Well, just received my race wheels today, a set of stock 04's. Ken is selling me his used Victoracers (225 fr / 255 rear). I would like to get them before the first event in Jan. if I can get a hold of him and if my X-mas bonus is big enough, order the Comptech front bar. The next hurdle is getting everything to Ft. Myers.
My options are a hitch on the S2k and tire trailer or hitch on the family MDX and rent a car trailer or buy a used one (but where to store). I'm leaning to trailering the car because I have not seen a hitch that does not require drilling into the trunk and then there's the warranty issue.

 

MDX doesn't have enough towing capacity to tow the S2000. Its rated at 3500 if I'm not mistaken. S2000 is nearly 3000 lbs and the trailer is more than 500 lbs, even if its a Featherlite. Keep in mind you will have other stuff in the tow vehicle too.

Ask CoralDoc, he's the tow expert.

 

Been there, done that .

Either option has benefits and disadvantages.

Pulling a small trailer behind the S2000 puts additional stress on the car that it was not designed for. However, many people, including myself have successfully trailered with the car. You need to decide on the hitch and trailer. If you build your own, count on about $700 for everything, including hitch. The clutch and transmission were repaired under warrantee on my old car even though it had a traler hitch on it.

Trailering the car means obtaining and licencing a tow vehicle in addition to the trailer. A car hauler can range in price from under $2k for an open steel unit to well over $10k for closed designs. Absolutely do not overestimate the towing capacity of your tow vehicle - this is for safety and durability. The MDX is absolutely NOT sufficient to pull a car on a trailer. Keith is right, it has a max trailer towing capacity of 3,500 pounds (and may be less depending on the model). Since an S2000 on a Featherlite trailer weighs 4,200 pounds, and you haven't even considered any other items (another 500 pounds), it won't work.

In use, it's easier to set up and get on the road with the small trailer, but you have to change tires at the venue. With a car hauler there's more prep work in advance, however once at the event, you just need to unload the car and you're ready.

I'll be at the ER event on Sunday with my small trailer if you want to check it out.

 

Just trade the wife's MDX for a Dualie and you'll be all set.

 

Got my diff fixed with a trailer hitch on also. Rick Case, no questions asked. I'd go the trailer and hitch route. Tow vehicle too expensive.

Then, again there's always the option of getting two tires in the front seat (don't know if this will work on the '04), and fitting one rear in the trunk (spare and all tools removed or placed in the space where the spare was). The trick is getting that fourth wheel in. Possibly on top of the other two in the passenger seat (blocking view of passenger window and mirror/ not realy safe for highway driving, but possible) or strapping the last wheel to the trunk lid as Tmorrow does (don't like that at all, but he's had pretty good success with protecting the paint doing this).

If you take out the passenger seat, this works VERY WELL!! Of couse you won't be in AS anymore if that is donw.

 

I can get all my stuff including the tires in the car.

James, with the seat in you can get the tire on the front two and even get the top to close easy.

 

Trading in the MDX for flat bed truck I do not think will fly with the wife. So, looks like the S2k hitch and trailer.

I only know of Ken with an 04 with a hitch which was custom made by a welder. Can you all point me in a direction where to look locally for one. Also, where did you all buy your trailers? I've done a search but looking for something local so I do not have to pay shipping.

It seems that all the S2k hitches are custom made. Or can I buy ready built, like from U-Haul or other manufactures.

I may be driving to a few events ON the Kumhos.

Man I miss the utility ability of the ITR.

 

Well Allan,

A company called Da'lan makes a hitch for the S2000. That's what Josh had on his and I think Penrod has on his. It's OK, but I don't like it because you can always see the receiver. This is the reason I don' have a hitch on my car now.

Most people buy the trailers (or parts) from Harbor Freight. They have some stores down here so I think you might be able to get the parts locally. One of the stores is on Atlantic just east of 441.

I don't know if I'd drive to an event on Kumhos. If you get caught in the rain, you will be in big time trouble.

 

Thanks Keith. I've seen the name Harbor Freight on this site and also found a nice trailer from sportutilitytrailers.com for $280 + shipping.

My concern is the hitch. I've read horror stories of the hitch ripping thru the trunk floor. I read that a guy was making hitches esp. for the S2k but stopped selling them due to the liability. It sounded nice as you were able to remove the receiver bar and just the mounting brackets remained.

Yah, I know driving on the Kunhos is not a good idea and is a last resort. Wouldn't be too bad at local ER events though.

 

Here are a few links to check out:
Track Trailer Discussion
Track Trailer Discussion 2 and Construction
Trailer Hitch Discussion
Tow Vehicle, Hitch and Trailer Considerations

A properly installed Da'Lan hitch won't damage your car unless you severely overload it. As Keith mentioned, it's not as attractive as other custom hitches, but it's functional and not too expensive (~$275).

Here's what it looks like when mounted on the car:


If you want to go the custom fabrication route for the hitch, I know a talented welder/fabricator in WPB that could probably do it. His name is Peter and he works at a shop called Road and Race. Just print out the photos from the threads listed above to give him an idea of what you want (and don't want). I'll loook up the contact information if you'd like.

HTH