Let's talk Fiesta ST hitches

[D1JL]

I have a Curt on my FiST.
Fits perfect, easy to install, & no rattles at all.
Makes a great jack point as well.
When it is not used for other things, I keep a tow ring in it.

Dave

 

[doubletap]

I have a Curt on my FiST.
Fits perfect, easy to install, & no rattles at all.
Makes a great jack point as well.
When it is not used for other things, I keep a tow ring in it.

http://www.4dsonly.com/Photos/FiestaST/TowHook/RearTowHook.JPG


Dave

Looks good. Still on stock exhaust right?

Edit:NVM just saw your mod list.

 

[J_Westy]

When it is not used for other things, I keep a tow ring in it.

That's a slick tow ring... where's it from?

 

[D1JL]

Yes, I do have a 2J-Racing exhaust system.

The ring, I made myself.




Dave

 

[Brick]

Ive had the curt hitch for like a month and its great but it will bang the out side.

I bought a longer muffler hanger from discount auto parts and now it rarely if ever bangs.

Reporting same results with my car. 5 dollar exhaust hanger for the win.

 

[doubletap]

Finally installed my Curt Hitch. To prevent the "banging" I installed the Cobb exhaust hanger set as I have the stock exhaust. The clearance between the muffler and hitch is too damn small. However, with the Cobb hangers, I have not encountered any side to side thunking. I will hear an occasional thunk but only if I hit a sudden bump at an odd angle. Freeway driving with any surface irregularity is bang-free. I'd say this setup is livable with my daily commute. An exhaust upgrade is on the to do list but still not an immediate need. I'm going to cut a sheet of black vinyl to cover the Curt sticker. Time to shop for a bike rack

Some install notes:
- I'd recommend doing this with 2 people. It's not as easy as I thought. The hitch is heavier than anticipated. You need a second person to hold the other end while you try and slide the other end over the exhaust. I was able to do this alone but it could've gone quicker with a second set of hands.
- Sliding the bolts through the access hole is like solving a 3D puzzle. Having done it, I still don't know how those screw heads were able to go through. I just tried every angle imaginable until it just slips in.
-Taking off the stock hangers is harder than installing the Cobb ones. The elasticity of the old ones really make them stubbornly difficult. The Cobb one's just takes a lot of force but are more compliant because of their stiffness. WD-40 is a must.
-If you opt for the other hangers other then Cobb's, I'd still recommend getting a set of three. This will minimize exhaust movement fully, than just switching the one close to the hitch. The stock ones are garbage anyway.

EDIT/Update:
I adjusted the hitch and moved it all the way towards the right (if you're facing the exhaust). This gave more clearance to the right as I noticed the exhaust is hitting where the hitch bends downwards and to the right where it screws into the frame. This completely got rid of any banging. So if you're thinking of getting a hitch with the stock exhaust, I have to emphasize getting a set of 3 from Cobb or any aftermarket exhaust hangers (Kartboy, Torque solutions etc) to completely minimize any exhaust movement.

 

[angrychicken]

dude the curt sticker comes off super quick by hand !

 

[doubletap]

dude the curt sticker comes off super quick by hand !

Good to know. Thanks!

 

[J_Westy]

Time to shop for a bike rack

If you have the cash flow, be sure to look at the 1upusa rack. Yes, it's more spendy but it will be the last one you buy - there's a reason they never come up for sale on the used market. You can only buy from the factory in Wisconsin.

Here's 100 pages of almost cultish reviews, but I've gotta say it's justified.
http://forums.mtbr.com/car-biker/1up-quick-rack-quick-review-602461.html

 

[angrychicken]

i got a swagman xtc2 on amazon

its good if you dont ride that often, if like me you to ride a lot invest in a higher quality rack.

It will scratch and scuff your bike frame and it will wobble more and more as time goes on.

 

[doubletap]

Thanks for the recommendations on the racks. However, I don't want to spend too much on it. I have no doubt the 1up is top notch, but it's probably more expensive than my Sports Chalet bought Diamondback bike lol. The bike's scratched up already so that's not a concern

 

[iso100]

I have a Curt on my FiST.
Fits perfect, easy to install, & no rattles at all.
Makes a great jack point as well.
When it is not used for other things, I keep a tow ring in it.

Dave

I have one too. So you can jack on them? I thought it was only rated to 150# tongue weight.

 

[D1JL]

I have one too. So you can jack on them? I thought it was only rated to 150# tongue weight.

Tongue weight is pull DOWN load and all of that load is on the bolts.
Jacking is pushing up so it is more supportive and the load is on the steel of the hitch itself.




Dave

 

[J_Westy]

Good news is there is no clunking yet! I spent some time moving the hitch to the left and right trying to get it centered between clunking on the left and clunking on the right as I wiggled the muffler back and forth. In the end it was pretty much centered in the slots in the brackets.

The 1up adapter seems to work well. Now I can use one or two of my add-ons from the 4 place rack we use on the other car. My OCD may force me to put some washers under the left hitch mounting bolts to make the bike rack level...

Still no clunks... well, I did have one on the 2nd day on a slow left-hander with a big bump about half way through... but other than that, no complaints.

I also got in a ride with my daughter today, so here are some pics with two bikes -- works great!

 

[J_Westy]

To offset some of the 31 lb hitch weight, I picked up a compact spare as described in this thread:

http://www.fiestastforum.com/forum/threads/3233-Lightweight-Spare-Tire

Saves 16 lbs.

 

[xvxax]

Wanted to share some more information.

I bought both hitches so I could inspect both options myself. I know on this forum some people were complaining about flex. My observations.

Curt Weight: 30.8lbs
Draw-Tite/Hidden Weight: 28.8lbs

The plates on both hitches are the same gauge steel. The exhaust side plate is bent in the exact same way on both hitches which makes me believe that the exhaust clearance is the same for both hitches.

The right side is slightly different in design between the two.

The curt is fully welded where end end plates connect to the actual hitch tube. The Draw-Tite is partially welded.

Both hitches have the exact same surface area where the hitch meets the frame of the car. This makes me think any flex you feel is due to flex of the frame of the car itself, and won't vary based on the design.

I imagine any flex you experience is coming straight off the frame.

 

[Brick]

One more data point.

Curt Hitch.

Clunking with stock exhaust hangers. Jerry-rigged a set up that had my exhaust hang lower near the tailpipe... but it just looked dumb. Spent the 50 bucks for aftermarket exhaust hangers from Cobb that are MUCH stiffer than stock. No more clunking and tailpipe doesn't look ghetto. hooray.

 

[D1JL]

OR you could get a universal hanger, available at most auto parts stores for about $7.00, loop it an add a bolt.

Dave

 

[xvxax]

One more data point.

Curt Hitch.

Clunking with stock exhaust hangers. Jerry-rigged a set up that had my exhaust hang lower near the tailpipe... but it just looked dumb. Spent the 50 bucks for aftermarket exhaust hangers from Cobb that are MUCH stiffer than stock. No more clunking and tailpipe doesn't look ghetto. hooray.

Yep, same here. Cobb mounts move the exhaust a bit higher, but also prevent all clunking. Also placed washers in the rear most mount hole to prevent compression.

 

[Phoenix104]

See, this is more of what I had in mind when I started to search for a trailer hitch. Trailer filled with tools, tires gas and extra parts for a great track day (or Rally-X). If an Atom can do it, I have faith in the little FiST.