Lightweight trailer hitch?
 

ok, a challenge for all the E46 gurus out there...

I want a trailer hitch. It doesn't need to tow more than a few hundred pounds. (tire trailer) But this is a nationally competitive autocross car. Weight is key, and adding it for a hitch does not make me very happy.

I've seen the Curt hitch, but it looks rather beefy, is there another option available that might be lighter weight?

You don't need a trailer hitch to pull a load of tires around, you need a 3/4-ton truck and an autohauler to pull your car, and the tires it needs for the weekend.

Yes, thanks, as I mentioned, I'm looking for something lighter than the Curt hitch...

have you ever seen gunthers (GunMoto) set up :drool:

lighter then that probably couldn't tow a tire trailer, i dont even know if that hitch could tow a tire trailer

early 90's American pickup trucks are cheap and easy to fix.

You'll have to bear with the weight, no other way abut it. Unless you fabricate a custom one out of aluminum.

Just reduce the weight of the car some more to counter act the hitch.

How much have you got your weight down to? I'd assume you have ss headers, removed all the unnecessary crap from under your hood(cabin filter tray etc), removed your AC drive belt, have only a driver seat present in the car ... already

I may just go this way, order the Curt and then have someone replicate the heavy bits with aluminum.

The car is already at or nearly at class limitations on weight reduction mods, and if I had room/budget for a tow vehicle, I wouldn't be autocrossing a gigantic luxury sedan. ;)

Do you have the things I listed above ?

Before doing it think about it. How much actually are you going to save in weight? Might as well take something else out of the car or just loose a couple pounds yourself. :idea:

you think a e46 could pull a 500lb jet ski on a boat ramp (5spd)? you think dsc would help?

most boat ramps I go to have good concrete and are not too wet but I am concerned with traction being in the water and submerging my exhaust. I might unhook the jet ski and walk it down the ramp as the ski isnt hard to maneuver at all. I only plan on pulling the ski very seldom b/c I can use my friends truck but sometimes he is not avaible and I sold my jeep which use to pull it. I dont wont to get a beater truck if I dont have to.

uh, yeah... Most of what you listed isn't class-legal, so isn't an option. I weight about 160, so I won't be getting lighter anytime soon. ;) Car weighs around 3,100 give or take depending on how much gas I need to run, which depends on how much grip there will be. There will be some weight reduction, but the idea isn't just to offset the hitch, the idea is to get as absolutely as light as possible, in any way feasible & class-legal. (SCCA Solo II STX class)

^^^this???

I have also been running around idea if pulling jet ski. Hmm


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Unbolt the hitch at the autocross site.

The factory aluminum hitch weighs more than the 25lb steel Curt hitch. If I had to guess, I would say the whole towbar with ball is about 50lb.
http://teamdfl.com/bmw/e46/hitch_install/