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Thread: What did you do to your Mirage today?

  1. #1671
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    I was going to add it there too. As long as you copy it to there, and leave it here, I'm fine with that.


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2020 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.4 mpg (US) ... 18.0 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.9 mpg (Imp)


  2. #1672
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    So, this is what I did to my Mirage today. And towed it about 15 miles. Gonna list my perception / take away below. G35 #2 (of 3) in the background.

    • The trailer is a 5' x 10'. Estimated to be about 700 lbs. Could be a skosh less.
    • Tongue weight empty I'm going to guess to be about 50 lbs. I'm going to weight it when I take a notion. But the trailer seems to set real level. I couldn't find my level to check it, but I will.
    • Power: The Lil' Big Rig has enough power when it is empty. I drove it out to Home Depot and back and it did fine power wise.
    • Brakes: My normal driving, I have plenty of brakes. A panic stop, I'm going to be pushed out a few feet farther.
    • Clutch: Little to no more clutch wear than normal. I've been towing a long time. I barely even rev it to start off, even with the trailer. I don't effectively push the throttle until the clutch is FULLY engaged. And during shifting, I'm floating gears with the clutch, if you know what that means.
    • Handling: It has more impact (dipping) of the rear of the car than I've ever experienced. I can't say I didn't expect it, and it wasn't horrible. Just not something I'm used to after having towed for 21 years with my 3/4 ton Dodge.
    • Handling 2: When going over rough surfaces, like slowly turning sharply from one pavement to the next and you roll over a bumpy transition, the bobbling up and down of the trailer puts all manner of input into the car. Up/down, a little chugging front to back, joined with the noise described below. To be expected from such a lightweight car.
    • Handling 3: When rolling 50 to 55 mph down a smooth highway, it is quite capable, very little input trailer to car.
    • Noise: Holy cow! This is my one complaint. My truck is as LAF, so I don't hear the trailer much. But with the quiet Mirage, the trailer noise is unnerving. I have the gate strapped down when empty, but it still has just enough play to clear the floor and slam back down. Certain undulations the noise is scary. And there's another noise, sounds like someone is using a crowbar and prying at the tailgate latch to open it. Very unsettling.
    • Noise 2: I cut some slots into the wood floor for the gate latch brackets to set into back when I first got this trailer (otherwise the gate wouldn't sit flat on the floor, and the latches would bust and gouge the wood). I lay that gate down every time I can just to save drag and improve mpg ... even with my truck. Why pull a barn door down the road if I don't need to. But even with the gate up, there's enough tolerance between the latches and the latch pins that it makes it's own racket. Maybe not as much as the gate banging the floor though. I have some insulation pads I may put between the floor and gate and see if that reduces the noise.

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    Last edited by 7milesout; 07-22-2021 at 11:12 PM.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2020 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.4 mpg (US) ... 18.0 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.9 mpg (Imp)


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  4. #1673
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    Quote Originally Posted by 7milesout View Post
    And there's another noise, sounds like someone is using a crowbar and prying at the tailgate latch to open it. Very unsettling.
    Might be worth checking your hitch to make sure all fasteners are tight. Now would be a good time after a shakedown trip.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by 7milesout View Post
    And there's another noise, sounds like someone is using a crowbar and prying at the tailgate latch to open it. Very unsettling.
    Since you have that heavy gate in the rear of your trailer, I would guess the other noise is your ball/hitch rattling in your receiver. If you don't have a small amount of extra weight on the tongue, the receiver/hitch will rattle quite bad.

    If the job you are doing doesn't require the rear gate, I would remove it. That's a very big trailer for a Mirage. I would keep your loads as light as possible.

    You sound like you have experience with trailers, but that is a lot of trailer for a small car. I've seen full size pickup trucks tossed like they weren't there by large, loaded fertilizer spreaders. Guys hitting bumps or bridges too fast and the loads starts bouncing on them. Before they can do anything about it, Newton's Laws of Motion take over. Full size pickup trucks are destroyed.

    This could happen very easily with a light car like the Mirage. The suspension is not made to support much of a load, and car itself is quite light.

    I picked up a load of 22 sheets of 3/4" x 4' x 8' tongue & groove OSB subfloor sheets for a friend the other day. Before I left the lumber yard, I had to stop & shift the load a bit more forward. My tilt bed trailer is pretty balanced, & it doesn't have a heavy gate in the rear. I could tell immediately my receiver was didn't have enough weight on it. I shifted some of the panels forwards, redid the straps, and it was much better. I don't know what the weight was, but my tires were squatting. I was glad to reach our destination. I am due for new trailer tires. I was actually going to pull them off this week and have new ones put on, but this project came up instead.

