My experience towing with 2008 A6
#1
11-20-2012, 01:52 AM
My experience towing with 2008 A6
Hey all, I browsed this site extensively researching my car's abilities (along with consulting dealership and asking others that have towed) before I used my A6 to tow. I want to share my experience for anyone needing further input.
When deciding how to best move from Atlanta to Los Angeles, and being a lover of the road, I decided to use my 2008 A6 3.2 Quattro to tow. I called the dealership and asked what they recommended as my max tow weight. 2000lbs was their response. I decided to keep things consolidated and used uHaul to install my hitch and rent a trailer from. The hitch used a Curt assembly and I pulled a 5' x 8' trailer.
The max weight you can load the trailer with is 1100lbs. I honestly think I put about 1300lbs in it. I had a spreadsheet with the weight of every box. It felt like I could get away with the extra weight. I packed the thing full, but evenly distributed as per loading instructions. In the car I had probably another 500lbs (including driver). So my total moving weight was about 7000lbs. 4000 car + 500 cargo + 2500 trailer. A lot.
Before I took the trip I put 4 new tires on the car, and had it aligned. They were needed anyway. I had the 45k service by Audi, and asked them to inspect the brakes. They had about 40% life left.
My route from Atlanta was the lower I-20/I-10 route. Wanted to avoid the mountains in upper N Mexico/AZ. I left in the evening on Friday and arrived on Monday. Slept in the car because I didn't want to leave the trailer unattended. I set my speed warning at 70, and drove mostly around 60mph. The drive was great. I was nervous the first 200 miles, and it seemed like the tires, cargo, and car all needed to settle into eachother. Once I got past Alabama the ride was great. I ran into a pretty tough rain storm with a lot of terrible drivers in Texas so I spent a lot of time off the road waiting to drive in off peak hours.
Overall, the car handled it like I champ. I think I was at the very top of what is "safe" for this vehicle. Any more weight, or even another person in the car would've asked too much. You definitely want to have your trunk filled as it cuts down on a lot of noise the trailer sends back to the front. I didn't have any extension on the mirrors, and was able to see enough. Sirius radio is a huge plus! Also, I used the iOS Maps app on my iphone for Nav. Didn't really need it anyway.
I've been in LA for 2 months and my car hasn't shown any signs of wear from the trip. Although the suspension breathed a huge sigh of relief when the trailer was unloaded! All my fluid levels are normal. I can say that the trip was a success and my lady handled it very well! Hopefully this will give some insight to anyone else also planning a similar trip. Such a great vehicle.
When deciding how to best move from Atlanta to Los Angeles, and being a lover of the road, I decided to use my 2008 A6 3.2 Quattro to tow. I called the dealership and asked what they recommended as my max tow weight. 2000lbs was their response. I decided to keep things consolidated and used uHaul to install my hitch and rent a trailer from. The hitch used a Curt assembly and I pulled a 5' x 8' trailer.
The max weight you can load the trailer with is 1100lbs. I honestly think I put about 1300lbs in it. I had a spreadsheet with the weight of every box. It felt like I could get away with the extra weight. I packed the thing full, but evenly distributed as per loading instructions. In the car I had probably another 500lbs (including driver). So my total moving weight was about 7000lbs. 4000 car + 500 cargo + 2500 trailer. A lot.
Before I took the trip I put 4 new tires on the car, and had it aligned. They were needed anyway. I had the 45k service by Audi, and asked them to inspect the brakes. They had about 40% life left.
My route from Atlanta was the lower I-20/I-10 route. Wanted to avoid the mountains in upper N Mexico/AZ. I left in the evening on Friday and arrived on Monday. Slept in the car because I didn't want to leave the trailer unattended. I set my speed warning at 70, and drove mostly around 60mph. The drive was great. I was nervous the first 200 miles, and it seemed like the tires, cargo, and car all needed to settle into eachother. Once I got past Alabama the ride was great. I ran into a pretty tough rain storm with a lot of terrible drivers in Texas so I spent a lot of time off the road waiting to drive in off peak hours.
Overall, the car handled it like I champ. I think I was at the very top of what is "safe" for this vehicle. Any more weight, or even another person in the car would've asked too much. You definitely want to have your trunk filled as it cuts down on a lot of noise the trailer sends back to the front. I didn't have any extension on the mirrors, and was able to see enough. Sirius radio is a huge plus! Also, I used the iOS Maps app on my iphone for Nav. Didn't really need it anyway.
I've been in LA for 2 months and my car hasn't shown any signs of wear from the trip. Although the suspension breathed a huge sigh of relief when the trailer was unloaded! All my fluid levels are normal. I can say that the trip was a success and my lady handled it very well! Hopefully this will give some insight to anyone else also planning a similar trip. Such a great vehicle.
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