Z3 - Real world weight

[Dandy]

Dont forget that tower, batteries and all the audio is also on top of dry.

I have to point out again what has been pointed out by Chpthril...Tiges weights are quoted with a dry boat and NO options. Believe it or not, the tower is an OPTION and a cast tower is not light. Again, add fuel, gear (some will be wet...more weight), stereo, surf system and you will be over your rating.

Everyone needs to carefully read what is included in the weight. Some mfgs include all options to provide a max dry weight for their rating and some are base boat.

Personally, there is NO way that I would pull that Z3 with your vehicle. Remember that any added gear or passengers placed in the vehicle reduce the amount of towable weight as well.

If your just towing 3 miles through town to a fairly level landing...different story. If your towing on a highway and for a distance, I say leave it behind. Keep in mind that the towing standards are probably performed by professional drivers on a closed course.

What ever you do always keep you along with your family and friends safe.

[Bryan]

Launch ramp control is definitely something to consider. I had a 28' twin engine baja a few years ago that I pulled wth a Tahoe.. Everything was fine until we went to a launch ramp one time that was kinda steep and about half way down I discovered it had a little bit of gravel on it. Not a fun ride at all. Makes you feel helpless being drug backwards down the hill

[dj2]

I worry about egos and "brand loyalty" creating tragic results when I see some of the comments in threads like this.
I had a 2011 F150 FX4 ecoboost with my 96 pre2000 and towed it around like it wasn't there. I traded it in on my RZ4 and realized after 1/2 a season that I needed a bigger truck to be safe. On the highway and in town the F150 did great, good control and fuel mileage... but. I have a couple longer (2-3 miles) pulls at low speed, winding roads on about a 7% grade on the way to the lake. That coupled with launch ramp control nudged me into a larger truck (went a little overboard). I am very happy now pulling with my F350 (except for the one plastic intake tube failure) and I don't have to worry about anyone's safety no matter where we go.
I could have been an egotistical idiot and showed how big my **** was by pulling my big *** boat around with a 1/2 ton turbo V6 pickup, but I chose the ounce of prevention and I hope others think things through thoroughly.

[Ewok]

so if Im reading that correctly then the max weights are figured under the worst possible conditions (100+ temp, 12% grade, AC on max) except for weight of vehicle passengers. So under the 99% likely-hood you'll never meet those extreme conditions and your vehicle plus boat at the listed max may in fact be that 10% buffer alot of people are worried about?

so unless you hitting the extremes towing at the limit (with WDH) is safe according to these standards?

Yes, even at these extreme conditions, with the full weight of the rated trailer it's rated to tow that weight safely. The new standard is an actual standard. The 20-25% safety factor that many of us grew up with was because the truck manufacturers would always fudge the numbers and make their trucks look good for marketing and bragging rights, but knowledgable owners would know that the numbers weren't based on a standard so we all added our own safety factor.

For example, my Sequoia was rated for 9k+ on the old Toyota ratings, and dropped down to 7,200 with the new rating standard. Nothing in the truck changed, the engine, suspension and transmission were the same in model year 2010-2011. The new rating standard dropped in the max tow weight about 20% which is why you should pull about 20% less weight by the max recommended weight if the manufacturer is NOT using ASE J2807.

[Ryanmorgan1984]

For what it's worth, I pull my 13 Z3 with a bone stock 2012 ecoboost. It has 3.73 gearing, and is the fx4. I think it does very well getting around Colorado. The engine braking in tow mode and ability to lock out a certain gear seem to help on slow steep climbs. We went camping with it over the fourth and a loaded box with coolers and camping gear def made the rear end sag a little more then I liked. Still towed and handled well enough. Drove 70 ish rather then 75-80. Made trips to both Texas and Minnesota with the boat in tow. I'd say the only time I even worry is if traffic comes to a dead stop on the interstate. Haven't had any close calls, just takes a little longer to stop, as most vehicles towing probably do. I don't feel macho towing a big boat with a 1/2 ton. Just the truck I own.

[BurnMac42]

I worry about egos and "brand loyalty" creating tragic results when I see some of the comments in threads like this.
I had a 2011 F150 FX4 ecoboost with my 96 pre2000 and towed it around like it wasn't there. I traded it in on my RZ4 and realized after 1/2 a season that I needed a bigger truck to be safe. On the highway and in town the F150 did great, good control and fuel mileage... but. I have a couple longer (2-3 miles) pulls at low speed, winding roads on about a 7% grade on the way to the lake. That coupled with launch ramp control nudged me into a larger truck (went a little overboard). I am very happy now pulling with my F350 (except for the one plastic intake tube failure) and I don't have to worry about anyone's safety no matter where we go.
I could have been an egotistical idiot and showed how big my **** was by pulling my big *** boat around with a 1/2 ton turbo V6 pickup, but I chose the ounce of prevention and I hope others think things through thoroughly.

