UK Opponauts (Or Anyone) I Need Your Help

"Tom McParland" (tommcparland)
01/21/2015 at 09:11 • Filed to: Towlopnik, f31, BMW, wagon

I have a customer who would like to buy an F31 328 wagon. He also wants to tow a small trailer. This is what he says: "Trailer weighs about 1200# w/ tongue weight under 200#." I am assuming 200# means 200 lbs." He wants to know if this is possible with the F31 and if it could cause any transmission or other issues. I figure since the UK folks tow caravans with pretty much anything they could give me some info. BMW USA has no info on towing capacity for the wagon.

Thanks.

DISCUSSION (12)

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Tom McParland
01/21/2015 at 09:17

HammerheadFistpunch had a truly excellent article on towing capacities last year that covers a lot of the differences between EU and US towing conventions - a lot of it has to do with stability at speed and the like more so than the ability of the vehicle to pull. I would say regardless that with my 400k mile Benz E-class with a dead turbo, I've towed 1200lb without much issue other than lack of power. Here's something to keep in mind: most midsize vehicles have 900lb or so in capacity over curb weight, and if you deduct 300lb for various fluids, fuel, and a driver, you're still looking at 600lb. Actively carrying 600lb is not really any easier than towing 1200lb, so I'd be quite surprised if there were issues.

Leon711 > Tom McParland
01/21/2015 at 09:21

http://carleasingmadesimple.com/business-car-l…

745kg or 1639lbs

heliochrome85 > Tom McParland
01/21/2015 at 09:23

There are numerous owners who have installed tow bars on their F3x BMWs. I suspect it is similar to the fully loaded weight.

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthr…

. . > Tom McParland
01/21/2015 at 09:26

According to the Polish BMW catalogue the 328i Touring can tow 745kg of unbraked trailer; 1600kg of braked trailer at a maximum grade of 12% or 1800kg of braked trailer at maximum grades of 8%. Maximum towbar load is 75kg. Figures are the same for the RWD and xDrive models.

E92M3 > Tom McParland
01/21/2015 at 09:29

As you pointed out in Europe they tow caravans with vechicles that have much less power, and much less braking ability. There's a huge safety margin built into US tow ratings. As long as you use some common sense (leave plenty of room between the cars in fron of you, don't go 80mph in the fast lane, and avoid hillly terrain) you can tow quite a bit more than the suggested US ratings

Mikeado > Tom McParland
01/21/2015 at 09:34

Edit: re-read, nvm

jariten1781 > Tom McParland
01/21/2015 at 09:42

Have him check with his insurance. I've heard tale of them denying claims for people towing on vehicles not tow rated in the US (even if they are rated in Euroland). The mechanicals should be fine though.

Tom McParland > Leon711
01/21/2015 at 09:44

Thanks!

davedave1111 > Tom McParland
01/21/2015 at 10:15

http://www.uktow.com/towing%20capac…

It should have the info for any Euro-spec model, but it also has this important note:

The following was submitted to CLIC by Ian Willis in answer to an inquiry about the 85% beginners towing rule. It was generally thought within CLIC, that Ian's words helped to clarify the situation as regards to towing in Great Britain. 85% (or even 100%) rules are not "rules" but guidelines which have no substance in law. They are designed to ensure that the outfit will be stable (all other factors being equal). Exceeding this figure, whilst not illegal in itself, COULD lead to prosecution if the driver was stopped because of (say) instability or after an accident as there is a requirement on the driver to ensure the safety of his vehicle in the Construction and Use Regulations. Usually a manufacturer will quote a tow weight which is far greater than the mass of the vehicle. Generally this is based on the total train weight (car + caravan) which can be started on a 12% gradient. Where this weight (or any other e.g. nose weight) is given as lower by the manufacturer the user ignores it at his peril. Insurance could well be void after an accident - worse, the illegal combination could cause the accident if the vehicle is unable to handle it.

Euro towing rules list the maximum possible, not a this-is-always-safe limit. It's possible to be within the limit and still have an unsafe setup.

I think the BMW would be far enough inside the limit for it not to be a problem, but if you really want to be sure, ask on one of the caravan forums - they have endless experience with this kind of thing in practice.

vc-10 > Tom McParland
01/21/2015 at 13:39

It's worth pointing out that here in the UK we have differing laws regarding trailers. Cars towing caravans etc have a lower speed limit of 60 mph, and therefore the vehicles aren't required to be able to cope with such heavy trailers are higher speeds. I think there was an article on Jalopnik a while back about this.

BMW-Uter > Tom McParland
01/23/2015 at 19:06

These guys make a hitch for the E9x

You can email him at daryl@invisihitch.com

WayDude > Tom McParland
01/24/2015 at 16:54

well, I used my 1989 Jetta GLI to tow a trailer with three dirtbikes around, so i say no problem.