Polo08816 wrote

No doubt! Let's re-hash this too while we're at it.

bono has posted videos (two?) of himself driving so slowly on US interstates that people have had to pass him in the right shoulder while there is a line of cars and a 18 wheeler trying to pass him in the left lane because he doesn't have enough tow vehicle to keep up with the flow of traffic on US interstates. He would have you believe that it's because of some towing speed limit in California, but he's logged 60,000 miles of towing and all of it is only in California?




Here are most of his videos and the common theme is that he just doesn't have enough of a stable tow vehicle to even keep up with 18 wheelers on the interstates:

bono wrote

Thanks for reposting my videos - it’s great PR for how calm and composed the X5 handles a 33’ trailer. If I were you, I would stop talking about towing before the embarrassment spreads any further.

Now, on your speed fetish: you have very limited towing experience, we established this already. However, if you would spent five minutes on actual RV forums, you would know that seasoned RVers consistently cite 60–65 mph as the sweet spot for towing, REGARDLESS of state. It’s not about flooring it in dad’s pickup; it’s about keeping things safe, stable, and fuel efficient. You know, the stuff real towers care about.

Your obsession with speed screams "teen who just got his license and wants to redline dad’s Corvette". Real towing isn’t Fast & Furious - it’s smooth, stable, and uneventful. Which, judging by your posts, is still a mystery to you.

Polo08816 wrote

Both tooloud10 and myself have both a half ton pickup AND a G05 X5, and our "lived experience" tells us that the F150 is more the more stable towing platform. We are in a position to provide a side by side comparison, you're not. You only own one of the two options that's being discussed. We own multiple BMWs and yet we're not nearly as delusional as bono to think that our G05 X5 tows better than our half ton pickup.

To that end, I also have a F25 X3 35i and it has a lower COG than my G05 X5, shorter rear overhang, adaptive suspension, and simply handles better than my G05 X5. Does that make my F25 X3 35i a better tow vehicle than my G05 X5?

Flocke wrote

Our present tow vehicle is a 2018 35d Msport with rear air suspension. It has approximately 130,000 miles on it and about half have been towing in the West. The trailer we tow is an Oliver Elite II, weighing aproximately 5,700 lbs. loaded and we use an Andersen WDH. We average almost 20 mpg towing and 35 mpg otherwise.

The 35d has been an outstanding tow vehicle for us! Power, braking, downhill engine braking and MPG have all been great but most of the emissions warranties ended at 120,000 miles and I just got a $1,600 estimate to replace the particulate sensor to “see if that is the only problem”.

It looks like it may be time to purchase our next tow vehicle, and we don’t want to miss out on the present X5’s styling, the idrive controller and the split tailgate. We also suspect the new G65 will again increase in size and that would force us to have to park on the street, which is not acceptable to us.

I value everyone’s opinion, but we are not interested in any other vehicles and we do clearly understands everyone’s opinions regarding the “appropriateness” of our present and future set-up.

Please keep the discussion centered around the specific question I am asking.

Thank you all in advance.

Andrew

bono wrote

Let me break it down real simple: neither you nor your buddy has towed anything close to the edge of the X5’s capability, let alone a full-size travel trailer. Meanwhile, I have done thousands of real miles with a 33’ camper and one finger on the wheel - and posted the videos. Not anecdotes. Evidence.

tooloud10 wrote

(...)
In a pinch they’d allow the sales reps to tow small loads with their F150s but I’d have been laughed out of the yard if I showed up with an X5.

Flocke wrote

Our present tow vehicle is a 2018 35d Msport with rear air suspension. It has approximately 130,000 miles on it and about half have been towing in the West. The trailer we tow is an Oliver Elite II, weighing aproximately 5,700 lbs. loaded and we use an Andersen WDH. We average almost 20 mpg towing and 35 mpg otherwise.

The 35d has been an outstanding tow vehicle for us! Power, braking, downhill engine braking and MPG have all been great but most of the emissions warranties ended at 120,000 miles and I just got a $1,600 estimate to replace the particulate sensor to “see if that is the only problem”.

