Hitches
 

This thread is for kstrd23... but figured other people might want some info.
There was another thread on here but I can never find it, so anyways...
Personally I mountain bike all the time, and hate the appearance of a roof rack, so I installed a hitch on the car and use a hitch rack...

It's the hidden hitch that's meant for the 2010 MZ3 hatch and it fits fine. Clears everything, runs inside the exhaust, and looks like nothing's there... Here's some pics in its various stages.

Anyone else with a different hitch, etc. post up...

Also, one of my main likes is that i can just take the rack on and off whenever I don't want it... but, it does a great job of blocking the license plate from view of those pesky speed cameras... I've gotten away with at least one cuz of it.

http://www.mazdaspeedforums.org/foru...1&d=1304180028

http://www.mazdaspeedforums.org/foru...1&d=1304180028

http://www.mazdaspeedforums.org/foru...1&d=1304180028

http://www.mazdaspeedforums.org/foru...1&d=1304180028

http://www.mazdaspeedforums.org/foru...1&d=1304180028

http://www.mazdaspeedforums.org/foru...1&d=1304180028

Sweet bike. Keep an eye on the frame and inspect it for cracks often. I cracked my Salsa Dos Niner at the chainstay after 2 years. I have 6 bikes so I split my time between them and it didn't get a ton of miles on it. To their credit they warrantied it quickly, but I sold the replacement on Fleabay and got a Niner Air Nine. I just found 3 separate cracks in that after less miles, and they already have a replacement on the way.

Uhaul makes a hitch and it's $149

appears that it'll tuck away just like yours

That actually looks really clean when it's not on there; the hitch is barely visible.

I've been wanting to buy a roof rack for my bike as well. We differ in that I like the look of the roof rack. Plus, it looks better on a Gen1...everything does!

Good stuff, thanks for sharing!

[QUOTE=bms3mtb;831959]This thread is for kstrd23... but figured other people might want some info.

Thanks so much for taking the time to post this..

Going to order the hitch tomorrow. Going with the Kuat Sherpa rack. I was debating between yours, the Yak hold up and the sherpa. after (too much) time looking at them all, thats what Im gonna get ;)

thanks again..

Yea this one cost right about $150, and you just put some bolts on yourself... super easy..

I will be upgrading to the Yakima one in the next month; I work for a bike / rack dealer, so i tend to try everything I can - but the thule one I had to modify part of the tray for it to clear the bumper folding up, I'm hoping the yakima has more clearance to it.

I just ordered it from ebay, 119.61 shipped :)

do you have any experience with the Kuat sherpa or NV?

Nah.
Some of their products look good, others meh - typical

Bringing an old thread back up. Getting the hitch and will be towing a trailer. Anyone know of any good wiring kits to light the trailer?

It looks really good, I saw a brand new 3 here a month ago with a hitch on it, guy paid 450 for it installed. I am reluctant to do this even though I have bikes and a hitch rack already- I prefer to put them on a roof rack, which I can remove. I don't like adding any permanent weight to the car- it's heavy enough as it is.

Curt Manufacturing makes both a hitch setup AND a plug and play wiring kit that requires no cutting.

It's what I used to tow my motorcycle when I moved across the country about a year ago...

stop by your local uhaul, you can pick up the wiring for roughly $10

it uses T taps in your your factory harness behind your headlights. as long as you dont have LEDS, you'll be fine.

install takes 10-15 minutes, just be sure to have a test light.

He was fucking robbed!!!!!!! It cost me less than $100 and a half hour of my time.
The hitch only weighs about 30 lbs, It's on the very back of the car and if anything should help out with the 60/40 weight imbalance :D

If it's only 30lbs then that ain't nothing. Heck, I'm overweight by at least 30lbs. :crying:

I thought i would add to this thread to help anyone else looking for a good hitch and bike rack,. I bought the Hidden Hitch from E-Trailer (Code: 60259 for the 2011 Mazda3), the same as the OP and I got the Swagman XTC-2 bike rack ( 2 Bike Carrier for 1-1/4" and 2" Trailer Hitches - Wheel Mount - Swagman XTC-2 Swagman Hitch Bike Racks,RV and Motorhome Bike Racks S64670 ). The Hidden Hitch as said before was fairly easy to install, actually I did it by myself with the help of a jack without jacking up the car,. I used the jack to hold up the hitch as i installed it.

The Swagman bike rack works well, the only complaint i might have so far would be the slight twist as you drive, but that's from the Class I and rack giving a little as you move.

I would recommend this combo if your looking, hopefully this pick I took with my phone uploads...

Thanks for this thread guys. I just bought a HiddenHitch, the one listed here. I like how low profile it is. I was gonna get the Curt, since this HiddenHitch says it doesn't fit the MS3 on etrailer, but since you guys say it works, I'm gonna try it.

I was thinking the same thing, I lost 26lbs since december so I'm good:scratchchin:
I have a Thule hatch bike carrier and I don't even want it to touch my hatch, and I need a roof rack for the snowboards. So the hitch sounds like a good idea to carry the kids bikes.

With a hitch I can get a trailer to carry race tires/wheels.

Good thread!

Here is another pic thats a little lower to the ground, I do like the Hidden Hitch so far and just an FYI, I actually sent an email to Mazda to get their opinion on adding a hitch to the MS3 when the manual says no towing.

Their response to my question about adding a hitch to use for my bike rack.

Thank you for contacting Mazda.

We would not recommend putting a trailer hitch on the vehicle. You can purchase a roof rack bike carrier.

Your warranty would not automatically be void if you put a hitch on the vehicle but if by putting the hitch on it caused any problem then that wouldn't be covered under warranty as warranty covers manufacture defects.

Again, thank you for contacting Mazda.

Sincerely,

Well, I finally got around to installing the Hidden Hitch I ordered 2 months ago. It arrived with a hole in the box because they didn't pad it well, and when I opened it yesterday to install I realized one of the ends was bent.

I called e-trailer, told them I couldn't get it to fit, that one of the pieces was bent and asked if it was supposed to be bent and I was doing it wrong. The lady on the phone asked me about the model and everything, then said "It says in BOLD PRINT on the page that it DOESN'T FIT SPEED MODELS". I was like, yeah, I know, but it does, can you just tell me if this piece is supposed to be bent? Bitch. So condescending.

Got it on, installed the wiring no problem. Didn't run it through the body, just gonna run it out under the hatch when I need it.

Sure is funny how the frame rails have perfect mounting points for a hitch, and the other country's models can have hitches, but ours can't. Fucking lawyers.

But I'm sure those perfectly placed mounting holes are just an accident. They were drilling holes to save weight... yeah, that's it.

http://i422.photobucket.com/albums/p...7780179868.jpg

Fucking lawyers indeed. The Gen1 could have come with a roof rack option, too. You had to get the parts from Mazda Canada. I ended up getting a hitch rack for my Gen1. So it looks like I'm getting one for my Gen2.

Did you have to fish any bolts through the frame or drill?

No drilling. You have to fish two carriage bolts, but it's only a couple inches, and they provide a really nice wire that threads onto the bolt perfectly. Took me probably 20 minutes to install, including calling them and going back upstairs to get a big pry bar to straighten that side.

Super simple. I did it myself, you might not even need a jack, but it was super simple with the car up kinda high on stands.

Are these hitch models compatible with 1st and 2nd gen?

I believe they are "Gen-specific" and not interchangeable...