What TT for a car enthusiast?

I think that few would argue that there are better options than a regular car for a TV. But the point is, in many cases you can indeed tow an RV with a properly equipped automobile towing package.

You certainly have limits of weight and size and can run into a host of other “potential” difficulties, but if you are willing to put up with the limitations and just cannot see yourself in a Pick-up or Suburban; then do the math and figure out what your dream vehicle will tow.

As I mentioned most RVer place the emphasis on the TT and buy the TV to do the job. If your emphasis is getting a PUP or small TT to your destination in a spiffy manor, many folks simply will not understand your priorities. But, RVing is a big tent and there is nothing wrong with enjoying the ride more than the stay.

Buy a small motorhome and tow the bmw

Please do not try to tow with your 135i. I owned a 135i before my current Tundra/TT set up... If you love your car and fiancée, do not tow with the 135i. Discretion is the better part of valor. Rent a class C for the weekend and do outdoorsy things. Hit the track with the bimmer the next weekend.

ChiTrailer writes "Thank you for the breakdown of the BMW North America's posted weight limits.

I'm sorry that my post offended you. I joined this forum in good faith and the last thing on my mind was to troll anyone. I freely admit that I know little to nothing about towing. I do read magazines, blogs and watch some Top Gear and YouTube clips but mainly about sportier cars. Towing capacity isn't something that comes up. I understand from reading posts in this forum before I joined that towing is a controversial subject and that people in this forum and around the world have different ideas about what makes a suitable tow vehicle. In all modesty I would suggest that not all those asking questions or with different ideas than one's own are necessarily acting in bad faith. "

No "offense" taken.

The truth of the matter is there are often dozens of posts a week with someone wanting to tow a hard sided trailer with a vehicle that is clearly and plainly never designed or intended for this type of driving.

It is very controversial, you would have to do a search for posts in the on link posted on this thread.. Some folks just post to stir up the controversy over and over.

Just because a vehicle has been designed "sporty" or even a hard core asphalt eating racing car it does not mean that vehicle will make a good "towing" car.

Sure your BMW can probably do 150 MPH and has a very quick 1/4 mile and can stick some pretty sweet hard cornering.. Those "qualities" do not normally make for good "towing" cars.

In fact I think you would be rather disappointed in the dismal performance in speed, 1/4 mile and even cornering once you tie 2,000 lbs of weight behind it.

There is a saying, use the RIGHT "TOOLS" for the job and the job will go much better..

A small "sporty" car is not going to be the right "tool" if you really think about it..

Sporty is designed to go fast (RVs tend to not go fast, real easy way to lose control of your rig).

RVs tend to start off slow from a stop (sporty is designed to launch fast from a stop).

RVs tend to have slow cornering (Sporty is designed for nimble high speed cornering), in fact trying to high speed corner a RV will most likely roll and flip or at a min jack knife the whole rig..

The two worlds ARE different and this is where you find the correct tool for the job..

My suggestion would be to buy a used vehicle designed for towing and leave the sporty for daily driving.

There are folks that are towing with small cars but they tend to spend money modifying the vehicles with suspension upgrades, cooling upgrades and even transmission upgrades.. When you are done, you have put boat loads of money into a car and will still reduce the overall life of the car..

It is your car and your money.. You are welcome to do whatever you want to do with it.. But if was mine I would think twice about it..

I'd suggest to rethink the whole concept. If you're a "car enthusiast", I'd assume you love your Bimmer and take good care of it. The fella' I bought my 530 from cried when I drove him home after the title transfer. Evidently, the fact that he had ordered a new 330 and had a Z-4 parked, didn't overcome the pain of separation.

The issues with using the small coupe as a tow vehicle is somewhat about the weight handling but also about how it might impact the vehicle. Sure, you'll be able to move a smallish trailer with the 135 but if it has the usual fully floating rear axles and standard alignment, I would bet that extensive towing is going to create problems in the rear suspension. The other usual wear areas like transmission, drive train, and engine may fair well or may not. IMO, there's too much risk involved with using the 135 as a tow vehicle. If you enjoy driving better luxury or sports cars, I'd suggest to rent a small SUV like a Porsche Cayenne, Volkswagen Touareg, BMW X, or the Mercedes M/GL class for your trailer towing adventures and leave the 135 at home, ready to be the "ultimate" at another time.

Issue #1: the hitch attachment must be strong enough to not tear out the steel underside where it bolts onto the car. Otherwise you risk detachment, possibly at highway speed, with potentially deadly results.

Issue #2: the engine may have plenty of power, but will the transmission stay cool enough under towing load or will it overheat and become ruined?

If you deal with those issues (possibly a custom fabricated hitch receiver and extra tranny cooler), towing a small trailer of 1000 or 2000 lbs should be ok. Trailer brakes are advisable for anything over 1000 lbs. Folding trailers or molded fiberglass 'egg' trailers will have the lowest wind resistance, which translates to lower strain on the drive train, hitch, and everything.

There are motorcycle trailers which are lightweight, open easily into a spacious tented area, and often have self-deploying tent supports for quick, convenient setup. Storage exists beneath a tiltable bed platform.

Aliner and Chalet have built some small, lightweight hard-sided folders. The Scout is about 1000 lbs dry weight, and the Alite (used market only) is even lighter.

