Towing a trailer with the Mirage?

[Eggman]

Is it a good idea to pull a teardrop trailer with the mirage?

No, the Mirage is not rated for towing.

Of course it can be done. That doesn't mean it's a good idea.

There are better platforms out there for towing.

I will now go suit up in preparation for the coming flame war.

That teardrop looks pretty sweet though.

Check out Runaway campers.
Edit: Don't forget Aliner campers.

[Wallythacker]

Does it make any sense that a car built for various markets gets rated differently for those markets? I don't know about all the Mirage markets but I do KNOW the Mazda 2 has the OK for 1000 lbs. in a market, might be the US and ask Foama and he'll likely tell you SWAT teams will take you down in his country if they see you with a bike carrier rack on your Mazda 2.

The basic underlying structure of the cars don't change from market to market. Asian Mirages are not built with steel half the thickness of the NA market model. Nor are they equipped with brakes not capable of stopping a car loaded to the GVWR.

The short answer is that the most liberal spec. applies to all production.
If a Mirage in market "A" is OK with towing 1000 lb. every Mirage made is capable of safely towing 1000 lb.

[Eggman]

Does it make any sense that a car built for various markets gets rated differently for those markets? I don't know about all the Mirage markets but I do KNOW the Mazda 2 has the OK for 1000 lbs. in a market, might be the US and ask Foama and he'll likely tell you SWAT teams will take you down in his country if they see you with a bike carrier rack on your Mazda 2.

The basic underlying structure of the cars don't change from market to market. Asian Mirages are not built with steel half the thickness of the NA market model. Nor are they equipped with brakes not capable of stopping a car loaded to the GVWR.

The short answer is that the most liberal spec. applies to all production.
If a Mirage in market "A" is OK with towing 1000 lb. every Mirage made is capable of safely towing 1000 lb.

Gotta respectfully disagree with you. Different markets have different laws, practices & geography.

For example, Canada requires Daytime Running Lights. Not everyone else does. Not every country requires backup cameras (or do they? I don't really know.). Here in the US some states require headlights be on in rainy weather (wipers on, headlights on.)

I can imagine - and this is just me speculating - that some countries have more wide open spaces than others, and their highways are built for it. Speed limits are higher, road construction is better with less road hazards, bends in roadway have a larger radius for the higher speeds. Highways in other countries might not be built for those high speeds & safety considerations - they might have geographical restrictions or they might not have the resources available to make those roadways possible.

I don't disagree with your premise that if the Mirage can pull it off over there, surely it can be done here. I understand what you are saying there. I just don't think it's a good idea. And based on your other thread regarding insurance, I don't think your insurance company would sign off on any damages caused by your towing with a vehicle not rated for towing.

Proceed at your own risk. Just please don't put others at risk in the process.

[Wallythacker]

Gotta respectfully disagree with you. Different markets have different laws, practices & geography.

For example, Canada requires Daytime Running Lights. Not everyone else does. Not every country requires backup cameras (or do they? I don't really know.). Here in the US some states require headlights be on in rainy weather (wipers on, headlights on.)

I can imagine - and this is just me speculating - that some countries have more wide open spaces than others, and their highways are built for it. Speed limits are higher, road construction is better with less road hazards, bends in roadway have a larger radius for the higher speeds. Highways in other countries might not be built for those high speeds & safety considerations - they might have geographical restrictions or they might not have the resources available to make those roadways possible.

I don't disagree with your premise that if the Mirage can pull it off over there, surely it can be done here. I understand what you are saying there. I just don't think it's a good idea. And based on your other thread regarding insurance, I don't think your insurance company would sign off on any damages caused by your towing with a vehicle not rated for towing.

Proceed at your own risk. Just please don't put others at risk in the process.

Well I really didn't address the esthetics. I did say structurally they will all be the same. If Mitsubishi says the Mirage sold in Sri Lanka can tow 1,000 lb. then all Mirages are capable of pulling that weight, safely I may add. I'm too lazy to search but I recall something being posted about an actual weight the Mirage could pull.

Here's another take at it. If you don't think your Mirage is safe to pull 600 lbs. then explain to me why you feel it is safe to load the cabin with 600 lbs?

[Eggman]

Well I really didn't address the esthetics. I did say structurally they will all be the same. If Mitsubishi says the Mirage sold in Sri Lanka can tow 1,000 lb. then all Mirages are capable of pulling that weight, safely I may add. I'm too lazy to search but I recall something being posted about an actual weight the Mirage could pull.

Here's another take at it. If you don't think your Mirage is safe to pull 600 lbs. then explain to me why you feel it is safe to load the cabin with 600 lbs?

I hear what you're saying. But the weight distribution & driving dynamics of a trailer versus passengers/cargo are different, especially when cornering & braking.

Again, I fully understand it's been done. There are many reports of forum members towing some substantial stuff.

I'm no expert in towing. I'll have to rely on those who are subject matter experts instead of relying on either my gut or my personal confirmation bias.

[Wallythacker]

It's an interesting exercise looking at the variables. On the weekend I needed to move that TV tower I yakked about. Here's one thing I'm fairly certain about. My car was far safer with 600 lb. of steel in a well balanced trailer as opposed to folding my seats down, loading the same 600 lb. into the back, which does mean about 4' of tower will hang out of the hatch. Technically I'm not pulling a trailer or exceeding any weight ratings, I'm not even blocking my vision to any degree.

But we all know which approach is far safer by a factor of, well, a lot.

