Towing a trailer with the Mirage?

[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,

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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?

[mohammad]

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?

Below is a photo of the GLX Philippines trim mirage which i stole off the inter webs. It does not have ABS.


Thread about how the mirage has no front sway bar in some markets: https://mirageforum.com/forum/showth...in-all-markets

This guy on the forum claims his 2015 came with the larger brakes that we north American's got in 2017: https://mirageforum.com/forum/showth...ll=1#post84742

[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.

[Wallythacker]

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.

You might want to check your figures. https://www.mitsubishi-motors.ca/en/...s/mirage/specs The important number is the GVWR which AFAIK doesn't vary much more than a few kgs between markets, if even that. The GVWR is somewhere in the 2950 lb. range and since the Mirage weighs 2000lbs. you have a total cargo capacity of about 950lb. Subtracting the 600 lb. total load including my light aluminum trailer then removing me @150 lb. and there's still 200 lb. of GVWR available. Well within safe limits.

Yes, tire sizes vary considerably among models. But AFAIK the GVWR is still the same even for the skinny tire models.

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. One of those things for me has been towing light loads. I may have come close to the GVWR and maybe even exceeded it a little, all without incident,

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. I'm honestly not out to change opinions, we all have different levels of risk we find acceptable, I'm merely reporting on what I have done to date without anything negative happening.

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... The things I have seen CJ-7s towing make me cringe

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, I won't go so far as to make a blanket statement that strong and everyone here who has towed with a Mirage and not killed multiple innocent bystanders is proof of that.
Respectfully, h

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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?

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.

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. Wind drag is an issue with a Mirage. I rest my case. I sold my larger beautiful AL trailer (5x9) because the beautiful tailgate/loading ramp was a horrible wind drag.

[Eggman]

I'm honestly not out to change opinions, we all have different levels of risk we find acceptable, I'm merely reporting on what I have done to date without anything negative happening.

I won't go so far as to make a blanket statement that strong and everyone here who has towed with a Mirage and not killed multiple innocent bystanders is proof of that.

Risk - what one finds acceptable and what others don't.

We used to have a group of motorcyclists who called themselves the Starboyz. You might have heard of them. They would perform stunts on their motorcycles. Very impressive stunts too. But they would do their stunts on public roads. Maybe they thought their behavior was cool - not everyone agreed. And I'm not saying towing with a Mirage is a direct equivalent! I'm using this to illustrate how easy it is to have an idea go wrong.

Here's wishing you safe travels.

[Wallythacker]

Risk - what one finds acceptable and what others don't.

We used to have a group of motorcyclists who called themselves the Starboyz. You might have heard of them. They would perform stunts on their motorcycles. Very impressive stunts too. But they would do their stunts on public roads. Maybe they thought their behavior was cool - not everyone agreed. And I'm not saying towing with a Mirage is a direct equivalent! I'm using this to illustrate how easy it is to have an idea go wrong.

Here's wishing you safe travels.

We had a pack of retards that would do 200mph wheelies on public roads, actually, finished but not open sections of new toll roads. This was about 2007, around the same time that Swedish wiener "ghost rider" was ripping up the roads with his 500 hp turbo hyabusa. (you guys ever wonder where I got the idea of a 1200 cc 500hp engine?) The Ontario idjits doing these stunts were 40+ back then, they weren't kids with baggy pants and backwards ball caps. One was called d'man. LOL. Talk about thinking highly of yourself. Anyhow, I guess morons like these spring up organically. too funny.

Safe travels you too my friend!