Tow bar/hitch

[Plexus]

:addict: I am told by the dealer that my new RS6 will not be have an option available from Audi for a tow hitch bracket. Can anyone dispell this?

[Erik]

The RS6 will not be able to tow. At least it's not an Audi option, but maybe aftermarket?

[Plexus]

and why??

My S6 did, my S4 did??

[Erik]

I guess it's because of:

1) It gets too heavy to actually carry anything without having to get a special driver's license. (

2) technical reasons. The RS6 has some special cooling under the car. Maybe it doesn't fit.

3) It's an RS car. RS cars shouldn't tow things. :D

4) Audi is just trying to piss their customers off? :confused:

[Nordschleife]

Guys
Do cut out the paranoia!
The RS6 has too much torque to be used as a tow vehicle as far as the German TÜV is concerned.
If you want to tow with an RS6, and be legal, you need a chip modification so that the torque is reduced when you connect up a trailer.
Quite simple really.

R+C

[Snow]

Really? I didn't even know there is such a torque limit.. Interesting. :confused:

[Erik]

In my world a lot of torque is very useful for towin ;)

[dabull]

I spose the next thing you are going to tell me is that I can't put a bush hog behind my RS 6 either. Wait till you see the pictures of mine with the front end loader! :hihi: :hihi::incar: :cheers:

[Plexus]

I am somewhat at a loss to the point you make with torque.
We have a '02 Ford F250 with a 6.0L V8 Diesel, this produces 420BHP and 690lb of torque, it can tow upto 6 ton.
So where did the argument about torque come from?
If you look back at the sale brochure for the original S4 and S6, they did not have tow bars available for a while after launch either.
I am going to Inglestat and Neckersulm next week courtesy of Audi and it will be a question that i will ask and clarify.:addict:

[Nordschleife]

Guys
The problem with the amount of torque developed by the RS6 and towing is that there is a risk of pulling the rear end out of the car in the event of a sudden high speed jerky take-off.
Its not a truck, they have rather different chassis.
R+C

[Snow]

I'm sorry, but that makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. Basically, they are saying that if you buy (bought) an RS 6, then you buy or bought a car with too big engine? If it's the wieght they are concerned about, then I can understand it, but the torque?

And, it's an automatic. If you just let go of the brake from stand still, then you won't rip off the back-end of the car. If you do..well, no comments on that! :eye:

[Nordschleife]

Snow
Towing introduces stresses which the car was not neccessarily designed to take in its stride.
For example, driveline shunt is much greater when a vehicle has a towed load then when it does not. I recently saw a heavy car put its fan through its radiator as a result of briefly slipping on a damp patch as it towed a horse float out of a wet gateway.
As the RS6 accelerates-decelerates-accelerates in poor traction conditions, and it does so at quite a rapid rate of change as a result of its plentiful torque, it can cause the trailer to put considerable strains on the tow hitch, some of the transient loads can be way beyond safe design limitations. A less torquey car would not have the potential to generate such high transient loads.
Incidentally, leaving your tow bar in place is more likely to cause serious damage if being hit from behind, the chassis/platform is more severely deformed.
If you want to tow, use a vehicle designed to tow, much safer in the long run. A Diesel Touareg is a good start.
R+C

[Plexus]

After all the BS I am told that Audi will build a tow bar for the RS6. Whether it will happen I don't know, but they said they would.
To all of you with your conspiricy theory about torque and so on, wait to be proven wrong, until then keep smiling!!:addict:

By the way, anyone know if Warn do a winch for the RS6??

[Erik]

Originally posted by Plexus
By the way, anyone know if Warn do a winch for the RS6??

RS6 allroad? :360:

[Plexus]

You too can have a tow bar!!!!!!

I have today met a man at Silversone who has a tow hitch on his RS6. He said it was the same hitch that he had on his 4.2 A6. An Audi part with removable ball.

[Plexus]

I have spoken with my Dealer yesterday, in the UK Audi would be breaking the law if they did not honour warranty claims because of fitting a tow bar. Unless it can be definitive that the towbar has caused the problem.