Aren't those trucks (F-150 Ecoboost) rated to tow 11,0000 pds?

I've pulled 9,000 pd travel trailers thru Jackson Hole, Moab, etc in rain, sun, gravel and never felt like the truck was inadequate. Then again, I have a 2007 Toyota Tundra CrewMax, the rear axle/weight of the truck requires you to register as a 3/4 ton in some states....It just took Ford 4-5 years to catch up with a real truck..

[BurnMac42]

For example, my Sequoia was rated for 9k+ on the old Toyota ratings, and dropped down to 7,200 with the new rating standard. Nothing in the truck changed, the engine, suspension and transmission were the same in model year 2010-2011. The new rating standard dropped in the max tow weight about 20% which is why you should pull about 20% less weight by the max recommended weight if the manufacturer is NOT using ASE J2807.

Interesting I'll have to see what mine dropped too....it's rated for 10,500 presumably under the old system.....

[JohnZ3]

F150 Ecoboost tows a Z3 just fine. Even the steep mountain passes here in Utah and Wyoming didn't slow me down.

Just spend an extra 1000 and put electric brakes on the boat trailer and you'll have no problems stopping either.

[dj2]

There is a difference in a mountain pass and a 5-15 mph winding uphill 7-10% grade for 2-3 miles at a time.

And LOL @ Tundra being a "real truck", sorry....

Google Apache Trail... That road is hard on equipment.

[dj2]

Just got back from the lake, towed my toyhauler up for the summer with the F350. My cousin towed the RZ4 behind his 2016 Tundra crewmax... He averaged right at 9mpg over the same tow that my 2011 Ecoboost averaged just over 11. So much for ford "catching up" to Toyota.

[SKSailboatshop]

I would be looking at a Full Size pickup...with a quad cab and leather they can be pretty comfortable.

our work trucks are a F-150 Eco boost and a 250..both are great options.

[Tigenator]

I worry about egos and "brand loyalty" creating tragic results when I see some of the comments in threads like this.
I had a 2011 F150 FX4 ecoboost with my 96 pre2000 and towed it around like it wasn't there. I traded it in on my RZ4 and realized after 1/2 a season that I needed a bigger truck to be safe. On the highway and in town the F150 did great, good control and fuel mileage... but. I have a couple longer (2-3 miles) pulls at low speed, winding roads on about a 7% grade on the way to the lake. That coupled with launch ramp control nudged me into a larger truck (went a little overboard). I am very happy now pulling with my F350 (except for the one plastic intake tube failure) and I don't have to worry about anyone's safety no matter where we go.
I could have been an egotistical idiot and showed how big my **** was by pulling my big *** boat around with a 1/2 ton turbo V6 pickup, but I chose the ounce of prevention and I hope others think things through thoroughly.

To counter your argument I've seen some people with monster rigs that could tow double the weight of a boat being completely unsafe because they have no idea how to maneuver it or tow in precarious spots.

My thought is this, you should try to stick to your tow rating for what you're towing. That said the manufacturers are the ones who set it. I've towed things with some vehicles over the years that had greater tow ratings but were downright sketchy and I've towed others (like a 4500 lb camper) with my 2012 JKU that handled it like a champ in hill country. Not all are created equal and real world experience shouldn't be discounted. Of course you have to also think about liability as well. I towed my R20 back from PA with my Escalade and it was fine, but I honestly feel that same 2012 JKU towed my 24ft baja with a 502 merc in it even better. Yet the JKU had a lower tow rating. In fact I'm going back to jeep and feel completely confident in towing my R20. You also have to look at like you said where you're towing it, is there high winds? what elevation? what's the ramps like where you're going? is it an old dirt road or do you have to travel down the interstate to get to it? Do you have trailer brakes?. I personally am 5 miles from my storage shop and then it's on the lift for the season. Maybe one trip to another lake with it but that's a big maybe, I haven't done that in a couple years. If you're at 5k feet and have some wide open windy interstates with a steep launch and your'e doing it every weekend? Eh better get something with a good rating AND have real world experience. Take it from the dealership hook it up and take it over the closest hill. Finally, you should have the experience and the comfort in your abilities to actually tow the vehicle. That's my 2 cents.