Who is Towing RV's Without WD or Sway Control?

[SubzeroVR4]

So I just installed the stealth hitch on my X5 and I was excited to take advantage of the increased towing capacity. I was looking at renting a small TT and I found out (I didn't do enough research) that BMW or Stealth hitch doesn't recommend WD system. I love the aesthetics of the stealth hitch. I wanted to just get some feedback on who is really towing without a weight distribution system and what are they experiencing? Does it tow fine or is there excessive sway? Thanks so much for the feedback.

[Barnfind]

Don't mean to thread drift, but after installing the hitch and wiring harness did you have to code the X5? I'm being told that you have to however the stealership wants over $2 grand for the hitch, install, and coding.

[HydroStream6]

Coding is not needed but some people want it. I got the hitch and harness off Amazon for like $300 total and installed it in the driveway. Pretty easy.

[SubzeroVR4]

I had a trailer connection error. My cargo trailer is full LEDs and it still lit the trailer properly. The stealth hitch came with free remote coding which fixed the error as well as disabled rear PDC when connected to the trailer, added the hitch zoom for the camera as well as trailer sway control.

I'll have a video of the install process shortly as well as a towing review. I want to tow a 24ft TT and from the threads I searches, it seems some are using WD and some are not so I just wanted to pick some brains and see what their experiences were like.

[skoold2003]

Originally Posted by HydroStream6

Coding is not needed but some people want it. I got the hitch and harness off Amazon for like $300 total and installed it in the driveway. Pretty easy.

Which hitch did you get.. and did you follow a thread on here?

[1norseman]

Originally Posted by SubzeroVR4

So I just installed the stealth hitch on my X5 and I was excited to take advantage of the increased towing capacity. I was looking at renting a small TT and I found out (I didn't do enough research) that BMW or Stealth hitch doesn't recommend WD system. I love the aesthetics of the stealth hitch. I wanted to just get some feedback on who is really towing without a weight distribution system and what are they experiencing? Does it tow fine or is there excessive sway? Thanks so much for the feedback.

Lets get back to OP's topic!!!

A while back I rented a Uhaul flatbed car trailer and towed my buddy's 540 for about a 90 mile trip. I have the Stealth also, love it..
I did get issues with sway at times, and speeds over 65-70mph on uneven roads.
At under 65, I hardly noticed I was towing that much weight behind me. (the 50i is great to tow with)

I have rear air springs/bags keeping the X5 level, even with lots of weight on the hitch, which helps with sway.

But because I'm lowered, I realized I might have to order the even taller ball mount. This since the Uhaul trailer was about an 1" lower in the front vs rear, which could have impacted the towing/ sway too.

Reminds me, I'm wondering if stiffer shocks also could be helpful with towing heavier stuff. Might just give that little extra help making it slightly less prone to sway at higher speeds.?!?!

When I have pulled my enclosed 14ft Haulmark, I have not noticed any issues with sway even when speeding up to get around slow traffic.. But Haulmark weighs a lot less than a 540.

[SubzeroVR4]

Originally Posted by 1norseman

Lets get back to OP's topic!!!

A while back I rented a Uhaul flatbed car trailer and towed my buddy's 540 for about a 90 mile trip. I have the Stealth also, love it..
I did get issues with sway at times, and speeds over 65-70mph on uneven roads.
At under 65, I hardly noticed I was towing that much weight behind me. (the 50i is great to tow with)

I have rear air springs/bags keeping the X5 level, even with lots of weight on the hitch, which helps with sway.

But because I'm lowered, I realized I might have to order the even taller ball mount. This since the Uhaul trailer was about an 1" lower in the front vs rear, which could have impacted the towing/ sway too.

Reminds me, I'm wondering if stiffer shocks also could be helpful with towing heavier stuff. Might just give that little extra help making it slightly less prone to sway at higher speeds.?!?!

When I have pulled my enclosed 14ft Haulmark, I have not noticed any issues with sway even when speeding up to get around slow traffic.. But Haulmark weighs a lot less than a 540.

Thanks for your feedback! It doesn't sound like it's too much of a problem without a WD hitch as long as common sense is used and you don't exceed the hitch weight.

[HydroStream6]

Just to add to the conversation, I just purchased a WDH for my 50i. I'll be towing about ~5900lbs this coming weekend with it. I'll report how it goes.

[ComasF15]

WD has little input on sway. WD is to help with rear end sag. Hitch weight also subtracts from cargo the vehicle can carry.

The car will tend to dampen sway provided the trailer is loaded correctly. Most sway is caused by the driver trying to dampen sway but being behind enough to add to it. It's a common problem in light aircraft, too. At the first hint of sway lock the steering wheel for a moment and add a bit of trailer braking to straighten the combined vehicle.

[HydroStream6]

This is the hitch I'll be using. While it doesn't have the standard friction type sway control, supposedly it does offer some sway control via the friction in the tension bars. I'll know on Saturday!

https://www.etrailer.com/p-FA94-00-0600.html

[HydroStream6]

Well we made the 500 trip home with the new boat. Boat on trailer is somewhere close to 6,000lbs. I need to get a new jack for the trailer, as I couldn't get it as high as I would have liked, which controlled how much tension I could put on the bars. But, with the tension bars disconnected, the X5 sat at 30" (ground to wheel arc) in the back and 32" in the front. With the tension bars connected, it went to 31" in back and 31.5"ish in front. It most certainly helped even the load. We towed 500 miles home @ 65mph and the sway wasn't bad at all. We would get a little sway when semis went by, but it would straighten itself out. We also returned close to 13mpg, which was fantastic in my eyes for a tuned 600+ hp X5 towing nearly 3 tons.

