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Trailer weight = combined weight - tow vehicle weight
Trailer weight = 10,660 - 5420 = 5240

Then, Tongue weight = trailer weight - trailer axle load
Tongue weight = 5240 - 4640 = 600

And tongue weight is determined without load bars in place. You can also buy a special tongue weight scale to directly measure it (unhitched) as you move your load fore and aft or change what you bring along, but this derived method is quite precise too. Just keep the shank and ball off for your first scale pass so their weight doesn't get included in the tow vehicle weight. You can extract a lot of information from those 3 passes over the scales.
 
Trailer weight = combined weight - tow vehicle weight
Trailer weight = 10,660 - 5420 = 5240

Then, Tongue weight = trailer weight - trailer axle load
Tongue weight = 5240 - 4640 = 600

And tongue weight is determined without load bars in place. You can also buy a special tongue weight scale to directly measure it (unhitched) as you move your load fore and aft or change what you bring along, but this derived method is quite precise too. Just keep the shank and ball off for your first scale pass so their weight doesn't get included in the tow vehicle weight. You can extract a lot of information from those 3 passes over the scales.
Hi @Dkayak

Edit:- I initially struggled with this as it was more intuitive to me to derive tongue weight by
calculating Hitched Tow vehicle weight (measured) – Tow Vehicle Weight Unhitched (measured) rather than the steps you outlined. Thinking it through I see how your method provides an alternative method.(y)Thanks
 
Hi - new to the forum. Just picked up a 16 foot Airstream trailer - 2800 lbs dry, 350 lb tongue weight fits within the Macan's towing capacities.

I ask about this set up to solicit the experiences of other forum members. I've read some threads here about towing equivalent set ups, but none mention the base Macan.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!

tim
 
Well it's clear the drivetrain and suspension will handle it, but the base engine will probably need to work harder than the bigger engines in other trims.

Wind resistance is your biggest load factor and it increases exponentially with speed. Slower speeds are your friend for this and other reasons, especially on windy days. You don't want a "wag the dog" situation. And with that in mind, consider a weight distributing hitch (WDH). There's a lot posted on those in other threads.

We towed a roughly 6000 lb camper last year with a Cayenne S and learned a lot in the process. It doesn't have a dual clutch transmission, but with its transmission and torque converter, it's recommended to avoid using cruise control, as it will try to shift up into overdrive(s) then back down very frequently. Without cruise engaged, it doesn't do all of that "hunting" for a nonexistent (or briefly existent) perfect gear. This also keeps the rpms steady in a nice range. It might be good advice for the PDK too.
 
I’m interested in this thread as well, and using base for a 320-S. hitch is going on in a few weeks, and looking for some kind of wireless (or no wire cutting) solution.
We had good luck with the Curt Echo wireless brake controller. It can be a bit fussy to pair with German SUV's but once paired it's solid. Just be sure your headlights are set to "off", not auto, when you plug it into your car. Then connect your trailer and switch to "on" for towing and it should work fine. If it ever loses its Bluetooth connection (very rare), it continues to operate with the same settings you've established. There are other good wireless options too.
 
I’m interested in this thread as well, and using base for a 320-S. hitch is going on in a few weeks, and looking for some kind of wireless (or no wire cutting) solution.
Either way you go with a Curt Brand wireless or wired you will NOT have to cut into anything. There is a thread on here that will detail all the parts you need and where to plug into under the dash for you trailer brake controller.
 
One more recollection on turbocharger boost. IIRC, our Cayenne required less boost in lower gears, often none. Apparently higher rpm requires less help? Without cruise it happily ran most of the time in 6th at 2200 rpm, shifting up to 7th on downhill grades and maybe briefly into 5th on steep uphills. With cruise engaged it would "hunt" more, trying to get up into 7th more often/briefly and sometimes even into 8th (both of which are overdrive gears). However, the boost would increase with these upshifts. I really don't know which produced the best gas mileage. It's pretty bad either way. As a rule of thumb, most folks will tell you to expect to see mileage drop by about half with any tow vehicle, even diesel pickups, so don't be shocked. Good luck guys!
 
Either way you go with a Curt Brand wireless or wired you will NOT have to cut into anything. There is a thread on here that will detail all the parts you need and where to plug into under the dash for you trailer brake controller.
The other wireless controller is the Tekonsha Prodigy. It has an excellent reputation too.
 
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I see the tow hitch tongue weight is rated at 440lbs for the Macan.
And I see some aftermarket hitches rated at 700lbs. Does that mean they're better? Is that (after market) number actually tested or pulled out of a hat?
 
I see the tow hitch tongue weight is rated at 440lbs for the Macan.
And I see some aftermarket hitches rated at 700lbs. Does that mean they're better? Is that (after market) number actually tested or pulled out of a hat?
Welcome to the forum.

The OEM hitch is rated for 4,410 lbs (2,000 kg) trailer weight and for 441 lbs (200 kg) tongue weight.

It doesn't matter that an aftermarket hitch is rate for 700 lbs tongue weight because putting that much weight on the tongue would mean the trailer is loaded improperly.

