Tow capacity of a 325xi or a 330xi?

[drewbabich]

What is the Tow capacity of a 325xi or a 330xi?

I currently tow a 1500lb boat or a a 750lb snowmobile and trailer with my beater vehical, a zx2. What can you tow with a 330xi.

Is the all wheel drive durable? Will towing with it wear stuff out?

I need the all wheel drive for new england snowmobile winter weather towing.

[WHITEXi]

I wouldn't tow with this car, the rear subframes are weak and tear out on the earlier modles as it is and the added strain would probly do it faster than normal. Although I have not read of it happening to a xi I would not try it to find out.

Second although the xi's have the stronger trans it is made by gm and for a car not a truck I wouldn't strain that out ither. I'm sure it will be too much for it. They can handle a bike carrier set up and that's about it lol

[telijah]

I'm sure a manual would tell you, can find one here: http://www.bimmerfest.com/wiki/index...46#E46_Manuals

[nathancarter]

There's no official towing package available in the US.

Some aftermarket towing packages bolt into the sheet metal floor of the spare tire well - bad idea for towing anything bigger than the snowmobile.

[Critter7r]

officially, the E46 doesn't have a "towing capacity". Unofficially, though for customers that are hell-bent on installing (aftermarket) hitches, we tell them that if whatever they're going to tow weighs only what you could safely load inside the vehicle, they'll probably be ok. The car can hold about 750 pounds of people and luggage, so up to that amount should be fine. Try to keep the tongue weight under 200 pounds.

[Chris Bayside]

I thought I'd share my BMW towing experience. I have a 2001 330ci with 230k on it, and I've been towing my 03 Sea Doo GTX 4tec jetski for years with it, I also tow my 03 15' Sea Doo Sportster 4tec... it's just under 2000 pounds total. I've had no issues, just need to keep the tongue weight under about 60 pounds (balance your trailer accordingly). I have a Curt 1 1/4" receiver hitch setup that I bought for $125 (bolts to spare wheel well). I will note that I've had to replace the front rubber LCA mounts 2 times in the 3 years ($150 a set and an hour to install)... but I've put about 100k miles in that time. This little 330ci is built to last! I hope this helps you guys!

[JS154]

Does anyone know if this Euro factory trailer hitch is avaiable in the US or what it costs?

Interested in towing a small wooden sailboat like a Beetle Cat, so total boat and trailer weight would be about 1000-1200#

Thanks

[morganj2003]

So, I need to occasionally need to haul a sofa, some yard scraps, a small motorcycle, scraps from home remodeling, a kayak, etc. I'm considering one of the following in order to accomplish the above (without borrowing a friend's truck or renting something):

1) Install a hitch on my E46 and purchase a small trailer. Of course I have limited towing capacity, but perhaps this is sufficient. I do not want to mess up my car's transmission doing this, though.

2) Purchasing a beater Ford Ranger for hauling needs. This might cost more than #1, considering the maintenance, insurance, license plate fees, etc. Maintenance on another vehicle could also mean time.

Input? What do you all think?

[jmo69]

IMHO if you haul a few hundred pounds of stuff in a small trailer occasionally short distances it's not going to destroy your car. It's like everything else, moderation is the key. Option 2 is going to be costly, my wife decided we needed a pickup truck a number of years ago and the only good thing about it was that I traded it in on my E36 eventually. 97 Ranger 4X4 4L v6 that got about 12mpg. Now I borrow a truck when I need one, much less $$$.

[michalt95]

i got pretty much the same problem.
got an atv and a dirtbike, was thinking about towing with the e46 (not both at the same time)
when i saw the thule hitch it looked weak and i had second thoughts.
but now got a 02 325i 5 speed and actually thinking about it again since i found this

http://www.schmiedmann.com/3_series/...ge74.htm#11766

any ideas?? any experiance with people buying from them?

[morganj2003]

Amazon sells a Curt brand class 1 hitch (11174) that supposedly fits an E46, and it happens to be quite inexpensive ($183), as it's free shipping with Amazon Prime. I'd post a link, but my new-member status does not allow me to post links.

Uhaul also makes a hitch that sells for $230.

I might go with Amazon, as long as nobody has any strong objections...

[michalt95]

Amazon sells a Curt brand class 1 hitch (11174) that supposedly fits an E46, and it happens to be quite inexpensive ($183), as it's free shipping with Amazon Prime. I'd post a link, but my new-member status does not allow me to post links.