Before the next trip, I'll move the boat further forward on the trailer to get some more tongue weight, and I'll have a new jack so I can jack it up higher to get more tension on the bars. This should eliminate the sway and get it perfectly level.

[1norseman]

Originally Posted by HydroStream6

Well we made the 500 trip home with the new boat. Boat on trailer is somewhere close to 6,000lbs. I need to get a new jack for the trailer, as I couldn't get it as high as I would have liked, which controlled how much tension I could put on the bars. But, with the tension bars disconnected, the X5 sat at 30" (ground to wheel arc) in the back and 32" in the front. With the tension bars connected, it went to 31" in back and 31.5"ish in front. It most certainly helped even the load. We towed 500 miles home @ 65mph and the sway wasn't bad at all. We would get a little sway when semis went by, but it would straighten itself out. We also returned close to 13mpg, which was fantastic in my eyes for a tuned 600+ hp X5 towing nearly 3 tons.

Before the next trip, I'll move the boat further forward on the trailer to get some more tongue weight, and I'll have a new jack so I can jack it up higher to get more tension on the bars. This should eliminate the sway and get it perfectly level.

Edit, I just looked at your hitch. not sure what I suggest is possible with the kind in your link.
I used to have the kind with chains that attached to the trailer, and a separate sway brake.

If you have a floor jack, you can lift the load distribution bars on the chain end, one side at a time. A regular jack might also work, but be careful.
This way, you don't have to use the trailer jack, to get more tension on the load bars.

[HydroStream6]

Thanks for the suggestion! I think I could do what you suggest, but it'd be a little sketchy sliding the jack in with tension on the bars. This style allows the bars to slide back to front, as I need that action for the surge brakes. The chain style wouldn't work. I'm hoping a beefier trailer jack will help.

[Barry_S]

BMW certainly makes this difficult and confusing!

I just picked up a 2018 F15 35d to use for towing. It already had the OEM hitch and trailer hitch control unit installed, however no trailer brake. If I understand correctly the trailer brake should simply plug into the control unit.

Now my question - The OEM hitch doesn't allow for the use of a weight distribution hitch because it is simply the European ball connection rather than the 2" square tube. I have read there are problems with the Stealthhitch because of play in the way it connects and the amount of weight moved out from the rear of the vehicle when a WDH is used.

I'm not particularly concerned about the weight distribution as much as I am sway. I have read that the BMW control unit can mitigate sway and I assume that is done by using the trailer brake unit somehow to apply the brake on the necessary side of the trailer to straighten it out. There are Electronic sway control devices that do this, so it seems possible. What I can't confirm is that it ACTUALLY does and if it does, will that mitigate the sway to a safe and tolerable point without the use of a WDH?

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge with this? I've never towed a 5000+ lb trailer without WDH for sway control before and am a little nervous to do so.

Thanks,
Barry

[SubzeroVR4]

Originally Posted by Barry_S

BMW certainly makes this difficult and confusing!

I just picked up a 2018 F15 35d to use for towing. It already had the OEM hitch and trailer hitch control unit installed, however no trailer brake. If I understand correctly the trailer brake should simply plug into the control unit.

Now my question - The OEM hitch doesn't allow for the use of a weight distribution hitch because it is simply the European ball connection rather than the 2" square tube. I have read there are problems with the Stealthhitch because of play in the way it connects and the amount of weight moved out from the rear of the vehicle when a WDH is used.

I'm not particularly concerned about the weight distribution as much as I am sway. I have read that the BMW control unit can mitigate sway and I assume that is done by using the trailer brake unit somehow to apply the brake on the necessary side of the trailer to straighten it out. There are Electronic sway control devices that do this, so it seems possible. What I can't confirm is that it ACTUALLY does and if it does, will that mitigate the sway to a safe and tolerable point without the use of a WDH?

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge with this? I've never towed a 5000+ lb trailer without WDH for sway control before and am a little nervous to do so.

Thanks,
Barry

BMW doesn't have a built-in brake controller. Your only option is to go wireless, or some trailers have surge brakes. Prodigy makes an RF unit, and Curt ECHO is Bluetooth with your phone.

BMW sway is a reactive system and uses the electronic stability program to mitigate it. Therefore there has to be some excessive sway before the esp will even activate.

[Barry_S]

Originally Posted by SubzeroVR4

BMW doesn't have a built-in brake controller. Your only option is to go wireless, or some trailers have surge brakes. Prodigy makes an RF unit, and Curt ECHO is Bluetooth with your phone.

BMW sway is a reactive system and uses the electronic stability program to mitigate it. Therefore there has to be some excessive sway before the esp will even activate.

Thanks for responding.

Thanks there are many other options for brake control, but I appreciate the advice.

Did you end up getting your 24' TT? If so, did you use a WDH? If not, how was your towing experience?

[Barry_S]

Does anyone have experience with this Sway control device? https://www.hayesbc.com/products/con...s/sway-master/

I see that it works by applying brake force to the required side of the trailer in order to stop sway. Similar to what I was asking about earlier but now understand BMW sway control works with DSC.

So rather than switch out the OEM hitch which won't allow for a WDH (with sway control), I thought this might work just as well.

Any thoughts?

Barry

[skoold2003]

Originally Posted by HydroStream6

Thanks for the suggestion! I think I could do what you suggest, but it'd be a little sketchy sliding the jack in with tension on the bars. This style allows the bars to slide back to front, as I need that action for the surge brakes. The chain style wouldn't work. I'm hoping a beefier trailer jack will help.

Hey are you still towing your boat? I'm wanting to get a bit bigger trailer (5800lb, 690 tongue wt) and will use WD if possible. I've heard not to use WD on our cars without reinforcement. What's your experience?