Poncherelly

Hello all, I'm thinking of buying a camper and am really curious about what the Q5 can actually pull safely. I'm currently looking at an Ultra Light model with a dry weight of 4170lbs. I know the Q5 is rated for 4400lbs but even if I pull dry and add a weight distributing hitch, am I cutting things too close for local trips OR does Audi under rate the capacity?

jim0607

I'm sure it can handle it but its depends on comfort level. Remember as weight goes up you won't have as much passing power and braking distance will increase even with trailer brakes. The rule of thumb is to never pull more than 80% of the towing capacity (3520lbs). I pull a small 2800lbs tent trailer and don't even feel it on the back, no problems keeping highway speeds even on hills. Also keep in mind the max tongue weight is 440lbs and I'm guessing you will be very close to that as well. The tongue weight on that trailer is probably close to 417lbs??

Hope that helps

Poncherelly

This does for sure. I hadn't heard about the 80% rule so I'll certainly keep that in mind when search for a trailer for sure. Are you familiar with the weight distribution attachment you can get? Sorry I don't know the name of it but the dealer claims it adds another 500lbs of capability bring the max weight to 4900lbs (excluding tongue weight though I believe.

I'll keep looking to see if I can get the options I want but in a lighter trailer. Thank you.

JohnBoyToo

Dry weight should not be part of the consideration at all ...
That is the minimum weight the trailer can weigh @ the factory with possibly less than all options put in it... ALWAYS use the trailers gvwr in your calculations - and consider that improper loading can increase or decrease the tongue weight to levels that may not tow well.

Any time you pull anything close to the weight of the TV (tow vehicle) you are in an area of concern where the cart could be pushing the horse around.

As far as what you can tow, consider using a good weight distribution hitch WITH sway control - yes, the Q has a smart system that when properly connected and wired can use the Q's sway control to counteract the sway.... but so does my 2012 Ford F250 - still I've always been of the attitude to stop the sway before it starts not react to it after it presents itself

therefore a weight distributing sway control hitch is a good investment...
you can get that for $200 all the way up to near $3000 like the Propride 3P hitch I used on my first 35 ft TT....

good luck and while the Q is an excellent vehicle,
too much TT behind ANY TV can be a hand full in the wrong situation, even one like my 250 that has a gcvwr of 23k....

For more threads than you want to research... go to http://www.irv2.com/forums/f83/ or https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/f...s/forum/25.cfm - there are complete forums on popups and tow ratings... good luck and get camping - it's fun !

jim0607

JohnBoyToo makes a good point. Just because a tongue weight is listed does not mean its true to how you have the trailer loaded. If incorrectly loaded or your trailering the tongue too low or high, you can easily exceeded the tongue weight of the tow vehicle.

All that being said, don't worry too much. If you properly load your trailer and remain within the tow limits (I highly suggest following the 80% rule) you shouldn't run into problems.

rdA4WtQ5

I though I read something about you should not use any weight distributing hitches on the Q5,

Poncherelly

Really? I'm starting to think more and more that I need to visit my dealer.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. It's very helpful and I'm starting to look for lighter trailers now. It's looking like I won't be able to get me one with pop outs due to the extra weight they seem to bring.

If anyone has an idea of a good size one that would fit the Q5 pulling abilities, please share.

Thanks again all!

CrustyNoodle

Hey Ponch, good to hear from you!

In Europe and ROW, the Q5 is rated to tow 2400kg (or approximately 5,300 lb), not just that but the vertical load limit is just 80kg! (175lb). Surely the German engineers who designed this car are not silly and no doubt know a thing or two about how to specify the load limits for their vehicle given its mechanical and electronics package (possibly even more so than our (no doubt knowledgable in their own right) forum contributors). So, how is this possible you may ask!

In Europe when you order a Q5 with tow package, it is done at the factory using a flip out tow hitch and the correctly setup trailer control module enabling the trailer sway function of the ESP - guess who else has done the hard work to ensure they have the trailer module correctly set up.... That's right.... YOU!
Compare this to North America where the "factory" hitch is actually an after market hitch fitted at the port on arrival and lacking the same level of quality control as they have at the factory (maybe they code the trailer module properly, maybe they don't fit it all!) - Australia is no different in this respect.

So I strongly suspect that this is why the EU spec. Q5 has a higher tow limit for a significantly lower nose weight. Given that the historical rule of thumb is that the trailer nose weight should be 10% of the towed weight, I'm not surprised that the NA spec. is for a trailer weight of just 2,000kg (4400lb) which translates to a massive 200kg nose weight - canterleavered out the back, can you imagine the moment this generates around the rear axle and how this must effect the load on the front tyres?
I'd say that so long as you approach things in the way the Audi factory engineers designed it (w.r.t. nose weight) then you can probably also assume their tow limits as well.

Obviously you need to do your own research on this and not just take the advise of a group of unknown people on a forum. Suggest you take a look at German or UK Q5 forums to get a more rounded view on what they consider to be appropriate (if you ask people in NA or Austrailia, they will all say the same thing based on old school rules of thumb (see above) rather than give the designers the benefit of the doubt).

JohnBoyToo

Crusty noodle is correct, you shouldn't be asking us unknown people on the forums...

after all, audi has never made a mistake.... engineers and scientists are perfect, they are not human like us and we KNOW marketing departments NEVER misrepresent any facts - TeeHee...

Note, that most of the statements are generic in nature as I've never (nor will I ever) tow with the Q... it's much too small for my needs

awryexperiment

I don't think the Q5 is a tow vehicle at all. The towing capabilites of the Q5 are a "convenience" feature. I guess if you want to put a small landscape trailer or motorcycle trailer back there then OK. Otherwise, I think you are asking for trouble. It will be either unsafe for you or put too much strain on the vehicle.