Uhaul also makes a hitch that sells for $230.

I might go with Amazon, as long as nobody has any strong objections...

http://www.amazon.com/Manufacturing-...pr_product_top

here you go

[FinnNiks]

I'm not sure how much I would beat on an auto, but if you have a 5M/T I wouldn't hesitate. My best bud has a 2000 323ci with a Curt hitch, and a small trailer. He just moved to a nearby city (150 mile drive) the biggest load he brought up was a queen sized mattress, sofa, love seat, and a bunch of other stuff. My guess would have been about 1500 lbs. The 323 pulled it without a problem, and cruising 75mph with the AC on he got 23 mpg's.

He also tows with his wife's 325xi m/t.

[yoyoguy2]

2) Purchasing a beater Ford Ranger for hauling needs.

my solution precisely. 2wd, regular cab, 4cyl ranger, which i drive once a week or less.

[dukedkt442]

I firmly believe in using the right tool for the job. I've got a 2 wheel drive '84 GMC S-15 V6 and 5speed that I've restored, and put about 5k miles on a year. My last tow was nearly 2500 lbs over 400 miles. Insurance is ~$250/year (classic auto insurance), it runs perfect, and costs less in maintenance every year than I pay each month to keep fuel in the E46. Even with 2500 lbs between the payload and trailer and a plastic luggage shell on top of the cap, the truck still pulled off almost 18mpg over that 400 mile tow. I wouldn't desecrate the bimmer by hanging a hitch off the back.

[MarkoE46]

Max. towing weight (trailer + trailer load) for a 320i is 1600 kg, which is ~3527 pounds (official documentation says so... ) and max vertical load is 75 kg (165lb)
Here you have some .pdf links with bosal towbars, on the top of each one is some data about max allowed loads:
http://www.catalogue.bosal.com/pdf/pdf_mi/048023.pdf
http://www.catalogue.bosal.com/pdf/pdf_mi/026291.pdf

[Goose2448]

I don't even like towing with my Z71 K1500 Suburban, much less the idea of my bimmer. I would not feel safe doing. I drive over 50K miles a year for work and tow every mile of it. Granted its either a 5K pound trailer behind a F550 6 speed or a 30K pound trailer behind a Chevy 3500.

Biggest concern is when you have to make a panic stop while towing, and the hitch rips out of the sheet metal, sending your 3500 pound trailer into someone else. Just get the right tool for the job. Borrow a pickup or get one of your own. Sounds like you dont need a F550 like I have, but that new Ecoboost F150 would serve you well for years to come. Or a little S15 or ranger even. Even they give you room to grow.

[HootYeah]

I tow a 16ft Alumaweld drift boat with my 03 325xi. Been doing it for about a year now and Ive had the car for 2 years now. Ill be interested what kind of damage I do to it. Having a well balanced trailer is very important. I don't usually tow it farther than 100 miles round trip. Typically I just drive 7 miles to the Willamette river that is super close to me and do a little steelhead fishing. It definately turns some heads thats for sure! People probably think Im an idiot, but whatever. Ignorance is bliss...

[323itsportwagon]

The E46 is a very capable all-around vehicle. It is powerful enough and durable as well in towing trailers. I traveled from Waldorf, Maryland to Tucson, Arizona with a full uhaul 4x8 trailer, a roof box, and folded rear seats filled with stuff. I hauled about 1700 lbs and traveled about 2400 miles. I used the curt hitch that attaches to the spare tire well, however i had my friend reinforce it with a bracket connecting it to the rear bumper brace. Of course I checked the hitch and everything every so often. It didn't do any kind of damage on the sheet metal. I was pleasantly surprised.

[EBlue540]

What is the Tow capacity of a 325xi or a 330xi?

I currently tow a 1500lb boat or a a 750lb snowmobile and trailer with my beater vehical, a zx2. What can you tow with a 330xi.

Is the all wheel drive durable? Will towing with it wear stuff out?

I need the all wheel drive for new england snowmobile winter weather towing.

Here is a "do it yourself install" sequence that I did on the install of a receiver hitch on my 325iT a few years ago:

http://www.bmwcca.org/forum/index.ph...n-part-i.5625/

I have a 1000 lbs worthington aluminum utility trailer. I've never had a problem and I get the utility of a half ton pick up without the truck. Works well for me.