randomwalker

Different folks, different strokes. One of the main reasons I bought the 2017 Q7 is its towing capacity and ease. I have a 6 x 12 trailer in which I haul one to two motorcycles for tracks days. How well does the Q7 tow? MPG? Any tips/tricks? I had a Ford F-150 to do my towing. I needed something with a smaller turn radius and wheel base, hence the Audi Q7. Hopefully, the Q7 (my first-ever Audi and my first-ever German car) will do the job. Please post up your experiences on towing, including how much you tow (weight), towing MPG, and any tips/tricks to maximize towing pleasure and minimize pain :-)

amr40509

I have a much taller 6x12 that's around 4,000lbs.

I usually tow it with a 2014 Grand Cherokee (air suspension / tuned diesel) but needed the extra interior space the other day when I was moving it about 160 miles for summer storage (trailer is used only to throw football tailgate parties with my buddies).

It did "okay" - I didn't feel uncomfortable or unsafe - but it wouldn't be my first choice in a dedicated tow vehicle.

I would do again if NEEDED but will be planning to use my Jeep when I go get that trailer out of storage again.

My boat is a little heavier (more like 6,000lbs) and I love knowing that if my family is at the lake in the Audi and I need to pull the boat out (staying in a slip) to run it to a mechanic or something it'll do it. BUT if I actually am going down with the intention of pulling it out I'll be in the Jeep.

randomwalker

Thanks for the reply (not what I wanted to hear if you know what I mean) and pics. Looks like you got 11.2 MPG towing? Not bad at all.

Is there an Audi or after-market brake controller that can be installed? Even though my trailer is single-axle, it has brakes.

amr40509

It didn't do BADLY nor did I feel like I was going to blow it up. It just felt like it was working REALLY hard. It might be a perception thing too - I'm used to towing the same trailer with a diesel SUV making 490lbs of torque at 1000rpm and just having it stay in 8th gear getting 18-20mpg. Similar sized vehicle, heavier duty version of the same transmission the Q7 has, and Jeep has an air suspension instead of the standard springs on the Audi.

I think you'll be perfectly fine, the Audi will get it done, it just feels like it's being pushed pretty hard.

My 12' enclosed also has NO brakes (I really should have ordered it with them when I built it). The Audi stopped it just fine. I know there are some threads out there on adding a brake controller, and it can be done, I just don't plan to tow anything with electric/hydro brakes with the Audi so I hadn't looked into it (boat has surge).

Greystoke

4000 lbs should have trailer brakes and double axles to be safe.

Grey

amr40509

Brakes - yes

But axles come in different load caps - 4000lbs is fine on a 5000lbs axle

GeoJoe

You can fish around for the wiring and install a wired-in brake controller, or you can use a Prodigy RF which is working great for me.

randomwalker

Looks like the Prodigy RF is the way to go. No need to fish around under the dashboard. Glad to receive confirmation that it's working well for you.

randomwalker

There's some chatter in the forums that European automobiles like the Audi Q7 need an adapter with a lamp-out sensor bypass. Did you need that or were you able to install the Prodigy RF without the bypass sensor?

GeoJoe

If you do go this route, be aware... This is a wireless brake controller that has two parts. A controller plugs into the cig lighter, and then a module that mounts on the trailer and plugs into your Q7 where the hitch is. It's plug and play, but these two modules have to be "paired" together and the Q7 might not pair the two together. But if you pair the controller with another vehicle (I used a friend's MDX) then you can swap the controller back to the Q7. I actually paired mine and used it on my old XC90. Then sold that piece of crap, and moved it over to the Q7 without any issues.