NEVER tow my ole' 25FB Classic or my 2013 27FB Serenity (which actually has a few pounds less tongue weight), even for a short distance.

Not only engine, but even brakes on both these performance SUV's are adequate - but it always comes back to tongue weight and MAX PAYLOAD - every time....

[Brokerchris]

Informative thread. I have a 2013 TDI Touareg (steel suspension) and looking at purchasing a 23FB Airstream shortly. Lots of conflicting info on these threads but everyone's feedback is helpful.

Safety is #1 priority for me but I'm not interested in another TV at this time since the TRex has no payment.

There seem to be enough Touareg owners here that are towing 23+footers. We wouldn't be exceeding 23FB in terms of length/weight.

According to airstream specs on their website HERE, we are OK?

Feedback/suggestions are appreciated.

[andreasduess]

More than ok. Go ahead and have fun.

[Brokerchris]

Originally Posted by andreasduess

More than ok. Go ahead and have fun.

Bought our 23FB yesterday... Planning where to go first :-)

[JFScheck]

Congrats Brokerchris - you have a sweet setup - no enjoy....

[maverick1715]

Hello everybody.

I'm new to this forum and to the trailer world. First things first I want to thank the whole community in the air forums for providing all these extremely valuable information. The truth is that many car salesmen most of the times have no idea about some technical data and specifications of the cars they sell. I landed onto this forum after lots of research about maximum tongue weight about my Porsche Cayenne. With respect to all VW owners and their opinions about the max tongue weight of 770lbs I found the following information and I thought it might be a good idea to share it, since Cayenne and Touareg share the same chassis. First of all, the 2012 Cayenne Turbo manual doesn't mention anything and anywhere about not allowing the use of weight distribution system with the air suspension configuration. More specifically, I own the 2012 Turbo model and this is the info I wanted to share with everybody:

2012 Porsche Cayenne Reviews - Porsche Cayenne Price, Photos, and Specs - CARandDRIVER

New Porsche Cayenne Turbo AWD 4dr | Costa Mesa area Porsche Bentley Dealer | Serving nearby Santa Ana, Huntington Beach & Newport Beach California | Newport Auto Center click on the specs tab

2014 Porsche Cayenne New SUV in Silver Spring Maryland | WP1AF2A2XELA44641 click on the specs tab

2014 New Porsche Cayenne AWD 4dr Platinum Edition at Penske Automall, AZ, IID 11884443 click on the spec tab

I found dozens of reputable web sites with exactly the same numbers. They all state 4 different weight numbers for the Porsche Cayenne:

1. Dead Weight Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. 5000 lbs,
2. Dead Weight Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. 500 lbs
3. Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. 7716 lbs
4. Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. 1157 lbs

The hitch receiver sticker on my Cayenne (stock receiver) is exactly the same with the pictures I saw on this forum on the Touareg. Max tongue weight with OR without weight distribution system 616lbs. The manual of the Cayenne doesn't state anything about "Weight Distribution System" except max tongue weight, which of course is 616lbs. why? Maybe because in Europe they don’t even know the phrase “Weight distribution? Maybe because of liability? Maybe because they made a mistake as many folks mentioned on previous threads? After all the research I made and after the above presented evidence, this is the conclusion I came into: Weight distribution systems transfer part of the tongue weight on the front axles of the TV and some on the TT. With that being said, after proper Weight Distribution configuration and the correct spring tension, people can exceed the 616lbs on the tongue up to 1157lbs. Is it wise to do? Probably it's not wise to go as close as to the absolutely maximum tongue weight, which is 1157lbs. But can we use a trailer which tongue weight is around 900lbs without any hitch reinforcement and only by using a high quality distribution system and swing control? I would say yes. Many people are oppose of an SUV such as Touareg or Cayenne used as towing vehicles, maybe because of their short wheel base; With respect to them, I believe that these 2 vehicles are extremely capable of towing if they are on the right configuration and of course with the right driver. I'd love to hear your comments and many thanks to everybody for taking the time on explaining and sharing your experiences.

[Buck944]

1157 lbs is not the payload??

I think that my payload is even less on my 2010 TDI