[spangenb]

I have a tire/utility trailer that I have towed behind all my autocross cars since the '98 neon ACR. We also use it for camping with the miata. Has anybody determined if a standard Fiesta hitch will work on the ST? I think the lower rear valance might cause problems. I might try to custom fab one that hides completely like the Flyin' miata hitch: http://www.flyinmiata.com/index.php?stocknumber=29-50000

 

[spangenb]

I'm sure it's not rated for towing by Ford, but since it shares the basic structure with the regular Fiesta I would expect it to tow as well as one. With that in mind I think it's unlikely the NA miata was rated for towing by Mazda, but it does a wonderful job as long as you are smart about it.

 

[spangenb]

Typical load for a camping weekend. I bet the whole rig weighs around 500 pounds and the miata barely knows it's there except when climbing steep hills on side roads. On the interstate the cruise control handles things fine in 5th gear.

 

[spangenb]

I wasn't real clear in my original post. The Miata is for camping trips with that rig pictured. The Fiesta would only be seeing tire/tool trailer duty ... same trailer but much less "accessorizing" resulting in a smaller and lighter load. I am likely to travel several hours to autocross events and like to carry more tools and spares than I want to cram into the car itself. I like the flexibility of having a hitch on just about any car for anything from a bike rack to an appropriately sized trailer.

I have had my share of "proper tow vehicles" in my time (F250 V10, Honda Ridgeline). With gas costing what it does these days, my '12 Focus plus a 5'x8' utility trailer makes an excellent light haul solution that averaged 32mpg over my recent 3200 mile round trip to Florida to move my mother back home. Very stable, safe, and efficient. Best of both worlds if you ask me.

 

[spangenb]

I really do like the Flyin' Miata hitch that takes a U-shaped drawbar that inserts vertically behind the bumper. Totally hidden when not in use and the frame that mounts to the car is pretty light for a hitch. I think I will take the drawbar for the Miata hitch and see how it fits with the ST rear bumper cover. If that looks like a good fit then I will have a buddy fab up a frame to mount to the car based on the Flyin' Miata design. This guy fabs Mustang parts (www.cheperformance.com) so if there's interest then maybe he will turn it into a product offering

 

[spangenb]

Yup that's good advice wash. It's like riding a motorcycle. You can't pretend you are driving a car and survive. When you are towing you have to drive with a whole different set of rules AND make sure the load is properly balanced (tongue weight correct) and trailer attitude correct: tongue slightly downhill to the car ... NEVER tongue high.

 

[spangenb]

This thread has been real quiet. With it being middle of winter here I won't get a chance to tinker with the hitch fitment til April. I am sure I can get something to work. Not sure if I can start with a base Fiesta hitch and mod it or just fab from scratch. The pic above of a hitch on a base Fiesta (ugly) really makes me want to shoot for the completely hidden option that I alluded to in my original post.

 

[spangenb]

Yeah just confirms that I may have to fab something to get what I want, or at least mod an existing hitch.

 

[spangenb]

I expect to have my local guy fab one up. He sells Mustang suspension and bracing parts so who knows maybe he will sell the final product too.

 

[spangenb]

Got a Draw-Tite 24855 hitch and Curt plug-n-play wiring. I need to pull my trailer this weekend for both camping and autox so I had to give up on the idea of a custom hitch for now. It's funny that the eTrailer site goes to the trouble of separating the ST and the regular hatchback, but they use the same hitch number. Both the wiring and hitch were very easy to install and the hitch is *almost* a perfect fit. You can see in the first photo with the blue arrows where the fascia gets bulged down a little on the left side where the hitch bracket interferes and pulled up a little to the right of the receiver where the hitch tube interferes with a tab that connects the fascia to the car. They say you have to cut the muffler heat shield in the instructions. That's b.s. The hitch fits fine over the muffler with the shield there. Plenty of clearance with my 2J muffler too. The exhaust hits the fascia opening well before it would hit the hitch. I need to buy a 4" rise draw bar since things are too low in the second pic. It was just a test fit so don't yell at me for not having everything tied up

 

[spangenb]

Anybody weigh the hitch before install?

I didn't weigh the hitch but it's not light. Has to be in the neighborhood of 20 lbs. I had to have it and all the current options look about the same so I didn't pay much attention to the weight.