DIY: Draw-Tite Hitch Install
 

I've followed a ton of DIY tutorials from this forum, but didn't see an extensive hitch install write-up, so I decided to try to contribute to the forum with my first write-up. I'm missing a few photos of tool layout, jacking, and the removal of a few sections from the trunk...

The Draw-Tite Hitch I installed can be found here: https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hit...BoCWbkQAvD_BwE

Hitch Features:
Class I, 1-1/4 inch receiver
200 lbs TW
2000lbs GTW

Step 1 (Not Pictured): Jack the rear of the vehicle up--use jack stands--follow this extensive DIY thread on how to jack the car up using appropriate jack / jackstand locations: https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10111

Step 2: Open the trunk, remove the weather-guard if you have one, as well as the carpeted trunk cover that conceals the spare tire and other tools. Next you will need to peel back part of the carpeted liner on the sides of the inside of the trunk. There are plastic black fasteners you will have to pop out in order to do this. The best way I've found to remove the fasteners (many of which I broke when I first started working on my car) is to insert a flathead screwdriver under the lip of the cap and lift it up. The plastic fasteners on the interior of the car pop out far easier than the ones on the exterior. You may have to slowly work 360 degrees around exterior fasteners to pop them out without breaking them.

I removed all three of the plastic fasteners pictured below, on both sides of the interior of the trunk. This let me pull the carpeted liner back far enough to access the tail lights and bumper attachments that I needed to access.
Attachment 176389

I removed this piece as well, cant remember if it was necessary but its easy to get out of the way (3 plastic fasteners hold it in place)
Attachment 176373

Once you have peeled back the carpeted liner, disconnect the tail light cable from its receptacle, and remove the 4 nuts holding the tail light in place. You will have to cut the zip tie to get the final nut off--be careful not to cut or damage the tail light wiring.
I used a size 8 for these
Attachment 176383
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Once you have disconnected the wiring and removed the 4 nuts, push the screws from the inside (while holding the tail light on the outside) and remove the tail light.
Attachment 176377
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Now we must remove the fasteners holding the rear bumper in place, there are a few at the bottom of the rear bumper under the exhaust and one or two in the wheel well. Again, these will be more difficult to remove than the interior plastic fasteners.
Attachment 176371
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The one in the wheel well was flimsy and i broke the plastic ring off (on both sides). I wasn't too worried about it. If you are, you can purchase new ones for a few dollars from an online subaru parts store.
Attachment 176369

Finally, remove the 2 screws on either side of the trunk
Attachment 176372

Ensure you did not miss any plastic fasteners, then begin removing your rear bumper, it will unclip from the rest of the body as you pull and lift it. If you are pulling excessively to the point you are worried about breaking something, recheck you dont have any fasteners still connected and try lifting or pulling from a different location.
Attachment 176379
Lifting from the bottom helps inclip the rear fender from the clip-ins near the rear headlights (pictured below)
Attachment 176380
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Once you have detached the rear bumper, ensure you have a blanket or towel to place it on so it does not get scratched and place it next to your vehicle. Note: there is electrical wiring you do not need to remove, but it requires you to place the bumper near the trunk of the car. I used a sheet and gently placed my bumper there until i finished the installation.
Sheet and electrical cable attached to the rear bumper can be seen in the picture below (though I have already removed the rear bumper reinforcement in the photo)
Attachment 176386

Once the rear bumper is removed, there are two bolts and one nut on each side that need to be removed to remove the rear bumper reinforcement
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Once removed, remove the bumper reinforcement and place on the sheet or towel next to your bumper. Now your car should match this photo.
Attachment 176386

Install the Hitch as pictured below, the stud that the nut attached to will hold it in place as you place the bumper outside of it and begin re-installing the two bolts and one nut on either side
Attachment 176387
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Place everything back on in reverse order (I didn't bother zip-tying the electrical wiring back to the tail light screws).

Once complete you have your hitch (a very low one that requires a high rise ball mount...) Also, I have an aftermarket suspension, so my ride is about 1" lower than stock.
Attachment 176391

I had to purchase a kit for the electrical trailer wiring, so I will add that to this write-up once i receive and install it.

Yes, I know I shouldn't tow this much weight with the car... I only plan to tow 1400 lbs, and if it struggles too much I'll probably just buy a turbo kit and oil cooler. and if it still struggles then I'll buy a truck, maybe..

Update: Here's a video, the first 8 seconds shows my trailer height / angle when attached to my car, and the rest of the video is just me driving my gokart. 2.5 years later and still no issues! https://youtu.be/BP2XCgowtGI

Very nice DIY write-up with lots of great photos. Looks really really involved, though. Just as an FYI while it's more expensive there is a hitch made specifically for this platform that mounts externally from the dual rear tow hooks: http://www.slambertperformance.com/shop/twin-hitch

FYI - From the 2017 Toyota 86 Owners Manual, Page 256:

Toyota does not recommend towing a trailer with your vehicle.
Toyota also does not recommend the installation of a tow hitch or the use of a tow hitch carrier for a wheelchair, scooter, bicycle, etc.
Your Toyota is not designed for trailer towing or for the use of tow hitch mounted carriers.

for legal reasons. same as the chevy manual telling the GMT360 platform cannot tow more than something like 7000 lbs but ive done up to 8500

If you put a hitch on the car chances are you are towing something like a 500 lb or less single axle trailer for a track day. Id do it.

