Greetings all, My first post here........
I usually hang out at Rennlist Porsche Forums , because I have a couple of old Porsches.
I'm going to be selling one of them and the BIG enclosed trailer I tow with my Chevy Tahoe. Now, since I won't have the car and trailer anymore, I won't need the Tahoe! Here comes the RX330!
I will probably buy an open aluminum trailer that weighs in at 1000lbs for my other Porsche that weighs 2000lbs.
Here's my question.......With the 3500lb towing capacity of the RX will I have any problems with what I want to tow? I know I'm under the capacity limit but just wondering what you have towed with your RX. I'm used to the Tahoe towing over 6000lbs with no effort, but I want to "downsize".

Thanks,
Robert

PS ....I did a search and only saw threads on "what kind of hitch" to use.

 

I have never towed 3000 lbs. so this is just my opinion, towing this much weight with a 6 cylinder engine and a questionable transmission would concern me. I would not do it personally. The distance and terrain might be factors however to weigh in. If it was very infrequent, for relatively short distances and didn't involve a lot of up hill then just maybe I would consider doing so. I don't think these vehicles were designed for regular towing, especially for a load that is 85% of the rated towing capacity.

 

Thanks for your reply Todd.
Common sense would dictate not to tow over the vehicles limit. But how close to the limit is within reason? Naturally the Lexus salesman assured me that towing 3000lbs would be NO problem.
I would like to hear from some people that have towed with their RX and what their thoughts are.
Anyone?...........Anyone?

 

Every summer I tow a couple of jet skis to the boat ramp. Distance not more than three miles and at speeds not exceeding 50mph. Let me just second Todds opinion and say this is absolutely the wrong vehicle for towing more than 2000lbs no matter what Lexus says. The most vulnerable area in my opnion are the brakes. With no more than two jet skis and a trailer(less than 1000 lbs) the brakes are downright scary. I definitely would not feel safe towing the 2 jet skis for long distances in traffic. My other concern are the tires. I have the OEM michelins and the max inflation on those is 35psi .I keep mine at 33psi and when towing you can clearly see that the tires are can use at least another 5 lbs of pressure. If you dicide to tow 3000 lbs get some LT tires with a higher load index. Another area of concern is the soft suspension. There is really limited suspension travel in the rear and when towing the jet skis and I can feel that the rear suspnsion is maxed out travel wise.If you have to drive on the highway at speed with 3000 lbs I think that it's something that will overload the suspension and create an unsafe situation.

Overall we love the RX but we bought ours for one reason .We didn't want a TRUCK!!
I think overall you might be safer towing in GX or a 4 Runner than in an RX. Better yet get a Cayenne.

Hope this helps and Goodluck.

 

Thanks, I was hoping to hear something a liitle more encouraging though, but I do appreciate your honesty.
I just find it to be weird that Lexus offers a Tow Package for the RX that includes a transmission cooler and heavy duty radiator etc, but from your comments can't tow a couple of jet skis without worries.
I only tow a couple of times a year, but it's usually to a location half way across the country to wherever the carshow is being held. So I don't really need a full time "tow vehicle/truck", but when I do tow it needs to be able to handle 3000lbs. Sounds like Lexus' rating of 3500lb towing capacity is a little misleading.
BTW... We had a Cayenne S for about 9 months, lots of issues and the 14 mpg took the fun out of it. Looked at the GX, but we are just not attracted to it like we are the RX. We may have to give it another chance.

Anyone else have comments?

Cheers,
Robert

 

I have a 05 rx awd, and often tow a 2500 lb boat and trailer with no problem. Most problems I have had towing are do to setting up the trailer for balance and toung weight. That said,you dont want the tail wagging the dog! While towing a friends 3500+lbs boat i definately sensed while stopping on a downslope that the rx wanted to jackknife!! I have since vowed to only use trailers with brakes on anything of size (over 1000lbs). I have had no problems with overheating or stopping or transmission problems at 15k miles. Hope this helps

 

Thanks JIMP for a slighly more positive reply!
I have done lots and lots of towing over the years, and would never attempt to tow ANYTHING without the trailer having electric brakes with an adjuster in the tow vehicle. Towing my Porsche 356 has always been easy to balance the tounge weight because of the engine in the back. I just pull a little more forward and the weight ends up right over the trailers wheels.

I do appreciate the responses so far, but would like to hear more........
When I did a search there were quite a few posts about which hitch to buy and install, so there must be more RXers out there that have towed.

Robert

 

I have an '06 with a curt hitch and the towing package, I tow a 19' center console with a total weight of about 2800 lbs. She seems to run OK on the road but you can feel the strain off the line, and I keep my fingers crossed when I have to brake. It's also a little hairy on the boat ramp with FWD and all the weight in the rear. Since I don't have to tow too often, I guess it's OK. If I had to do it more often, I'd have a rear wheel drive with more towing power.

 

mrfuni, thanks for your reply

Question.......Does your trailer have electric or surge brakes or none?

Robert

 

Single axle boat trailer, no brake assistance. I also have a flat bed 4X8 trailer that I tow my motorcycle. Under 1000 lbs and no problem.
regards

 

Thanks

So if I were to draw some conclusion from the responses so far, it sounds like if I have a lightweight aluminum open trailer with electric brakes and a brake adjuster installed, I should not have a problem towing 2500-3000 lbs.............

Anyone else?

 

You should do fine with 2500-3000 lbs with electric brake. I tow a flat bed with 2 ATVs, less than what you plan on doing.

If you are new to towing, I'd suggest that you find an empty parking lot and practice backing up with the trailer. Trust me, it ain't easy. Welcome to the club.

 

Thanks Harrier,
LOL.... I wish I had a buck for every mile I've towed back and forth across this beautiful country of ours!

Or better yet, what i've spent on gas!!!!!!

 

rxnext....I just purchased a 400h for towing my 2000 pound boat and trailer, so I am finding this very interesting. I just sold my 2002 Chevy Duramax with a chip puting out 450hp and over 7000ft pounds of tork. I didnt even know the boat was behind me, so this is going to be a big change. I dont have brakes on my trailer and from what I am hearing its probably a wise thing to do. I have close to 1800 miles on my RX now and I may have to drag the boat out just to see how it handles. I am with ya on the looks of the RX though, that is why I purchased one. Nothing even comes close to turning my head. Should be sweet going down the road as a package.

Will keep you posted, Bob

 

Thanks Bob,

That is one sweet lookin' boat!
I'm also interested in how the 400h's ECV Tranny will perform in towing, especially when you have to go into a lower gear to pull up hill or pass.
Please let me know how it goes,

Robert