neu
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Joined Mar 28, 2023
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Audi Q5: WDH Installation and Experience
Hello everyone! A month ago, I posted several questions on this forum regarding issues with towing a trailer with my 2018 Audi Q5. I have finally figured everything out, and I want to thank everyone who helped me with this. I have learned a lot thanks to the advice from people on this forum. Here's the summary: Following Andry's advice from canamrv, I installed the WDH (Weight Distribution Hitch) myself, along with the EAZ-Lift 600 sway control bar, and this combination works flawlessly with my Q5. Andry also assured me that they have installed many WDH systems on similar vehicles. The manufacturer (Audi) covers themselves by stating that it cannot be used, but in practice, it doesn't cause any problems. The front axle only raised by 0.2-0.3 inches. The car drives perfectly as if I don't have a trailer, even in strong crosswinds and at high speeds. Considering my vehicle's short wheelbase, I was expecting worse performance. The only mistake I made was not raising the hitch ball by 1 inch. It seems that my parking spot has some slopes, and the measured level turned out to be lower in practice. It's too late to change anything now because I airlocked all the bolts on the WDH. However, since the trailer is single-axle, I don't see any issues with this slight forward tilt. I also weighed my trailer, and it came out to be 2615 lb, with a tongue weight of 435 lb. It's not ideal. I plan to replace my current battery with a lightweight lithium-ion battery to fall within the 15% range. However, even with this slight imbalance, I didn't notice any impact on the ride quality. In the previous thread, many people noticed that the OEM Audi hitch receiver specification contradicts the Audi manual, as it only specifies its use with a WDH. I reached out to the dealer for clarification, and after a month and a half, we received a response from Germany. There was indeed a typo on the label, and WDH was not intended, with the values printed in the wrong line of the table. Audi will now issue a recall for this sticker thanks to the vigilance of users on this forum. There is no information available on the internet about using a WDH with an Audi Q5 in my model range, so I hope this message helps someone. PS: Install it at your own risk! Audi officially prohibits the use of Weight Distribution Hitch with these models.1.3KViews0likes2CommentsRe: How critical is it to have a perfectly level trailer?
Grit dog wrote: And once you establish that you can’t use a wdh and don’t have auto level/air ride, you’re probably not going to like how 450lbs on the hitch and a trunk full of “stuff” handles. And neither will your car. And if I’m wrong you’ll never know until you spend a bunch more money and do some irreversible major mods to the car or trailer. Combined again with your obvious anxiety over towing it in the first place. And They don’t make simple suspension enhancements for your car, like a cheap set of airbags or helper springs ( no wdh allowed, remember). Closest thing I found was an airlift kit for Q5 for $3k (so $4k for you plus a couple grand mechanic bill). You’re at the dealbreaker stage here. Period. Before you take offense to any of this, I understand vehicles, trailers, mechanics, towing etc. Been doing it for 35 years as everything from a laborer to mechanic/fabricator to engineer to being responsible for 100s of people who tow “stuff.” I could plasma the old hitch off and weld a new one on and have the first coat of paint dry by this afternoon, but if I was in your shoes I’d not even consider it and step back and analyze which thing I wanted to keep and which one I wanted to switch out to make a compatible combination. Hello, thank you for sharing your experience, I agree I've already decided that I'm not going to make any upgrades to my car and trailer. I'll get confirmation from the dealer that the car can be used without a WDH and then most likely use a hitch without a lift. I'll measure the clearance, trailer angle, and tongue weight today and base my decision on that data. I'll definitely post it here. If it doesn't work out, I'll reluctantly sell the trailer. Unfortunately, I can't find any other trailers with a low tongue height that would fit my car. Only very expensive, rare models, but for that price, I could buy another Audi as an addition.1.2KViews0likes0CommentsRe: How critical is it to have a perfectly level trailer?
Here's what is written in my car user manual. You cannot install a weight distribution hitch. At the same time, the hitch itself only specifies towing specifications with weight distribution. Nonsense. I gonna visit the dealership tomorrow to clarify this1.3KViews0likes0CommentsRe: How critical is it to have a perfectly level trailer?
Durb wrote: Reisender wrote: valhalla360 wrote: Durb wrote: You could take your trailer to a welder and have him remove the coupler, then weld another coupler to the underside of the frame. It looks like you would pick up 5-6 inches. I believe this is a unibody vehicle...ie: there is no frame to weld to. He might be talking about the trailer side. Not sure. Yes, that is why I wrote to take the trailer in. Many trailers (generally heavier) have the front "A" section welded to the underside of the trailer's main frame. There are couplers on Amazon perfectly suited to be welded to the underside of your frame moving the hitch ball height down a number of inches. Problem solved; trailer tows level. Much simpler than trying to work on the SUV side of the equation. Could you please send me the link for what you mean?1.2KViews0likes0CommentsRe: How critical is it to have a perfectly level trailer?
I will go to the dealer tomorrow and ask about the table. To be honest, I got the impression that they don't know anything at all. I had to explain to them what a brake controller is, and they were surprised that I was the first one to order this option. I came across a post about about an Audi Q5 owner who upgraded their stock hitch. They also use a weight distribution hitch, and after the modifications, they were able to tow 6,000 lbs with a tongue weight of around 1,000 lbs. I will attach photos of their modification. What are your thoughts, guys, on this matter? Here's what they wrote: "Our hitch receiver is the Audi OE receiver with the integrated Audi 7 pin wiring. We also added a Redarc Tow Pro brake controller and had the factory hitch receiver reinforced considerably. Due to European regulations, the hitch receiver is not likely rated for Weight Distribution applications BUT with the additional reinforcing I am more than comfortable using this hitch receiver to tow my 28 foot AS trailer. I use an EAZ-Lift WD Hitch with 1000Lb bars and 2 Husky Sway Control bars. Properly set up this system works great."1.2KViews0likes0CommentsRe: How critical is it to have a perfectly level trailer?
