Would You EVER tow With your 911???

[Gene Wilkes]

If you tow post some pics!

[defcon65]

I answered 'maybe' because I never say never. I would consider it if I found one of those cool little teardrop campers cheap. Tempest in a teapot but damn entertaining!

[Quicksilver]

A tempest in a teapot boiled up when someone asked about towing a motorcycle sometime ago. (you would think that it would cause cats and dogs to start sleeping together from the uproar it caused!)

Part way through the previous discussion (meleé) someone pointed out that Porsche lists towing weight recommendations. A little later someone (perhaps Grady) came up with a Porsche part number for a factory hitch on an SC.

I'm looking for one so I can haul tires and tailgating supplies to Auto-Xs.

[sbarton]

My car currently has a tow hitch and trailer to tow track tires and a bin full of tools. It has no problems towing it, although backing up is tricky with the short wheelbase trailer.

-Scott

[Dantilla]

Well, sometimes my 911 gets towed to the track. I suppose if my truck ever broke down, the thing to do is trade places. Put the 5000 lb truck on the 1500 lb flatbed, and drag them back home with the 2200lb car.

[Quicksilver]

So geez, I scroll down the front page and find a new thread already exploding on towing with the magically incapable 911!

Is this just being done so we can watch Charlie go?

[Grady Clay]

IslandmanPA

This seems to be a continuation of these two threads.

”911 as a tow vehicle??“
”Can my '81 911 tow a motorcycle and trailer“.

My answer is YES, but it depends.

Would I tow with my 2200# SWB or my 2000# 914-6 2.8S? Probably not.

Would I tow with a 911SC or Carrera? Probably so IF – and it
is a big if. The total trailer is light weight, it has appropriate
brakes, the hitch arrangement is suitable, the tongue load
within Porsche’s guideline (88±22#), and I was very careful.
There are some highway and driving situations where I
would not tow but many are reasonably suitable.

Quote from Jerry Kroger’s ”911 as a tow vehicle??“ thread.




Here Porsche specs a total maximum trailer weight of 1764#
with brakes. I would feel reasonably comfortable with half
that weight. I can see safely towing less than 800# total
(less than the non-brake spec of 1058#) with a motoX bike,
race kart or a set of tires, etc. to an event. Of course I would
also have the heaviest stuff in the 911’s front trunk.

The trailer/hitch/brakes set-up is not trivial, even for this
relatively small load. Neither is the caution necessary when
driving. I would use all the available stabilization techniques
appropriate for this size; equalizer bar(s), anti-sway dampers,
high visibility flags for the trailer, etc.

My normal towing is with a 9000# truck and a 5000# trailer
(36%), both well below their maximum ratings. I am still
exceedingly cautious.

ChrisPhotos03g


Here a light trailer is with my 1800# racer. The truck doesn’t
know it is back there but I do.

A 3100# 911 SC or Carrera and an 800# trailer (21%) is a more
conservative ratio. The images in these other threads showing
Porsches towing tire/equipment trailers are probably even more
conservative.

I can understand the legal reasons why Porsche quit specifying
towing specs but it doesn’t alter reality.

The real issue is you can’t drive a 911 towing a trailer like a
sports car! It has changed stripes and must be driven with
much greater leeway allowing for the unexpected.

Best,
Grady

[defcon65]

I googled 'teardrop trailers' and checked out some of the really DIYable plans - that's it, I'm gonna build one! I'd like it to look sorta like the 911, maybe I'll integrate a 911 decklid and grille into the rear hatch.
Oh, and it WILL have Fuchs.

How crazy am I? I hate being told it won't work.

Regards,

[snowtire]

I grabbed these photos a few years ago from an eBay listing for a 911 trailer hitch. My plan at the time was to fabricate one patterned after this one. I never did it, but it looks pretty reasonable to me. Europeans in general are much less bashful about towing stuff with little cars. I would do it.

[MattAlpha]

defcon65,

I want to see that trailer when you build it!

I do not ever plan on using my 911 as a tow vehicle.
I have a Grand Cherokee for that.
-Matt

[defcon65]

Matt, the plans are simple: 1/2" plywood sides and floor on a 2" tubeframe trailer, masonite roof over a ribbed frame like a model airplane, aluminum skinned with a door, window and roof vent. They sleep two (if this trailer's rockin...) The back hatch opens up to reveal a galley with a cookstove and cooler. Throw a simple awning on the side, it's RV heaven, baby! I wish I could find a way to emulate the compound curvature of the 911 rear end and fenders, these teardrops look like a canned ham. I will build one for less than $1000. Onto the research! Oh yeah, I gotta figure a way to hook it up to the 911 - but they're pretty much built to tow, how tough can it be?

