Are there any trailer hitch options yet

[FTD]

Originally Posted by Allch Chcar

I noticed some MS3 guys were getting trailers for their hatchbacks. Their reasoning was that between the burnt rubber smell and brake dust; it wasn't worth it. Brake dust is nasty stuff and it's hard to cover up for the smell of burnt rubber.

I'm sure some people would love that smell in their cars but I would not.

Good point - additionally I wouldn't want to load wet, muddy, and gravel covered tires after a wet track session. It is much easier to keep the interior nice with a trailer.

The other great thing for me was prepping for an event. I could load up days in advance and have the trailer ready roll. Once I return from the event unhitch, with no need to unload everything before I go to work the next day.

[xjohnx]

Originally Posted by FTD

Good point - additionally I wouldn't want to load wet, muddy, and gravel covered tires after a wet track session. It is much easier to keep the interior nice with a trailer.

Ikea tire bags help with this, and are pretty damn cheap if i recall.

[Black Tire]

Originally Posted by xjohnx

Ikea tire bags help with this, and are pretty damn cheap if i recall.

Is this the tire bag your have pictured?

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10056770/

Do you have any idea what size tires/wheels will fit?

[Black Tire]

Originally Posted by Scooby South

Looking for a hitch so I can tow a small trailer for my Autocross stuff.. wheels/tires.. jack etc.. any news on this front at all??


Bill

Try contacting this company. I live only a few miles from them and they may be able to help. Generally, only one of a few companies makes and designs a hitch for a particular car/truck unless the market is very large. For example, Rigid Hitch may make a hitch for a particular car, then allow Draw-Tite and others to sell it so that they do not have to duplicate R & D, production, etc. for a small market.

http://www.rigidhitch.com/default.aspx?Page=Home

[xjohnx]

Originally Posted by Black Tire

Is this the tire bag your have pictured?

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10056770/

Do you have any idea what size tires/wheels will fit?

yep, that's them. the wheel tire in that picture is a 245/40/18. apparently 285/30/18's were tested and also fit/zipped without issue, shown unzipped for reference.



disclaimer: they're not my pics, stole them from a detroit area scca forum. http://detroit-scca.org/e107/e107_pl...php?22251.last

[KSC]

Really it all comes down to this...

Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR)
This is the maximum safe weight of your combined vehicle and trailer. This weight includes all people, luggage, and other material. If your combined towing setup exceeds this weight, your vehicle's engine, transmission, brakes, and so on will be stressed beyond their design limits.

Again, from the manual, I beleive the max weight for the BRZ was like 697lbs. That's pretty small, 4 good sized men could excede that already. Still, and yet again, I'm not a fan, assuming that's a correct assesement, and the driver + trailer </= 697, I guess you're alright...

[Jack Black]

Originally Posted by KSC

Yeah, I know guys who do it. It's not unheard of, especially for track purposes. I'm still not a fan, but I understand the practicality of it, too. Just pointing out that the manual actually makes a point of saying not to. Then again, it probably says a bunch of stuff a lot of us will end up doing anyway!

That's because we live in the Nanny States of America.

The manual for my Mazda 3 says the same thing but I bought a hitch for it and have several thousands of miles towing my motorcycle, including through mountains.

[ft86Fan]

Originally Posted by xjohnx

Ikea tire bags help with this, and are pretty damn cheap if i recall.

Thank you for the tip. I don't think this bag is designed to carry a tire with wheel. Do you know whether it is strong enough for this use? IKEA is not known for quality and I'm afraid the bag will rip with some use.

[Miniata]

At this point you'll probably have to go custom, although eventually one of the smaller specialty companies will probably release something. IIRC the manufacturers recommend against towing anything in a Miata or Mini Cooper as well, but hitches are available for them as well.

I have a lot of friends that tow their race tires on small trailers behind their autocross cars, but I've always preferred to get them all inside the car (in tire bags). I've done this when running R-comps on my Mini and Mustang, and still had room for a co-driver, jack, tools, helmets, and other autocross gear. Even did it in my Miata once, no room for a passenger though. For what I bring along to autocrosses or track days, I think I'll be fine with getting everything inside my BRZ, but I understand the desire to want to be able to tow a small trailer instead.

[Miniata]

Originally Posted by ft86Fan

Thank you for the tip. I don't think this bag is designed to carry a tire with wheel. Do you know whether it is strong enough for this use? IKEA is not known for quality and I'm afraid the bag will rip with some use.

Tire totes work great too http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/detail.jsp?ID=62 available lots of different places for around $10 each. I have a couple of sets, and they handle everything from my 15" Miata wheels/tires to my 18" Mustang stuff.

[ft86Fan]

Originally Posted by Miniata

Tire totes work great too http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/detail.jsp?ID=62 available lots of different places for around $10 each. I have a couple of sets, and they handle everything from my 15" Miata wheels/tires to my 18" Mustang stuff.

Thanks. I have a set of tire totes already. I was thinking the IKEA bags might be a good idea if the track is wet or muddy and you need to put the tires in the car to bring home.

[Miniata]

Originally Posted by ft86Fan

Thanks. I have a set of tire totes already. I was thinking the IKEA bags might be a good idea if the track is wet or muddy and you need to put the tires in the car to bring home.

Gotcha. I've used my tire totes even with rain and wet tires and put a blanket down, they still offer a lot more protection than nothing. I do have a set of the awesome Black Watch Racing insulated tire bags that I've used for my Mini and Miata tires, but it appears that they aren't being made anymore. Not sure if my BRZ tires will fit, they made two sizes and I have the smaller ones. Large size garbage bags will fit a BRZ tire, I guess that would be another option for wet/muddy tires.

[usptwins]

I thought the idea of owning an FR-S/GT86/BRZ was so that you didn't need a trailer or another vehicle to tote things like a whole extra set of rims and tires and the necessary tools for the job........ Isn't that what this car was designed specifically for?? Now for the guys wanting to haul bikes and stuff that won't fit in the back, then i see your point.

[Scooby South]

Originally Posted by FTD

Bill, you may want to reach out to Mark Hirt of the Chicago region. I believe he worked directly with Curt to have one fabricated using his car as a template. I believe they treated him good and it paved the way for other MX-5 owners such as myself who were able to buy the production hitches thereafter.

I love the trailer option, no other way to carry two sets of wheels/tires plus gear.

PM me if you have any questions, take care!

Will Do...thank you..

Originally Posted by Black Tire

Try contacting this company. I live only a few miles from them and they may be able to help. Generally, only one of a few companies makes and designs a hitch for a particular car/truck unless the market is very large. For example, Rigid Hitch may make a hitch for a particular car, then allow Draw-Tite and others to sell it so that they do not have to duplicate R & D, production, etc. for a small market.

http://www.rigidhitch.com/default.aspx?Page=Home

will Definitely check these out. I think it cold be a good thing if we can get this going.. like I say I am not towing a camper/boat/or anything else. just want some extra room for my gear..

Bill