Towing a trailer with an S4 - bad idea?
05-26-2005, 11:19 PM
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Towing a trailer with an S4 - bad idea?
I'm probably moving from NYC to LA in the next few months and wanna drive it. Is it a bad idea to tow a 5' x 8' trailer like the one here:
http://www.uhaul.com/guide/?equipment=trailer5x8
http://www.uhaul.com/guide/?equipment=trailer5x8
05-27-2005, 05:10 AM
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If you keep it around 1500 lbs you should be fine.
Delan hitch is rated for 2000, but I'd rather have a little extra margin given how the non euro/oem hitches attach. If you actually came up with a frame rail mounted euro style hitch I could see doing 2000-2500 unbraked and 3500-3800 with trailer brakes. You better be joe badass trailer driver for that upper range though. 
If you are a tip you may want to monitor transmission temps with vagcom, especially on mountain passes, at least until you get a feel for how the car handles the extra drag.
6spd I'd say change the trans and rear diff fluid before you leave to be on the safe side. Tip, at least change the diff fluid. Probably overkill, but cheap insurance compared to popping your driveline in the desert.
Either way give yourself an extra day or two to practice with the trailer, you want to know how to handle any fishtailing, and know how it will feel in an emergency. Always give yourself room to speed up, if the trailer is fishtailing, or starting to swing out on a downhill curve, brakes are not going to help, you need to be able to accelerate a bit. Starting downhill slow is good!
I experimented in an empty parking lot with a lightly loaded trailer, got a feel for when the trailer would slide out on curves compared to when the car would, helps to judge corner speeds, which should be kept low anyway :P Better to have your first sideways trailer in the rearview mirror incident be controlled and intentional, will help you to be calm and react properly if it ever really happens.
If you are a tip you may want to monitor transmission temps with vagcom, especially on mountain passes, at least until you get a feel for how the car handles the extra drag.
6spd I'd say change the trans and rear diff fluid before you leave to be on the safe side. Tip, at least change the diff fluid. Probably overkill, but cheap insurance compared to popping your driveline in the desert.
Either way give yourself an extra day or two to practice with the trailer, you want to know how to handle any fishtailing, and know how it will feel in an emergency. Always give yourself room to speed up, if the trailer is fishtailing, or starting to swing out on a downhill curve, brakes are not going to help, you need to be able to accelerate a bit. Starting downhill slow is good!
I experimented in an empty parking lot with a lightly loaded trailer, got a feel for when the trailer would slide out on curves compared to when the car would, helps to judge corner speeds, which should be kept low anyway :P Better to have your first sideways trailer in the rearview mirror incident be controlled and intentional, will help you to be calm and react properly if it ever really happens.
05-27-2005, 08:49 AM
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Probably bad idea...
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/57674/dscn1312.jpg">
My car towed this rig around no problem, but the whole loaded trailer weighed ~ 600lbs and as you can see it was very low and stayed in the slipstream of the car. That U-Haul trailer empty weighs 900lbs. More importantly, the aerodynamic drag will kill you if you're fighting a headwind and/or going uphill. If you were moving stuff across town I'd say go for it, but 3,000+ Interstate miles will be working your car pretty hard for a long time.
I towed a U-haul "Garden Trailer" from NorCal to Albuquerque and back with my Jetta years ago, and blew a trailer tire, radiator hose, and fuel pump along the way.
Rent a van.
My car towed this rig around no problem, but the whole loaded trailer weighed ~ 600lbs and as you can see it was very low and stayed in the slipstream of the car. That U-Haul trailer empty weighs 900lbs. More importantly, the aerodynamic drag will kill you if you're fighting a headwind and/or going uphill. If you were moving stuff across town I'd say go for it, but 3,000+ Interstate miles will be working your car pretty hard for a long time.
I towed a U-haul "Garden Trailer" from NorCal to Albuquerque and back with my Jetta years ago, and blew a trailer tire, radiator hose, and fuel pump along the way.
Rent a van.