The part numer is ........... tow bar for A6 Quattro without self level suspension. Even better, because it is not RS6 specific it's cheap!! Approx 350euros for the bar and 150euros for the electrics.:addict:

[itisme]

cool :D.. now show some Pics with trailer please :D.. want see it :)

[Plexus]

I not taking the p!$s. This guy had a car trailer on the back with an MG midget race car in it!! With the tyres spare enging and all the other stuff needed.

[gjg]

I have a gun rack, 10 foot CB antenna with coon tail and spare duct tape to go with that trailer hitch ...... :devil:

[fabianflach]

Hi !

have a look at:

http://www.bb-automobiltechnik.de/english/english.html

You can buy it for EUR 2.998,- inkl. Mwst including TÜF and service.

It is made to take off ...

Regards
Fabian

[Plexus]

4B0 092156D Tow Hitch with removable ball

[Erik]

Thanks Plexus! I haven't seen this specific part, but I guess it is the same or at least very similar to what I have fitted from factory on my A6.

With the ball unmounted nothing can be seen of the fact that you sometimes use the car for towing.

[ragge]

Ok, but would it be leagal?

//ragge

[TheBrit]

Originally posted by itisme
cool :D.. now show some Pics with trailer please
Trailer? Perhaps it's for a caravan. Now, why don't Audi tackle the problem of slow-moving caravans with a range of "Audi quattro caravans"?

Imagine a caravan not in boring white and beige, but in matching metallic paint with matching 19" alloys and sport suspension. Now imagine it doing 140+ mph down the autobahn ... :D

[dabull]

How about a power take off in the rear along with a three point hitch for a brush hog or a hay bailer? :p :D :addict: :trans:

[Plexus]

We have the towbar to take either the quad bikes, the motorcross bikes or the microlight out or to the South of France farmstead. That way when we get where we are going we can still have fun in the car.

That's what we own them for surely?

Only making best use of what we got, especialy as the H2 Hummer only gets 6MPG"!

[gjg]

Plexus, this will tow your RS6, bikes and your house down to the frogg land without any worries and you will still have fun:

Touareg 5,0L TDI V10 230 kW (313 hp) stock or:

352 HP 259 kW Modified MTM-motronic computer with improved torque of 855 Nm
_______

and, dabull, you're missing some essentials with the brush hog - a gun rack, 10 foot CB antenna with coon tail and spare duct tape to go with that trailer hitch.....

pulling a trailer with RS6 is, IMHO, waste of great equipment. If you need to tow, read again comments of Nordschleife and get another car to do the job.
_______

I always laugh my ass off when I see M5 with a tow hitch - if the poor sucker can't effort tow car for his hobbies he should not got the M5 to start with ......

[gjg]

Plexus, this will tow your RS6, bikes and your house down to the frogg land without any worries and you will still have fun:

Touareg 5,0L TDI V10 230 kW (313 hp) stock or:

352 HP 259 kW Modified MTM-motronic computer with improved torque of 855 Nm
_______

and, dabull, you're missing some essentials with the brush hog - a gun rack, 10 foot CB antenna with coon tail and spare duct tape to go with that trailer hitch.....

pulling a trailer with RS6 is, IMHO, waste of great equipment. If you need to tow, read again comments of Nordschleife and get another car to do the job.
_______

I always laugh my ass off when I see M5 with a tow hitch - if the poor sucker can't effort tow car for his hobbies he should not got the M5 to start with ......

[TheBrit]

Originally posted by Plexus
That's what we own them for surely?
Right on, I would have considered an Audi removable towbar if I'd had the chance - never know when a trailer would come in handy.

Do you have to restrain yourself much when towing?

[ragge]

Same question again....Anyone who knows how to get it legal??

//ragge

[Plexus]

In this country it is not "legal" or "illeagal" to have a towbar, just preference.

With the one I have you can't see it when it is disconected anyway.

As for anyones, "opinion", I have the money and will spend it how I please.