It looks like it may be time to purchase our next tow vehicle, and we don’t want to miss out on the present X5’s styling, the idrive controller and the split tailgate. We also suspect the new G65 will again increase in size and that would force us to have to park on the street, which is not acceptable to us.

I value everyone’s opinion, but we are not interested in any other vehicles and we do clearly understands everyone’s opinions regarding the “appropriateness” of our present and future set-up.

Please keep the discussion centered around the specific question I am asking.

Thank you all in advance.

Andrew

bono wrote

What hitch setup are you using? The standard F15 hitch wasn’t designed for a WDH, so I am curious what configuration you have. Even though I think the 50e is the stronger option for mountain towing, with a trailer that light the 40i would be more than capable.

Also, just a note on air suspension - while it doesn’t redistribute weight between axles, I think it is nice to have for towing for keeping the back of the vehicle level.

Flocke wrote

I am also concerned about going from diesel to gas and the loss of engine compression holding us back going downhill. I don't know if the regenerative braking is a game changer for towing downhill?

I have had both the 40i and 50e as loaners and wasn't impressed by either in their ability to hold the vehicle back going downhill. Maybe I am missing something with how to get the most out of the regenerative braking on the 50e?

Flocke wrote

We have an unreinforced Curt receiver hitch, recommended by Andy Thomson at Can Am. We are also using the Andersen WDH and it moves about 150 - 180 lbs. forward to the front tires. With that set up and the rear axle air suspension, the handling and ride are very good.

I like the idea of the increased CCC of the 50e but I am not sure how the plug-in hybrid will help if I can't charge while traveling on multi-week, 4,000+ mile camping trips. It is my understanding the suspensions are the same between the two except for the 2-axle air. If that is the case, adding the 2 axle air suspension should increase the CCC significantly on the 40i.

I am also concerned about going from diesel to gas and the loss of engine compression holding us back going downhill. I don't know if the regenerative braking is a game changer for towing downhill?

I have had both the 40i and 50e as loaners and wasn't impressed by either in their ability to hold the vehicle back going downhill. Maybe I am missing something with how to get the most out of the regenerative braking on the 50e?

Flocke wrote

Bono,

Thanks! I was hoping you would respond. Based on our similar towing experiences and the fact you tow in the same areas we do, I value your opinion.

Do you have any insight on the addition of the 2-axle air suspension to the 40i and its impact to CCC? I would like to improve the "official" CCC if I can.

From what I understand the suspension of the 40i with the air and the suspension on the 50e are the same. If that is the case, then another reason to go with the 40i.

Thanks again,

Andrew

Halfdeaf wrote

So coming back from my excursion to The Coast I had the unfortunate situation of falling asleep at the wheel... Never happened to me before; scary sh*t.

Woke up to see us heading at an awkward angle down a long slope into the ditch in the median of a 4-lane hwy (cruise control on @ 64).

I could feel the momentum trying to tip over - gave it some gas to straighten out, and eventually got the rig back onto the highway where I heard a disconcerting grinding noise.

Got it over to the shoulder without hitting anybody (whew!) and stopped to find I had blown the right side tire on the trailer.

There is NO WAY I wouldn't have rolled over without the WDH. For that matter, I'm not sure my JGC would have made the save... Kudos to the X5!

As for all that extra stress on the chassis of the X5, so far I haven't noticed anything abnormal - drives true, no weird squeaks, moans or rattles...

Embarassing, but I'm really happy to be able to tell the tale!

bono wrote

Given how rare people get flat tire, full size spare tire is totally irrelevant. More important is that BMW is a great tow vehicle which you would enjoy every second while towing instead of towing with 100 years old design vehicles which handle poorly, but have full size spare.

mn_bmw wrote

Hello,

Has anyone attempted to install a DC to DC charger for an RV trailer? I have a 2026 X5 M60i and I know the battery is in the rear, so I'm thinking this might be easier than running cables to the engine bay like most cars\trucks.

My concern is in the complexity of the battery connections and the risk of damage to my alternator, battery, or other parts by not properly making the connection to the DC-DC charger.

Has anyone successfully done this and know which posts\connecting points I should use? I included pics of my battery for reference.

Thanks!

bono wrote

...At 390 lbs you are well under the 551 lb tongue rating...