Hi,

I came across this question and was wondering if anyone can answer it. I am about to buy an OEM hitch for the cayenne turbo, mostly because it has the capability to tow 7700 pounds, vs 6000 pounds for aftermarket.

However, What would be the purpose of being rated 7700 pounds while 100% of all towbar I see (2") is rated from 5000 - 6000 pounds max.

Secondly, what is the benefit of using oem wiring and controller box VS aftermarket wires splicing ? Will it affect tranny management, air suspension, xenon levels and more ring and bells other than showing me a light bulb is burnt on the trailer ??

Thanks

 

If you wont be towing more than 5000 or so pounds, the difference shouldn't bother you either way. If you plan to push the limit on the 6000 pound capacity, I would buy the factory hitch, it's well made with some serious bolts.

Wiring-wise, your car needs to know you have a trailer. And no, It wont show you that a trailer light it burnt out if you tap the wires because you are bypassing the car's knowledge that a trailer exists. It may throw faults for your rear lights though.. It will also make you crazy with backup sensors and gearing. If you have ever seen the trailer modules, it's pretty serious with two electronic brains.. not simply 4 wires and a ground plugged into a wiring harness. Air suspension and xenons should take care of themselves.

 

When I talked to Porsche about this they said the trailering computer module does change things on the truck itself including the transmission shift points when a trailer is detected. It even ties the trailer connection into the factory alarm so if it is disconnected while the alarm is active it will go off. Pretty cool stuff...

David

 

Thanks for the info

 

towing is more about stopping that what it will pull. also hitches are rated low.

Id buy the best thats out there mainly becaue if you have bad luck it could bite you. Lets just say you buy the 5K hitch... some freak happens and you loose a car or boat and it kills some one. They could come back and say you had the wrong stuff etc etc...

With that said we towed 14K lbs of tile with a G500 and no problems... it was just SLOOOOW. but the trailer had brakes so i could stop.

In some states the fine you a lot. Mike got stopped in a F350 dually ford a few years ago in NC. he was over weight, had 18K lbs on the hitch rated for 15K... they fined him a $1.00 a pound and its payable on the spot like they do the big rigs.

 

I have a 6000 lb or 6600 lb (sticker on hitch says one amd mfg website says another)aftermarket hitch and factoy wire loom.......I have towed up to 5000lbs no problem

 

I baught a used oem hitch with controller and it's very easy to install. Just remove the bumper, the crossmember and install the hitch and make sure you got the right bolts and torque. Same grade as steel structure... After that you just need to install and plug the unit in the trunk. Dont forget to install the brake control, the most important part. The new P3 is super with the cayenne. I returned the aftermarket hitch and if you look both side by side it's like day and night.... Go with the factory hitch and 3-4 hours to do the job slowly...

 

That is very good information. Had no idea it would make use of things like the alarm system. That right there might be a reason to get the factory hitch.

I'm currently in the same situation as others - really don't want to pay the crazy OEM prices for a hitch but need one for some light trailer (jetski and maybe a motocross trailer from time to time). I'm sure I'd be fine with an aftermarket setup but I want the most hidden hitch possible and if it integrates with factory alarm that is pretty cool too.

Any suggestions on where to get the best price on the OEM setup if I was to install myself?

 

I have the Curt MFG hitch and factory wire loom. IMO it looks better then the factory hitch. It is about 1/2" higher than the factory hitch and it is powder coated gloss black......Not flat black. Negative things about the Curt MFG hitch. 1) You loose the factory tow hook threads behind the bumper cover (Not a big deal because you could use the hitch to tow backwards) 2) you can not use load stabilizer bars. 3) The 2" receiver is a little bit over 2". 4) You loose 1,700 lbs of towing capacity.

I bought the hitch from a local RV store that was a Curt MFG dealer and I bought the factor wire loom / controller for Sunset Porsche. I installed the hitch and cut the rear diffuser my self and then took it to my local dealer to install the controller and for programming. Total cost was around $850.00 or so I don’t exactly remember.

 

Anyone else done this install lately? Any new information to share?

I made it through the summer with no hitch but just bought another motorcycle and may want to do some trailering this winter so I'm back in the market realizing I need to do this hitch install.

Sounds like buying the factory hitch setup and installing yourself is a good move, then having the Porsche wiring harness installed at your local dealer so you get all the computer/alarm/transmission bells/whistles is the route I will take.

Anyone know best place to buy the factory hitch and wiring harness? Is it suncoast?

Thanks, Dan

 

After looking at both the aftermarket and OEM hitch options for the Cayenne, I have to agree that the OEM version is by far the best way to go for many reasons. The only problem is the huge price difference that most of us find hard to justify.
I may have a solution.
As the VW Toureag has some of the same components as the Cayenne I was thinking that the hitch and wiring may be the same.
I called my local VW dealer in Toronto and got a hitch kit part # 7L0 092 105 UA. at $799.98 can. This kit includes the 7700 lbs hitch, all the wiring and the important tow module that connect to the computer system.

Before I go ahead and order one, has anyone ever tried installing the above Toureag hitch kit on a Cayenne and if so, does everything work properly including the tow module?

I could not find any info about this cross install on any forum, but someone must have tried this in the last five years!

 

I don't know from personal experience but given the platform sharing it probably is the same hitch. Of course the wiring harness/computer could be slightly different though as the Cayenne has a lot of different features vs the Toureag (i.e. air suspension).

I got a quote of $USD 930 for the OEM Hitch + Wiring Harness. Couldn't break out the prices for me so I don't know if that is good or bad. I'd like to do just the Hitch for now as I don't need the wiring harness to work with the motorcycle (its a hitch mount trailer with no lights or wheels) and then do the wiring harness later on when I need to pull a boat or something larger.

 

I also checked into using T-Rag parts and here in Los Angeles we have Mckenna Porsche, Audi & VW on the same lot. My plan was go to each of the part counter and look at both T-Rag & Cayenne hitch back to back. The T-Rag hitch was not in stock at the time but the VW parts guy told me he already looked into it and the tow module plug is different. He said the hitch it self will bolt right up but the electronics would not.

 

When I installed the Curt MFG hitch with the factory wire loom the total cost was less that the factor kit......and that included the dealer installation and programing of the tow module

 

That is correct, I am a member of a Touareg forum, and that question has come up a number of times. I have been told by my independent Porsche service shop that does a lot of Cayenne work that they sub the VW purchased parts for a lot less money.