[mohammad]

It's an interesting exercise looking at the variables. On the weekend I needed to move that TV tower I yakked about. Here's one thing I'm fairly certain about. My car was far safer with 600 lb. of steel in a well balanced trailer as opposed to folding my seats down, loading the same 600 lb. into the back, which does mean about 4' of tower will hang out of the hatch. Technically I'm not pulling a trailer or exceeding any weight ratings, I'm not even blocking my vision to any degree.

But we all know which approach is far safer by a factor of, well, a lot.

I think 600lbs of cargo exceeds the weight rating unless you weigh less than the average American?

Also the mirage is offered with different features that can effect towing performance in different markets. E.g Mirage has different sized brakes in different markets. The mirage also does not have a front sway bar & abs depending on your market. I am not saying that these would have a significant impact on your ability to tow. Just that there are differences that do have an impact.

[Eggman]

It's an interesting exercise looking at the variables. On the weekend I needed to move that TV tower I yakked about. Here's one thing I'm fairly certain about. My car was far safer with 600 lb. of steel in a well balanced trailer as opposed to folding my seats down, loading the same 600 lb. into the back, which does mean about 4' of tower will hang out of the hatch. Technically I'm not pulling a trailer or exceeding any weight ratings, I'm not even blocking my vision to any degree.

But we all know which approach is far safer by a factor of, well, a lot.

Good man Wallythacker, we can argue for a long time over towing with the Mirage. You might be surprised to learn this topic has come up before: Why Cant i tow with a mirage Lots of good posts & discussion there.

The Mirage is a great car! It can do a lot of things. But towing is not one of its design features. It is designed to be small, lightweight, efficient & affordable transportation. Sure it can tow - that has been proven several times here on the forum. But there are other vehicles out there that are designed & rated for towing, and they will be safer for all involved.

You have your own experiences & opinions, and I can respect that. In arguing this point, I'm not sure what your goals are; if you're just looking for some support for your position, or if you are trying to convince others, or maybe a little of both.

In any case, I know I'm unlikely to change your mind or change other's opinions on this and I'm okay with that. This debate has been going on for a long time.

At some point, I probably would have tried towing with my Mirage or at least tried carrying some bikes on a hitch-mounted bike rack. Speck's replacement is several times heavier, several times more powerful, has much better brakes, is wider, longer, & has a lower center of gravity. It would make a much better candidate for towing. But it's not built for or rated for towing and I didn't buy it for that. I have other vehicles that can tow. And even one of those - the CJ-7 - would be a bad choice for towing. An accident in that would potentially be deadly for its occupants. But I've done it...

Like I said, I'm no subject matter expert here. It would be interesting to get a legal opinion on this matter in any given jurisdiction. It would also be interesting to hear what an insurance company has to say about this. I probably won't pursue getting this information because I probably will never tow with a Mirage. Maybe someone else can. And even if there were some legal interpretation that would give the green light to the Mirage for towing, or some insurance company that would back any claims of damages caused by towing with the Mirage, I doubt I would change my opinion and start endorsing the Mirage for towing.

Everyone's situation is different. All I'm saying is that an honest review of the facts will lead to the conclusion that the Mirage is not built for towing, is not a good choice for towing, and that there are better choices out there for towing, especially if one is able to rent a vehicle for towing. Over the years various forum members have asked if the Mirage can tow. Yes the Mirage can tow, but I can't encourage someone to do it.

Respectfully,

---

E.g Mirage has different sized brakes in different markets. The mirage also does not have a front sway bar & abs depending on your market.

Are you sure about these claims? I know Mitsubishi changed brake size for 2017 but I didn't know they used different sized brakes in different markets, and I didn't know that Mitsubishi did not include ABS in different markets. Could you please provide some references for this?

[7milesout]

Marklovski - I'm going to attack your question paying no attention to the legal side, or the manufacturer's side that states (at least in my owner's manual) in some fashion that towing is not recommended.

As for the weight, as long as the tongue load is somewhere in the vicinity of 10%, or somewhere in that vicinity (or the less side would be better for the Mirage), then it would tow it, but just OK. I think the problem is going to be a) at higher speeds, that teardrop is going to have sufficient drag to make the car / engine work hard at higher speeds. And b) if it were to be towed with a CVT, for any length of distance, at higher speeds, woe be unto you ... and your CVT. From what I've read about how the CVT heats up even driving the car by itself, towing is gonna be WAY hard on a CVT ... temp wise.

I put an ATV on my utility trailer and towed it. And anything greater than a bunny hill, would pull the speed down off 65 mph ... in 5th gear. And probably bunny hills were pulling at nearly 100% in 5th gear at 65 mph.

I'm going to say that with the CVT, that teardrop is going to be a bad thing to pull with a CVT Mirage. I'll also add that that teardrop is going to be a frustrating thing to pull with a 5 speed, it were going to be towed at 55+ mph, especially in hilly areas.

And if you don't know how to properly engage a clutch (i.e. minimal slipping, minimal load), woe be unto your clutch. As these clutches barely have enough clamping pressure to spin the peanut butter side of bread off the jelly side of bread of a PB&J sammich.

My utility trailer with the ramp gate laid down flat in the bed ... that's not too bad. There's virtually no wind drag like that. Wind drag is an issue with a Mirage. I rest my case.

Now, let the legalese take it from here.

[OrganicFoxes]

So the lightweight 'Yuppie' trailers are no longer made in the US. Company website is no longer active. I think there's one in Canada but import fees might be too much. Is it a good idea to pull a teardrop trailer with the mirage? About 950lbs.

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My family and I joke about doing this all the time. I mean honestly if you did that cvt oil cooler mod, could work.