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But while not towing, this is a fun picture of the hauling "a bunch"; 4 of us with bikes and gear heading down to ride the Tour de Cure in Woodinville, WA.
Finally got to tow something over the weekend. Buddy's GT3 did the "exploding radiator" trick while at an autocross.
I notice a lot of "noise" from the hitch when the trailer is hooked up. Bangs/clunks/etc. All my previous tow vehicles have had a pickup bed... so the noise didn't travel through the cabin itself. I'm going to assume this is normal (?) Everything on the hitch itself appears tight, it's the right ball size, right receiver size, etc.
...I notice a lot of "noise" from the hitch when the trailer is hooked up. Bangs/clunks/etc. All my previous tow vehicles have had a pickup bed... so the noise didn't travel through the cabin itself. I'm going to assume this is normal (?) Everything on the hitch itself appears tight, it's the right ball size, right receiver size, etc.
Have someone sit in the very back, with the hatch open & listen. Could just be your buddy's trailer making all the noise.
Looks great together (Cayenne & GT3).... hope the two reds didn't clash :-)
Finally got to tow something over the weekend. Buddy's GT3 did the "exploding radiator" trick while at an autocross.
I notice a lot of "noise" from the hitch when the trailer is hooked up. Bangs/clunks/etc. All my previous tow vehicles have had a pickup bed... so the noise didn't travel through the cabin itself. I'm going to assume this is normal (?) Everything on the hitch itself appears tight, it's the right ball size, right receiver size, etc.
Because of unibody construction, as the hitch is bolted to the structure and we sit in the structure, every bit of movement reverberates into the tow vehicle. Every unibody vehicle I have towed with, all the rattling/banging could be heard and was annoying if anything.
I never noticed any noise in my pickup truck either as the hitch was so far in the back but do know that every person towing with nothing to solidify the ball mount to the hitch, there is movement there all the time and noise, one just doesn't hear it.
All the rattling is the joint between the receiver and the ball mount. Use one of these, best thing I have ever bought for trailering, the Quiet Hitch, removes all slack between the ball mount and the receiver, no more noise. Simple and cheap.
Have someone sit in the very back, with the hatch open & listen. Could just be your buddy's trailer making all the noise.
Looks great together (Cayenne & GT3).... hope the two reds didn't clash :-)
It's my trailer, just his car... but that's overall not a bad idea.
I think what BenCD suggests below is probably right tho. The noise of the receiver rattling is what translates into the body noise.
And you'd have to ask my wife about color clashing LOL. Tho the Cayenne is Carmine Red, the GT3 is likely Guards Red... so they probably DO clash LOL.
Originally Posted by BenCD
Because of unibody construction, as the hitch is bolted to the structure and we sit in the structure, every bit of movement reverberates into the tow vehicle. Every unibody vehicle I have towed with, all the rattling/banging could be heard and was annoying if anything.
I never noticed any noise in my pickup truck either as the hitch was so far in the back but do know that every person towing with nothing to solidify the ball mount to the hitch, there is movement there all the time and noise, one just doesn't hear it.
All the rattling is the joint between the receiver and the ball mount. Use one of these, best thing I have ever bought for trailering, the Quiet Hitch, removes all slack between the ball mount and the receiver, no more noise. Simple and cheap.
Cool I'll do some searching. I bet that's all I need.
I remember my wife's Rav4, first time I had towed my snowmobile trailer, it was like having those kids banging on the 5 gallon bucket drums outside the subway station/sports arena, inside the truck while going down the road. Every bump/crack/expansion joint had the sound being amplified into the interior. It was really something.
Ever since I got the quiet hitch, I have used it every time I trailer and no more sound. All I can think of is, no matter how good a ball mount one has, and I have the one from VW that is solid, it is already loose in the receiver, then a pin, that is also loose, just keeps the drawbar in the receiver, all that slop just can't be good for both the receiver. I could not care less about the ball mount, I care about the receiver.
Now, it could be stuff on the trailer but most don't put their prized possessions/their Porsche's on POS trailers that are banging and clanking down the road, unlike all the boats on trailers out there where anything goes. Chances are that trailer is well-sorted. For $27.16 shipped, you eliminate that slop in the connection with the trailer and eliminate that variable altogether, now and forever.
The Quiet Hitch # RM-061 is not rated for or tested for anything other than flat towing. So you would not use it when towing a trailer or using a hitch mounted accessory where there would be higher tongue weights. Flat towing a vehicle will all 4 wheels on the ground has very minimal tongue weight because the vehicle is supporting itself.
For an anti-rattle device that you can use when towing or using a hitch mounted accessory I recommend either # 93347, which is basically a wedge, or the Blue Ox Immobilizer # BX88224 for vertical and horizontal stabilization.
I'll probably look into the basic wedge thing he lists for 10 bucks. Or maybe just try wrapping the receiver itself with an old mousepad or something, just to confirm that's the rattle I'm hearing (99.9% sure that's it).
I'll probably look into the basic wedge thing he lists for 10 bucks. Or maybe just try wrapping the receiver itself with an old mousepad or something, just to confirm that's the rattle I'm hearing (99.9% sure that's it).
That guy might know stuff, but I bet he doesn't tow squat.
I know LOTS of guys that tow heavy boats well over 10,000 lbs that use the same thing I use as all it is doing is putting downward pressure on the ball mount to stop any movement. I'm towing 7,000 lbs and have been for 10 years now and have a nice quiet ride.
There are many other versions of the quiet hitch and lots do go cheap and wrap electrical or duct tape around the drawbar and leave them in but I take my mount out when I'm not using it so I'm not going "budget" on my stuff.
Cool. I don't see how/why it's "bad" to use vs. the other proposed solution, TBH.... just figured I'd take their word for it.
My mousepad idea certainly wasn't going to be a permanent solution - just a verification of the problem. Software engineer by day... lots of "proposed fixes" come across my desk.
At any rate - the CD towed well. No complaints. The fact that I spent most of the time chatting with my buddy (owner of the GT3) vs. paying attention to the vehicle I suppose is a testament. Got up to speed without seeming like I was abusing it and cruised at 70, fat and happy. Fuel mileage dropped considerably (~21mpg vs. my usual 33-35 on the same stretch of highway) but that's to be expected I suppose.
I did notice that I have to ramp up the trailer brake controller gain setting a lot more on the CD vs. the last truck I used my controller on (my old Avalanche... as the GMC I had in between the Avalanche and CD had a built-in controller).
Finally had the time to take the boat to the lake. Only about a 90 minute drive and previously had used a Tahoe and Expedition to tow the boat. Initial thoughts were that the CTTS looks so small compared to the boat, but it did a great job and I never really felt the boat/trailer behind me. The additional power was also very welcome and it may have just been me, but the braking was much better. The only bad part was watching the AVG MPG keep dropping the longer the trip went. I don't think I ever calculated with the other two and much like everything, if you are concerned about it, you probably can't afford it. Will be a about 3 months before I have to tow the boat back home
05-21-2017, 11:16 PM
Software engineer by day... lots of "proposed fixes" come across my desk.
