Q7 why towing capacity is different

[B6USPGUY]

Hey does anyone here know why in the 2014-15-16-17 model years the towing capacity dropped by 1000lbs?
When compared to 2013 they have same engine choices same brakes almost same suv but the towing capacity is rated at 7500lbs. Why?
Thanks

[arjun90]

The folks over at Audi Design and Engineering found a way to shave off 700 lbs in their newer Q7's--swapping out steel and using aluminum components. As a result of lighter design, they had to drop the towing capacity as well.

Over the last few years, the Q7's, Q5's, and Q3's all have progressively gotten lighter. It's not just in this line-up, but across other car makers as well.

Its the need to address fuel economy.

Eventually, every car on the market will be using 100% recycled materials (from up to down), lol

Hey does anyone here know why in the 2014-15-16-17 model years the towing capacity dropped by 1000lbs?
When compared to 2013 they have same engine choices same brakes almost same suv but the towing capacity is rated at 7500lbs. Why?
Thanks

[B6USPGUY]

Ohh I see, but the newer ones 2018-19 have increased capacity to 8500lbs🤔. So they decided to return to steel or just a higher aluminum gage?

[SQive]

Ohh I see, but the newer ones 2018-19 have increased capacity to 8500lbs🤔. So they decided to return to steel or just a lower-gauge aluminum?

FTFY

BTW, The Q5 line didn't lose any weight, though I'm not sure why, as that was supposed to be one of their design goals.

[arjun90]

More aluminum is being used over steel nowadays. The steel is still being predominantly used where chassis rigidity is extremely important. You can call it a hybrid type of design. I'm also sure added reinforcement was especially made on the Q7 rear-end.

By using more thicker aluminum gauge over mild steel, you're able to compensate and increase towing capacity because of lighter materials such as aluminium being used

Something tells me this is how Audi was able to finally make a change from hydraulic power steering to electronic steering in 2017 and later Q7 models

Ohh I see, but the newer ones 2018-19 have increased capacity to 8500lbs🤔. So they decided to return to steel or just a higher aluminum gage?

Yeah, that still puzzles me, because there's not a dramatic difference in terms of curb weight between the Q5 and latest Q7

FTFY

BTW, The Q5 line didn't lose any weight, though I'm not sure why, as that was supposed to be one of their design goals.

[B6USPGUY]

Thanks for the info, we are shopping for a Q7 and no one at the dealers can point out why lol. Funny thing is they all have the same idea that towing capacity is at 7500lbs and i get them confused when i mention that it's rated less lollll.

[Airflite40]

Just to piggyback off what has already been said, while the type of metal used does make a difference, It’s mainly the weight of the vehicle that is the driving factor. Using aluminum does make the vehicle lighter therefore lower towing capacity, due to weight not due to aluminum itself.

[B6USPGUY]

Yes that really makes sense

[djkyky]

There are a lot of numbers thrown around in this thread.

My '18 Q7 with 3.0 is rated for 7700# towing. I have not seen the 8500# rating as mentioned above.

[Q5OnTheMove]

I went to audis website and only see 7,700 tow capacity. Where are folks seeing 8,500?

[blackfunk]

European tow ratings are different and should not be compared to US ratings. It has to do with the way the trailers are designed where if memory serves the location of the wheels affects the tongue ratings for what can safely be towed. Same cars otherwise though.

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[MrBHutch]

Towing capacity MY2007-2015 was 6600lbs if you selected the factory tow package option from Audi, regardless of engine. MY2017+ 3.0T is rated at 7700lbs, and the 2.0T is rated at 4400lbs. Not sure where you're getting your numbers from.

[B6USPGUY]

Hey everyone just came back from vacation. Sorry my mistake about the 8500lbs tow capacity, I got mixed up with numbers when researching. I towed a loaded trailer the other day and was really impressed, it was as if I had nothing back there!.

[Charles.waite]

My 2017 Q7 w/ tow package is rated for 7700lbs. Not aware of any differences in any of the 4M Q7s for any year, aside from the 2.0t being rated significantly lower for obvious reasons.

[larkyan]

Well, i was thinking at the beginning that they have a smaller towing capacity due tot the fact that the cars got lighter, however, when looking at the 2018-2020 models, again a lighter car, with the towing capacity getting increased. Sooo, that is pretty strange, i am not really sure why does it happen like that. However i am not really sure that there was any q7 capable of towing 8.5k lbs, that is just too much. I mean, dude that is almost 4 tons, that is something like 3.8 tons. That is a weight that you have to call towing companies for. In case you have to tow such a weight just call expresstowing.ie and let them do it, do not risk your cars.

[Charles.waite]

The tow rating is generally based on the hitch design and the chassis strength. The GVWR is determined by the factory and is how they calculate the towing capacity (GVWR minus vehicle weight). How they determine the GVWR is anyone’s guess but likely they have their methods of determining that maximum safe weight. The GVWR factors in vehicle weight but the weight isn’t a determining factor in tow capacity.

So basically, if two of us have the exact same options, our towing capabilities are identical. If one of us has a ton of add-ons that add weight technically his tow rating is reduced. I would imagine Audi specs the worst case vehicle weigh and bases their tow rating on that for a given drivetrain because dealing with all the option combos sounds terrible just to move the needle 20-30lbs one way or another.

What I’m getting at, I doubt there are any fundamental changes (nor will there be) that will alter the towing capacity for a 3.0t 4M Q7 throughout its run.

Similarly, I would suspect a 4L Q7 didn’t have major towing capacity changes throughout its run that weren’t down to its engine. I’m not really an expert but there’s more to it than just the vehicle weight.