Towing with a 2018 BMW X5...help please!

[cjclay15]

Hey ya'll! My name is Cinnamon and while I am not new to RVing (thank you Grampa, Uncle Irwin, and Uncle Jerry ❤️ ) I am new to living in one. I'll be calling a RV home for majority of the year since I am a travel nurse and it's easier to bring my house with me rather than find new housing at every location I go to. I have not yet purchased one but I am actively looking.

Before I can purchase my RV I need to add a towing package to my SUV. I have been doing my own research, but I have a question. Which trailer hitch package would be the best? One that is pre-wired or one that I need to buy my own wiring kit? Anyone with experience with a BMW and towing a trailer have any advice? I am pretty good with wiring and working with my hands, so ease of installation isn't really an issue.

[2112]

propchef wrote:

2112 wrote:
propchef - I'm pleased to see you are still active with this forum. I look forward to culinary discussions in the future

Thanks!

I found the CC I want. And on the culinary note I'm brainstorming a new class, "Camp Cooking for Two" I think it will make a popular 1/2 unit class.

sign me up 🙂

I recently retired. One of my retirement intentions is to enter a culinary associates degree program at our local community college. COVID pushed that back until next fall, at the earliest.

I have no intention in pursuing a culinary career. I'm more interested in the chemistry behind it.

[propchef]

2112 wrote:
propchef - I'm pleased to see you are still active with this forum. I look forward to culinary discussions in the future

Thanks!

I found the CC I want. And on the culinary note I'm brainstorming a new class, "Camp Cooking for Two" I think it will make a popular 1/2 unit class.

[2112]

propchef - I'm pleased to see you are still active with this forum. I look forward to culinary discussions in the future

[propchef]

Lightning55 wrote:
The BMW X5 is a great driving Sports utility, but I don't think is was designed as a good trailer towing vehicle. The suspension (front and rear) and brakes has it's limitations and will probably handle a small light weight trailer, but nothing very big. Like others have said, you need to do some homework and check it's towing and weight limitations.

It's every bit as capable as a 1/2 ton pickup, even more-so depending on the make. It's used quite a bit in Europe, far more than our pickups.

It's a Class III hitch so it's limited to 600 TW and 6k tow. With the diesel it pulls up to that (Porsche GT3 track car with extra wheels, tools, fuel and trailer) with no problems at all and 21 mpgs.

[Lightning55]

The BMW X5 is a great driving Sports utility, but I don't think is was designed as a good trailer towing vehicle. The suspension (front and rear) and brakes has it's limitations and will probably handle a small light weight trailer, but nothing very big. Like others have said, you need to do some homework and check it's towing and weight limitations.

[Grit_dog]

^You 2 do realize that the OP was a 1 post wonder from 4 months ago?

[SweetLou]

Go the Curt trailer site and pick one up

[propchef]

Bumping this.

Hopefully the OP has a good setup by now.

What isn't mentioned in this thread is the need for coding the ECU to tell the suspension that there's a trailer back there and it turns on the BMW anti-sway. Depending on the BMW model year, it also codes the trailer brake.

Here's the technical on the e70.

https://www.bimmerworld.com/BMW-71602156525-E70-X5-Trailer-Hitch-Installation-Instructions.pdf

[Grit_dog]

OP, I’d do some BMW specific research about the wiring for lights and trailer brakes.
Idk what provisions X5s have, but it’s not like the older vehicles where you can just scotch lock into the tail light wires and and tap the brake switch wire to activate brakes.
Newer vehicles electrical systems are more highly integrated and likely multiplexed wiring systems.
Unless someone with specific experience with your vehicle chimes in, this is a question for a dealer or expert, imo.
Hitch? Whatever bolts up with a 2” receiver and hitches are cheap so get the one with the most capacity.

[ShinerBock]

valhalla360 wrote:

ShinerBock wrote:
Much of the running out of payload before hitting tow capacity has to do with the vehicle class the X5 is in. Class one has a max GVWR of 6,000 lbs and since the the X5 is about 5,200 lbs, this leaves little left for the manufacturers rating. Overseas, the X5 has a higher payload because the Euro and UK vehicles classes have higher GVWR limits than the US.

I've seen a lot of mid-size SUVs practically dragging the rear bumper down the road pulling trailers. Nothing to do with the legal limits. They simply aren't sprung to handle heavy hitch loads well.

At least with the 1/2ton pickups, the rear suspensions are pretty simple to beef up if you want to push the limits but most of the SUVs don't have the simple leaf springs in the back anymore.

I am not referring to a lot of midsize SUV's. Not all SUV's are the same or have the same equipment.

I am only talking about the SUV in question, the BMW X5 which my wife used to own and used to tow our boat without sagging due to the air suspension which is standard on all X5's.

[valhalla360]

ShinerBock wrote:
Much of the running out of payload before hitting tow capacity has to do with the vehicle class the X5 is in. Class one has a max GVWR of 6,000 lbs and since the the X5 is about 5,200 lbs, this leaves little left for the manufacturers rating. Overseas, the X5 has a higher payload because the Euro and UK vehicles classes have higher GVWR limits than the US.

I've seen a lot of mid-size SUVs practically dragging the rear bumper down the road pulling trailers. Nothing to do with the legal limits. They simply aren't sprung to handle heavy hitch loads well.

At least with the 1/2ton pickups, the rear suspensions are pretty simple to beef up if you want to push the limits but most of the SUVs don't have the simple leaf springs in the back anymore.

[ShinerBock]

Much of the running out of payload before hitting tow capacity has to do with the vehicle class the X5 is in. Class one has a max GVWR of 6,000 lbs and since the the X5 is about 5,200 lbs, this leaves little left for the manufacturers rating. Overseas, the X5 has a higher payload because the Euro and UK vehicles classes have higher GVWR limits than the US.

However, this is really all a mute point since manufacturers payload rating is meaningless in the eyes of the law. It is the registered GVWR that matters.

[valhalla360]

What are you planning to tow?

A smaller trailer for weekending, it's certainly viable but full time people tend to load up. Good chance you run out of payload before you hit the "tow capacity".

[rexlion]

You could look at etrailer dot com and see what class-3 hitch receivers are available. I'd suggest a Draw Tite or Reese brand (I've had some issues with Curt receivers). They usually bolt into place, so that's not too complicated. If you're good with wiring, you can buy the 7-pin plug and wires to install yourself; personally I like to have my local trailer repair shop do it because they do them all the time and know where to run the wires.

Your BMW might have a wiring harness under the dash for plugging in a brake controller (my Lexus did). I like the Tekonsha Prodigy P3.

I'd suggest not going too long or too heavy with your trailer. If 20' or longer overall, you probably should use a weight distribution hitch with sway control (such as the Equal-i-zer), which adds some fuss when hooking and unhooking. I have towed 16'-17' trailers with mid-size SUVs for more than 100k miles without using a WD hitch or sway control device, but I always make sure to have at least 10% of trailer weight on the tongue which is crucial for avoiding dangerous, oscillating sway.

A Scamp or Casita might be worth looking at. They are only 6'8" wide and (IIRC) less than 90" height, plus they're more aero shaped, so you'd get an extra 3 or 4 mpg when towing one of those versus a typical boxy trailer.