Flat towing a 3.0 Sport Z3

[StevieP]

Does anyone know whether its ok to flat tow a Z3? I want to tow mine behind my motorhome and have found a specialist engineering (towing is their speciality) company that will fit an A-Frame to my Zed (and have done if before). I just want to be sure that I am not going to cause any gearbox or axle issues by doing so. Does anyone have any experience of this? If I can't then I might need to swap the Zed out for a smaller, more suited to towing, vehicle. Don't really want to move the Zed on as I've invested a ton of cash rebuilding and refurbing it over the last 4 years so I want to explore every option. I'm sure everyone can appreciate that sentiment. Anyway, if anyone has any knowledge or experience I would be very grateful for that.

Thanks

Steve

 

[IanA]

How are the engineering firm going to operate the brakes on the Z3? Due to it's weight it is effectively a braked trailer.
I investigated this with a local motorhome company and the easiest option is an "electric foot" which clamps in the footwell and depresses the pedal when the brakes on the towing vehicle come on- triggered by the brake lights obviously. Cost was under £1k.

 

[Richard29]

Auto or manual?

 

[StevieP]

Thanks for the responses folks.... Two answers.
1. its a manual gearbox. I assumed an Auto would be a non-starter but I was concerned about the LSD on my car, and
2. That's a really good question. It's one I haven't asked and its clearly one I need to ask. As you say, because the 'trailer' will be above 750KG it will need to be braked in some way.. I will ask the question and I will post the answer on this forum. The fitting of the A-Frame (including the A-frame itself) is around £1900 so I would presume that some form of braking solution is included in the kit and fitting. However, it is always dangerous to assume anything so I will ask the question.

Many thanks both

 

[Delk]

You wont hurt the LSD.

For the cost of fitting an A frame would it be easier and simpler to pick up a used car trailer? That solves all the issues with brakes and wear on the car itself.

When I was getting my car running I was lucky enough to barrow a trailer from a friend to tow it back and forth to the dyno.

 

[StevieP]

Hi Delk.. That is a consideration as well, but I am less inclined to get a trailer as I don't really have space to store it at my home and it costs more when you secure a site booking with a motorhome as it also needs a space to park it. Nice colour on your Z3M BTW. I am a Gorleston boy so I know your part of the world really well, must be glorious at the moment

 

[Delk]

Hi Delk.. That is a consideration as well, but I am less inclined to get a trailer as I don't really have space to store it at my home and it costs more when you secure a site booking with a motorhome as it also needs a space to park it. Nice colour on your Z3M BTW. I am a Gorleston boy so I know your part of the world really well, must be glorious at the moment

Storage is always an issue.

My Misses has a blue Z3 and drives it to James Paget in Gorleston every day.

 

[StevieP]

small world. My family home was literally across the road from the JP since before it was built. Only sold up last year after my mum died.

Yours is a 2.8 not a Z3M? nice changes made

 

[StevieP]

Folks,
following up from the question in the earlier comment about how the car is braked, this is what the fitters have advised...

" You are correct that once the vehicle gets to a certain weight then it needs to be braked and have working lights, which is exactly what we’re doing.

The fitters will remove your bumper and take off the original crash beam to be replaced with our own heavy duty crash beam. Our bespoke beam has threaded holes to take the towing eyes and a guideway for the brake cable to run through. They’ll drill through the bulkhead and run a brake cable through to clip around your footbrake. All of the lights are wired into an inline socket which is located under the bonnet.

When you’re towing and everything’s connected, all the car lights work in tandem with the motorhome. When you brake in the motorhome it will compress the damper at the front of the A-frame, which in turn will pull on the brake cable and pull down your footbrake, as the damper decompresses when you pull away the brakes are released and everything moves freely again."

Seems reasonable.

This looks like a sensible solution...

 

[Delk]

Mine is a 2.8 with a turbo on it. I just recently went back to a single sided exhaust as I am trying to quiet it down a bit more and changed the rear silencer. Large free flowing exhaust and quiet dont work well.

 

[StevieP]

 

[Neilb62]

Isn’t the max A frame weight 1400Kg?
A 3.0 must be right up there?

 

[Ianmc]

My approach would be to sell the motor home, buy some hotel rooms and drive there in the Z3.

 

[Dado]

As a motorhomer needing to solve the problem of mobility for my wife, did see a company that would fit an A frame to my Z3 but thought it a bit harsh on the old girl (the car....) so found a company in South Wales that specialise in towable cars.
A 2011 35000 mile toyota Aygo with new A frame, a years MOT, four new tyres, new exhaust, fresh service and superbly presented for just over £5000 solved all the issues.
It costs £20 a year to tax and £180 to insure (and that's because I couldn't carry any existing no claims).
in a year so far its been driven 1500 miles and been towed 2800 miles, the thing to consider is that 4300 miles is the total the tyres have now done which is probably around the pattern to come for the next few years.
Four tyres for the Aygo will only come to cost of one and a bit Zed and the Aygo does 55 mpg round the lanes of cornwall.
I'm guessing it wont be many years before the difference in cost from your A frame fitting and my Aygo levels out.
One more consideration is the toyota weighs about half a ton wringing wet and the fuel consumption of the motorhome hasn't really changed from travelling pre tow car, whereas the weigh of the Zed will take a lot more pulling along thus more fuel for the van and unless your motorhome has a BIG engine some hills will be a challenge.
Cheers
DD