Towing: Hard numbers

[Sargent Schutt <sargent@symposiafoundation.org>]

Mr. Tom Nas has provided me with data on the 89 200, which may or may
not be the same for the 91 200q. It is as follows:

trailer w/o brakes: 664 kg
trailer with brakes: 1550 kg

Converted at 2.206:1 for lbs:kg that comes out to:

trailer w/o brakes: 1464.78
trailer with brakes: 3419.3 lbs

Mr. Pete Kraus provides the following:

'86-'88 5KCSQ/TQ (from an '87 100/200 catalog stated in kg, translated
1kg = 2.2 lbs):
Sedan with braked trailer -3102 lbs        
Sedan with unbraked trailer -1540 lbs
Wagon with braked trailer -3190 lbs
Wagon with unbraked trailer -1595 lbs

Has anyone found any contrary or complementary data on this subject?
Pertaining to the 91 200q?

As to “yanking” (Mike) or otherwise removing my boat from the water I
would venture to say that 3500 lbs might be pushing it a little at a
launching ramp. Yes, an 18 HP John Deere L&G tractor will do the job,
but the Audi clutch/tranny is not engineered for stump pulling.
Particularly on a regular basis (20 times a year or more). A 3500 lb.
boat in the water on a 20-30?? degree pitch (or whatever the ramp
actually is 15- 20 degrees? - I don’t know *exactly* what the slope is -
and they vary site to site) takes a lot more force to put into motion
than a similar trailer on relatively flat (0 - 10 degree?) pitch. Hence
my concern for excessive wear and tear on the Audi clutch. 

Not to mention other trailering issues such as toungue weight and
trailer:vehicle length and weight ratios. Safety should absolutely
always be considered #1 priority when trailering on public roads. Just
because you can make the car pull it DOES NOT mean it’s safe.

To wit: on my way to Mammoth for skiing a week ago there was an old,
dilapitated pick-em-up truck that had broken down trying to pull a large
camper-trailer on the two lane. It broke and blocked one lane (no
shoulder). The cops were there trying to figure out what to do. They had
traffic stopped from my direction, when from behind me (around a blind
corner) came 18+ wheels of big-rig, 50 + MPH, brakes locked, nowhere to
go. He slid to within inches (not even a foot) of my bumper. Head on
traffic on one side, steep embankment to the other. All I could do was
brace and pray. It worked. Not ten seconds later another truck came
around the bend from the same direction, same speed. He was running
heavy and couldn’t stop. He went head-on into heavy oncoming traffic.
Miraculously, everyone swerved in the right directions, and the truck
went cleanly up the hill, off the road, coming awkwardly to stop in the
dirt and rocks. Very Lucky Ending.

Moral: You never know when you’ll need to react to an emergency. Be
smart and don’t overload your vehicle’s capacities. Stay within the
reccommended specs. Keep your paint off my car!

How many of you would drive around at 150+ MPH on H rated tires?

Regards,

Sarge