05-27-2005, 06:18 PM
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I disagree.
I usually just have a bike rack in my trailer hitch....but I have towed a fair amount.
Consider. The S4 has cooling suitable for the track. Brakes suitable for the track. A clutch that does pretty well (except perhaps at the dragstrip). I can guarantee that thrashing the car around the track for a weekend is WAY more work then pulling a trailer.
The S4 has torque that exceeds most pickups. And, the drive train is identical to the Allroad which (I think) was rated for 3500 lbs.
That's my reasoning for not being a wimp in choosing the wieght limit.
However, there is one very good reason to stay below a ton (and preferably below 1500 lbs). The attachment of a hitch to the car is just in the bumper and the tire carrier sheet metal. Too much weight and the two will part company.
But even when that big trailer peels off with your bumper....I predict your engine will be running great!
RR
Consider. The S4 has cooling suitable for the track. Brakes suitable for the track. A clutch that does pretty well (except perhaps at the dragstrip). I can guarantee that thrashing the car around the track for a weekend is WAY more work then pulling a trailer.
The S4 has torque that exceeds most pickups. And, the drive train is identical to the Allroad which (I think) was rated for 3500 lbs.
That's my reasoning for not being a wimp in choosing the wieght limit.
However, there is one very good reason to stay below a ton (and preferably below 1500 lbs). The attachment of a hitch to the car is just in the bumper and the tire carrier sheet metal. Too much weight and the two will part company.
But even when that big trailer peels off with your bumper....I predict your engine will be running great!
RR
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05-29-2005, 12:43 AM
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I know pulling my trailer + kart up one grade ran my oil temps up...
since I was under + boost for several minutes. This was no big deal as I soon crested the grade, but I also know what a headwind is like with a trailer that's creating a lot of drag, and being under + boost for long climbs would probably not be good. I wouldn't do it, and I've got K04s.
I don't doubt the fortitude of the drivetrain or brakes, I'm exclusively concerned about running under substantial load for long periods of time and the resulting oil and cylinder temps, something even track-time doesn't subject to as you're on and off throttle, and on a finite (15-30min) track session.
Think about the long ascents through the desert/mtn climbs, when it could be hot and high altitude for a 20mi climb. If it's windy it'll be blowing East.
We may have tons of torque, I ripped past many pickups pulling my trailer, but I wouldn't subject my turbos to hours and hours of boost.
I was frequently into positive boost on flat ground pulling that slim, light trailer, and a 7ft tall trailer behind an S4 would be like pulling a parachute.
I don't doubt the fortitude of the drivetrain or brakes, I'm exclusively concerned about running under substantial load for long periods of time and the resulting oil and cylinder temps, something even track-time doesn't subject to as you're on and off throttle, and on a finite (15-30min) track session.
Think about the long ascents through the desert/mtn climbs, when it could be hot and high altitude for a 20mi climb. If it's windy it'll be blowing East.
We may have tons of torque, I ripped past many pickups pulling my trailer, but I wouldn't subject my turbos to hours and hours of boost.
I was frequently into positive boost on flat ground pulling that slim, light trailer, and a 7ft tall trailer behind an S4 would be like pulling a parachute.
05-29-2005, 06:06 AM
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At the track, a good driver can sink gas mileage to 5-7 MPG
If you're not sinking below 10 MPG or so while towing, the cooling system ought to be able to handle it with no problem. You're moving quicker, so there's plenty of air.
If it couldn't pull it, the Allroad wouldn't have the 3500 lb rating. The paranoid might want to check with someone who owns an Allroad or the dealer to see if the cooling system is the same.
One more note.....with a big load, the car will be less pleasant to drive. You'll feel tugging and such.
RR
If it couldn't pull it, the Allroad wouldn't have the 3500 lb rating. The paranoid might want to check with someone who owns an Allroad or the dealer to see if the cooling system is the same.
One more note.....with a big load, the car will be less pleasant to drive. You'll feel tugging and such.
RR