mx5cartalk.com

OK, so another thread that I just read confirmed the rumour that the front "baby-teeth" are used to tie the car down when transporting them and they are not for towing.
2 questions:
- how are you supposed to properly tow the car from the front?
- are the rear tow-hooks, proper tow-hooks?

The NA manual calls them towing hooks and they are only for emergency situations, EG pulling a car out of a ditch

for towing, it says to get an authorised Mazda dealer to do it for you

If JBT is right, then the only explanation I can think of is that the NB workshop manual and by definition the NB8s have a different type of hook that is secured to the chassis?

*EDIT* where did JBT's post go?!?

Les @ MX5 Shop

There really is nothing else, other than suspension arms, to tow it with - and you wouldn't want to do that. One assumes that towing is only needed to get the car out of a bogged situation or to drag it onto a flat bed truck.

the question about how you tow properly is interesting. I do not know for sure but the tow with a rope or a snatch strap I would guess is prohibited- it is certainly a hazardous exercise?? The tow capacity of the towing vehicle would also be a factor. If you had a small car as the tow vehicle it would have a towing capacity less than the weight of an MX5. "A' bars used to be considered as a reasonable safe option but I have no idea about the legislation on this. You can tow a car on a tandem provided the tow vehicle has the right "credentials" ie ball weight/ tow capacity unbraked and braked etc ( weight of car plus trailer- 1500KG?) .

structurally speaking, it is fine to use the baby teeth for towing. there are mazdaspeed tow hooks which replace the baby teeth and use the exact same mounts.

the manual says that if you do so, you risk damage to the front/rear bar(s). simple tow strap will fix this problem.

mx52nv wrote:*EDIT* where did JBT's post go?!?

Finger trouble in the edit process I think.

I had posted words to the effect that the owner's manual stated that the hooks/eyes/baby teeth are indeed for short distance/emergency towing. The Workshop Manual indicates it's not good because of the possibility of cosmetic bodywork damage and not structural issues.

Ive removed mine I think it was a 3 kg saving all up...

When I had to get towed I think they used the rear ones (they are welded to the car on NB8B).

I think to tie down on the back of the truck they used the wheels...

wun911 wrote:(they are welded to the car on NB8B)

hacksaw?

...Of course you could always use one of these...

Funny reading this now.

I just used the front tie-down/tow hooks/loops to tow my car last night.

I just used a metal tow rope and linked it to the front RH row hook, and the back of my sedan towing the car.

The car is soo light, so didnt have any problems towing the car to the local mechanics.

Had to do it late night though. I'd prefer that than, paying someone else money to tow the car 15mins down the road.

Hope that clears up the mystery of if it works or not.

You could tow it any way you like- but what is legal and what is safe is another story. If you you had an accident which of course never happens it might turn very nasty. You insure cars ( or some do) because you might just happen to hit a Roller etc. Towing on any sort of flexible attachment will not pass any safety check- I did it many times years ago but would not do it today. You cannot even go into Bunnings without someone giving you directions about how to walk thru the wood yard - pathetic.

This is what the tie-down hooks are used for:



They even turned out to be strong enough to hold the cars at an 80 degree angle, after the unfortunate incident with the Cougar Ace - although I'm sure Mazda would have been just as happy not to find that out they way they did:



I still wouldn't use them for towing if I could at all avoid it.

The owner's manual states that they are also fine for "emergency" towing. If it's good enough for Mazda, it's good enough for me.

JBT wrote:The owner's manual states that they are also fine for "emergency" towing. If it's good enough for Mazda, it's good enough for me.

To me, any time you need to be towed IS an emergency!