2009 Vibe GT TRAILER HITCH

[jd521]

Bought a Curt hitch # 12221 and the matching converter for lights.will be installing it soonso I can tow a small trailer.Any tips??????

[star_deceiver]

What kind of trailer?The hitch itself is easy enough to install.... it took me more time to run the wire to the battery!1) Blow the holes out with compressed air.... NO WD40 OR OIL!!!2) Run the bolts through the holes BEFORE you try to bolt the hitch in place!3) Loctite the bolts when you're installing the hitch.4) And if you're installing it by yourself, get a hardcover book or piece of wood to place between the hitch assembly and your stomach as you lie under the car.5) Torque wrench!!! Use it!!!6) Take many pics!

[jd521]

Bought a sport club dedicated open motorcycle trailer. It is 800 lbs empty. I hope to be able to place my Kawisaki Mean Streak and my wife's Kymco 250 cc GranVista Scooter. Hopong this won't be too much. Max tongue weight is 250 lbs and max trailer is 2500 lbs. If I understand correctly the Vibe's can tow 1600 lbs.What I don't know is of those of you towing are you only towing in 4th gear on the 5 speed auto trans???

[j42.snyder]

With your load, it's probably advisable.If I'm just towing my boat (16ft aluminum, no more than 1000 pounds loaded), most times I can leave it in drive - but if it gets a bit hilly or windy, I find it works better if I move it to 4th. In 5th gear, it will tend to frequently unlock the torque converter, which I'd think would generate more heat over time than just having it stay in 4th.I recently towed an enclosed 5X8 trailer from U-Haul, and I definitely left it in 4th for the duration of that trip. In that case, it wasn't so much the weight as the wind resistance. 4th gear in the auto is still slightly taller than 5th with the manual - so it's not like it's revving too high anyway. It pulled the U-Haul with no issue at all in 4th - but I could tell by my vacuum gage that it wouldn't have been happy in 5th.In hot weather, I've found mine to ping a little under heavy load on regular gas, so if I know I'm going to be towing, I'll fill up on premium for the trip, and it seems to be "happier". It probably improves the economy minutely (as it allows the computer to keep the timing more advanced) - but mainly it keeps me happier not hearing the detonation.I've towed for several thousand km with mine, and the transmission fluid still looks like new at 87k - so I figure I'm not doing it any harm. I'm going to do a drain and refill of the fluid in the spring anyway - just for piece of mind.For a 4 cylinder car, it's got a decent amount of reserve power for passing even when towing. I'm sure you'll find it adequate - although I suspect you'll technically be overloaded somewhat. The "official" rating is 1500lbs - but that includes passengers, cargo, and trailer weight. Based on the fact that most of the components of your car are taken from heavier models (Camry, Rav4), you probably won't have any mechanical issue - I'd just be more concerned about the structure if you went too far beyond the rated capacity. The hitches are always rated a bit higher - but it's what the hitch is attached to that matters most. I'm sure you'll know in the first couple of miles whether you've overdone it or not.Keep us posted - and add photos if you can when you get it hooked up. Those are always popular on here - and fun to see just what our cars can accomplish!John

[jd521]

Installed the hitch and T- connector last weekend. Literally took out all of rear including the spare tire and the left side plastic to the front. Those nuts in the frame were terrible. Do.e the compressed air thing and even tried a tap. Ended up using an air impact to get them to seat. All in all it took 4.5 hrs. To get it together. Yes i. Am slow but it is ready to go. I will get some pictures shortly.

[jd521]

Towed the trailer unloaded then loaded 176 miles and only got 15.3 mpg using 4th gear. We had strong Northwest winds 30- 50 mph gusts all day. That's the worst I have ever seen my mpg. If I would have used the Dually it would have been 7-8 mpg.

[beemerphile1]

You can see in my signature what I tow. We have averaged 22 mpg towing for over 6,000 miles now. Weight is 2,000 pounds fully loaded.I have the base four speed auto and tow in fourth unless on mountain back roads.I was disappointed when towing my flatbed utility trailer with our motorcycle on it. Since it was half the weight I expected better mpg. Over 1,800 miles we averaged the same 22 mpg. Wind resistance is a big factor when towing. A motorcycle sticking up in the windstream causes more resistance than a streamlined box tucked behind the car.