moved thread/Newbie here, how about this? From my dealer.

[john777]

Note to all... The Cayennes in the aristream video ARE turbos, so they do have air suspension with WDH's (but are driven by test drivers). I was incorrect in my previous post.

[john777]

"I was going to buy the cayenne turbo but was more impressed with the torque and fuel mileage of the Touareg v10 diesel. It will cruise all day at 100-140mph.

The power band of the diesel is much more suited for towing and the engine is much less stressed than the porsche v8. You can even pump up the torque into the 700ft-lb range with minor mods.

Plus the interior is much better than the more pimpy interiors of the cayenne.
Baseball mitt leather and wood accents looks much more sophisticated.

I tow with it too. That is my old Dodge diesel on the trailer in 6-8 inches of snow towed 150 miles with no problems. Load with trailer in the 10,500+ range.

I do prefer to use my new Dodge 4 door longbox to haul because of the added room in the box but it isn't as much fun to drive around town. It's turning radius is much wider than the shortbox diesel was."

[BigBaron]

But that V-10 cooks all the plastic inside, and at around 60,000 miles starts getting really expensive to maintain. It is a beast, though.

"Baseball mitt leather and wood accents looks much more sophisticated." (sic)
And chewin' tabacco is better than Cuban cigars. LOL

[Happy Vibe]

Peanut gallery here, so you have your reply from Can-Am. Are you going to take there warnings about the hitch strength and WDH?

[john777]

Originally Posted by Happy Vibe

Peanut gallery here, so you have your reply from Can-Am. Are you going to take there warnings about the hitch strength and WDH?

That was a reply from a few years ago to another other forum member, not me, I have not heard back from Andy yet.

[john777]

I wanted to get back to all of you who participated and helped me make an informed decision. I think I got way more worried and stressed out than I needed to be.

I had the Porsche dealer in SF install the P3.

I then drove from SF to Las Vegas in about 8 hours. I had my trusty Valentine One Radar Detector (did not need on the return trip) I was early so stopped by Camping World on the way to my house. I saw the trailer and it looked big, but not bigger than i thought it would be. I made some small talk and came back the next day for the PDI/Paperwork and to pick it up.

I did the PDI (forgot the checklist I downloaded from the Forum) with a VERY NICE tech, who went over most of it. (there is not much there) I did find that the toilet was leaking and it had to be replaced. No other issues.

I met with the Service Manager and as we had talked about previously and following the Porsche Guidelines, I elected to not use a WDH. That was also the service managers recommendation as well. He did install one friction sway bar on the right side of the hitch.

The PDI tech then took me for a cruise with the trailer and set up for a few miles and came back. He said "plenty of power" I said "thats not what I'm worried about". The TV and TT were level and looked properly aligned. There was an F-150 next to me on the departure pad and it had a WDH and was sagging at the hitch (same size trailer)

I got in the TV and was on my way. The OAT was 97-105 from LV to Barstow. I started off for the first 3 hours at 60MPH. It took 30 mins to get used to the feel of it all. On the way up the first big hill I turned off the A/C to keep the Temp from rising too much (over caution). I never had to do that again. The TV held speed with no problem, no matter how steep the grade. It felt much like my old 1987 37" holiday Rambler, trucks blowing by, cars blowing by, staring at the Porsche emblem on the steering wheel while all that was happening was ironic. (the cops are usually the only ones who ever pass me)

I was going slow to stay safe and realized the trip back to SF was going to be a long one. I did not screw around with my phone, etc. I took a strictly business attitude.

After 3 hours at 60 MPH I had had enough, too many cars were passing me by so I moved up to 65, which I kept for the next 8 hours of the trip. The TV/TT did get pushed by passing trucks etc, but it was no worse than when i had my RV. I never felt unsafe, i just knew I had to pay attention. There were several times when I was not expecting a push, and becasue I was paying attention, it was not a problem.
I got off of I-15 and then went from Barstow to Bakersfield. For about 2 hours it was one lane traffic with tons of Trucks coming opposite direction, there were no issues. I noticed the trailer was getting beat around and realized after listening to the radio and then stopping for a break outside Edwards AFB that the winds were 240/30G40 which was about a 45 deg quartering Headwind. (look at the tree between the TV and TT in one of the pics) That lasted about an hour. It lasted all the way to Tehachapi, and as you know, you turn north for a few miles and that wind was a direct cross wind.

I was getting about 8-9MPG as I elected to fully load the water tank, 65gals for the trip. (there was nothing else on the trailer except some bedding and one bag) The next big stress for me the entire time prior to this trip was going down the Tehachapi Pass to Bakersfield. This was a non event. i had no issues and it was still rather windy, but not 40 knots. I was pushed one time while making a slight left turn down the hill and was not expecting it. Again, no big deal, just need to pay attention. I never was worried about the brakes. Actually did not have to do much braking. The cruise control worked well and I downshifted once to slow down.

At the first gas station, i really underestimated how long the combo was and hit the rear TT tires on the gas pump pedastal, pushing the tires out and bumping the trailer over a bit. That caught me off guard as did how close I came to smacking the TT on the side of the gas tank. At another gas stop I undestimated the turn and had to back up really quick to avoid the same thing from happening.

Braking in TV was a non event. These are monster brakes. Like any big load, always think ahead. I cut across 46 to I-5 North and again stayed at 65 MPH, this was a nice stable speed for me and felt more comfortable than 60 with all the cars flying by. I spent the nite in Coalinga CA at and RV park and made sure I swung it wide when needed. As always, no mater where you go when dealing with other RV'ers everyone was very nice.

I left the next morning at 0700 and continued north on I-5 to livermore, dublin, Benicia, Napa, sonoma, to Glen Ellen. When I got there I asked my neighbor to help out as I have a circle driveway and wanted to position the TT properly.

I am very happy with my purchase, the test drive and my safety equipment. The air suspension and brakes are awesome. Its pretty cool to see that suspension jack up the TV to compensate for the weight of the TT. 5800# empty + 65 gals of water. I'm pleased I'm getting to use the TV in this capacity and that it did so well and that I was able to drive in other than good conditions with high temp, high winds and steep grades.

Thanks again for all your concern and assistance. I think i made an informed decision based on many factors. I think this combo is just fine. (FOR ME) It might not be fine for someone else with different driving skills, ability, risk etc. (Andy at CANAM never did call me back, BTW)

I will post the same pics on the "post your rig" as well.

Thanks again. I hope this was informative.


PS I have no idea why the photos are upside down. They are right side up on my computer and when i took the pics...

[Terier]

Let's see if the pictures display correctly below:

[BigBaron]

Wow John, that thing looks great!
Did the rear sag at first then pump up like old Citroens used to do?
Look out for the wheelbase police. They're hiding in the bushes. LOL

[john777]

Originally Posted by BigBaron

Wow John, that thing looks great!
Did the rear sag at first then pump up like old Citroens used to do?
Look out for the wheelbase police. They're hiding in the bushes. LOL

One of the Cayenne drivers said, "car on when hitching, car off when unhitching." Seemed to work fine.