ypshan

I am considering getting a new truck to tow the TT to and from the tracks. Can you tell me more about your tow vehicle and the things that you like or don't like about it?

Thanks.

RWO

Sequoia, great truck.

Roy

ps. It tows better with the supercharger which is covered by the full warranty.

PorschePhD

V8 Vee Bub T-Reg Great towing a 1800Lb two axel trailer and a 911.

1AS

I have 2-
GMC Denali- superb tow vehicle.
Lexus LX470- just barely managable- air bag suspension gets confused in lane changes and sets up a queasy (and potentially dangerous) see-saw.
The GMC is the 3rd Suburban I've had and all 3 have been great. It's just too big to drive around every day- at least for my wife. AS

enthusiast

Answer depends on what you are towing? Tag along type open or fully enclosed trailer?

schvetkaaks

you guys pull your 911's on a trailer when you go to the track?? Isn't that more 'baby-ing' than is typically associated with 996's? Isn't that more for cars that are not acceptable as daily drivers, such as Lamborghini, Ferrari, Pagani, etc? Part of the uniqueness of the Porsche is that you can drive yourself to the track, perform on the track, then drive home!

Frosty

Some very serious entusiasts need to tow there cars as they are not street legal. They may have switch to pipes w/o cats, nitrous, competition tires or who knows what else for the track day and if you were pulled over by a cop on the way to the track your whole day might be ruined.

Anyways, to answer the question, I have heard that the toureg is a really good "suv" and has great towing capabilites. Also, the V10 diesel is coming next year with more torque than most turbos ( I believe I was reading 553 ft lbs). You may end up tracking the toureg also

viperbob

I recently bought a used C3500 Chevy Long Bed with dual rear wheels. It has a 12,000lb towing capacity, so my litte 24' trailer with the car inside and spares is nothing.

Johninrsf

YPshan,
I have a 2500 Suburban with a 454 cu. in. motor, a 10,000 lb. hitch with sway control that works very well in all conditions, even strong crosswinds. The trailer is a Pace 22 ft. race trailer, 2X 5000 lb axles, with all the goodies (lights, vents, storage, tire rack). I've also found this to be very satisfactory. I would spend a lot of time researching trailers and hitches also, if I were you.
My primary reason for towing the Cobra or the GT3 is "tires" and the need to have room for "stuff" (tools, compressor,race gear, overnight gear, ice chest/food, boombox,etc.) and possibly wife or friend. Impossible to carry all this with you in the car you intend to race. In any event, I can't see going to the track with street tires and not only having inferior performance, but also trashing your street tires. Just my $.02.
Happy hunting.
JP

ypshan

The main reason I needed a tow vehicle is the softer competition tires. I do not intend to wear them out on the highway before I get to the tracks.

We also have two drivers and a kid. It's a bit cramped if we pack everything (including the harness mount bar) and the three of us in the TT.

I've been looking at the Touareg but it has the following minus:
1. CD based NAV (should be DVD based)
2. Magazine reviews indicated that the V8 tranny shifting is corky
3. VW reliability

Lexus GX 470 issues:
1. Rear barn door
2. 230hp engine (probably wouldn't tow too well though it's rated at 5000 lb)
3. Wind noise at highway speed (much louder than a typical SUV)
4. Ride is wobbly comparing to my X5 4.4 non-sport
The backup camera is nice for hooking up with the trailer.

Lincoln Aviator issues:
1. Reliability
2. Horrible resale value
It actually has almost everything I wanted. DVD NAV, remote starter (not just remote key), and even air conditioned seats (very nice in the summer). You can also add a back up camera and display directly to the NAV screen. It rides comparably to the X5 and accelerates faster than the Cayenne in the Motor Week test (only one though, the rest reported slower acceleration).

A larger SUV will also do but I am afraid that my wife would take out our garage if she's not careful.

A simple choice becomes complex once you consider everything....

Johninrsf

You need to add to your decision making: the towing capacity of the vehicles you're considering, the capacity of their hitches (the hitch that came with my Suburban couldn't handle anywhere near the max. capacity of the vehicle itself, and the max weight of the trailer. Just as an example, many enclosed trailers weigh approx. 3500 -4000 lbs. Add a vehicle at 3500 lbs + a bunch of gear and tools (150 lbs?) and you need a vehicle that can tow 8000 lbs. (to give yourself a little leeway).
Personally, I like a vehicle that can tow much more than that, just in case I want to go somewhere with the car in tow, plus a lot of other stuff (for an extended vacation), and not have to worry about exceeding the vehicle's max. towing capacity. Many choices and trade-offs as you are finding out!

OldGuy

Shan I dont know what your social status is but check this
out. Your rig (trailer with car) is not going to weigh that much.
Why spend a gazillion bucks on a tow vehicle?? Get yourself a
Ford F150 and get 0% finacing and use thier money. If you dont
like Ford get a chevy or dodge they all have these kinda
deals. You dont need a $40K+ Ford F350 powerstroke diesel to haul
your 3000lb car around. I haul a 12 X6 enclosed trailer with all
my motocross bikes with a 2003 Ford F-150 super cab. I got
0% for 5 years so I use their money and what I save goes to the
P-car. A simple choice is the truck- nicely outfitted at 30K.
You get a super cab- your child goes in the back wah-la you're done.
look at the price difference. WHy go to a pricy SUV when a simple
leather-outfitted heated seat DVD entertainment center Truck solves
your problem. Dont over think this- choose the obvious!

RWO

Shan,

Keep in mind on the Lexus that you can have the dealer install the TRD supercharger that jumps the hp on my car from 240 to 360. If it is installed by the dealer, the full warranty applies.

If you are getting an open trailer, you can pull the car with just about anything. If you go enclosed, get aluminum, much lighter and will last longer imo. Check out the www.trailex.com enclosed, it's expensive but it will the the last trailer you'll every need (unless you start a race team.

Roy

DealMan

I don't have much to add regarding tow vehicles, but I was successful towing a ~2,400 lb. '74 911 race car in an enclosed 20' trailer with a basic Tahoe. The only modification was a deeper transmission pan for better cooling. I will weigh in on the trailer recommendation, and strongly suggest that you look at either used or new TPD trailer, link below:

http://www.tpdtrailers.com/

I bought a new one for ~ $11K with dual axles and a host of options (e.g. tool box, cabinets, lighting). It is a great composite trailer (fairly light) with excellent fabrication. The factory is in Sacramento, CA and I was able to see the build process. Used TPDs range fro $6K-9K and are much more durable than other brands I reviewed.

Good luck.

Trojan Man

I just got a brand new '04 F-250 Super Duty Crew Cab Harley Davidson edition with the 6.0 powerstroke diesel. Black on Black (with some factory orange and silver stripes), 4 place leather captains chairs, moonroof, heated seats, heavy duty suspension, power rear window, new 5 speed AT with retarder, and chrome, chrome, chrome!!!.

It's currently at Reus getting a Pioneer touchscreen nav, and DVD w/ 5.1 surround system using their hi-fi speakers.

Overkill for pulling a Porsche? Absolutely. But, I use it for haulin' business stuff and people around on a daily basis. It is very important to me to have a comfortable, great looking, great performing truck, as it projects my company's image wherever I go. It gives me great joy to have the nicest truck on the block. Had it 3 weeks and already washed it 5 times!

I will post pics after Reus is done with it, but for now you check out Ford's site:
http://www.fordvehicles.com/features...rduty/home.asp

(it's NOT the orange color on the website - it's solid black with small stripes on it!)