Audi Q7 towing Terrain 210?

blackartist · 09-12-2014, 08:37 PM

I am planning to buy a Audi Q7 to tow outback Terrain 210trs. q7 towing capacity is 6600lb. Terrain 210trs dry weight is 4710lb. It's length is about 22ft10 inch. I am not planning to put more than 500lb of cargo into it. Will q7 gas engine handle it or do I need to buy q7 tdi? I really don't want to commit to buying a full size truck. Any suggestion will be helpful.

**chuckster57** · 09-12-2014, 09:04 PM

4710 is before propane and battery(s). Are you going to weigh everything you put in to stay under 500#'s.

Not trying to be a smart butt or anything, but what some "plan" to do and what really happens isn't always the same.

RGene7001 · 09-14-2014, 03:56 PM

You will be totally fine with the gasser. Expect to tow at direct gear (sixth? ) most of the time, one gear lower of going up intestate grades. Let the engine spin, as long as it is below the redline. Good luck.

mike95776 · 12-11-2019, 04:19 PM

We have a 3.0 ltr Q7 and just bought a Springdale 20ft trailer. The 3 liter pulls it just fine... the challenge is that Audi says that you should not use and equalizer hitch.... I have no idea why.... I put a 7inch lift hitch on it and it is just about level...

**sourdough** · 12-11-2019, 04:44 PM

You might notice that thread was about 5 years old. As far as the recommendation not to use a weight distribution hitch, I'm sure it's because the frame can't handle the weight transfer which means the vehicle probably can't handle the tongue weight either. Put a 7" lift on what? That large a lift on the Audi or trailer sounds like an accident waiting to happen.

mike95776 · 12-11-2019, 05:49 PM

Thanks for the reply Sourdough. The 2019 3ltr Q7 is rated to tow 7700 lbs and has a tongue weight capacity of 700lbs. My trailer has a tongue weight of 550lbs and max weight of 6800lbs... Help me understand why the 7inch lift would be a problem....

**sourdough** · 12-11-2019, 06:19 PM

First, tow rating of any vehicle is meaningless, they are just a sales tool for gullible folks. Putting a 6800lb. trailer behind an Audi SUV is, well, questionable. Then, putting a 7" lift on one or the other (you didn't specify) makes it ????

If the trailer has a gvw of 6800lbs. figure a tongue weight of 884lbs. (6800x.13) - over your vehicle rating. You need to check the payload for the vehicle from the driver door sticker. Is it over 1000lbs.?

That will probably be another hurdle for the vehicle.

The manufacturer providing a minimal receiver then specifying it (hitch/frame) cannot handle loads is concerning. Overloading or loading to max will be problematic or possibly catastrophic. An Audi is not a TOW vehicle no matter how you slice it albeit they are making them larger.

You might specify the exact year/model of both the trailer and vehicle - that will help folks be more specific. As far as the 7" lift; I've done lots of mods to various off road vehicles including lifts. 7" isn't a lot for a true off road vehicle, for something driven on the highway it is; for an Audi Q7 it's not normal. No matter what you do the lift affects driving and handling negatively - not towing anything. If you put it on the trailer, again, I don't get it. A 7" lift on the trailer destabilizes it as well and would require a lift shank of ??? inches for the Audi to fit....that overweight tongue??

It would be helpful if you would be more specific about your situation and your TV/trailer combo.

travelin texans · 12-11-2019, 06:34 PM

I'm reading that the hitch ball is raised 7" not the vehicle suspension.
But do agree that vehicle does not qualify as a tow vehicle regardless of what your car/RV dealer may have told you.
Any vehicle towing any TT needs a WDH with sway, if your vehicle recommends not using one that's the 1st strike. Lack of sufficient tongue weight & payload is 2 & 3, you're OUT.

mike95776 · 12-11-2019, 06:41 PM

Thanks for your continued replies and I guess I was not clear on the "lift" .... What I should have said was that the 7" is on the hitch... not the vehicle or trailer... the bottom of the tongue on the trailer is 20" off the ground and the top of the receiver is 16" off the ground. To get the trailer level I had to add a hitch with a 7inch lift/riser. I will certainly have to check the tongue weight and GVW when I get it loaded...

**sourdough** · 12-11-2019, 07:02 PM

Thanks for the clarification. You need to check the payload of that Audi as I suggested. 800+lbs. deducted from it can be decisive. I don't know if you don't have access to that? or if you just don't want to.

Having to add an increased 7" of height to your receiver is a huge indicator to me of a mismatched TV/trailer. There is no suspension to handle the load and stress the trailer is going to impose on it.

And in good conscience I have to say...you MUST have some sort of sway and weight distribution with that vehicle with that size trailer. To choose not to do so is almost like signing a death warrant for you.....or others. I wouldn't hitch it up for anything. JMHO

mike95776 · 12-11-2019, 07:11 PM

Just checked the payload on the Q7 and it is 1365lbs.... Leaves me 565lbs which is not much.... given my personal payload of 220lbs.

Ken / Claudia · 12-11-2019, 08:20 PM

Is the tongue wt listed as provided on a empty trailer as in the spec manual. Or is it tongue wt. on a loaded TT. Those numbers can be big differences.
Keystone said my listed below TT has a tongue wt. of 560 lbs. I went to a scale and checked loaded. Now with propane tanks full, 2 batteries 2 days for 2 people worth of cloths/food/camp gear with the fresh tank full? I do not have the TT wt handy.

I will post the real wt. after a couple guesses.

mike95776 · 12-11-2019, 08:56 PM

80 lbs of batteries + 110lbs of propane + 560lbs from Keystone = 750lbs...?