(i dont because I have said SUV which can tow said 86... and I think i can afford the gas for both <_<)

I had a much easier time installing my Curt hitch. Just drop the muffler, drill out two of the existing holes a little bit bigger and bolt it up then just put the muffler bolts back in. This one https://www.curtmfg.com/part/11379 I've had platform racks with 2 bikes on it for thousands of trouble free miles.

I saw a few very nice alternatives to this hitch; however, none of them had 1.5k GTW capacity, so I went with this one. I'll update how the towing goes. I expect to wear out my clutch a bit quicker, I think the car will handle the load fine though once I'm moving, as long as I accelerate and decelerate slowly, and aim to keep RPM at 3k or 5k (max torque outputs)

See I wanna use a design like this to make a jacking point for the car... drift bumpers are expensive and highly obtrusive but having a center jack point is so damn nice

There's already center jacking points for this chassis. In the front it's the front crossmember below the engine, and in the rear it's at the bottom of the differential case, ensuring you span both sides of where the differential cover joins the case. Since both of these points engage the weight of the vehicle centerline to the subframe, which is tied to the chassis evenly, it is a safe jacking point.

I use them every single time I jack my car up to do two stands at once. Although these days I almost always just use a lift.

It would be nice to have an easier to reach one in the rear though, I was thinking about making my own drift bumper.

You need to understand the origins of this section of your Owner's Manual. EVERY vehicle made has some degree of towing capacity. However, not every vehicle made has been officially certified by the OEM to do so. Unless the OEM decided to spend additional millions of dollars (because that's what it would cost) doing all of the simulations, and real-world testing, involved in certifying a specific towing capacity for their vehicle, then they aren't about to legally green-light it for ANY amount of towing. The result is what you see in our Owner's Manual, which is a legal CYA statement, more than a technical one.

The GVWR of the BRZ allows for nearly 1,000 lb of payload. This is PER THE MANUFACTURER. That means that the manufacturer has tested, and certified, that the vehicle is designed to haul around almost 1,000 lb in addition to it's own weight. This means the average person could tow at least a small tire trailer, and still have additional leeway left for items inside the vehicle, all without exceeding the official ratings for the powertrain, brakes, etc... none of those components care about WHERE the weight is located. In fact, having it on a trailer, rather than in the car, actually makes things easier on the suspension (assuming a proper tongue weight.)

I've been towing a 650 lb tire trailer for years now. Not only have I had no issues, but most of the time it's hard to tell a trailer is even behind me until I go to put my foot down and feel the added sluggishness.

http://www.seriesblueadventures.com/...2016/05/01.jpg

I love how easy it is for me to put a jack under the hitch to lift the back of the car. No getting down on my knees to look underneath to make sure it's positioned just right is nice. The front is still a problem...

I would agree that the vehicle has some degree of towing capacity. But consider this:

1. You are towing with a vehicle against the manufacturers stated restrictions. Doesn't matter what the reason may be for the restriction or if the vehicle seems to perform adequately and safely when doing so.

2. The vehicle is involved in an accident while in motion. Doesn't matter who seems to be at fault.

3. The Insurance Company Lawyers for both parties get involved.

4. Your Insurance Company refuses to pay because you where operating the vehicle outside of it's *stated* capabilities.

5. The other party's Insurance Company says no matter who may be at fault, they are going to sue you because you were operating the vehicle outside of it's *stated* capabilities.

Just sayin'.

"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." (Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part 2, Act IV, Scene 2)

I nearly got turned down on a couple of different warranty repairs due to the hitch on my car. They tried to say that because I was towing they didn't need to cover things. I had to point out that there's no wiring for trailer lights and that I don't tow only put a bike rack on. When they asked why I couldn't just use a roof rack I pointed out the dents the roof rack made. They stopped arguing covering the repairs.

You're making a LOT of assumptions here on things that it sounds like you've never actually looked into. Allow me to address them for you:

To your first point: This was already answered in my first post. There is NO mechanical reason why the vehicle cannot tow to a certain degree. I've already explained the reason why above. OEMs advising against towing are doing so for legal reasons, not for technical/mechanical reasons.

To the rest of your points regarding insurance issues: Have you actually ever asked your insurance agent about this? Do you have even any anecdotal evidence to support your claim that this would happen?

I've actually spoken to MULTIPLE insurance companies about this (my former one, and my current one.) I actually have it IN WRITING from them, that my BRZ is absolutely covered while towing my 700 lb trailer, and that I have no reason to worry about insurance-related issues in the event of an accident. They are the ones who stated that ANY vehicle has some degree of towing capability, regardless of what is stated by the OEM. There is a very big difference between getting into an accident because you put a 20,000 lb 5th-wheel on your mid-size truck rated to tow 3,000 lb, and towing a small trailer well-within the GVWR of the vehicle.

I've had this insurance-related argument countless times with people with regards to tire trailers, and yet nobody has every shown me a SINGLE example of someone having an insurance issue because they were pulling a small tire trailer, or similar, behind their vehicle. Every single time, it is someone making assumptions, but with no actual evidence to back up those assumptions. It's not necessarily a completely irrational assumption to make, but it happens to be one which is incorrect :)

Dealerships are also known to try to deny warranty repairs on, say, your engine, because your car has coilovers. Doesn't mean they have any legitimate basis for doing so ;)

I've had other vehicles that stated something to the same degree in the North American manual yet in other countries it could tow up to 2XXX. I have a bike hitch mount and haven't had any issues with it yet but then again it's combined weight with two bicycles is below 150lbs.