Any experience towing a Miata?

[sunchick]

We have a Miata that we'd like to tow behind our Class A. Has anyone used a dolly with success or is it better to use a trailer since the manufacturer doesn't recommend a dolly unless the drive shaft is disconnected? We are interested in a 16' trailer with ramps that will clear the car upon loading? Any suggestions?

[JohnnyT]

Moved from class A forum

[Healeyman]

rondeb wrote:
Healeyman provided excellent info and encouragement on what we needed to know.

Thanks for the kind words, Ron. Sorry about the knees & hips. I know what you mean. Left knee only for me, so I'm still doin' pretty well.

Tim

[rondeb]

We towed a Miata 4 down for a number of years. Healeyman provided excellent info and encouragement on what we needed to know. Ours was a 6 speed manual which you must have a manual transmission for 4 down. We had the baseplate and all electrical installed by an RV dealer. It was a wonderful Tow. Put it in neutral and go. We sometimes would travel 1000 miles before unhooking and driving it. It sits so low to the ground, that bad knees and hips caused us to have to give it up and we now have a CRV, but nothing is as much fun and ease of towing as that Miata.

[Healeyman]

doxiemom11 wrote:
check the remcotowing.com charts to see if it's towable. Look it up by year, engine, transmission.

As is often the case, Remcotowing.com and the like, are NOT always a reliable authority for what cars can and/or cannot be towed. They usually parrot what the manufacturer says and the towing advice from most manufacturers comes from Lawyers, not Engineers.

I have towed 3 Miatas. A 2000 for 35,000+ miles, a 2010 for 16,000+ miles (until butt-struck and totaled) and now a 2012 for 10,000+ miles.

Remcotowing.com does NOT show any of my Miatas as being towable.

There are 4 manufacturers of towing baseplates for the 1989 - 2005 and one for the 2006 - 2015.
That means that "somebody" is buying baseplates and towing Miatas.

Look at my picture in my post above and you will see that I am currently towing a Miata.

Tim

[doxiemom11]

check the remcotowing.com charts to see if it's towable. Look it up by year, engine, transmission.

[crasster]

Obviously, this boils down to the transmission, manual or auto.

[ArchHoagland]

What year and type of transmission?

[peaches_cream]

Johno02 wrote:
If I had a Miata, the only way I would tow it is inside a bulletproof padlocked steel trailer with a big loud alarm!

:?

[Johno02]

If I had a Miata, the only way I would tow it is inside a bulletproof padlocked steel trailer with a big loud alarm!

[Healeyman]

sunchick wrote:
We have a Miata that we'd like to tow behind our Class A. Any suggestions?

IF you have a MANUAL transmission of any year Miata, it is flat/4-down towable. NO AUTOMATIC transmission Miata is flat/4-down towable without a LOT of modification.

NO ONE makes a lube pump for a Miata automatic and NO ONE makes a driveshaft disconnect for any Miata.

If your Miata is a manual transmission, I can provide you with all of the information you need to tow it.

In the past 8 years, I have helped nearly 100 other Miata owners to get their cars RV towable.

PM me if you want more information.

Tim

[Ivylog]

Is it a manual tranny? Plenty of people towing them four down. What class A do you have? If the Miata is automatic I'd tow it on a dolly backwards and YES I know some say you cannot do this... but have you ever actually towed something backwards on a dolly? While not the same, click on "How I tow" below.

[peaches_cream]

sunchick wrote:
We have a Miata that we'd like to tow behind our Class A. Has anyone used a dolly with success or is it better to use a trailer since the manufacturer doesn't recommend a dolly unless the drive shaft is disconnected? We are interested in a 16' trailer with ramps that will clear the car upon loading? Any suggestions?

I towed a 1995 Miata, 5 spd., for 5 yrs. and about 25,000 miles, 4 down. Never disconnected driveshaft. Never had any problem with the car. PM Healeyman and he can give you very good advice.

[2oldman]

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