Just order the vehicle w/ the OEM hitch.
 
For those interested in the tow rating of the Macan, and the fact that it quietly slipped from something slightly over 5000lbs to something around 4500 lbs, I got interested in what the brouhaha was over the new standard SAE J2807.

Link here is interesting: That Dam Towing Test: New SAE Trailering Standards Explained - Tech Dept. - Car and Driver

It appears to be a pretty realistic standard for the 'big boys', those wanting to pull 10k+. Long, heavy grade, sustained pull, minimum speed. The small guys fall in the same test criteria.

It's interesting that the technical specs on the configurator indicate 4400/1600 braked/unbraked. 1600 unbraked is pretty darn measly.

On the Porsche website looking at the details of the Macan (not in configurator), we see this:

Trailer hitch without tow ball - Transport - Macan S - Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG

Which indicates 5200 lbs (I think that was the original value on the configurator. Does this imply that with the towing package you get a higher tow rating?

There's also a pretty slick hidden ball system that I'd like to know more about.


Trailer hitch without tow ball


The Macan is quite simply the most versatile vehicle we have ever built. This includes the capability of being used as a tow vehicle.
An optional Towing Package includes a trailer receiver without tow ball that accommodates a maximum braked trailer weight of 5,219 pounds.
With its exceptional towing capacity, the Macan takes you down the road as perhaps no Porsche has ever before
I have the stealth hitch on my 2016 Turbo, it mounts like the factory hitch inside the rear frame, wiring is a bit of a pain but doable. Instructions are great but you have to cut up the rear diffuser for access and you will have to lie on the ground to install or remove the ball, That said, It is great. Jay
 
The OEM hitch is rated for 4,410 lbs (2,000 kg) trailer weight and for 441 lbs (200 kg) tongue weight.

It doesn't matter that an aftermarket hitch is rate for 700 lbs tongue weight because putting that much weight on the tongue would mean the trailer is loaded improperly.
My Reese 2” square drop ball carrier with 2” ball has been used by me on many different vehicles for almost 40 years. This has been disassembled, sanded, painted and reassembled about a half dozen times over the years. It has been a reliable workhorse and will outlast me.

Everyone that pulls a trailer knows that tongue weight is important. Frequently that parameter is a guess.

Recently I decided that instead of guessing I would measure the tongue weight. There are two devices that looked ideal for this measurement for my usage. One is the Sherline Products Trailer Tongue Weight Scale. This is available w/ 1,000 lbs, 2,000 lbs and 5,000 lbs full scale gauges. This is very well built and permits discrete measurements for tongue weight. The scale is specified for vertical storage, not on the side.

The other device is the one I selected. That is the Weigh Safe Fixed Height Ball Mount. This is a 2” square solid aluminum bar ball carrier w/ integrated gauge that continuously reads / displays tongue weight. This has a 2” drop w/ a 1” diameter ball hole. It reads / displays tongue weight, from 0 to 1,500 lbs, in the drop orientation and it tolerates the raise orientation, but will not read / display tongue weight when used in the raise orientation. The ball carrier does not have a storage orientation restriction. It is rated for 10,000 lbs and for 1,500 lbs tongue weight. It has a standard 5/8” clevis pin hole. The gauge and face are recessed slightly, providing physical damage protection. There is an engraved month and year date code on the bottom. The part finish is beautiful, a very fine, satin brushed finish.

The Weigh Safe design is VERY CLEVER. There is a “button” on the top rear, where it fits into the vehicle hitch receiver. When the ball is loaded by the trailer tongue that button is compressed. Compressing that button pushes internal fluid that is then shown as tongue weight on the scale.

The Weigh Safe Ball Mount has two VERY important physical requirements that I’ve been unable to locate documented anywhere else. One is that the center of the clevis pin hole to the wide part of the ball carrier is 2.7”. If the vehicle has the center of that clevis pin hole deeper, then this part won’t work. The other important dimension is that the upper “button” is 2.2” from the clevis pin hole. If the vehicle receiver tube doesn’t go past that dimension then this part won’t work.

One interesting feature is that the clevis pin hole is NOT round, but instead is a small slot. My speculation is that this shape permits the ball carrier to rock slightly, so the measurement may be performed.

My kit also included purchase of their 2” stainless ball w/ 1” shank. That ball is also made very well.






















 
Just finished the assembly by tightening the ball.

My first step was to coat the stainless threads w/ Permatex Anti-Seize Lubricant. This is one of my favorite lubricants. It remains in-place and prevents corrosion. Sure stainless "won't rust" but will develop rust stains in areas devoid of oxygen, so hopefully this will keep the part nice.

Used my 1½" 3/4" drive socket and my adjustable wrench to tighten the ball nut. It is really nice the ball has flats for a wrench. That is waaay better than balls w/o those flats.




 
Wow! Here I am hoping to just get the boat to the water somewhere new. Maybe I should just leave it on the boat lift, as it doesn't present any of these possible problems.
 
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