    My 2.5L 5-speed manual Forester (2,500 pound capacity) tows pretty good, but my 4' x 8' trailer has seen better days. Thus, I try not to overload it (1,200-1,500 pounds seems fine). If I buy a ton of wood pellets, I put 500 pounds in the back of the Forester & load the rest on the trailer. I actually want a 8' x 10' trailer like you have. My Kawasaki Mule would fit on it much better.

    I really like having/using a trailer. I see a small lightweight aluminum trailer being a better match for a Mirage. If I had a Mirage hitch, it would used for a rear hitch bike rack & not much else.

  6. #1675
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    Quote Originally Posted by 7milesout View Post
    So, this is what I did to my Mirage today. And towed it about 15 miles. Gonna list my perception / take away below. G35 #2 (of 3) in the background.

    • The trailer is a 5' x 10'. Estimated to be about 700 lbs. Could be a skosh less.
    • Tongue weight empty I'm going to guess to be about 50 lbs. I'm going to weight it when I take a notion. But the trailer seems to set real level. I couldn't find my level to check it, but I will.
    • Power: The Lil' Big Rig has enough power when it is empty. I drove it out to Home Depot and back and it did fine power wise.
    • Brakes: My normal driving, I have plenty of brakes. A panic stop, I'm going to be pushed out a few feet farther.
    • Clutch: Little to no more clutch wear than normal. I've been towing a long time. I barely even rev it to start off, even with the trailer. I don't effectively push the throttle until the clutch is FULLY engaged. And during shifting, I'm floating gears with the clutch, if you know what that means.
    • Handling: It has more impact (dipping) of the rear of the car than I've ever experienced. I can't say I didn't expect it, and it wasn't horrible. Just not something I'm used to after having towed for 21 years with my 3/4 ton Dodge.
    • Handling 2: When going over rough surfaces, like slowly turning sharply from one pavement to the next and you roll over a bumpy transition, the bobbling up and down of the trailer puts all manner of input into the car. Up/down, a little chugging front to back, joined with the noise described below. To be expected from such a lightweight car.
    • Handling 3: When rolling 50 to 55 mph down a smooth highway, it is quite capable, very little input trailer to car.
    • Noise: Holy cow! This is my one complaint. My truck is as LAF, so I don't hear the trailer much. But with the quiet Mirage, the trailer noise is unnerving. I have the gate strapped down when empty, but it still has just enough play to clear the floor and slam back down. Certain undulations the noise is scary. And there's another noise, sounds like someone is using a crowbar and prying at the tailgate latch to open it. Very unsettling.
    • Noise 2: I cut some slots into the wood floor for the gate latch brackets to set into back when I first got this trailer (otherwise the gate wouldn't sit flat on the floor, and the latches would bust and gouge the wood). I lay that gate down every time I can just to save drag and improve mpg ... even with my truck. Why pull a barn door down the road if I don't need to. But even with the gate up, there's enough tolerance between the latches and the latch pins that it makes it's own racket. Maybe not as much as the gate banging the floor though. I have some insulation pads I may put between the floor and gate and see if that reduces the noise.

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    Looks good man! Whats the most weight you going to tow?

  7. #1676
    Senior Member klroger's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark View Post
    If I had a Mirage hitch, it would used for a rear hitch bike rack & not much else.
    I use mine with a trailer to pick up & deliver Lawn tractors & snow blowers. I don't really find it too stressed doing this as I'm thinking that the engine only makes 78 HP. Does it matter if we have a trailer behind the Mirage as it will only put 78 HP into the drive train at the best of times & if I pull a trailer, it doesn't change that,,, Right??? 78 HP is 78HP no matter if we have a car full of Inlaws or a couple lawn mowers behind us... I'm not too heavy with my foot on the LOUD pedal either!!!
    I didn't know what to do, so I didn't do anything

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2018 Mirage GT 1.2 automatic: 37.3 mpg (US) ... 15.9 km/L ... 6.3 L/100 km ... 44.8 mpg (Imp)


  8. #1677
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    Quote Originally Posted by klroger View Post
    I use mine with a trailer to pick up & deliver Lawn tractors & snow blowers. I don't really find it too stressed doing this as I'm thinking that the engine only makes 78 HP. Does it matter if we have a trailer behind the Mirage as it will only put 78 HP into the drive train at the best of times & if I pull a trailer, it doesn't change that,,, Right??? 78 HP is 78HP no matter if we have a car full of Inlaws or a couple lawn mowers behind us... I'm not too heavy with my foot on the LOUD pedal either!!!
    A small trailer with a lawnmower or snow blower on it isn't probably going to over tax a Mirage.

    It's not about horsepower. A Farmall H tractor is 19 hp at the drawbar. Yet it will pull a loaded chopper box full of silage across a field or up a hill, because it built & designed to do that. It has the weight, gearing, traction, and strength to pull that off. A medium size chopper box would have a 10-12 ton running gear under it. That's 20,000-24,000 pounds. The only weight on the draw bar, however, is the tongue weight of the wagon.