As for the VW Towrag, I would rather buy a Cayenne, and that would be a cold day in hell.

It does amaze me, jealousy.:eek:

[TheBrit]

Originally posted by Plexus
As for anyones, "opinion"
Hey Plexus, we're not all ragging on you here - I'm interested to know what it's really like towing with an RS 6.

Is your towbar fitted yet? Do you have (or anticipate) problems with 'snatching' the trailer if you goose the throttle a bit too much?

Is that towbar able to be fitted by the dealer, or does it have to be ordered from the factory?

Thanks.

[Plexus]

It doesn't snatch if you don't.

I bought the bar and the dealer fitted it with a caveat, that Audi did not recomend etc. However all warranties are in tact unless it can be proven that any damage, if occured, be the fault of the towbar.

The irony for me is that while in Ingolstat Audi factory there were two workers with RS6's that had bars attached.

Some at Audi said "NO, you shouldn't" others said "Why not?"

Overheating has been the only reason I am told you shouldn't put the towbar on.

Keep in mind the differences between the modes we have on UK car gearboxes and the other cooling differences, ie temperatures, road conditions etc.

I haven't had any problems yet.

[TheBrit]

Plexus,

Thanks for the feedback. I had thought that the removable tow-bar was only available as a factory order - interesting that a dealer can fit it.

I guess the overheating issue depends on what you are towing and for how long - I could imagine hauling a 20' static caravan halfway across the country in one journey would be bad news, but pulling a small trailer for shorter journeys couldn't be any worse than hauling 5 adults long-distance, could it? I think you're right that Britain doesn't really get the extremes of weather to put too much strain onthe cooling systems anyway.

Towing is a risk in any car - I have dim memories of a holiday in Wales when i was about 5 years old where we got in stop/go traffic up a huge hill with a busy junction at the top in the middle of summer, and all the cars with caravans had big clouds of clutch smoke pluming from them by the time they got to the top. The trick must be not to get yourself into those situations in the first place!

[SYNCRORS2]

Has anyone fitted a factory removable towbar to their RS6 and have photos?

My understanding of the reasons that Audi specify that it cannot be fitted is to protect the transmission. The engine already has a limited torque curve to protect it and adding 2 tons behind the car and then applying 420ft lbs is going to put a lot more load on it.

I've just fixed mine and don't have an issue with fixing it again if it dies but I must have a towbar on the RS6. It's fairly useless to me without.

I'm not concerned about the physical bolting it on or the wiring but I am thinking about how not make a huge mess of the rear bumper!

On most Audi A6s, the towbar connects up just in front of the rear bumper so there is no modification to it. This isn't going to be the case on the RS6.

Any ideas?

Thanks

MG

[marklar182]

The trans may be part of why Audi did not want the RS to tow, but I would think the DRC would not handle the extra load in the rear very well....

[SYNCRORS2]

My RS6 has Bilstein Coil overs...

MG

[ttboost]

Holy thread revival!!!! 10 years?

[alrightroad]

RS6 allroad? :360:

Yes please. :)

[SYNCRORS2]

Holy thread revival!!!! 10 years?

:thumb:

There aren't any muppets like me who want to stick a towbar on their RS6 but then, there aren't many who would buy one with a dead trans either ;)

MG

[ttboost]

I think one causes the other with this car...

[SYNCRORS2]

i think one causes the other with this car...

:) .....

Mg

[905084]

Has anyone fitted a factory removable towbar to their RS6 and have photos?

My understanding of the reasons that Audi specify that it cannot be fitted is to protect the transmission. The engine already has a limited torque curve to protect it and adding 2 tons behind the car and then applying 420ft lbs is going to put a lot more load on it.

I've just fixed mine and don't have an issue with fixing it again if it dies but I must have a towbar on the RS6. It's fairly useless to me without.

I'm not concerned about the physical bolting it on or the wiring but I am thinking about how not make a huge mess of the rear bumper!

