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towing with Macan

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Old 01-09-2018, 11:19 PM
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drbgwood
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Default towing with Macan

I have taken an interest in the Macan S, and considering purchasing one in the near future, probably in the 2 to 3 years old range. I'm curious to get any feed back from anyone who uses it to tow from time to time. I have a heavy duty dedicated work truck (Ford 450 utility body) that I use for the big stuff on a daily basis, but would like to be able to use the Macan as my "personal" vehicle and to pull a 3000 lb boat (fully loaded) about once or twice a week during the warmer months. I would expect to make around 20 1 hour round trips during the summer to the local lakes, with maybe 1 or 2 longer trips (3 hours each way) to the beach each year.

I know the Macan is rated for around 4500lb (reduced from the original rating of around 5500lbs) and is "technically" rated for the job, but, would I be pushing it too far to do that much towing of that much weight. Looking over some other forums, it seems the common recommendation would be to go the Cayenne route. I'm sure the Cayenne would handle the towing part much easier than the Macan would, but I'm still drawn to the Macan(S) based on reviews I seen about it's use as a daily driver.
Old 01-10-2018, 05:48 AM
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Billy Wyatt
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Macan to tow a motorcycle but not a car
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Old 01-10-2018, 08:50 AM
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BradB
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My friend, using his Macan GTS, tows his E36 BMW track car to events all over the country. He owns a large pickup which was his previous tow vehicle but says the Macan is a much more enjoyable ride. He agrees that the capacity, with his set up, is right at, if not slightly over, the max rating but that it works well. Power is never an issue and the PDK transmission never balks or hunts for gears. He says he is cautious with the brakes on downhill runs and easy on the throttle and he’s never had any issues. It tracks wonderfully, he says.

On his recommendation I got the tow package on mine because I may do the same. So far, though, bikes are the toughest load I’ve had. Good to have options!

I have pics of his rig but don’t have access to them right now. Can get them later.
Old 01-10-2018, 09:03 AM
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Petza914
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I would think with the air suspension and brakes on your boat trailer (electric preferable to surge) that you'd be fine.
Old 01-10-2018, 11:32 AM
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BradB
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Here ya go....





Old 01-12-2018, 07:58 PM
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skxf430
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I used to tow with my Macan and it works just fine.


Old 01-14-2018, 03:02 PM
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SeanPatrick31
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How much weight with the corvette, the trailer, jugs, tools, etc? About 4200? Did you do any hills of substance? Thanks.
Old 01-15-2018, 03:01 AM
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skxf430
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Fully loaded with fuel jugs, and extra set of wheels and tires, the entire setup is about 5K. The issue is the tongue weight and I made sure that the car wasn't all the way forward. The grade I typically have to drive on is about a 6% incline and the Macan handled it just fine. I did have some concerns of the transmission as a friend of mine blew out his BMW X5 transmission while towing about the same weight.
Old 01-17-2018, 01:14 AM
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Jaybird33
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My rig
1400lbs bigtex
Curt brake controller
2inch hitch riser
GT4 1/4 tank of fuel

A fellow Porsche Owners Club member tows a similar setup and his Macan is lowered on H R springs!
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Old 03-02-2018, 01:07 PM
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Turbo S
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Is the pre-wired plug under the dash on the Macan to install the electric brake controller?
Old 07-10-2018, 01:26 PM
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Gino230
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Sorry to revive this old thread-

The '15-18's that I've looked at show a max tow capacity of 1650 lb. The Porsche website for the new Macan shows 4400 lb. What is the change?

I want to tow my Motorcycle trailer, maxed out it's 2900lb, 10-15% on the tongue. No brakes.
Old 07-10-2018, 01:33 PM
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skxf430
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No, change. Porsche US always had a spec of around 4400lb tow capacity while ROW was about 5500lbs. I think the US has a more conservative approach to rating tow capacities. Towing a motorcycle trailer will not be an issue at all.
Old 07-10-2018, 02:11 PM
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Gino230
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I'm not so much worried about the car's physical ability to tow, more what would happen in an insurance / liability situation.

What does the owner's manual say?

Any idea why the specs on the older Macan show the 1650 number?
Old 07-10-2018, 02:59 PM
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skxf430
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You are confusing tow rating versus maximum load.

What insurance/liability are you concerned about?

https://www.porsche.com/usa/models/m...turesandspecs/
Old 07-10-2018, 04:51 PM
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Gino230
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Originally Posted by skxf430
You are confusing tow rating versus maximum load.

What insurance/liability are you concerned about?

https://www.porsche.com/usa/models/m...turesandspecs/
https://www.porschewestbroward.com/d...-16765085.html

Under "features and specs" says 1650 max trailer weight, 10% on tongue. Same for all the ones I've seen on here.


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