The Hooks that Look Like Tow Hooks on the Miata

On the front of the vehicle, aren't really for towing per the manual. Have any of you not knowing that, ever used them for towing??? If so, what was the result??

Reply to
S K
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These hooks are commonly called "baby teeth". The manual does indeed say that they are not to be used for towing. This has lead to spirited discussions of the definition of "towing", whether it means pulling the car out of a ditch vs long distance towing.

I took mine off just because they were so ugly.

Reply to
Natman

They tie-down hooks, as I understand it. In particular, they're apparently useful for tie-downs on a flatbed tow truck.

Dana

Reply to
Dana Myers

My understanding is that although you aren't recommended to tow with them, you can probably get away with it in an emergency.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that the one thing you must remember is to attach a seperate rope to each one, rather than making a triangle through them with a single rope, which tends to pull them towards eachother under load. It's early so I've not attempted to figure out the actual physics involved here, but it sounds reasonable?!

R.

Reply to
Richard Phillips

I have helped winched a number of Miatas onto a flatbed trailer. Every time it had the tie down hooks, these were used both to pull the car onto the trailer, and as Dana mentioned, to secure the car once it was loaded, making it an easier job with the hooks than without them.

The tie down hooks and the bolts that that they are mounted with are incredibly strong as I found out from moving a Miata that was wrecked so badly that it had no steering.

I hooked a come along to one front tie down hook and the other end to a tree and swung the front end around sideways several feet on flat and screeching tires. I then attached a cable to both hooks together and pulled it about 10 feet forward with both front wheels locked up and sliding. (One wheel was actually broken into pieces, but held together by being jammed into the body of the car)

Obviously the bolts were stressed more than they would be from towing a free car, but it was also only for a short time.

Still, the tie down hooks and the securing bolts did not bend at all. I would have full confidence in their ability to handle the load of towing the car using both of them.

I have not used the hooks to tow, but my main concerns would be damage from a chain coming out from that area hitting the body work, and relying on the Miatas weight and brakes to help stop whatever is towing it.

Pat

Reply to
pws

I believe that's the reason Mazda don't recommend them for towing. Some of the JDM Roadsters/MX-5s are pretty slammed compared to UK or US cars, which exacerbates the problem.

Reply to
Zog The Undeniable

FWIW, they intended to be used to tie the car down while shipping.

Reply to
Grant Edwards

I removed mine the day I bought the car. I thought everyone did.

Reply to
Frank Berger

The previous owners of my first Miata left them on for a 3 years, I had them off within a week.

I have never seen the tie-down hooks that came with the current car, but I see quite a few Miatas around town with them in place.

Pat

Reply to
pws

Mine is one. I have no reason to remove them and no reason to leave them on. Since the first requires me to do nothing, that fits well with my policy of "Lazyness Above All!"

Reply to
XS11E

Most owners in the UK seem to leave them on. I was lucky - I got one of the last intake grilles *without* the cutouts for the hooks.

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The sticky number plates are semi-legal over here; they make it look very 1960s.

Reply to
Zog The Undeniable

I wish they were here, front license plates aren't required in Arizona so I don't have mine on the car and I don't have the original Miata mount which is OK, I don't like it! But I would like to have a front plate, I have handicap plates and use handicap parking, people walking by the car often get a bit upset. I even had one police officer make a big detour around the rear of the car to check the plate.

So I wouldn't mind a front plate but I don't want any of the mounts I've seen so far, particularly the fold down thing that I've seen...

Reply to
XS11E

Don't discount the massive weight savings. :-)

They are usually removed for looks above all.

If you don't mind how they look, leave 'em on, they can be useful, even if they are just used to secure the car on a trailer, which is the same action as what the hooks were designed to be used for when the cars came over on the boat.

Pat

Reply to
pws

Love the building and driveway, as well as the car. Where was that picture taken?

Pat

Reply to
pws

Er...that's my house. It's a very ordinary 4-bedroom estate box, built in 1981. We had the drive block-paved in a contrasting colour; the MX-5 normally lives in the garage, which you can't see in the picture. The paved area is a kind of L-shape and wraps around two sides of the house.

Reply to
Zog The Undeniable

What, now you don't think Kirsten Dunst is pretty?

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yrs jp

Reply to
johnny p.

Most of the places that I have been to in the United States have concrete driveways at almost every house, which are not pretty, imo, especially with nearly every one in my old neighborhood being patched from a sewage line repair.

My parents had a pave stone driveway and walkway installed not long ago and it really stands out. Similar to your's but a different color combination.

Anyway, your place looks nice to me. :-)

Pat

Reply to
pws

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