bob_dallas

I'd love to see a picture of the four tires in there with seat and roll cage - that's quite a feat.

WRT towing a trailer behind the GT3 it is a different load than the tow hook is designed for. The tow hook is designed for a (relatively) straight pull, no tongue weight, etc. Granted the tongue weight is not much but it is out on the rear end of a car that is already heavy in the butt. I know people do it, I've just never been a big fan.

Erik

Problem really is that I'm always gambling when driving to the track with my R compounds. I've done it for years and years, but often have to throw a set of tires out because I"m too nervous about being to drive for 2 days and then drive home for another 100 miles. I trailer really is not an option right now, since I have no where to store it, which means I would have to bring it to a storage facility, and our tow vehicle is the Cayenne TT which has the twins kid seats in them, leaving my wife stranded with the Mini if I take the CTT. I've decided that if I get one of these tire trailers, it will last me a couple of seasons before I finally break down and get a real trailer. Nice thing about the tire trailer is that I should be able to stuff it into the garage somewhere

SMR996

I know this car and the owner...... and have seen the car towing the trailer... It looks stable (no bouncing swaying, etc)...Also, the trailer is fairly balanced so there is very little tongue weight on the car....

As far as the legal aspect s of the trailer, I cannot comment....

I personally haul my car, tires, tools, BBQ, etc. in my enclosed trailer and would not consider hooking a trailer to my beloved Porsche for any reason.....

Edgy01

Get a roof rack.

996FLT6

I know mini Cooper has a aftermarket hitch mount bar(runs end to end) with receiver that is attached to the factory mounting points of the bumper rail with longer bolts so u retain the bumper guard too. Don't know if gt3 has enuf clearance between bumper guard and bumper cover. Mike

mikymu

Mike

You mean this one right?



This is the class 1 tow hitch rated 2,000 lbs. Gross Trailer Weight (GTW), 200 lbs. Tongue Weight (TW) for Mini cooper. It is mounted behind the bumper beam as shown below - cost? $150!



That would work if we can have something fabricated and mounted behind the bumper beam on our GT3/RS since it will be bolted to the chassis. I think there are plenty of space between the Bumper bracket and the plastic rear bumper cover to accommodate an extra 1/4" steel plate.

Three possible obstacle in going through this route

1. GT3/RS bumper beam does not have a flat bumper beam mount. The bumper beam mount sits inside of a "metal well" shown below. It will be tricky to fabricate and angle a plate through that metal well to connect to the main hitch assembly and still retain the rigidity needed as a class 1 hitch





2. The main hitch assembly has to exit just below the bumper beam so it is right behind the license plate. Getting it to clear the heat shield(s) and position it just right may be tricky but not hard



The hitch as to pass near the center of the license plate so the front of the trailer does not sit too low



3. Weight penalty. Are we willing to accept additional 25 lbs, 35 lbs or worst 40 lbs of hard steel tow hitch weight at the very end of a already rear heavy car? After Sharkwerks muffler bypass and Euro bumper, I was able to shed 25 lbs ... and that was a very expensive 25 lbs exercise

Are there any light weight metal that are as strong as regular steel used for typical hitch construction to save 20% - 35% of weight??

This is challenging but can be a fun project .....

996FLT6

Looking at those pics where the bumper bar is attached to each of those has 2 bolts on each side. What are those for? Looks like bumper guard is hollow from inside so maybe get longer bolts and fabricate a wing adapter to each side with a bar running inside the aluminum bumper bar- only issue is u have to drill a hole through the center of the bumper guard for hitch mount to exit out( but in some way having both bumper guard and hitch bar it's more rigid- just a thought). Mike

996FLT6

If that works since u got the tow hook receiver u can tap a hole through the hitch bar and slides into tow hook receiver then u got 3 strong areas of support but looking at your pics of the fully stripped pic is there a tow hook receiver that's screwed into the second hole from the rt?. Man I'm getting dizzy. Mike

AllanJ

It should be fairly easy for a competent shop to fab something up.

mdrums

Erik, let me know when and what tire trailer you find and the trailer hook up. I am in the same situation as you driving over to Sebring on my R-Comps and having to throw them out before I should.

I've seen guys trailer tires to events for years without a problem...I see the trailer ball sticking through a hole in the license plate.

thanks! Mike Carter

mikymu

I think the point of the mini hitch design is that you don't need to drill holes through the bumper guard and it is a simple bolt on hitch. Additional weight is my other concern ... aluminum or chromoly vs regular steel hitch? Is there such a thing?

Erik

Hope this works, this is the one I just bought, was used for a few years by a boxter owner, then a 997 owner. Need to make a small modification since the space to stack the rims is only 45" and I need about 46.5-48". I forgot to a picture of the tow hook/ball but it looked very sturdy, no concerns. Also had to remove the chain hooks because they were hitting the top of the bumper/licence plate holder. Will have a friend weld on a couple of new ones just a little smaller. Only towed it a short distance and without the tires, but seems to work just fine. Pics were taken by prior owner and other one w my car with Blackberry so not the best quality. Will post some more pics and first impressions when I get a chance to take it to the track.

mikymu

Erik

Keep us updated on how the hitch system work out for you

I got the latest information on the updated "hidden hitch" system by the same manufacturer shown on my first post. It recognize the fact that GT3/RS rear bumper is not meant to haul so it does the next best thing by beefing up the two bumper bracket mounts on each end of the car and add a custom sandwich plates that secure on the center part of the bumper bracket for the hitch receiver as shown below. So what is the price of this hidden hitch set up? ... are you sitting down? Good, It's jaw dropping $985.08 not including shipping and CA tax if that apply to you.

Holy mother of batman! That is one expensive steel! Why so expensive? He could not give me a good reason other than stating that he had to buy a large sheet metal to fashion the hitch and "it" has to sit on the shelf for a long time before someone buys it. Well, I am sure the price will be very different if it's for a Lotus or BMW. Folks, you are seeing special Porsche tax at work at it's finest. I have no interest in hurting this guy's business but I could not believe my ears when he said $985.08!?? I sure hope he sells other stuff because at this price, it's going to sit on the shelf for a very long time.

One major problem with this hidden hitch design is the two beef up bumper bracket support. Yes it provide more rigidity when towing but you are at risk of damaging the frame of the body if someone hit your rear bumper. The OEM bumper bracket supports are meant to give way during an impact to absorb energy and minimize damage to frame. These beef up bumper brackets support will push into the frame before it start crumpling to absorb impact. If I ever chose to use my rear bumper to tow, I will only use the bumper brackets sandwich plates and leave my OEM bumper bracket support alone ... IMHO

OEM bumper bracket support in the middle and beef up aftermarket ones on the outside



Sandwich bumper bracket plates and ball mount

WalkerInTN

No way I'd tow anything with that setup. 1 bolt holding a trailer to the car. That 1 bolt fails & you've got a serious problem.