valhalla360 wrote: neu wrote: Aaah, now I understand. The maximum lifting height here is 1/2 inch. What am I supposed to do now? Can I drive with the trailer lowered down? As far as I understand, with a single-axle trailer, I can tow it with the tongue tilted forward. I just need to remember about the tongue weight and the clearance. What do you mean by capacity for weight? Sorry, I didn't get it. It shows the tongue weight and the max trailer weight The top two rows of the table appear to be the max towing and tongue weight if you use a WDH (weight distributing hitch). The bottom two rows are if you are using a weight carrying hitch (which is what you show in your first post on the thread). It's odd that there is no rating shown for weight carrying. Typically it will be lower (often much lower) but I would typically expect some rating. Hence the suggestion to get confirmation from Audi. As far as how level the trailer is, that's a separate consideration. But if the table on the hitch is correct, Audi doesn't want you towing any trailer without a WDH regardless of how big the trailer is or how level it is (again needs confirmation from Audi). Will it instantly rip the hitch off? Probably not but no guarantees. I think this is an error in the table's naming. Neither the Audi Q5 nor the Audi Q7 models support the installation of a weight distribution hitch. The data in the table coincides with what Audi writes when using a regular hitch: https://www.waltersaudi.com/blog/2017/december/21/can-the-2018-audi-q5-tow.htm#:~:text=But%20the%20Premium%20Plus%20and,Q5%20may%20just%20be%20it.367Views0likes0CommentsRe: How critical is it to have a perfectly level trailer?
valhalla360 wrote: neu wrote: Reisender wrote: Hi Neu. I am not a fan of packing heavy objects at the rear of the trailer to offset hitch weight. Instead just consider getting them over or slightly behind the axle. Packing heavy items at the very rear of the trailer can introduce a pendulum effect which can cause a sway situation. Check your manual to see if Audi has a maximum height on how much the ball can be above the mount. I know some manufacturers do including tesla. Even swapping out the lead acid 12 volt for a lithium battery can help the situation. Is your Audi a Plug in hybrid or full electric? Happy camping Neu. Thank you for the tip! And if I place a heavy object in the back of the trailer to reduce the tongue weight to an acceptable level, is that a good idea or still a bad one? I have a gasoline engine, not a hybrid, 2.0T with 252 hp and 370Nm of torque in stock. Thanks for the tip on the lithium battery. My battery is actually on its last legs, so I have more than one reason to consider replacing it with a lithium one. I don't have the user manual at hand, but I have a photo of the sticker on the hitch itself. It seems that the maximum height is 6 1/4. However, I'm not sure what they meant by 1/2. The diagram is confusing to me. Could you help clarify? If I'm reading the table correctly, they require a wdh and the base of the ball within a half inch of the top of the receiver opening. It's odd that they don't show any capacity for weight carrying (the way you are currently set up). Probably need to go down to the audi dealer and get them to confirm. Ask for it in writing or they may just tell you it's fine without confirming to make you go away. Aaah, now I understand. The maximum lifting height here is 1/2 inch. What am I supposed to do now? Can I drive with the trailer lowered down? As far as I understand, with a single-axle trailer, I can tow it with the tongue tilted forward. I just need to remember about the tongue weight and the clearance. What do you mean by capacity for weight? Sorry, I didn't get it. It shows the tongue weight and the max trailer weight367Views0likes0CommentsRe: How critical is it to have a perfectly level trailer?
Durb wrote: It looks as though you are measuring tongue weight at the jack. Keep in mind the shank and hitch ball are resting in your receiver and their weight needs to be calculated in, probably using up your 35 pound margin. Moving heavy items to the rear of your trailer to offset your tongue weight is problematic, especially with a single axle trailer. This practice will maintain your net tongue weight, but will also reduce your percent of weight on the tongue. This percentage number (12% - 15%) is critical in keeping sway under control. Theoretically, you could reduce your tongue weight to zero by selective loading. Not good, you would be all over the road. Actually, I just didn't remove the weights after weighing, sorry for the confusing photo. Yes, I definitely plan to stay within the 12-15% range for tongue weight, the question is whether I can put something in the back to even out the values within this range.372Views0likes0CommentsRe: How critical is it to have a perfectly level trailer?
Reisender wrote: Hi Neu. I am not a fan of packing heavy objects at the rear of the trailer to offset hitch weight. Instead just consider getting them over or slightly behind the axle. Packing heavy items at the very rear of the trailer can introduce a pendulum effect which can cause a sway situation. Check your manual to see if Audi has a maximum height on how much the ball can be above the mount. I know some manufacturers do including tesla. Even swapping out the lead acid 12 volt for a lithium battery can help the situation. Is your Audi a Plug in hybrid or full electric? Happy camping Neu. Thank you for the tip! And if I place a heavy object in the back of the trailer to reduce the tongue weight to an acceptable level, is that a good idea or still a bad one? I have a gasoline engine, not a hybrid, 2.0T with 252 hp and 370Nm of torque in stock. Thanks for the tip on the lithium battery. My battery is actually on its last legs, so I have more than one reason to consider replacing it with a lithium one. I don't have the user manual at hand, but I have a photo of the sticker on the hitch itself. It seems that the maximum height is 6 1/4. However, I'm not sure what they meant by 1/2. The diagram is confusing to me. Could you help clarify? UPD: Aaah, now I understand. The maximum lifting height here is 1/2 inch. What am I supposed to do now? Can I drive with the trailer lowered down? As far as I understand, with a single-axle trailer, I can tow it with the tongue tilted forward. I just need to remember about the tongue weight and the clearance.306Views0likes0Comments
