Relax
Well-known member
I've got the OEM Westfalia hitch on my M3, and it's awesome. Easy to install, completely invisible when the draw bar is removed, and no need to ask if the wife needs the SUV.
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Daily sports car?
- Thread starter CriticalCore
- Start date
I've got the OEM Westfalia hitch on my M3, and it's awesome. Easy to install, completely invisible when the draw bar is removed, and no need to ask if the wife needs the SUV.
Those are really nice; I ended up getting this one. Just under $1200 shipped so very far from cheap but I want something nice and robust. I like that its tested to European standards which includes dynamic load testing
That’s where I plan to buy mine for the X5.
Relax
Well-known member
I didn't look into what testing Westfalia did, but figured if it's good enough for BMW to OEM it, it should be fine. Yours does have a more flexible draw bar.
Got the hitch (and new tires) installed today. I have to say, I am very impressed at the hitch latching system, build quality and overall fitment. Wiring was also fairly straight forward. Tomorrow, I'll take it out for a road test and see how it does!
The tow hitch essentially gets sandwiched between the car frame and the crash bar.
I also wrapped some matte CF on the interior; not sure if I will keep it yet or not
The tow hitch essentially gets sandwiched between the car frame and the crash bar.
I also wrapped some matte CF on the interior; not sure if I will keep it yet or not
Test went beautifully. Tows nicer than a truck 
105kmh in 7th gear right around 2300rpm. 16L/100 consumption from a quick test loop. Brakes are more than adequate, handling side to side is good. Comfortable and quiet. Rear suspension squat is only 0.6 inches.
105kmh in 7th gear right around 2300rpm. 16L/100 consumption from a quick test loop. Brakes are more than adequate, handling side to side is good. Comfortable and quiet. Rear suspension squat is only 0.6 inches.
Test went beautifully. Tows nicer than a truck
105kmh in 7th gear right around 2300rpm. 16L/100 consumption from a quick test loop. Brakes are more than adequate, handling side to side is good. Comfortable and quiet. Rear suspension squat is only 0.6 inches.
View attachment 48120
“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should”.....
The upside is the car should be designed to be thrashed without tearing itself apart. Going 10/10ths on a track should be harder on everything than conservatively towing. If you let your inner child take over and give it the beans with the trailer on, expect issues.
Yup, fully loaded. Bike, generator, canopy, gas can, tool chest filled with all tools I'll be carrying. Even threw my suit/helmet/warmers in there for good measure.
Funny enough I was cross shopping my purchase decision with a truck (Tacoma is the only truck I would purchase) For the same price I paid for the BMW, I could have gotten a ~2013 Tacoma with 200k+ kms that has: weaker motor, weaker brakes, worse gas milage, worse handling. Not to mention nowhere near as fun to drive, loaded on features/gimmics. The HUD and 360 cam are probably my favorite so far but I'm a sucker for things like that. I also absolutely love the look/body lines of the 4 series; 400HP in a little coupe is lots of fun.
I am not spending majority of my time towing or making money with my vehicle. As such, a truck doesn't make sense for me in any aspect beyond the subjective "truck guy" look/feel that is idealized in N. America so much. Have a look at what they tow in Europe if you want to have a laugh.
Is the 4 series designed for towing? Of course not! Can it do it reliably? I would argue yes, but you have to do it sensibly (Ie. smooth driving, increased service intervals on fluids). I suppose time will tell, but thus far, I think this checks off the box of a "daily" sports car ?
What is the towing rating of a 4 series in Europe? Most cars are towing massive caravans all around the continent in Europe when the terrain is a lot more challenging that Southern Ontario.
3700lbs. And you are right, lots of hills relative to here where it's all flat. The nice thing about the hitch I got was that it's Euro standards certified which includes dynamic load testing (Ie. simulates bumps/shocks on the ball)
North America 1500lbs?
I don't know for BMW, but the rest would rate it at zero. They want you to buy the big high margin SUV's to pull anything.
North America: "Do not tow. Buy a F150"
I only half joke. I remember when I was looking for towing info for my Mazda, the same car mechanically had different manuals for Europe vs N. America. Other changes aside, under towing, the EU spec gave loading instructions/specs while N/A said "Do not tow"
“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should”.....
It will be fine. The bodyshell is the same whether the car was sold in Europe (with their tow rating) or ours. The ZF 8HP is more than strong enough (if you bought a Ram truck, it would have the same transmission in it - built by someone else, but same design).
Trailer brakes? The Euro tow rating will assume the use of trailer brakes. That's one thing to be careful about. My european cars (VW) were limited to 600 kg without trailer brakes, much more with trailer brakes, and I wouldn't want to tow much more than that without trailer brakes. It isn't that the stock brakes aren't up to the task, it's simply that with a heavy trailer you have more of the total combined weight on axles that haven't got brakes ... the remaining axles that do have brakes, become traction-limited sooner.
Doesn’t matter if the transmission can handle it or not, if the trailer setup is 1,000lbs or more and MTO decides to weigh it.....
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