Trailer towing recommendations

[slaskowski]

I have a 2004 CTT with about 60K miles on it and am about to make a trip from NYC to Miami in early October. i will need to rent a trailer from U-Haul in order to carry all of the family items down for the winter. I was looking for some advice about driving characteristics with the different size trailers along with any practical advice (I have never towed a trailer before).

There are three sizes of trailers that I am looking at

6' x 12' cargo trailer

5' x 10' cargo trailer

5' x 8' cargo trailer

Below is a link from the U-Haul site that describes the trailers as well as pictures of each model:

http://www.uhaul.com/Reservations/EquipmentDetail.aspx?model=AV

Questions:

1. Is there much difference in the driving characteristics between the three trailers
2. Assuming that the road is wide open, what would you recommend as a maximum speed
3. Will I need any mirror extensions with these trailers
4. Any other practical advice (even smart-*** comments will be appreciated)

Thanks in advance - Steve

[AndyA6]

You won't have a problem at all with any of these trailers. Just drive with a little more "sense", i.e. you're pulling a trailer! Make sure the trailer lights work.....

The Cayenne is an awesome tow vehicle!

We pull our boat (4,500 lbs plus trailer weight) on a regular basis, sometimes we even forget somethings hangs back there!

Later,

Andy

I have a 2004 CTT with about 60K miles on it and am about to make a trip from NYC to Miami in early October. i will need to rent a trailer from U-Haul in order to carry all of the family items down for the winter. I was looking for some advice about driving characteristics with the different size trailers along with any practical advice (I have never towed a trailer before).

There are three sizes of trailers that I am looking at

6' x 12' cargo trailer

5' x 10' cargo trailer

5' x 8' cargo trailer

Below is a link from the U-Haul site that describes the trailers as well as pictures of each model:

http://www.uhaul.com/Reservations/EquipmentDetail.aspx?model=AV

Questions:

1. Is there much difference in the driving characteristics between the three trailers
2. Assuming that the road is wide open, what would you recommend as a maximum speed
3. Will I need any mirror extensions with these trailers
4. Any other practical advice (even smart-*** comments will be appreciated)

Thanks in advance - Steve

[slaskowski]

Andy - Thanks for the information. Looks like this trip will take a bit longer than by previous trips sans trailer.

Best - Steve

[ManMN]

Always remember that you have a heavy trailer in the back when you brake and keep a safe distance especially down hill. Don't forget to practice backing up with trailer (you have to steer your wheel in reverse direction to get the trailer where you want). Hope I didn't offended you but no one told me when I tow my first boat. It was a hard task until I got use to it!

ManN

[odix]

Also, the recommendation is to shift gears yourself -- steering wheel or the gear selector, not left in auto. (You can read this in the manual.) And don't short-shift as you may strain your engine. Be sure to engine brake via your gear selection so you don't rely solely on brakes.

It's basically all common sense -- be aware and alert (descending, cross winds, when in reverse, and if up steep hills be sure you're in the proper-gear/power-band so you don't lug/strain you engine.

And it's key you load the trailer properly -- no unbalanced fore/aft, left/right loads and also secure everything inside the trailer so no shifting occurs under hard baking, acceleration, cornering, etc. Also be sure your tire inflation is proper both Cayenne and trailer.

For mirrors, you should be OK, but once the trailer is on be sure you can see what you expect to see. If not, there are some solutions -- temporary mirror extenders, etc. Be sure you thoroughly inspect the trailer before you drive off with it. You want to be sure it's been maintained, the tires are OK, lights work, etc. Sometimes trailers are returned and then rented out too quickly to be serviced/maintained.

Have a fun and safe trip. Like folks have said, Cayenne's are solid tow vehicles.

Edited October 4, 2010 by odix

[AndyA6]

All of the above!

I almost always shift "by hand" when pulling our boat, espcially in the mountains! Brakes are awesome but I'd test the trailer brakes before going anywhere!! Makes a HUGE difference! Another note,we never ever experienced the dreaded pendulum / trailer going left/right.

Report back when done!

Later,

Andy

[slaskowski]

Thanks for everyone above with the towing tips. Ended up renting a 6' by12' trailer from uHaul in NYC. Below is a summary of the trip

• Made the trip from NYC to Miami in 22 hours. Average speed was 65 mph, average MPG was 9.8. The poor mileage was also due with having two bikes up on the roof as well as a Thule hard over container.
• The CTT was a champion. They only problem I had was looking in the rear view mirror and seeing a uHaul tailgating me for the entire trip :)
• Got a speeding ticket at 4:00 AM in the morning in South Caroling on I95 going 86 in a 70. 86 was probably the fastest I was going the entire trip and it happened to be when a South Carolina State Trooper was hitting me with instant on radar (I forget what band it was). The Valentine lit up when I was about 100 yards away from him sitting hidden in the median.
• the uhaul experience was actually much better than I anticipated. They were very friendly and had decent automation at the two locations that I visited. The trailer was in good shape and the guys were super helpful putting on the trailer (as well as helping ot diagnose a wiring issue)

Edited November 1, 2010 by slaskowski

[AndyA6]

Thanks for everyone above with the towing tips. Ended up renting a 6' by12' trailer from uHaul in NYC. Below is a summary of the trip

• Made the trip from NYC to Miami in 22 hours. Average speed was 65 mph, average MPG was 9.8. The poor mileage was also due with having two bikes up on the roof as well as a Thule hard over container.
• The CTT was a champion. They only problem I had was looking in the rear view mirror and seeing a uHaul tailgating me for the entire trip :)
• Got a speeding ticket at 4:00 AM in the morning in South Caroling on I95 going 86 in a 70. 86 was probably the fastest I was going the entire trip and it happened to be when a South Carolina State Trooper was hitting me with instant on radar (I forget what band it was). The Valentine lit up when I was about 100 yards away from him sitting hidden in the median.
• the uhaul experience was actually much better than I anticipated. They were very friendly and had decent automation at the two locations that I visited. The trailer was in good shape and the guys were super helpful putting on the trailer (as well as helping ot diagnose a wiring issue)

Glad that workedout and it sounds that was one of those money making tickets.....

Andy

[rizzo]

• Got a speeding ticket at 4:00 AM in the morning in South Caroling on I95 going 86 in a 70. 86 was probably the fastest I was going the entire trip and it happened to be when a South Carolina State Trooper was hitting me with instant on radar (I forget what band it was). The Valentine lit up when I was about 100 yards away from him sitting hidden in the median.

I hope SC is not one of the surcharge states... Look into that before you pay it. I got a bill from Ohio for 1600.00 after I paid a speeding ticket in Columbus. Their angle is, "you admitted guilt by paying the ticket so now you owe us (the state) for speeding on our roads"

Glad the towing experience worked out.