[Biturbos4] trailer towing

Fri Nov 19 21:05:10 EST 2004

David,

Unlike the others I think you might get away with it, but if you have a 
Jeep Cherokee why not use it? That's what its for. Probably has a 
factory class II or even III two inch receiver hitch and trailer 
electrical connection ready to go. I did see a post about installing a 
smaller receiver hitch assembly on an S4 on this list some time ago. I 
was curious about the notion at the time. Then a couple months ago I 
suckered for the mother of all SUVs - yes, the evil Ford Excursion 
(Excretion to my friends on campus) - a used 2001 model with about 65k 
on it - good condition - previously owned by some folks we know. This 
week I acquired a 14 foot flat-bed utility trailer/car hauler. This is 
the rig I'll abuse for hauling activities, off-roading and such. The 
Excretion is no S4 to be sure, but its tolerable on the highway and will 
pull a monster trailer in addition to its cavernous interior space. Its 
actually kind of nicely done on the inside. Its essentially built on an 
F250 pick-up frame.

If the S4 were your only ride, you might go to all the trouble of 
putting a light duty receiver hitch on it, but with the Cherokee, why 
bother? I sympathize with your desire to drive the S4, but look at it 
this way - you'll appreciate it all the more after you return from a 
road trip in your Jeep.

The place I got my trailer from also rents the U-Haul trailers. They 
mentioned that even the small U-Hauls they rent are quite heavy. I think 
they might require a larger capacity hitch than you can install on an 
S4. This place might not have had the smallest U-Hauls available.

I'd take the Cherokee and a nice size trailer and enjoy an all-American 
SUV experience. I found the interstates frustrating on our last long 
road trip with the S4 to the east coast. Seldom can you really haul ass 
due to the traffic volume. The S4 is a lot more fun off the interstates 
in the twisties and in the mountains. We made excellent time through the 
mid-west on State two-lanes that go dead-straight for literally hundreds 
of miles across a regular grid of farm land. Less traffic, but you have 
to watch the grade crossings, farm equipment and local traffic. These 
roads seem to change direction only at towns/rivers (they usually coincide).

Having said all this - I just did a Google search for S4 receiver 
hitches and found Hitchsource.com. They have a Class I Receiver Hitch 
for Audi A4-S4. Gross trailer weight 2000 lbs. tongue weight 200 lbs. 
You've got to remove the rear bumper to install. URL is 
http://www.hitchsource.com/product_info.php?cPath=24_31&products_id=25547
Looks like a pain in the rear to me, but if you must........

Good luck and happy trailering.

John M. Harrison Laramie, Wyoming
2001.5 S4 Avant loaded 35k miles stock for fun along with whatever it 
will hold (normally sufficient for two of us on a road trip) - a 
definite keeper
2001 Ford Excursion 4wd V10 for the serious hauling and gas sucking (12 
mpg on average - definitely gets your attention at the gas pump)
New 14 foot utility flat-bed trailer - 7000 lbs max gross weight - I can 
haul the S4 on it easily if necessary
1989 Acura Legend sedan 125k miles - still a sweet and reliable ride 
with nothing significant wrong with it - a keeper

Old road iron for sale for any reasonable offer - 1972 Chevy Suburban 
80k miles (really) 454 big block V8 two wheel drive auto tranny- decent 
condition but needs a heater core, I think and some tender-loving 
maintenance care - good rubber including a pair of studded snows for the 
rear (6 good tires and wheels total.)
1983 Honda Accord automatic with about 117k miles - good mechanical 
condition - paint is rough - looks like its got the blight and has some 
surface rust, but no big gaping holes or penetrations - impact damage to 
rear bumper never repaired. No reasonable offer refused on these two 
fine vintage vehicles.

Apologies for the long-winded post. I'm taking a break from preparing to 
recover some Amateur Radio tower and antenna stuff using Excretion and 
trailer tomorrow. Cheers and a good weekend and Thanksgiving to all. And 
thanks to Keman for his excellent post on the timing belt replacement 
earlier this week. Keman is the S4 man, even if he no longer owns one. 
The Lightning does sound like some fun, but I suspect he'll be back in 
an S-car or Bimmer or something German before too long.

j y wrote:

>If it's a Tip - the tranny will definitely take a beating - when u start towing. 
>
>GeorgeDeKatt at yahoo.com wrote:Not just the turbos, the clutch may not like it either.
>
>- Felix
>
>At 06:37 PM 11/19/2004, j y wrote:
>  
>
>>Dude..I wouldn't do it. These cars are finnicky and anything that stresses 
>>turbos (other than chipping! ) isn't worth the cost of new K03s ($5700 est.)
>>
>>David Lau wrote:I've gotta move my daughter from 
>>Michigan to Texas in January. I
>>REALLY don't want to be wollowing around in the Cherokee for 2600 miles
>>of interstate round trip, especially deadheading back north.
>>
>>I think U-Haul's little 5x8 would be big enough; I wouldn't even
>>contemplate anything larger. I looked through the fabled Owner's Manual
>>and it's no help: "towing is not recommended..." (neither is chipping!)
>>"or if you really must - class I or II". Not a thing about actual
>>weight or frontal area.
>>
>>I know it'd stress those fragile turbos a bit, but I can be easy, and
>>that's what the oil temp gauge is for. We'll be west of the
>>mountains...
>>
>>Can you even fit a 2" hitch under the plastic bumper? I thought I'd
>>seen 'em in Germany.
>>
>>David
>>
>>01 Audi S4 Avant biturbo, laser red, APR chip, UUC short shifter, red
>>shift knob, fog light mod, RS4 grille, 8-disc, AWE boost gauge, Pirelli
>>P-Zero Rossos over 18" Ronals (Avus + Michelin Pilot A/S in winter)
>>
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>>
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>>
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