    A heavy duty 5' x 10' steel trailer would seem like a load for a Mirage. It's also two wheels not four like a wagon. There's a difference between hauling a load of brush to the dump verses buying a load of patio block for your backyard. I just think a person needs to be smart about it all. I don't think the Mirage was designed to be a tow vehicle, & a 5' x 10' trailer would be easy to overload.

    My John Deere riding lawnmower will pull more than it should. I did that once with it, & a week or so later I was having the hydrostatic transmission rebuilt. I don't that any more, & my 1993 John Deere rider is still going strong!

    When Subaru change the Forester to a CVT, the towing capacity dropped from 2,500 pounds to 1,500 pounds. Same basic engine & vehicle. So what changed?

  9. #1678
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    Quote Originally Posted by Eggman View Post
    Might be worth checking your hitch to make sure all fasteners are tight. Now would be a good time after a shakedown trip.
    There's only the big nut on the biggish shank. I drove the empty set up in today just to do more shake down, and will check that. I'm also going to drop it off the ball and slap a good bit of grease on it. I think the "prying" noise was from the hitch lock (to prevent the hitch from jumping off the ball), was grinding on the ball. And all that noise transmit right into the unibody through the hitch and bolts. The car is so quiet, I hear all that ... which is why I'm going to grease it up real good.


    Mark & Dirk - I think the most I would add to the trailer is 750 pounds of ATV, CR 85R, a fuel can. That's roughly 1,400 to 1,500 pounds towing (trailer + load). I am going to do that this weekend. But, I'm not 100% comfortable on this setup yet. And would rather do a lighter load first. Plus I've got a 3/4 ton pickup just sitting there ... so I'll use that for this weekend. And yes, due to the ATV, the gate would be needed.

    I'm going to just guess that towing say 1,450 pounds, the ATV has an add on rear seat with a rear seat back (which catches wind), plus the gate won't lay down with those vehicles on the trailer, that the Mirage is going to be chugging hard down the interstate at say 65 to 70 mph with all that wind drag. The truck ... I put it on cruise at 70 mph (the speed limit), then sit back and cruise. I don't like being involved with disasters ... so I let the show-offs go flying by me at 80+ mph towing their ATVs and SxS's in their brand new $70k+ Chevys and Fords. Pop one tire and those guys are going to scatter all their crap. So I just roll slow and careful. With that load, I think 65 mph would be all I would do with the Mirage.

    I'm going to need to haul a riding mower from my dad's house up to my sister's house. It's probably 400 pounds. I would probably do that first. The empty tow up there, the riding mower tow to her house and the empty tow back is a helluva good test.


    KLRoger - I agree with your mindset. 78 hp is 78 hp. In the case of me towing the load above down the interstate with the Mirage, the engine power, cooling, and the clutch is the least of my concerns. Stability would be my concern (at this time). If it were to start getting wobbly (define that however), the Mirage is a lot less likely to reign it back in before it gets out of control. Here's a scenario: I hit a big pot hole with these pizza cutter tires, and it throws the Mirage around a bit (even if the tire survives ok), if the car starts tossing around the trailer and load after jumping into and out of a pot hole, then the trailer hits the pot hole and some kind of cyclic wobble (up / down or side to side) were to begin ... well the Mirage is not going to have the cojones to deal with that like a bigger vehicle. However, I will say that, if I didn't have my truck, I'd just go ahead and tow this combo as described above this weekend. I would however do it VERY carefully. But why chance it when I have a jewel like my truck to handle it like it's nothing?
    Last edited by 7milesout; 07-23-2021 at 02:02 PM.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2020 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.4 mpg (US) ... 18.0 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.9 mpg (Imp)


  10. #1679
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    Speedlab headers

    I bought a speedlab headers and a new exhaust manifold gasket. Part# 1555A650. Is this the correct gasket for Mirage 2018+. They do not conform to the shape of the header/ gasket overlaps. Is my header incorrect or is it the gasket? Would this gasket work with 2018+ models? Have not pulled out the OEM exhaust manifold yet to verify this and i want to get someones advice first so I save time. There is also this gasket but i am not sure if it is compatible with 2018+ engine
    https://www.ebay.ca/itm/124599151713

    https://youtu.be/oTOQE9Ma54g
    @1:02

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    To anyone out there thinking of buying the original boot rubber mat for the Mirage/Space Star - don't. I did that mistake and was disappointed by what I received. A flimsy plasticky piece of rubbish that I could easily replace with a door mat. Unfortunately that was my only option here. I only figured out to search this forum about trunk space & gadgets after I placed the order, instead I could've easily build a trunk box out of MDF, that was going to be superior both in quality and in storage space.

    On other news, taking the small Space Star out to Greece this weekend, will post feedback+updates & photos from the road. So far it's excellent and the AC is coping with the heatwave that we've got here, whilst still providing excellent fuel economy.



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