I currently have an 18' aluminum open trailer that my Cayenne S pulls easily and handles great ... however, I now need to go to a closed trailer.

I have seen a couple of Cayennes pulling closed trailers and at least one guy I talked to said it was no problem ... but what would I expect him to say.

Others who I have talked to said they tried it but eventually had to go to a pick-up or full size suv ... with the biggest downside reason being the small size and wheel base of the Cayenne made it difficult to handle due to mostly wind forces whipping the trailer ... not a power issue, and some didn't like the lack of visibility even with extra wide mirrors.

Any personal experience comments ... thanks

 

I've seen some some guys at the track pulling enclosed trailers with a Cayenne S. I believe they have 7,000 lb towing capacity. Other guys I have spoken to say they would never pull an enclosed trailer without a (pick-up) truck. The folks at Trailex seem to be pretty knowledgeable about this issue and would probably give you their honest opinion.
BTW - are you selling your aluminum trailer?

 

First off, I really hate having to give up my open trailer, it tows great and I think I spec’d it just ‘right’, and IMO, since I go to the track alone most of the time, an open trailer is much easier to work with by yourself.
And second, I think I knew the answer before asking (probably wishful thinking), and you are right the Cayenne does have a towing capacity of 7,000 lbs and power is not the issue, especially with the “S”, it’s a wind and handling/safety thing and the Cayenne’s size. Besides, when ever I see a Cayenne pulling a closed trailer it just doesn’t look right … kinda like seeing a mouse trying to pull an elephant.
My problem (one of them) is having outlined some of my $$$ missteps in my learning curve in another post is the wife has been unhappily quite now after spending as much as I did on a custom open trailer and hearing I have to sell it to buy a closed one … probably about $20k ish … and now have to inform her I need to spend another +/- $25k on a pick-up just to tow it is not going to be fun … not to mention bringing our fleet up to 6 vehicles … and no, buying something like a Suburban for my daily driver is not an alternative … yikes!!!

To answer your question, yes I will be selling the open aluminum trailer, but I’m not sure I can do it just yet. Even though in a current remodeling project we are building more garage space for the 911’s … for some other reasons I have rented a garage at the track at least for the next several months, yeah also hard to explain building garages and then renting another for the same car (my *** is in such a sling) … anyway, the track garages are more than a mile from the paddock area and since I go it alone up there I can’t count on always finding someone to shuttle me back and forth a couple of times a day … so I would have to think about selling it before I replace it … just not sure. There are a couple of pics of it on the thread below …

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73603&page=3

Just got you PM … an answer in part to your question is also in that thread, but I am not allowed here to answer or send PM’s until I have at least 15 posts, geez … just one away!

 

I tow a 24 ft enclosed trailer with an '08 Cayenne S with minimal problems. I'm hauling about 6,500 lbs. (3.3k for trailer and 3.2k for GT3).

Up hlils, the Tiptronic will atuomatically shift as low as 3rd gear to maintain speed (55-65 mph). And the gas mileage which is marginal to begin with dips to 10-11 mpg.

But I like driving the Cayenne much more than a pick-me-up-truck, even here in rural Virginia.

 

I've pulled a 20 ft enclosed trailer (about 8k lbs loaded) for 2 years with my V8 Touareg...probably towed over 5k miles....both short trips and long trips (OH to AK). I seem to get closer to 8-9 mpg. Although the wheelbase is short, it works fine. With no wind, it's comfortable at 75 mph. Add heavy crosswinds and you need to pay a bit more attention

 

For sure...We pulled a 22 foot ATC with many different cars inside...

 

Thanks guys ... I liked enough of what you last 3 said to at least give it a try ... I really don't want a pick-up sitting around just for track days and the Cayenne is my daily driver ... will help on the marriage front as well.

Karrera ... I see from the pic you do not have any mirror extension or funky trailer mirrors ... no problems with visibility on the highway changing lanes or backing up???

Well Yippee!!! ... I feel like the diapers are starting to come off ... this is my 15th post and that means, even though I can't do some things here ... at least with this post I can answer some PM's instead of looking rude to those who have sent to me!!!

 

Karrera4 - nice set-up!
CupsRule - I'm still smiling after reading about your addition to the track. I completely know the feeling. Get your postings up, so you can PM me. Now I'm curious about your track-prepped 997S. Sorry for totally getting off-topic here.

 

Thanks, Mike.

CapsRule: You actually pinpointed the one thing that was a bit difficult - good visibility. However, it can be overcome by just planning your moves and thinking ahead. Also, we rarely, if ever, ran in fully auto mode. I always had it in manual and shifted myself. You will mostly be in 4th and 5th.

 

All in all though ... I won't probably be trailering it more than a half dozen times this season away from my home track so I can at least use the Cayenne for this season ... appreciate the comments. Most of my travels this year will be on rural dual lane highways and shouldn't be a big problem ... my problem will be like I have mentioned in my posts, I usually go to the track solo and backing up could be an issue without a spotter. BTW ... I never run in auto mode

 

For peace of mind, just make sure you have sway control, weight distribution, and EBC installed. The shorter wheel base and crosswinds even at normal freeway speeds might wreck your precious cargo. It's cheap insurance- my 0.02

 

Do you have this pic on a higher res?

 

Thanks to all for your comments ... I have decided I do have to get to the closed trailer now ... and think I should pull it with a good ol US pick-up, but will probably fight my way through this season pulling it with the Cayenne ... would love to try to sell my open aluminum trailer here, but not enough legal posts yet

... so have to resort to eBay for now

 

I have a hi res version...PM me your email and Ill get you a copy.