Go for it!

The class IV hitch that the Macan offers will handle the weight of up to 4 bikes without any problem. Get a Thule T2 style bike rack where the bike wheels are sitting in cradles instead of the kinds of racks that hang the bikes from their top tubes. You will enjoy MUCH less dings and damage that occurs when bikes swing back & forth.

 

I use a 5-bike Yakima Ridgeback on my Touareg TDI Exec. It's great.

 

Life is not fair! I started a thread about the towing capacity change for the Macan back in May and only got 16 responses. Clearly, I need a better looking Avatar to match up to Karen England's!

On a more serious note, I took delivery on my wife's Macan S on the initial release date in May and have been towing my 997 GTS and 991 GT3 with it all summer and I would like to clear up several misconceptions represented in this thread.

First, I have towed either my GTS or my GT3 to 10 events, totaling over 4,500 miles, with the Macan S, using an open Trailex trailer. Total weight of the trailer, GT3, spare tire set, and tools is 4,200 - 4,300 lbs. I would rate the handling and braking characteristics of this rig with the Macan S to be OUTSTANDING. I have never experienced any controllability or stopping issues with the trailer. It feels completely safe. Whoever thinks that the Macan brakes might be the limiting factor doesn't appreciate Porsche brakes. There's nothing wimpy about the Macan brakes. They are over engineered, as are all Porsche brakes. The Master Mechanic at my Porsche dealer thinks that the only possible weak link in the mechanical chain might be the PDK transmission.

I am absolutely convinced that the Macan could safely handle the original rated towing capacity of 5,291 lbs. I think, but have not been able to verity, that the tow rating was only reduced in the USA. I think that it is still the higher 5,291 lbs. in other countries. It would be interesting if someone could confirm this. In the US, there is some new tow rating standard that will be put into place within the next year or so, and there is speculation that Porsche dropped the tow rating for the Macan in advance to meet the new standard.

I was disappointed that Porsche dropped the tow rating, since I was planning to buy a closed trailer for towing my GT3. That aside, I am completely satisfied with the Macan's ability to handle my 4,300 lb. open rig.

On another point, there has been discussion about the Macan's internal capacity for hauling spare tires. I think that the conclusion was that four tires wouldn't fit. I am a serious track junkie and I can never have enough spare tires or wheels so I was concerned about this capacity too. To set the record straight, I was able to fit two complete sets of GT3 tires, eight tires in all, into the Macan S. With the back seats down, I got four tires behind the front seats, three tires further back, and one tire in the passenger seat. BTW - these are big tires - the fronts are 245/35 ZR20 and the rears are 305/30 ZR20. I don't normally stuff the Macan with tires, though, because I have a tire rack on the Trailex trailer.

I hope that this provides some useful perspective. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Ivan:

Thank you so much for providing actual feedback. Very encouraging! Our Macan arrives end of this month and the plan has always been to use it to occasionally tow my GT3 on an open trailer to events.

For further clarification of your direct experience, what type of terrain did you encounter in your trips (flat, hills, steep hills, etc)? Were you always keeping speeds to 55?

Many thanks!

 

Chris,

I live near Boston and drive to tracks ranging from Canada to New Jersey. Most of the roads in New England are simple rolling hills. The track at Mount Tremblant near Montreal takes me through Vermont's Green Mountains and the tracks at Lime Rock in CT and Watkins Glen in NY take me through the Massachusetts Berkshires. In both cases the interstates along those routes top out at around 2,000 ft. Engine temps hit about 230 F when climbing those long hills. Normal temps run 218 - 222 F. So not too bad.

As for speed, I drive fast and have collected, ahem..., a few too many tickets recently. So one good thing for me about towing is that I drive slower than when driving the 911's. I haven't gotten any tickets when driving the Macan yet. But I said slower, not slow. I trend to drive the Macan at a pace to keep up with the faster traffic. Around here if the speed limit is 55, most cars including are going around 70. If the speed limit is 65, that means 75-80. Under good conditions (dry roads and good visibility) I feel safe in the Macan at those speeds and the trailer is very stable.

BTW - the most critical factor to good trailer stability is to balance the load on the trailer so that the tongue weight is right. For my load, I want a tongue weight of 400-420 lbs. If you don't know how to measure tongue weight, let me know and I can give you some suggestions.

 

Ivan:

How is tongue weight measured? I'm a long way from towing but looking like I have to start doing my homework.

 

Here's an article that describes how to determine tongue weight. I used the Bathroom Scale method, Figure B.
http://www.etrailer.com/faq-how-to-d...ue-weight.aspx

 

I have done a lot of towing with my F250. I have a 24 foot enclosed trailer, and have maxxed out close to 10,000 pounds several times. It is important to ensure that the weight on the tongue is appropriate. Even if you're towing with a smaller car like a Macan you really should get a ton weight scale. They can be purchased for around $120. You will not only be safer and more controllable, you also will not look like a fool driving down the road with everything out of balance.

 

Thanks. This is helpful. I have an almost identical situation (GT3, Featherlite open trailer) with similar weight as yours. Had given up on using the Macan for towing this, but now may reconsider.

 

I believe Porsche is concerned with reliability. There is no question that the Macan has the power and the brakes to haul 5200 pounds or more. But the unanswered question is how much wear the PDK will endure. Each owner has to evaluate that risk for himself.

 

I was just perusing the "Macan Brochure" available for download on the Porsche Macan tech specs web page and it says on page 92 of the brochure....
http://www.porsche.com/usa/models/ma...turesandspecs/
click on (download) the Macan Brochure.

Wonder how long before Porsche changes that? Or if...

Wonder how long it will be before Porsche/PCNA clears this up?

 

 

[QUOTE=IvanBurns;11701684]Life is not fair! I started a thread about the towing capacity change for the Macan back in May and only got 16 responses. Clearly, I need a better looking Avatar to match up to Karen England's!

Karen has avatars down to a science

Ivan, not sure you are ever going to match up to hers

 

I agree. I surrender. I can handle the science part, since I am a rocket scientist, but I will never be able to top Karen's good looks.

 

Yakima offers solid hardware, but I have way too much bad history with racks than allow bikes to swing. I will never go back since trying out the Thule.

This is the best hitch rack I've ever used (for up to 4 bikes):
http://www.thule.com/en-us/us/produc...18xtr-_-918xtr