On most Audi A6s, the towbar connects up just in front of the rear bumper so there is no modification to it. This isn't going to be the case on the RS6.

Any ideas?

Thanks

MG

Put a Curt Hitch from my A6 onto the RS. No bumper cutting whatsoever. Suppose to be good for 2000 pounds.

13930

Had no trouble loading the trailer with 1500 pounds of travertine and towing.

[johnnie27]

[QUOTE=905084;249428]Put a Curt Hitch from my A6 onto the RS. No bumper cutting whatsoever. Suppose to be good for 2000 pounds.



yes i have a OEM audi all road tow bar, no cutting , no holes , can even see it when the tongue is out, been on for years tow my bike with it, light weight trailer , you don't even know its there...

here is one with the boot full loaded for a week away! and then with the rear bar off (you can see the box (small black square) where the tow bar locates up into, and one with out the tongue...no holes

its an awesome car!

139351393613937

[Turbowned]

I had a hair-brained idea of buying a Spec Miata and towing it with the RS so I don't have to buy a stupid truck... UKtow.com says the RS6 is rated for 1800kgs or about 3,900lbs; wonder how much truth is in this statement...

Of course, you know I'd be selling that Spec Miata awful quick if/when it causes the tranny to blow up...

[905084]

15689

I LOVE my hitch on mine....but it's only rated for 2000# as it is only a 1 1/4 inch. Why drive a POS truck all the time when in reality, you only use it to haul about 1% of the time? Fun to blow by everyone with a trailer too, although I still can't find Z rated tires for the trailer.

[kday]

I highly recommend the 2" allroad hitch from Justin Scheifflee (allroadhitch@gmail.com)

It mounts to the RS6 without a hitch (so to speak) - like it was made to do this from the factory. I wouldn't have any qualms about hauling a U-haul trailer with this, though to date I've only hauled bikes:

http://blog.ultrameta.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/2014-11-08-15.56.14-1024x579.jpg


It's pretty beefy

http://blog.ultrameta.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/2014-09-06-16.50.35-579x1024.jpg


The install is easy aside from the expected bumper removal/reinstall PITA

http://blog.ultrameta.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/2014-09-07-13.28.06-1024x579.jpg

[lswing]

Crap, that looks clean, nice fatty:) Just need a pic without anything attached to the hitch mount, wondering how it looks when not in use.

[kday]

It's a super clean install. No holes to drill, no plastic to trim. With the vertical receiver it's effectively invisible when the 90 degree adapter is removed.

http://blog.ultrameta.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/2014-09-13-16.32.51-1024x579.jpg


It's installed in this pic (where I demonstrate the value of electric folding mirrors):

http://blog.ultrameta.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/smallcarsonly.jpg

[lswing]

^^^Wow, that's impressive...nice hitch mount design too, much appreciated!

[iconcls]

Watch that those exhaust tips aren't too close.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/90752889/melted_rim.jpg

(Nice zombie thread.)

[Turbowned]

Hey, I recognize that parking garage, kday! Why haven't we crossed paths yet? I'm in Boston a few nights a week!

[DHall1]

How much are we talking for that hitch?

[kday]

Hey, I recognize that parking garage, kday! Why haven't we crossed paths yet? I'm in Boston a few nights a week!

I work downtown but don't usually drive in. Funny that a bicycle is faster than even an RS6 :)

[kday]

Watch that those exhaust tips aren't too close.

I was a bit worried about that with two fat bikes on the rack, but fortunately the rack curves upward and doesn't put the tires right behind the exhaust tips. Still worth paying attention to though.

[kday]

How much are we talking for that hitch?

It was $550 when I bought it over the summer. Check with Justin on current pricing. It's a side project of his and I'm not sure what his stock looks like.

[iconcls]

I was a bit worried about that with two fat bikes on the rack, but fortunately the rack curves upward and doesn't put the tires right behind the exhaust tips. Still worth paying attention to though.

Cool, one of the reasons I run 1UP racks is that they are angled up and out:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/90752889/tow_3.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/90752889/gtr_rig.jpg