I am in the process of purchasing a Salem Cruise Lite 31' Travel Trailer and I am planning on towing it with my 06 Turbo. Here are the specs on the trailer:

Dry Hitch Weight639 lbs. (290 kg) Unloaded Vehicle Weight5,631 lbs. (2,554 kg)

Cargo Carrying Capacity1,970 lbs. (894 kg)
I am over on one of the Travel Trailer Forums and getting lots of flak for trying to tow this trailer with my "truck". The max towing of the Cayenne is 7700#, so this lies within the limits of what i am trying to accomplish.


I am mainly seeking input from those of you who are using your vehicle as a tow vehicle or those of you who consider yourselves experts on towing.

1. Can I tow this trailer? Safely
2. Do i need a Weight Distributing Hitch? I have a factory installed hitch with the air suspension already.
3. Do I need an anti sway system? I was going to not sue one and see how things feel first.


If you need any further info please ask and thank you so much for your prompt response.


PS I asked the Porsche dealer to install the brake controller, and they had difficulty doing so and asked that i get it done at the trailer dealer. The trailer dealer said they wanted Porsche to do it...


PSS Any links to existing threads on this would be helpful too!

 

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...railering.html
I would shoot gr8ful a PM. He towed his travel trailer all over for quite some time.

 

I cannot PM anyone because i have only 11 posts! I need 15. I guess i might post some more, or could you PM him for me tell him I need his help please?

 

Sure. I sent him a message with a link to this thread.

 

Damn, I composed a long message and it appears lost.


It sounds big, maybe too big. Going downhill and braking and controlling are my concerns.


I have a 25S which is heavy and tows like a brick.


You don't need a weight distributing hitch and


You don't need sway bars.


Use of either would burn out your air suspension computers working them overtime.


Towing weight is the combination of the TONGUE WEIGHT and the WHEEL WEIGHT. If I carry water, I am over.


Brake controllers: I over bought and there is no need to waste money. The manufacturer has a list of VW parts to get to install their brake controller. With those two wiring parts and another small part in hand, a trailer service company in Anchorage installed my brake controller. They placed it nicely so that I can get to the manual override.


I got extended Aero mirrors off Amazon that make a world of difference and work well on the Cayenne.

 

I have a 25S which is heavy and tows like a brick.

What does this mean? How heavy is it? dry, fully loaded etc? Your input is extremely valuable as you have been towing your around AK for some time now. Thanks for getting back to the PM so quickly.

Give me a link for the brake controller you think I should get. (and the mirrors)

Mine might be long, but it is a "lite" no ladder, no getting on the roof etc.
5600 dry 7700 loaded

 

I tried to PM you, but still unable. I've got limited time to get this package together.

 

That advice is spot on. Also, the trailer company is the expert on what vehicle(s) would work best for that length trailer. They set up vehicles daily and know what is safe. That trailer is very long for your wheel base. Your vehicle is already pulling around over 2.5 tons. I would be looking at a 3500 range truck for that trailer.

I think a telling sign is that the trailer company won't set up the Cayenne for that trailer. That's their job, and income base. If they won't, it's a big clue. A reputable trailer company would just say"no. You can't tow this with that."

 

gr8ful has a 25S, mine is a 262. Mine is 31' long with hitch, his is probably 30' long. He has been pulling it for some time all over AK.

What am i missing?

 

Facts and physics. The advice GR8 gave you is from actual experience combined with the fact that no one will set that vehicle up for that trailer. A Cayenne may have the torque to pull a house but that does not equate with the ability to safely (for the occupants and vehicle) tow a 32' trailer. That's what heavy-duty trucks are designed for. Simply the right tool for the job.

 

Sometimes the weight combined with 1 or 2 feet make all the difference between safe and catastrophic. It is all within the trailer company's knowledge. If they say it's not safe - when looking at the specific specs of your vehicle and the trailer - it's not safe. That would be enough for me. As it has been.

 

I've never heard of sway control and air suspension being incompatible.

 

Your tongue weight is listed at 650 lbs empty. It doesn't take much to bump that up to the 770 limit on the cayenne. When you start loading up water, the gray water tank, dishes, and all the other stuff that goes in a trailer, it's going to be much heavier than those listed weights.

The length isn't so much an issue in itself, but there are times when length is good and bad. Long trailers tow really well in a straight line, but will push the back out more in a corner. This will be much more apparent on a short wheelbase car like the cayenne.

But, the one aspect of length in this situation is overwhelmingly the side profile. High winds will induce sway, and combine this with mountain roads and you could easily find yourself in a really bad situation. I've towed everything from tiny riding lawnmower trailers with a car to heavy equipment with big trucks. Towing trailers that aren't enclosed is never a problem when you're within specs, but towing enclosed or camper trailers brings about the aspect of sway from crosswinds and semi's passing you. This is why you often see larger camper trailers all being exclusively goosenecks. They're able to hold a larger weight, and it puts the connection point between the axles for much better stability.

If I were towing on mostly flat, straight roads with a lot of trees on each side (MN, WI, MI, etc) I wouldn't be that concerned pulling that trailer. The speed limits and normal driving speeds are often slower, you don't typically get the high sustained crosswinds, and you're driving in mostly straight lines on flat roads. But, add in a lot of open road with nothing to stop the high winds we get in the west, higher driving speeds, more pressure on you when you're going slower but traffic is trying to get around you, and twisty roads that can be climbing or descending steeply - and I wouldn't want to be that close to the towing limits *AND* with a high-profile trailer with some length to it. I'd want a good sway damping hitch, and I suspect that when you factor in that hitch, the options added to your trailer, and all the stuff you'll have in it - you'll be close or over the tongue weight limit.

 

In my opinion I say get you a HD truck. If I were to scratch/dent my cayenne I would probably end up in a mental hospital, however, if my truck were to receive same scratch/dent it would be followed by "Well Crap!" but that would be the PG version. I got the Cayenne for show and the Truck for tow.

 

Thanks for the info, much appreciated.