**sourdough** · 12-11-2019, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike95776

80 lbs of batteries + 110lbs of propane + 560lbs from Keystone = 750lbs...?

Mike, don't know if we're getting off into the weeds here for informational purposes or ??

Ken posted his experiences. You posted weights of batteries, propane etc. and what you thought you might have left...then your 220 lb. you. Add to that 100lbs. for a wdh/sway hitch....period - if you don't put one on that TV/trailer combo I wouldn't leave the lot. Now you're down to a puppy and a lunch box in a TV that can be shoved off the road by a random breeze.

You seem either very confident in your combo or just "fishing" with no regard for the input; but either way, we have lots of folks willing to give of their time and experience if one is willing to "learn". If not, I've seen "those" on the side of the highway.

travelin texans · 12-12-2019, 08:33 AM

I know you came here for confirmation, but unfortunately your vehicle is not nor was it designed to be a tow vehicle for a trailer of any size or weight if the manufacturer warns you not to use a wdh, a boat or small utility trailer should be fine, but a long, heavy, giant box that absolutely requires a wdh, SORRY you need a tow vehicle!

**flybouy** · 12-12-2019, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike95776

We have a 3.0 ltr Q7 and just bought a Springdale 20ft trailer. The 3 liter pulls it just fine... the challenge is that Audi says that you should not use and equalizer hitch.... I have no idea why.... I put a 7inch lift hitch on it and it is just about level...

The OP hasn't logged in since 2014. He may have pulled the TV in 1/2, flipped it, sold it, who knows.

Why no wdh? The frame/unibody and or hitch can't handle it, no other reason. It's a euro car. In Europe the roads are narrow, fuel and taxes are high so they buy very very light campers (no slides, one lp tank, no ovens, no 36 gal water/waste tanks,etc.). In the summer time folks constantly complain about the congestion the "caravans" (what the call campers) slowing down traffic.

Here's my analogy on tow vehicles.
There are Clydesdale horses and Miniature horses. They are both horses but you can't hitch a miniature horse to a fully loaded hay wagon and expect it pull it very fast or far before you kill it. Substitute a 1 ton or larger truck for the Clydesdale and the Audi for the Miniature.

JMHO

mike95776 · 12-12-2019, 09:11 AM

Thanks for all of the info.... and, the concern.... I was certainly hoping for some confirmation that this would work....

I have owned two TT in the past and the first one I towed (1972 20ft) with a Ford Aerostar..... talk about death on a stick... fortunately nothing every went wrong... The other TT was similar and I towed it with a Suburban... both had WDH. I currently tow an 18ft boat and of course it is about 1400lbs gvw less than the TT and has a hitch weight of about 400lbs.

I took the TT out for a road test the other day and did the "waggle/swerve test" (took about a half a lane) at 40 and 55mph.... The trailer tracked right with the Q7. I expected some amount of rebound but was impressed. It did better than my Suburban with a WDH and sway bar....

But..... it looks like the tongue weight on the TT is going to be the real issue.... I did not know that the "sticker" tongue weight (550lbs) was before they added another 200lbs of battery and propane... I'm going to get it weighed and that will determine how soon I'm going to get a new truck...

Thanks for all of the advice!

**flybouy** · 12-12-2019, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike95776

Thanks for all of the info.... and, the concern.... I was certainly hoping for some confirmation that this would work....

I have owned two TT in the past and the first one I towed (1972 20ft) with a Ford Aerostar..... talk about death on a stick... fortunately nothing every went wrong... The other TT was similar and I towed it with a Suburban... both had WDH. I currently tow an 18ft boat and of course it is about 1400lbs gvw less than the TT and has a hitch weight of about 400lbs.

I took the TT out for a road test the other day and did the "waggle/swerve test" (took about a half a lane) at 40 and 55mph.... The trailer tracked right with the Q7. I expected some amount of rebound but was impressed. It did better than my Suburban with a WDH and sway bar....

But..... it looks like the tongue weight on the TT is going to be the real issue.... I did not know that the "sticker" tongue weight (550lbs) was before they added another 200lbs of battery and propane... I'm going to get it weighed and that will determine how soon I'm going to get a new truck...

Thanks for all of the advice!

Another piece of advice on these comments.

Doing your "swaggle/swerve test" does not replicate the side forces of wind, the effects of a tire failure, a drastic maneuver like a kid running after a ball, a large animal jumping in front of you, etc.

A decent crosswind will result in sway when there's a large disparity in tv/trailer weight and with light TV frame flex, lack of tire sidewall stiffness, suspension geometry engineered for max ride comfort, etc.

You can't compare towing a boat to a "slab sided" travel trailer. The boat will have a lower center of gravity, a lower profile, and a much lower coefficient of drag. Sort of like comparing the aerodynamics of the space shuttle to a shoe box.

No matter your weight results you're going to have your hands full at the most inconvenient of times so don't let your guard down for an instant.

Ken / Claudia · 12-12-2019, 01:48 PM

My tongue wt. was 900 lb with TT ready for use and not lots of extras in the trailer. Most tools and big heavy stuff goes into the truck bed.
TT on that day was 6600 lbs, so tongue was between the 13-15 percent of TT.
The TT GVWR is 7200 and likely has been there on the longer dry camp trips so the tongue would also be higher on those trips. So far I have not reweighted when truck bed full of heavy gear, extra water, fuel, genny, tent, wood stove, etc. And TT containing 10 days of food and winter hunting gear.

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