Hidden towbar
 

I know it sounds sad having a towbar on a Rx-8 but do you guys think it would be a good idea? It would be useful for towing larger stuff around and not getting the boot dirty.

er, it's not a truck... i don't know how "larger" a something the RX-8 would be able to handle...

We'll just have to wait until we can crawl under a production model, and see how much work it would take.

The big question would be how much capacity and tongue weight it would be able to handle. I don't see why something that could handle, say, 4 autox tires and tools in a trailer, would be hard to do.

---jps

sure i think something that small would be fine...
origionally (becuase i work at a boat shop) that towing a 19'er would just be impossible...
(especially where i live, if anyone cared to venture toward the interior of the province through the foothills or Rockies...)

I don't think finding a hitch to use for the RX-8 will be difficult, but there will be a wait for it to be produced. Expect about 6 months after rollout.

I have seen many small cars (Civic, Corrolla, cavalier) with class II hitches mounted discretely. Class II would allow for up to 2000 lbs towing and 200 lbs tongue weight. That should be suitable for anything an RX-8 owner would want to drag around (racing rubber and tools, or a small u-haul). Also, with the RX-8 being RWD, it will tow better than FWD. You could possibly put a jet ski/waverunner on the tail. Anything more than that will (and should) require a truck or SUV as a tow vehicle.

There are a lot of cars that don't recommend towing in the owners manual, so manufacturer's of tow hitches won't make a hitch to fit that car due to legal liability. I have a feeling the RX-8 may be the same way.
That said, there are always ways around it (I've seen lots of Miata's with hitches). But realize that if you take your RX-8 in for service with a hitch, or even mounting holes/hardware, it will void your warranty.

Well, Mazda can't hold you accountable for a bad A/C if you put a hitch on, but you do "relieve them of a few responsibilities".

But just like the Miatas, I too expect a hitch or two to be available out there somewhere.

---jps

It wouldnt be for towing heavy stuff like a boat or anything just stuff too large for the boot.

True, but if you pop your engine/transmission, if the brakes wear too quickly or warp, you have cooling problems, etc., I wouldn't be surprised if Mazda didn't cover any of it with a hitch in view. I'm not saying that anyone here is going to be towing anything big enough to cause that, but if there is an engineering flaw that would have reared its ugly head regardless of whether you were towing or not, the dealership might try to stick it to you anyway.

I'm just saying buyer beware. Its a brand new car, first model year, and you may not want to do anything to void any part of your warranty.

Rotary engines are high horsepower, but generally lower on the torque curve. Vehicles used for towing generally have lots of low end torque, making the RX-8 the least ideal vehicle for towing.