Towing with BMW X3 of X5 |
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CharlieM
Senior Member Joined: 23 Nov 2012 Location: N. Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 1797 |
Topic: Towing with BMW X3 of X5 Posted: 23 May 2016 at 11:23am |
Sounds like you're moving in the right direction. The info from BMW is pure bunk. It may stop you, but you might be looking at the side of the trailer from your window. Most states require brakes, preferably electric, on any trailer of 1500# or more. I also think finding the correct wire is not a problem, but BMW has lots of lawyers. Hunter Kirk has it right. I'm glad the BMW guy gave you a straight answer and I hope he and the RPOD dealer can figure it out. The RF Prodigy should work fine.
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Charlie
Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
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Mountainrev
Senior Member Joined: 22 Jul 2014 Location: Eagle, Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 193 |
Posted: 23 May 2016 at 11:24am |
Sounds like you're taking a wise course of action. BMW is full of it. You absolutely do need a proportional brake controller. Otherwise, your trailer brakes will simply lock up every time you apply your tow vehicle's brakes. I can't believe they would make a statement like that.
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2014 177
2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Turbodiesel "I lift my eyes to the hills." |
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Mountainrev
Senior Member Joined: 22 Jul 2014 Location: Eagle, Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 193 |
Posted: 23 May 2016 at 11:27am |
CharlieM: Great minds think alike. We posted simultaneously, but our opening sentences are virtually identical!
I have read posts from people who have had enormous frustrations trying to wire brake controllers into modern European vehicles (e.g., Volvos, Audis, etc.). So RF might be the way to go in cases like this. |
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2014 177
2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Turbodiesel "I lift my eyes to the hills." |
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Jewel59
Groupie Joined: 19 May 2016 Online Status: Offline Posts: 70 |
Posted: 23 May 2016 at 12:01pm |
I would feel better with a brake controller. I can't wrap my head around not having one. I want to be safe, keep others safe and keep my precious show dogs I'm transporting (in my car) safe. So I won't likely get the Rpod until Wednesday now. Not sure if taking off on Thursday with it for a show this weekend is wise.
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CharlieM
Senior Member Joined: 23 Nov 2012 Location: N. Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 1797 |
Posted: 23 May 2016 at 12:56pm |
Smart Lady.
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Charlie
Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9059 |
Posted: 24 May 2016 at 8:29pm |
You absolutely need a brake controller, and I can't believe that after $1600-2000 to tune the car for towing that the price doesn't include an integrated controller. You can get one with trucks for much less - although I would stick with Prodigy even if I bought a truck with an integrated controller.
As for relying on the car to control sway, don't. It is effective short-term, but it does it by applying the TV's brakes in various configurations. So instead of knowing your pod is loaded and leveled correctly to prevent sway from the source (solving the problem), you end up wearing down your brakes to control the problem. You could even overheat the brakes and then you have a bigger problem.
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Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Jewel59
Groupie Joined: 19 May 2016 Online Status: Offline Posts: 70 |
Posted: 24 May 2016 at 9:39pm |
As far as sway control goes the sway is controlled by the BMWs Dynamic stability control system. It does control for sway of the trailer by adjusting output to the wheels/brakes of the car. This I believe is a very nice feature of the system.......and I sure hope I didn't buy a German engineered "Ultimate Driving Machine" for nothing. The X3 handles like a dream and I suspect some of that will transfer to its towing ability. I really enjoyed performance driving school in Greenville with my 35i z4. The handling ability of a BMW is like few other cars. The trailer stability control system ensures superior stability and safety when towing - and keeps your BMW and trailer steadily on course. With increasing speed, trailers tend to swing from side to side, and may even swing out of control. This is especially the case for heavier trailer loads or if the weight of the trailer load is not distributed evenly: even at relatively low speeds, a swaying motion can arise. This can destabilise both the trailer and the towing vehicle unless a stabilising measure quickly intervenes. The trailer stability control system integrated in DSC recognizes the early signs of this dangerous swinging motion. It activates the brakes immediately to slow the trailer down and return stability. It discerns this danger by constantly monitoring the rotation movement of the vehicle using special sensors. If these values exceed the safe limit, trailer stability control activates the brakes on all four wheels via the DS hydraulics. Simultaneously, the engine output is reduced. The resulting drop in speed brings the trailer back to stability. As soon as stability is restored, the driver is again in full control of the vehicle's speed. If the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system is deactivate, the trailer stability control feature is also deactivated. |
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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9059 |
Posted: 25 May 2016 at 9:32pm |
Yup, that is what I was referring to. Better to solve the sway...
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Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Jewel59
Groupie Joined: 19 May 2016 Online Status: Offline Posts: 70 |
Posted: 26 May 2016 at 9:36pm |
I have a bigger problem. I still don't have my r-pod. Couldn't get the trailer lights to light. My X3 is back at BMW. My weekend is blown. I even had a lamp out adapter that e-trailer suggested, this didn't work either. A bit frustrated right now. BMW doesn't know what is going on, they are in conversations with corporate. They installed a other new module, same problem. When the brake is depressed the computer goes nuts. Took two vacation days and paid and RV reservation to the show, both for nothing. The Rpod is super cute though, it's going to be perfect for my needs. I did the once over at the dealer. I was super excited until we found the lights not to work on my vehicle but they work on the test unit and another trailer with a 7-way. They were able to get the RF prodigy mounted and working though.
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Guests
Guest Group |
Posted: 27 May 2016 at 5:54am |
Hang in there! Though frustrating now, once everything gets sorted out, you'll enjoy it. |
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