Towing capacity for 2011 a4 2.0t quattro

[Mercurysteve]

Hi guys,

A search has not revealed a great deal. Is there anything you guys can share about what is required to tow a caravan and capacity of the quattro (i.e. is it advisable and what mods are needed if any such as brake upgrade, power upgrade such as stage 2/3 and of course the tow bar kit).

Thanks a heap lads.

[linet90]

IMO your going to kill the engine if not then cut its life down. I don't think these cars are made to tow anything especially the 2.0, you just putting more stress and strain on all the parts.

[brainpan]

My buddy pulls his sled and trailer on his b7 manual trans, I'd say close to 400kgs. No idea on the max though :P

[Mercurysteve]

yeah right thanks guys, does not sound good as I was thinking of a large caravan... anyone with experience/thoughts they can add?

[jfo]

You may want to inquire directly to Audi to get some official and hopefully technically sound advice. Advice from the European Audi office would probably be the best. There must be a good number of Audi's towing caravans around Europe over the years and concerns or issues should not be hard to uncover.

[MYFASTA4]

im sure that info its in the manual

[JasonR]

Audi lists the Q5 towing capacity for both the 3.2 and 2.0T engines as 4400 lbs. with a maximum 440 lbs. tongue weight. There may be some other limitation when towing with the A4, but if Audi is okay with blessing both powerplants with the same numbers on the Q5, the 2.0T wouldn't be my concern in the A4.

http://models.audiusa.com/q5/detaile...ions?engine=64

[Mercurysteve]

thanks guys, I am in Australia and thedealers I have spoken to have been vague at best (amazingly...)

[aaronw112358]

I looked in my B8 A4 owner's manual recently and saw 2000 pounds with a 200 pound tongue weight.

[Devils Advocate]

Maximum load is by far not the only thing you should take into consideration. The size of your vehicle compared to the size of what you are towing plays a large role. Imagine towing a lightweight aluminum boat behind your little sedan, if the wind picks up and starts tossing the boat around, how do you think that's going to affect your car? You'd be lucky if the only the hitch snapped and your car didn't flip with it. Towing a large caravan(RV type deal I'm assuming, not a dodge caravan on a two wheel uhaul trailer, which is inherently a bad idea anyway) with a sedan is a very bad, and dangerous idea not only for you but everyone else on the road. I guess this is bad form to have a somewhat negative or warning type first post, but it hadn't been said yet and is quite needed.

Case in point: This is an SUV (and probably a bit of driver error), with a load. Imagine a vehicle half the size like the a4 pulling something, it's not pretty.

http://youtu.be/SFzCnsr_gEQ

[ny tdi]

I know this is an old thread, but my 2014 2.0T A4 6MT Quattro driver's manual says that we're limited to a class I or class II trailer. It doesn't mention any specific specs on trailer weights. However, here are the specs for towing from a british manual for a 2009 A4:





Interestingly, the 2.0T was not listed in the British Owner's Manual. BTW, a class II hitch can only tow 3500LBS. So why can they tow so much more across the pond?

[tofast2belast]

It's NOT just the engine when considering towing capacity. other factors include the design of the frame, transmission, suspension, and brakes.

[booost]

Sorry, nothing useful to add but I wanted to post this from the 'what did you do to your B8 today' thread

[ny tdi]

It's NOT just the engine when considering towing capacity. other factors include the design of the frame, transmission, suspension, and brakes.

Yes, but the chart above shows that the 3.2 out-tows the 1.8T by 1,000lbs. If you ask Audi of America, they'll say that our cars are rated at 2000lbs towing capacity.

So, the math goes this way:
British A4 3.2= 5,000LBS Towing Capacity
British A4 1.8T= 4,000LBS Towing Capacity
American 2.0T = 2,000LBS Towing Capacity

That's some screwed up math, right there! What gives?

[ny tdi]

Sorry, nothing useful to add but I wanted to post this from the 'what did you do to your B8 today' thread

One car to rule them all! Well done, sir.

[Classy]

Id feel pretty comfortable towing a Jetski or something small like that behind my Manual A4.
If only I had quick access to a lake... :/

[dylannorton]

For those who have installed wiring for their trailers. Did you use a kit with a regulator or just simply wires to the connector? I plan to just buy the wires at home depot for 8 bucks that hook directly up to the 4 prong connector rather than spending money on a kit online.

[hexc0de]

For those who have installed wiring for their trailers. Did you use a kit with a regulator or just simply wires to the connector? I plan to just buy the wires at home depot for 8 bucks that hook directly up to the 4 prong connector rather than spending money on a kit online.

I believe you need the kit or else you will get error codes. The computer will sense an increased load and throw an error because of it. The kits (like the one from Curt) will only sense the voltage on the line, and then power the wiring harness using power from your car battery directly.