MISS BM 712 Report post Posted March 14, 2014 So after spending the last few weeks getting this car right (Thanks to the Ray & the boys at HellBm) finally got it out for it's part time job - towing. Took it for a test to the local riding grounds, and wow. Moving on from a 2.7L Nissan Mistral to the 540i, well lets just say I have never in my life had to continually check my speed while towing... Didn't even feel the almost 1300kg load up the hills and acceleration and gear changes were just spot on - I think my horse had a bit of a ride in luxury there. We did look like the odd ones out in a crew of trucks and 4x4's though! A few piped up and said it must struggle towing, just told them it will tow harder than their 3L Diesel ever will... Only trouble we had was traction up my gravel drive - let's just say there was a very long period of traction control getting angry at me... It doesn't sit too low to the ground (my car is on a slight uphill in this picture) but will need to check that weight on the tow ball as my float did look a little downhill - my float is really high off the ground. Anywho - cheers to those for a spot on suggestion going with the 540i. And again a big thanks to Ray & Team for all the work they have done to get this girl in great running order! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pldubs 308 Report post Posted March 14, 2014 Bwaaaaa!!! Horses never looked so cool. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hybrid 1039 Report post Posted March 14, 2014 Sweet!... bout to Install the rest of the Westifalia detachable tow kit on mine complete with purpose made motorsport rear valance which is on its way from Denmark as we speak. Been meaning to have the tow bar situation sorted on the 540 for ever. You can laugh at those little Japanese things and pat them on the head for being cheeky and say something like awww thats cute .. its trying make a joke. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
turbolizard 38 Report post Posted March 14, 2014 I used to do quite a lot of towing of a race boat with my e34 540. It did a great job. Only issue was the extra camber wear on rear tyres. I now have a Dodge Ram which is awesome for towing but the 540 did a better job than my v8 Commodore did. Keep your cooling system up to scratch! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Young Thrash Driver 1020 Report post Posted March 14, 2014 Nice! Good to see a BMW being used for something practical Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwipetrolhead 1 Report post Posted March 14, 2014 My e34 540 tows very well too. The auto trans won't change up when I first start out in the car, but it comes right about 1/2 a K down the road then it's all good. It's done that ever since I've own the car though, which is 10 years now, and it hasn't gotten any worse in that time. I'm still waiting for Jeff Gray European (BMW dealer in Palmerston North) to do something about fixing the rips in my back seat leather that they did when it was on there back in January - I'm getting more grumpy with them now. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yng_750 247 Report post Posted March 14, 2014 Just remember sometimes turning traction control off helps get moving in loose or slippery surfaces. Especially when towing. Look under snow in.the users manual Sent from my GT-I8160L using Tapatalk 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MISS BM 712 Report post Posted March 14, 2014 Yeah I love it. Travelling in style, with the comfort of that bmw leather seats is just perfect haha! You can feel the horses move around a little bit vs the Nissan, but she travels 10x smoother and happier (just got to watch for that darn speeding!) I was getting about 14.5L/100km towing on varied terrain (majority up hill) and thought that was decent compared to my general 13L/100km. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nobimmer 694 Report post Posted March 14, 2014 Man I got so many tickets towing the race car with a 540, if you didn't have a mirror you would hardly know the trailer was there! 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_ethrty-Andy_ 2122 Report post Posted March 14, 2014 must be a 5 series thing?? ive had another E34 on a car trailer coming back from Taupo and same thing, just slightly more sluggish on hills compared to normal etc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael. 2312 Report post Posted March 15, 2014 Torque is your friend 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
