wow! maybe i could do this w/ my car too...

Message

#11 Post by **dr_bar** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 7:45 pm

Gee, a small car can pull a trailer???? What will they think of next? Maybe a trailer to be pulled by a motorcycle????

DOH!!!!

VermilionX · #12 Post by **VermilionX** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 7:48 pm

errr... those trailers are way lighter than bike trailers.

and yeah, i've seen the goldwing vid towing cars.

i just wasn't sure if my car has enough torque to haul a bike trailer.

TechTMW · #13 Post by **TechTMW** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 8:23 pm

BuzZz wrote:You've never seen a car pulling a trailer before? You need to get out more....

Yeah he needs to get out of the USA more. There are very few cars pulling trailers there - dontchya know. You need at least a 5 liter v8 and a 6.5 foot pickup bed to tow ANYTHING.

Verm. The most common cause of a car getting crappy gas mileage is a blown oxygen sensor. The o2 sensor tells the brain box how much o2 is in the exhaust and adjusts the amount of fuel being shot into the engine accordingly. When an o2 sensor goes bad, the computer ges into "Limp-Home" mode - the vehicle runs full rich to overcompensate for a faulty sensor.

Sensors can range from the cheap ($30) 1-wire model to fancy pants 3-wire self heating models. If I were to guess, I'd say that a mazda only has the 1-wire model, should be an easy fix. But I've been wrong before!

pinger05 · #14 Post by **pinger05** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 8:43 pm

Errr yea you need to get out more. Here in Europe no-one wants to own a pick up truck due to gas prices. Could you imagine paying $7.60 per gallon for a P/U truck?

Everyone here who has to haul things owns a trailer that they hook up to the family car. I will try to get some pictures for you of this phenonemon.

For your car check the o2 sensor and perhaps run a can of injector cleaner through it. Another thing to check is the air pressure in the tires, or the condition of the tires. You might need an alignment - but with that low a gas milage your tires would be trashed if the alignment was the cause.

Mr_Salad · #15 Post by **Mr_Salad** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 12:53 am

Yea man, as long as you have a proper tow hitch set up i.e. the hitch itself and the electrical setup, most cars can tow up to 1500 pounds. So you're bike and the trailer should be no problem. As long as you aren't towing a 40ft cigarette boat, I'm sure your Mazda will have no problem pulling that bike.

Tue Aug 08, 2006 1:06 am

Verm a hitch will probably run you a good $250-300 plus installation. I've seen alot of small cars towning all types of stuff including jet skies all the time.

Dichotomous · #17 Post by **Dichotomous** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 1:17 am

wow verm, get that car checked out! you are getting the same gas milage as me, and my jeep has a 4.0L I-6 and is the aerodynamic equivelent of a brick with a parachute! and you dont even get the benefit of being able to drive over things randomly and without warning.

shane-o · #18 Post by **shane-o** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 2:18 am

ah thats one of those fold-up trailers, that comes with a 100 n 1 different attachments and gadgets

i want one

#19 Post by **storysunfolding** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 2:34 am

Make sure you buy a quality trailer. We had a guy in the DC area pulling a harbor freight trailer. The thing was less than a few months old, a bearing went bad and locked up the trailers axle, ripped one tire off and destroyed the two bikes he had back there.

GrandGT · #20 Post by **GrandGT** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 2:46 am

dr_bar wrote:Gee, a small car can pull a trailer???? What will they think of next? Maybe a trailer to be pulled by a motorcycle????

my lawn mower has a trailer...