The Scamp 13 is a possibility if you cover the issues noted above. Back in the '80s I towed a similar 'egg' trailer from Michigan to Colorado Springs and back, with a '84 Dodge Omni 2.2L 4-cyl, 5-speed manual. It didn't hurt the car, but it certainly was slow going... 50 mph was about top speed unless there was a good downhill run. Not sayin' I would do it again today, though!

A few years ago a had a Mercury Grand Marque. It was one step short of an ore barge.

I would not have thought twice about hauling a small TT.

I am sure my F-150 is a better match but that Mercury was a great ride.

With our first trailer we were pretty okay in both capacity and tongue weight. When I was ready to change the tow vehicle (TV) I had a wake up experience, at that time, around 1995 smaller TVs listed not only maximum weights of tows but maximum frontal area. This was pretty interesting in that our heavier ski boat could be towed by many of these little trucks but not our lighter camping trailer. If you can find max frontal area for your TV your pursuit will become much easier.
I advocate equalizer hitches even for light trailers. They help dampen harmonics often found with short axle spacing when on rough roads with poor expansion joints. You do not need to transfer much load to the hitch just enough to provide some transference to the steering axle. no charge for value delivered, probably a good equivalence.

Gdetrailer wrote:

rbpru wrote:
While most folks match the TV to the anticipated load. There is no reason a person cannot match their TT to their favorite vehicle.

Heck, my niece had a small PUP for her motorcycle.

Yeah I have seen those motor cycle popups.. Looks like a lot of origami, thats for sure..

But the first post of the OP states BMW135 no year, 2K towing capacity AND fiancee.

That really isn't much to go on but I did find THIS BMW towing chart.

From 2008-2009 (the only years a 135 is listed on this chart)the BMW 135 DOES NOT HAVE A "Tow Rating" if you look at the link there is a - listed in the tow rating column.

From 2008-2009 a BMW 135 has only 882 lbs of PAYLOAD available

Curb weight is 3373 lbs

GVWR is 4255 lbs

No rating for GAWR..

No rating for GCWR (Gross COMBINED Weight Rating) (IE Vehicle AND trailer).

That payload listed DOES NOT INCLUDE DRIVER OR FULL TANK OF GAS.

That means they would HAVE TO SUBTRACT DRIVER, PASSENGER AND FUEL FROM THE GIVEN PAYLOAD NUMBER.

So for kicks and grins say 300 lbs for driver and passenger, that means you have 582 lbs of payload.. But wait, that doesn't include fuel so lets assume say 12 gallon tank.. that would be 96 lbs from the payload.. That would give you 486 lbs of payload..

But wait, forgot the hitch (doubt it has one) so another 50 lbs needs deducted.. so now we have 436 lbs of payload left..

But wait.. No one ever goes without snacks/drinks and some personal items in the vehicle so there goes another 50 lbs of payload.. So now we have 386 lbs of payload..

That number would be the pretty much tippy top of a trailer LOADED at 2,000 lbs with a tongue weight of 15%.. with no real payload left over..

Since it isn't just the OP alone the trailer they would need to find IS going to have to be NO MORE than 1,000 lbs EMPTY.. Two people with food/drinks , camping gear and such can easily reach 600-800 lbs of weight.

Are there folks towing trailers with small cars, sure... but really how enjoyable can it be having to decide if you can take one or two potato chips for the entire trip?

IF the Op is really a "car enthusiast" they would REALLY know that their vehicle IS NOT worthy of towing any RV and their "post" is nothing more to stir the pot..

Thank you for the breakdown of the BMW North America's posted weight limits.

I'm sorry that my post offended you. I joined this forum in good faith and the last thing on my mind was to troll anyone. I freely admit that I know little to nothing about towing. I do read magazines, blogs and watch some Top Gear and YouTube clips but mainly about sportier cars. Towing capacity isn't something that comes up. I understand from reading posts in this forum before I joined that towing is a controversial subject and that people in this forum and around the world have different ideas about what makes a suitable tow vehicle. In all modesty I would suggest that not all those asking questions or with different ideas than one's own are necessarily acting in bad faith.

tatest wrote:
I recommend looking at LivinLite. Like a popup, they will be roomier than a sleep-only teardrop, but as tent trailers they do not carry the added weight of the popup's hard top and lift mechanism.

I think when you look at the actual weight of a 13 foot Scamp or Casita, you will be pushing the weight limit of 2000, considering tthat spec is likely tied to a frontal area limit and gets reduced for tows with higher profiles.

What they tow with what vehicles in Europe gets hard to relate to the way we use RVs here, as. we tend to try keeping up with the speed limits for cars not towing, while most EU countries have tiered speed limits, and cars pulling caravans are usually bottom tier, maybe as low as 80-90 KPH on the fastest highways, same as for the big trucks. Accordingly, they are balanced differently and aerodynamic loads, as they matter for power, cooling, and stability, are much lower.

I looked at their video of the LL assembly. Clever product but more work than I would like for a weekender. And is like something more sheltered. Thanks for the idea.

About a scamp 13. A non deluxe without the wood cabinets or shower/bath is about 1200 pounds dry. I think we if pack just sheets, towels and a few kitchen utensils we should be safely under 1500 pounds. I've read from some scamp owners that's a reasonable weight estimate when packed as I've described. The trailer will be just a weekender for is so I think we can pack pretty light.

Is 1500 pounds reasonable?