Quote:
Originally Posted by illya
Thank you so much for your input.
On the tongue weight for the 2021 Cayenne, I haven't been able to find information, so thank you. I took the globetrotter to test it at the dealer and it seemed fine, not to say that "seemed fine" makes it fine. Quite frankly, it was amazing how the Cayenne auto adjusted the suspension.
On the hitch, please elaborate more. I currently use an equalizer, where the ball height can be adjusted quite a bit in order for the airstream to be level.
Last, the P3 is the controller I was most inclined with, but wasn't sure about the connection, as well as the aesthetics under the dash.
Please do comment back. I have no ego when it comes to learning.
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So I wrote out a long reply and when I went to posted, it errored out and I lost everything. Here is the digest:
My experience is up to the 2018 model year so I went and did research on the new 2019-2021s. It seems the new towing capacities are even lower than 2018 and olders:
“Steel cross member with vertically positionable trailer ball head, max. towing load 7714 lbs. (3,500 kg) (braked trailer),
max. drawbar load 308 lbs. (140 kg).. Trailer plug mount and plug adapters are not included, see the related items below.”
Towing capacity is not the same as tow rating. You need to take the lowest number of your setup. Marketing people…sigh
. The 2018s and older were rated up to 7736 lbs towing and 616 lbs hitch weight.
You also need to check out the weights on your trailer. This is from the Airstream website:
https://www.airstream.com/blog/the-c...-towing-guide/
Mind you, these are fully loaded capacities. The only proper way to determine weights is to take your trailer to the scales and balance accordingly.
Hitches that support weight distribution will have separate rating with or without WD. The Cayennes don’t. You can use a WD hitch but will not help increase your max hitch weight. There are also limits on the drawbar length, 6" still I believe. On all my Cayennes there was a sticker on the hitch receiver with the limits.
Porsche, BMW, MBUSA all recommend against using WD with air suspension. You can ruin the air struts and sensors and possibly cause an accident because the WD throws off the leveling logic and can put negative pressure on the suspension. On my Mercedes they said that the WD couldn't lift the vehicle beyond its natural ride height.
That said with the newer Cayennes and I have had 4 is that they are no longer well-suited to tow Airstreams, even the smaller ones due to the new drawbar weight restrictions. Shame on Airstream to sell trailers to people who show up with this vehicle because there is the chance to damage a vehicle, cause an accident or create liability.
Back to the P3… I use black commercial hook and loop Velcro to mount my controller under the dash so I can remove it when it is not in use. The wires can be tucked up under the dash by the peddles when not in use to make it look better.
You will need to go to the VW dealer to get the molex 4-wire plug to create the harness and wirenut that to your controller pigtail. It seems that the new Cayennes still use the old connecter:
https://rennlist.com/forums/cayenne-...ontroller.html
You will also need the 7-pin wire connector you can get from suncoastparts.com
Tekonsha has a new wireless controller that mounts on your trailer. There is a wireless transmitter with an accelerometer that determines voltage to the trailer brakes powered by your cigarette lighter. I know people that use it and I will be forced to use it on the GLS since it doesn’t come with brake wiring. It seems to work with less wires and would look better:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001P0ZA86...v_ov_lig_dp_it
To that end, my advice is worth what you paid for. I did a lot of research on the Cayennes before buying it. Doing this new research I will probably have to move to a MB GLE or GLS to tow my ‘71 Globetrotter. The GLS has a hitch rating of only 600 lbs even with a 7700 lbs capacity when I just now researched it! I have a Ram 2500 Cummings to tow my 27 Overlander and 32 Excella. I have seen people tow 23s, 25s, and 27s with a Cayenne but they are all overloaded except the 23s by the numbers. Again, to have a safe rig that doesn’t void warranty or get you cited in an accident, the only way is to go to the scales and properly balance the rig.
I hope this helps.
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