Regards,

[Gene Wilkes]

If you ever want to see some wild tailers, go to an RV show! You WONT believe it!!! Something for EVERYONE!

[Gene Wilkes]

Found this pic on Panorama. Credit goes to : Gary Smith

I made this from a rusted 914 hulk and use it to go to the track . My future plans have a grill and ice bucket in the back trunk for tail gating.

Gary Smith (Roadrunner Region)

[hobieboy]

I used mine to tow a 4'x4' trailer that I used to transport track tires + tools.

[Noah930]

Island,
That is a SWEET trailer. Big style points, there. Charlie is normally on my ignore list (his lack of punctuation makes me dizzy), but I might have to actually read his reply to watch him go postal.

[roger zimmerman]

Interesting poll except you left off one choice so I voted for "would tow". Not only do I tow with my RSA but have for years. Works great! Also towed with my ex-924S and it did a great job also. We have numerous Porsche club members in Colorado who use tire trailers. All seem to be successful also with no "horror stories". Also have participated for years with the SCCA crowd and they are heavy users of tire trailers.Many of the SCCA guys own smaller/lighter/less powerful cars than ours with less tire and less brakes yet they are equally happy. I enjoy all of my driving time with my car even when I'm pulling the trailer. The biggest problem is not the capability of the car or fabrication of a hitch. It lies in the small wheel bearing on ALL of the tire trailers I have looked at from $$ Southwinds to Harbor Freight. All use a 1" bearing surrounded by 10/12" tires. I would "love" to find a bolt in axle with a larger bearing and a hub that I could run 13/14/15" wheels. Suggestions or comments?

[quattrorunner]

I voted no. But I can see others point. I mean look at the above photo. But would I do it? I would if I were desperate.

[Kraftwerk]

tires will fit on a roof rack as well, just don't bend yer gutters!

[Peter Bull]

A quick browse through the Porsche parts catalogue reveals this:

911.722.031.02 Trailer coupling complete
911.081.055.00 Roof rack set of main supports



If Porsche sell these items for the 911 they just can't bee that bad

/Peter

[charleskieffner]

Originally posted by Noah930
Island,
That is a SWEET trailer. Big style points, there. Charlie is normally on my ignore list (his lack of punctuation makes me dizzy), but I might have to actually read his reply to watch him go postal.

gosh i didnt know i was graded on my punctuation. what will i get if i improve? a gold plated trailer hitch? hitch was only offered thru 1982 model year and has been discontinued. as per north scottsdale porsche. now for all you rocket scientists.......why did the above post complain about bearing size? hmmmmmmm. kinda like towing lil itty bitty snowmobile trailer w/lil itty bitty tires w/full size vehicle. now which tire goes roundy round faster? the full size vehicle or the trailer? very good .......the trailer. now if some of these rocket scientists really crunched numbers and calc'ed blueprints and diagrams they would realize a possible solution, albeit a short term solution, would be to add BEARING BUDDIES. you know those little hubs that are on boat trailers that have zerts in middle so you can grease. this allows boat trailers to rid bearing of water intrusion upon submergence at lake. now since nobody i know is towing a boat (yet??) with their 911 you would think this doesnt apply. but the reality is you should grease and you can w/bearing buddies each and every time you tow. my 3 rail dirt bike trailer has bearing buddies. every single time that damn thing goes out they are greased.

now why do we grease our bearings every time??????

try hauling race car to gold coast 350 in vegas. we used a buddies trailer because mine was having tire rack welded on. he stated he had just done the bearings. well about 35 miles outside of kingman, az. in the middle of BFE a tire decides to go flying off right rear off trailer on a dark/cold rainey night!

i cant describe how much fun we had in the middle of a damn cold night w/flashlights disassembling hub, so we would have a nice greasy handfull of parts to hand parts guy to match up the following morning. we got to meet 2 shifts of arizona highway patrolmen, go to 3 different places in kingman to find correct parts,and then go back and put it all back together. now thats what i call fun!

so moral to story.........carry spare set of bearings, grease, all tools involved, a hell of alot of rags, and if they offer bearing buddies for your size hub.....................BUY THEM AND ADD GREASE BEFORE EVERY TRIP!

hey noah930 how did i do i punctuation???? gee is their gonna be a QUIZ!